Single Mom moving to Atl in 60 days (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: rental, condo)

[my1javon]

Hello Site,

So I checked out the sticky before I decided to post (you will be well pleased )

A little about me: I am in my late twenties with a elementary school child. Not afraid of the metro area (i'm actually more afraid of suburbia.. lol), however do need good schools (middle & high schools are important as well, even though we aren't quite there yet). I am coming from Dallas and from reading your posts the city seems to be separated much like it is here... with more people pointing to the suburbs as the preferred place... I personally prefer diversity and want my son to understand what the world truly looks like (no offense meant to those who prefer them... simply my preference.) However if the suburbs are the best options (and im taking into consideration "best" is subjective) I'll go that way

Below are the questions from the "read first" sticky:

1. Budget: I will be renting so need a 2 bd/2 ba or larger no more than $1000/mo (let me know if my housing cost expectations are unreasonable. Texas is very affordable lol)
2. House/Condo/Townhome? I'm open to all of the above.
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home)/ I will be working directly with the APS schools most likely the under-performing ones (the "hood") however working from home some as well.
4. Children(public school vs. private)/ Depends on how the schools are looking. I went to GreatSchools and couldn't really locate an "area".. you guys seemingly have gems all over inner-city Atl
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two/ a mix of the two. I love the urban areas but still a mother bear .
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not?/ not important but if we are walking distance from school & public transit, i'd take that savings.
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood./ not really sure what this implies? I want a demographically diverse area. I want a safe area with good schools. I don't want to live next to people who are out of touch with their community on either ends of the spectrum; either high or low.

Thank you for your time and feedback! I'm stressing a bit about this move...

[Newsboy]

Just a note: Schools in Georgia start in early August --NOT the day after Labor Day like most of the rest of the country. If you come 60 days from the date of this post you're going to miss the first 3 (and possibly 4 or more) weeks of school depending on the district.

[my1javon]

Thank you for that insight. Do you happen to know how the semesters are broken up? For example, is each semester three 6 or two 9 week segments? I'm having a hard time locating this on the GaDoe website...

[flyonpa]

Atlanta Public schools Cal = Atlanta Public Schools | APS Resources (http://www.atlantapublicschools.us/186110121116728653/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=55235&1861Nav =|&NodeID=64 - broken link)

I think almost all GA districts finish the 1st half of the year (1st sem / 1&2nd marking periods) before the Winter Break, (Christmas).

[my1javon]

Ahhh I see. Our semesters are also broken in half but each half is divided into smaller segments. This doesnt appear to be the case there. Thank you for this link.

[blw1961]

Try the area of Vinings / Smyrna ... about 13 miles northwest of downtown. Quick access to I-75 and I-285. Good schools, great suburbs, but not so much of the cookie-cutter burbs of Roswell / Alpharetta. Good luck!

[Newsboy]

Most school districts in Georgia structure their calendar so that the Christmas break is the halfway point of the year: Two 18-week semesters before and after the New Year. Each semester is then divided into two 9-week grading periods, for a total of 4 "mini-mesters" (or quarters) for the whole 180-day year. Some systems also schedule a one-week break between each grading period, 9 weeks on, a week off, 9 weeks on, a week off, etc. (which is essentially "year-round" school). But those that don't stick to that schedule strictly may still have extra one-week breaks in the fall and winter (in addition to the traditional breaks at Thanksgiving, Christmas and in the spring). The end result: Summers in Georgia are VERY SHORT, about 8-9 weeks depending on the district. CONFUSED?

[my1javon]

blw: Thanks for the feedback. I found a few townhouses in that area on craigslist & trulia that I will check out.

Newsboy: Lol... ive worked with a few different school districts so I'm used to the drastic variation in calendar breakdowns. Even though the summer is short, it seems the students may have more breaks than they do here in Texas... it all evens out in the end.



What about Decatur? They seem to have some pretty good IB programs in the schools and seems to be close to downtown.

[SW30303]

I think for your rental range, you may have to go out a little farther (outside 285 or rent a smaller place intown). I think the rental range you posted is pretty reasonable in a broad sense for most of metro Atlanta.

For intown Atlanta, there are a few good clusters in the APS, not sure their names but towards the Midtown/ Buckhead area itself.

(Dekalb County)

You mention Decatur, but with Decatur, you will want to live in the City of Decatur which for a rental might be out of the price range you list unless it is a smaller place.

The schools in the City of Decatur are what you probably would like if you decide to live in that area. Just so you have an idea, the cheaper, unincorporated areas of Decatur are not recommended for public school usage. There are threads already here about the Decatur schools, I am afraid I do not know the answer specifically in your most recent question.

I would avoid most of Dekalb county to the east where Decatur is. There are other threads mentioning the ongoing problems with the Dekalb school system, so just keep that in mind when looking. The strong clusters there are in the North Druid Hills / Emory area which is close to Decatur but has Atlanta addresses.

(Fulton County)
I would also consider Sandy Springs or Roswell, but this may be far for your traveling to work.

(Cobb County)
Cobb County (Marietta) is another good contender for public schools. One last thing to note: all these areas I mentioned are mostly racially diverse.

Good luck in your search!

[Dytdude]

Where is your job located. If you are from Dallas you should know that you have to be relatively close to your job or at least drive the opposite flow of traffic in the mornings.