I Moved From Atlanta to Baton Rouge for a Higher Life-Work Stability

• Wendy Daniels owns an actual property improvement consulting enterprise and is a mother of three.
• She was drawn to Atlanta for entrepreneurial alternatives however later moved.
• She says residing in Baton Rouge means much less commuting time and higher profession alternatives.

This as-told-to essay is predicated on a dialog with Wendy Daniels, proprietor of Beechwood Residential, a Baton Rouge-based property improvement agency. It has been edited for size and readability.

As a child, I moved round a bit, residing in New Orleans and Oakland, California, earlier than my mother and father settled in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, once I was in seventh grade. Once I left dwelling for school to review city planning, I believed I might by no means in 1,000,000 years transfer again to Baton Rouge.

After graduate faculty, I used to be recruited for a place in Atlanta. It felt like the town selected me. I liked that I by no means needed to seek for one thing to do as a result of a lot was occurring. Rising up, I did not know a whole lot of Black entrepreneurs, however in Atlanta, I labored with the most effective and brightest individuals. Once I turned a mother, I preferred my youngsters being round that as effectively.

However over my 15 years in Atlanta, the town misplaced a few of its enchantment. One in all the most important drawbacks was the visitors. It was insufferable. I lived 10 minutes from downtown, however choosing my children up from day care and getting dwelling might simply take over an hour on a Friday afternoon. That impacted my profession as a result of I wanted to depart the workplace or shopper conferences by 2:30 to get to day care on time.

I felt a sigh of reduction each time I left the town

Once I visited my mother in Baton Rouge, I felt so relaxed. I spotted I missed the social tradition of Louisiana. In Atlanta, 9 out of each 10 individuals I met had been additionally transplants. My dwelling turned the home the place everybody gathered on holidays and after work, however I used to be making an attempt to create that neighborhood really feel in a metropolis that did not have it.

By the point I had three younger youngsters, I knew we wanted to depart the town. At that stage, it simply did not really feel like the best match for our household. I owned my very own enterprise and knew I might preserve my purchasers. My husband discovered a job in Baton Rouge, a couple of 10-hour drive from Atlanta, and we packed up.

We settled on a short-term rental whereas we determined the place we needed to purchase. Though I used to be from the town, a lot had modified. Quickly after we arrived, the rental proprietor invited us over for a glass of wine and mentioned she needed to get to know us. That is the precise neighborhood tradition I used to be craving. It felt like I might breathe once more.

We spent extra on housing however a lot much less on tuition

We offered our home in Atlanta and acquired one in a sizzling neighborhood in Baton Rouge. Our housing prices really went up, nevertheless it wasn’t an apples-to-apples comparability. We had been residing in a a lot nicer space.

We saved cash on preschool and personal faculty tuition, nevertheless. In Atlanta, non-public Catholic faculties value about $20,000 per little one yearly. In Baton Rouge, I put all three children in non-public faculty for that quantity.

The most important change in my life was the visitors scenario. I might drop off all three children and get to my workplace inside 25 minutes, whereas in Atlanta, that would take an hour. I did not understand how a lot stress it was inflicting me till that was gone.

At first, I needed to commute to Atlanta each month for work. I might go away my home and be at my airport gate inside 20 minutes. I’ve by no means flown non-public, however I can not think about it is a lot better than that. Whereas I might fly direct to Atlanta or Washington D.C., most different flights had connections, which was a change from Atlanta, the place I might fly direct anyplace.

Shifting boosted my profession, too

I am superb at what I do, however there was rather more competitors in Atlanta. Though I had a great community, it wasn’t as deep because the networks of people that had household ties in Atlanta or went to school there.

Once I moved, I used to be capable of faucet into a beautiful community. It isn’t simply because I grew up right here — it is as a result of, in a smaller metropolis, you possibly can have a much bigger influence. I’ve the mayor’s quantity, and I am assured I might get the governor on the telephone if wanted. Due to networking and fewer competitors, my enterprise has flourished.

Residing in Baton Rouge is not massive metropolis life, nevertheless it has all the things I would like. Positive, I’d want to go looking extra, however I can nonetheless go to the symphony, meet pals for drinks, and make skilled connections, all with out the stress I had in Atlanta.