Relocating from India - Need Advice (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: for rent, condo, townhome)

[Vedant]

Greetings,

We are an Indian couple in our early 30's with a 7 month kiddo. We plan to relocate from India sometime in December. I have a travel job with most of my customers on the East coast. I was thinking of Atlanta mainly for reducing my financial burden as compared to staying in NJ.

I am providing the details below.

1. Budget (US$ 1,000 per month for renting a 2 Bed place
2. House/Condo/Townhome? (Condo/Townhome)
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home) - Working from home
4. Children(public school vs. private) (8 Month old so not required for now)
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two (Mix of two)
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? (Yes especially Airport Access)
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. (Nothing specific)

Please do suggest a safe neighborhood. Alternatively, if you'll can suggest any other city on the East Coast that will be much appreciated.



Many thanks in advance.

[BeyondInfinity]

Originally Posted by Vedant

Greetings,

We are an Indian couple in our early 30's with a 7 month kiddo. We plan to relocate from India sometime in December. I have a travel job with most of my customers on the East coast. I was thinking of Atlanta mainly for reducing my financial burden as compared to staying in NJ.

I am providing the details below.

1. Budget (US$ 1,000 per month for renting a 2 Bed place
2. House/Condo/Townhome? (Condo/Townhome)
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home) - Working from home
4. Children(public school vs. private) (8 Month old so not required for now)
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two (Mix of two)
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? (Yes especially Airport Access)
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. (Nothing specific)

Please do suggest a safe neighborhood. Alternatively, if you'll can suggest any other city on the East Coast that will be much appreciated.



Many thanks in advance.

I would recommend the cities of Alpharetta, Sandy Springs or Dunwoody.

Other cities on the East Coast that you may want to try are Charlotte, NC or Raleigh, NC.

[FromGA]

Buckhead and Perimeter (Dunwoody, Perimeter mall area) are areas that offer MARTA service to the airport. Perimeter is less espensive of the two. But not sure if $1000 will be enough. But definitely look into these areas, especially Perimeter.

Further north in the suburbs is Alpharetta-Johns Creek area which is popular with families (and has a big Indian population). You can drive to the Perimeter area MARTA station from here, but traffic is bad in Alpharetta-Johns Creek area, and you could consider this area in the future as schools etc. become important. The airport is on the southside, so these northern suburbs are tough for what you are needing.

As an alternative to Atlanta, you could look into Southern Jersey (Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia). Depending on where your clients are, (and being in the middle of the Boston Washington corridor) you might be a train ride away from your clients. I think Philadelphia airport has reasonable accessible from South Jersey.

I think the Raleigh/Cary (research triangle) has better access to airport (I may be wrong) as it is in the middle of things. But I think tickets are more expensive flying out of Raleigh airport.

Good luck!

[DTL3000]

If you'd like to be near an area with an Indian population as well as a lot of stores that serve that community, I would suggest Duluth or nearby. I believe the epicenter is around Jimmy Carter and I-85 but I may be off by an exit or two. There is also an Indian community on the south side in Riverdale i believe. You'd be MUCH closer to the airport in Riverdale but the Duluth area is a bit nicer in my opinion(more expensive too).

[Tresninas]

There is a huge Indian population in Johns Creek, zipcode 30097, as well as nearby areas of Alpharetta and Duluth. These areas have several Indian restaurants and grocery stores, and they are also very nice areas to raise a family.

The biggest problem is that they are far from the airport. Many of my Indian friends live in this general area, work from home, and drive to and from the airport for work a few times a month. They don't seem to mind it. But if you are traveling every single week, then you might want to live closer to the airport.

Are you South Indian, by any chance? The reason I ask, is because Atlanta is unusual in that it has a very large South Indian population. Many east coast cities have North Indians, but Atlanta's South Indian population rivals Houston and Chicago. So, if you are looking for a South Indian community, Atlanta is absolutely your best bet on the east coast.

[Vedant]

Many thanks friends for all your feedback..This helps a great deal.

@Tresninas - I come from Central India . I am honestly not keen to look exclusively in an Indian community - Whats the point of moving to the US and still staying in India.

[Tresninas]

Then you'll find most major east coast cities have enough Indians for you! Good luck!