The only thing that makes Atlanta bearable is leaving it regularly. For young guys out of the sticks, it's a paradise. As several people have indicated, it's a party town, but that grows thin rapidly for most....and then there's not much to do. The only town in America I know as ugly as Atlanta is Denver. There is no downtown life after 5 p.m.
I've known a handful of people who move to Atlanta because they are attracted by the lower cost of living. They always say they can buy a house here, where they can't in the industrial NE or on the west coast. Maybe so, but it seems like a poor reason to live anywhere to me. And in any case most people in that situation end up living in the burbs and hating it.
I must say that Atlanta, because it is predominantly Af/Am and has a huge gay population, is pretty tolerant. There are some decent universities in town. But if you're attracted to the arts, you'll be in a place 10 to 15 years behind the times. Mainly Atlanta is about manic economic growth.