Thinking about moving to Atlanta area and look for advice (Marietta: apartment, high crime)

[bankcello]

My wife and I are thinking about moving to the Atlanta area. We are retired and have no children at home.

Currently I am in Trenton, NJ. The better weather in the south is what attracts me, plus being in someplace new.

Since Trenton is a high crime area, I suspect that the big negatives I have read here about crime in the Atlanta area are not that important. We are Caucasian, but race really doesn't matter. My neighborhood is almost all African-American.

While I would like to be in a downtown location, I fear that it not possible. We need a lot of room and don't have a vast amount of money to spend. It would be nice to be somewhere where you can walk to some things (groceries, restaurants, etc.), but I am used to driving to get where I need.

Classical music is important and it would be nice to find people who like to play chamber music.

Which of the suburbs do you think might suit us? I have been looking at houses on the Internet and find that there are some in the Marietta area that look good, as well as some other areas.

Again: crime isn't a big factor (I'm used to it), race doesn't matter nor do jobs and schools. Even though I suspect that we will end up in the suburbs (if we move at all), I would prefer an area with sidewalks and such like.

Any suggestions are welcomed.

[northatlbroker]

Bankcello-

Unlike the NE (where I'm from), Atlanta is one city that covers a vast land area. IN other words, you can be 60 miles from one place and both would stil be considered "metro-Atlanta". While we certainly have crime, I don't think it is similar to what you have experienced in your current urban location.

As to where to live, it all depends on how much you want to spend, how long you're willing to drive and what is most important to you (i.e. amount of land, proximity to certain amenities, age of home, etc).

There's so much here that you can find a nice house under $200,000 if you go to the outer suburbs. Closer in = more money but also typically a newer home.

I've been here 20 years and love it. If you are over 62, you can also get a property tax exemption in Cobb County for the portion of your property taxes that are related to schools (about 75%). This means that on a $200,000 home, your taxed would be under $1000 for the YEAR!! Compare that to NJ.

[SaraSatin]

What is your budget and what size of a house are you looking for? If you're retired and therefore not having to worry about a job commute then that information should be able to help us help you find a neighborhood close to what you described and in that price range.

[samjones123]

I have lived here all my life, and a word- I hate it here in Atlanta. The weather sucks. It's so hot here in the summer. Don't let anyone tell you Atlanta has a "mild" climate. Traffic sucks. There are so many foreigners are here, and if you want to think that is good, fine, but I don't consider it fine, when everyone isn't speaking English, and people don't know the traffic laws.

Also, you have to be aware that Atlanta is the heart of the black, excuse me-"African American" civil rights issue. They run the city, and we'll just keep our opinions to ourselves on how well they do. But what I am say is- it will be in your face every single day of your life. I am not anti-black at all, I am just against the majority in Atlanta whining about being a minority. Majority to me is over 50% of the population, and blacks are definitely over 50% of the population here.

Anyway, I want to move as soon as I can, so you can come take my place!

[LoveMiami]

Originally Posted by samjones123

I have lived here all my life, and a word- I hate it here in Atlanta. The weather sucks. It's so hot here in the summer. Don't let anyone tell you Atlanta has a "mild" climate. Traffic sucks. There are so many foreigners are here, and if you want to think that is good, fine, but I don't consider it fine, when everyone isn't speaking English, and people don't know the traffic laws.

Also, you have to be aware that Atlanta is the heart of the black, excuse me-"African American" civil rights issue. They run the city, and we'll just keep our opinions to ourselves on how well they do. But what I am say is- it will be in your face every single day of your life. I am not anti-black at all, I am just against the majority in Atlanta whining about being a minority. Majority to me is over 50% of the population, and blacks are definitely over 50% of the population here.

Anyway, I want to move as soon as I can, so you can come take my place!

i want to know where you going to be happy with that attitude

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by samjones123

I have lived here all my life, and a word- I hate it here in Atlanta. The weather sucks. It's so hot here in the summer. Don't let anyone tell you Atlanta has a "mild" climate. Traffic sucks. There are so many foreigners are here, and if you want to think that is good, fine, but I don't consider it fine, when everyone isn't speaking English, and people don't know the traffic laws.

Also, you have to be aware that Atlanta is the heart of the black, excuse me-"African American" civil rights issue. They run the city, and we'll just keep our opinions to ourselves on how well they do. But what I am say is- it will be in your face every single day of your life. I am not anti-black at all, I am just against the majority in Atlanta whining about being a minority. Majority to me is over 50% of the population, and blacks are definitely over 50% of the population here.

Anyway, I want to move as soon as I can, so you can come take my place!

"Black"..."African-American"...you say "tomato" and I say "to-MAH-to"...

Look, if you want a very white place with no traffic and no heat, try North Dakota.

[NE2SE]

Read my posting here:
Please read my posting:

NJ/NY to GA How has your life changed?

There are many links there about the City of Marietta that I think you will enjoy!

[bankcello]

I realize that I should have given some more information about what I am interested in.

I would like at least four bedrooms in the house, and it should be on one floor. I would like to spend no more that $350,000, and would prefer less.

As I mentioned, culture is important to me. I also realize that politics are also important. I am an official (wooly headed; knee-jerk; bleeding heart (choose one or more)) liberal. I would not want to be in a very conservative place. I notice that I can find out the voting results of the last presidenteal election in various places and may use that as one of my criteria.

My wife and I will be flying down for a little visit to scope out the area and see if it is at all attractive.

My ideal choice would be a very large apartment in Paris, but since I don't have the money nor do I speak French, I will have to settle for something else.

[bankcello]

Originally Posted by samjones123

I have lived here all my life, and a word- I hate it here in Atlanta. The weather sucks. It's so hot here in the summer. Don't let anyone tell you Atlanta has a "mild" climate. Traffic sucks. There are so many foreigners are here, and if you want to think that is good, fine, but I don't consider it fine, when everyone isn't speaking English, and people don't know the traffic laws.

Also, you have to be aware that Atlanta is the heart of the black, excuse me-"African American" civil rights issue. They run the city, and we'll just keep our opinions to ourselves on how well they do. But what I am say is- it will be in your face every single day of your life. I am not anti-black at all, I am just against the majority in Atlanta whining about being a minority. Majority to me is over 50% of the population, and blacks are definitely over 50% of the population here.

Anyway, I want to move as soon as I can, so you can come take my place!

If only the old South Africa were back again. It sounds like the ideal place for your views.

[NE2SE]

Being a liberal narrows your choices. Cobb, North Fulton, and Gwinnett are going to scare you in terms of voting results. Mostly RIGHT up here. The place for you is Decatur. It has really shaped up into a wonderful place.

City of Decatur, GA

DeKalb County supported John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. For more information, see our Moderator cut: link removed


2006 elections: In the gubernatorial race, Georgia re-elected incumbent Republican Sonny Perdue over Democrat Mark Taylor, with 57.8% of the vote. elected
Presidential politics: Decatur is in DeKalb County, which voted Democratic in the last two presidential elections. According to unofficial vote totals for 2004, Bush received 73,527 votes and John Kerry received 200,632 votes.

In the November 2000 election, DeKalb County strongly supported Al Gore. Countywide, 58,807 people voted for Bush and 154,509 voted for Gore.

Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of only 18,147 in the 2000 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name. A suburb of Atlanta, and part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Decatur's public transportation is served by MARTA. The city's motto, inscribed on the city seal, reads "A city of homes, churches, and schools."

Decatur also has a large gay and lesbian population who were attracted by the city's liberal values and proximity to Atlanta. In fact, according to the 2000 Census, ZIP code 30030 (which includes Decatur) has one of the highest percentage of households with same sex couples in Georgia. Dekalb County has one of the largest concentrations of same sex couples in the nation.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,395, and the median income for a family was $65,064. Males had a median income of $46,817 versus $38,381 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,363. About 7.0% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education levels for Decatur are above average for the Atlanta area, with 56% of residents having obtained a bachelor's degree or higher, and 27% having obtained a graduate degree or higher.

Of course Virginia Highlands would be choice for you, but I'm afriad the cost of housing there is higher than you want it to be.

Decatur has sidewalks and great access to the city via MARTA!!!

Moderator cut: link removed
Choose by city and then Decatur put in your criteria.

Good luck.

BTW, my wife is from SA.