Hey,

I'm from ATL. Let me help you. At $45k, you need to find 2 roommates. I know. I have a house in Kennesaw, and I came up here three years ago, because I probably had the same idea as you did, to advance in my career, live in the city, etc.

You can take a look at Alexandria (not near King St) or Reston or South VA below Alexandria (like Huntington near metro). I've found that DMV (DC, MD, and VA) is easy to commute to via metro trains, unlike in ATL. Or you can...