Lithonia, Ga Panola Road

[btrfly414]

Wow Equinox63, you are very knowledgeable about different communities and I would imagine a community activist in the Dekalb area.
While I agree that many communities are built by the hands of the people, the OP just wanted opinions about the current state of the Panola area not the grassroots efforts to improve. We know that most posters here (including myself) want to get a quick answer from the masses to narrow their search. And we are eager to provide said answers based on some of our limited worldviews.

You do make valid points and I would hope that there are more individuals such as you in these communities making a difference.

[equinox63]

Originally Posted by btrfly414

Wow Equinox63, you are very knowledgeable about different communities and I would imagine a community activist in the Dekalb area.
While I agree that many communities are built by the hands of the people, the OP just wanted opinions about the current state of the Panola area not the grassroots efforts to improve. We know that most posters here (including myself) want to get a quick answer from the masses to narrow their search. And we are eager to provide said answers based on some of our limited worldviews.

You do make valid points and I would hope that there are more individuals such as you in these communities making a difference.

I feel you. I guess my only issues are people who avoid certain people and places because of inaccurate information and misconceptions. In the "West End" thread, there are people who either love it or hate it. Most of the "Hate it" crowd rarely frequent the West End or are turned off by the looks of the people in the area. But most of the "Love it" crowd are residents. I kinda feel like South Dekalb is somewhat of an underrepresented area, so it's kinda like a one-sided discussion with the "hate it" crowd. So I sometimes try to foster a clearer, fairer, more accurate perspective.

I just think it's kinda funny when people rail against suburban South Dekalb, when I know that many of these highly desirable areas of Atlanta are far worse in terms of safety. I know the excuse is... "These areas are gentrifying"... So my thing is let's gentrify our own community so people can recognize these overlooked areas... Unfortunately, it is a difficult and sometimes cyclical struggle that involves education, parenting, economics, class, and yes... even racism.

Now don't get me wrong, we plan to move in that bungalow in Decatur City or that new construction in Oak Grove, or that home in Glenwood Park. We were also strongly considering Grant Park, and I KNOW way more crime and safety issues exist there than in Lithonia, Stone Mountain or unincorporated Decatur. It just gets my goat when some posters make it seem like it's the other way around. I have my opinions of the West End, for example, but I don't comment as much because I'm intrigued about what the real residents have to say... I guess I've become a voice (on this forum) for South Dekalb. But I'm not "Mr. South Dekalb" or anything, however, I do want to keep the info about areas that I am very familiar with fair and just... In addition to bringing up an under-served community...

I try not be too overbearing and to fall back, but I don't want people to believe lies and stereotypes about an area or the people in it either... That's why I pose such hard-hitting questions sometimes... but as you can see, the poster(s) who said they lived in the area and it was horrible never replied...

But thank you for the compliment and please excuse my longwindedness...

[OrangeJulius]

SCEAMS IN FRUSTRATION!!!!! I was born and raised in South DeKalb. I find it odd that the NO ONE mentioned the Magnet Programs, or the AP Highest Honors for the Test Scores, etc at Southwest DeKalb High School--off of Wesley Chapel Rd. I have seen the area go from all white to almost all black (with of course the Indians, Koreans, Pakistani, Somalian, Ethiopian, Vietnamese business owners--there are black American business owners too). If you get up early enough you WILL beat the traffic. And I mean, if you leave your house by 6:30 am it's a breeze. If you are in the area at 7:30 am, you might as well turn around and go back home. EVERYONE is commuting to Atlanta for work by then from South DeKalb, Rockdale, Newton, Henry, and beyond (EAST Of I-20-->not "south or north"...I-20 only runs East or West...hint hint...some may not be FROM here...like Sugarloaf Mtn? NO SUCH THING--either Sugarloaf or Stone Mountain...ANY WHO). The majority of the kids who graduate from the high schools in South DeKalb go on to a 4-year college and then get their Masters or their JD, or PhD, etc. I have been told NOT to live in Clarkston--it's a GREAT place to go in the daytime for diversity--almost EVERYONE there speaks 2 or more languages. Many AMAZING people from ALL over the world come to live in Clarkston--from EVERYWHERE in Asia, Africa, Europe, etc--but that is true for the City of Decatur-->BEAUTIFUL AREA to check out--Downtown Decatur is so much fun! N E WHO--Dunwoody is not as friendly--the Asians are nice though, and but overall, TOTALLY different from the rest of DeKalb. You can strike up a conversation with anyone. Walmart on Panola is nice to me. They have VERY VERY VERY VERY nice associates, so does the one in Conyers (Exit 82 on I-20 Eastbound) But back to crime. It happens when people who get in trouble "up north" are sent "down south" after they cause trouble. I have had my permanent residence in South DeKalb and Conyers for nearly 27 years--I haven't been shot, burgalarized, robbed, "jacked," raped, assaulted, attacked, followed... Now crime: Actually happens more in the nice areas and in Atlanta. GA Tech students get robbed like every morning now (almost)--but they're walking around Downtown (Midtown...) Atlanta at 12:30 am in a dark, inner city--when the rats feel safe to come out (the animal ones), the criminals do too. Lenox Square Mall has had WAY more violence and crime than ANY MALL in South DeKALB. Just turn on the news during Christmas shopping season if you want to test me. The cop, I don't know what he's talking about. But I used to travel up and down I-20, Wesley Chapel Rd, Panola Rd, etc at ALL times of night, NEVER seen/heard of any of the mess he's talking about. But I did HEAR of one guy getting robbed in daylight on Wesley Chapel for his shoes--I didn't witness it, but I heard it from a neighbor. Downtown Decatur, Agnes Scott, areas, they have to worry about crime, but they are a nice area. It's because it's in the city? I don't know. Equinox63 or whatever is 100% accurate. These others are probably make believe folk. Try doing some investigations, get on Facebook and start talking to actual graduates of the high schools in south dekalb (dekalb period) and ask them about their post-secondary school life. Lawyers, Wallstreet, Consulting, Masters, Bachelors, they speak English well, PhD's, etc. And the ones who aren't--they work in industry and are responsible, articulate, kind, warm, well-rounded adults. The generations have changed--these kids in schools now may have a different social set--but society has changed a lot since the 1980's and 1990's even. Kids change as the television morons they emulate change--my generation had the Huxtables, this generation has the adventures of Tiny and Toya, and the Real Housewives of Atlanta--TOTALLY DIFFERENT GENERATION socially--but scholastically-kids go to high school, the excel, they impress their parents, teachers, and peers, and they graduate and move on to college or, if they didn't, they go to work full time, or work a couple of part times or one part time. RUDE drivers--cell phones, and people tired of a HECKISH commute--if you don't leave early enough--and oh, Friday after 3:00pm, um, don't even bother trying to commute AT ALL away from Atlanta. You'll be sitting in a parking lot. You'll even start to recognize cars that share your commute. MARTA is GREAT (during daylight, and peak hours--do NOT ride it at night--I have, never have had a problem, lots of people do it who work different hours from the norm--but, criminals, like rats, may do what they do ANYWHERE in the USA when it gets dark--try to take opportunity. Those are weird folk--not the norm--but that's just basic kindergarten safety 101, right? I DO remember Brian Nichols, and some loser who raped girls who cut through a dark, wooded, non-pedestrian area at night to get from MARTA to their homes--they had no choice with the Indian Creek Station--it's located on the Interstate basically (I-285 NB?) Anyway, get creative, the best thing to do is to visit, DON'T talk to politicians or chamber of commerce folk--they will paint a rose-garden for you, police ONLY respond to crime--so they paint a pessimistic picture for you. Maybe if you see folk out cutting their grass in their front yards, stop and ask them questions...they will be nice, but maybe afraid of you--a stranger? Try talking to people like the local dentist office assistant, or the clerk at the Publix check-out, or ANYONE who more than likely lives in an area. Tell them you're trying to get a good view of the area. Even, maybe try talking to folk who run the local YMCA-South DeKalb, or the local community center off of Browns Mill Rd--more than likely they can tell you about the area, because they are in daily contact with the kids, the parents, etc, the traffic, etc. I was SHOCKED and SURPRISINGLY angered a bit, at the GROSS LIES about this area. Lithonia has mega houses--even more than the mega churches (I do NOT recommend ANY of the MEGA churches--well...maybe not most of the mini churches either lol :0 ), but I mean, these people have big pretty properties. OH talk to the local barbershop owners, and beauty salon ladies--they would LOVE to tell you the truth about the area, unbiased, and as they can talk while they work--you won't be holding them up! Lastly, for commute info--you can listen to most if not all of the big major radio stations here online during the hours that you would want to go to work, or go to GA-Navigator.com, I think that's the website? to see the REAL skinny about the commute too. You can use Google Maps to save and connect the dots of the areas you're curious about, and then, if you're near a comp on the weekday mornings and evenings, check out the traffic to get the rhythms for those particular areas. You'll see that some areas are backed up regardless of time--I-75N leading into the city of midtown atlanta--GA TECH, The Varsity, GA State's Dorms, etc--vs traveling I-20W (unless a random accident occurs) in the evening commute (everyone else will be sitting in a parking lot on the other side of the median wall coming FROM work. Or I-285 N coming off of I-20W past Wesley Chapel exit in the evening--again--smooth sailing). I hope this helps! Oh, p.s. about how "great" Gwinnett Co. Schools are, PUH and LEASE check out the story of the "illegal all-girl's charter school" that Gwinnett Co. School Board is trying to SHUT DOWN--hmm...it's a STELLAR ROCK OUT School, diverse, the girls where uniforms like Oprah's school in South Africa have on, etc, they seem to be growing SO MANY GREAT things in these young Muslim, Asian, Black, White, etc girls, the girls even addressed the school board asking why they wanted to take their future away from them? (Answer=unchecked jealousy stemming from money, enrollment, competition...No Child Left Behind creates many teachers' union members being left behind...which makes for an angry political situation--MY OPINION...it's just money, and politics). Some people see competition as an actual threat because then they're forced...not only to DO their jobs, but do do them somewhat as nicely as the competition--but you can go to any local news website and look that up for yourself as well)

[OrangeJulius]

Dunwoody has nice looking properties (apartments, and townhomes) however Dunwoody, for whatever reason--each season without fail gets hit hard with snow flurries, ice storms, power lines falling, trees falling, hurricane storms, tornado storms, etc.

Dunwoody caused DeKalb Co. Schools to get a LOT of off days throughout my school years lol, South DeKalb would be fine, but we'd get off as a whole because we where all on the same calendar for DeKalb Co. School System.

Also, do NOT move next to any river, creek, etc...no matter how tiny and dinky they WILL fill up high in record rain periods. It's best to live on an incline, with ALL of the property surrounding you slopping downward when we get heavy rains, you won't be as scared as everyone else.

We have a smog season, and with the exception of this past summer, we usually have a Code-Red-Smog Alert everyday in the summer. We have HORRID summers--although the last one, or maybe last two where surprisingly mild to me.

We have nasty cold in the winter in December, January, November? and if your power goes out--which will happen if your power lines are located above ground, or underground--you'll suffer until GA Power comes to save the day.

Every year, we have people without power in extreme cold and extreme heat--for at longest 2 weeks at a time?

Get a weather radio, and if you can afford it--a generator so that you won't have to wait hours or (like when I was a kid--days) for the power to come back on--it ALL depends on how many people in your area where knocked out. Again, this WILL happen, it happens EVERY year, for the summer, and for the winter when we get storms. But GA Power's people work in the lighting, to get the power back on--and they do a GREAT jOB. I haven't had--thanks to GOD--to worry about long power outages, or even the random short ones we used to get at ALL this year, so that's wonderful!

Keep a flashlight, though, in every room (bathrooms too) in your house in a place that you can easily grab for it.

Also, if you don't have allergies--you'll get them!

If you're not used to bugs--you'll get to know them (I have had loved ones move from other parts of the country--Cali, Ohio, etc--and they are shocked at the size of our insects, and the amount.

City-data is WAY wrong. Temp in summer feels like 107--we have BAD humidty.

About our smog--if you don't move downtown or in the HEART OF the city of Atlanta like where GA TECH, midtown, etc--the smog won't be AS bad--I live in suburb aka tree-ville. The smog makes my throat feel itchy, and ache a bit, but the trees REALLY help a LOT. Plus, in the cool of the morning, you won't have to worry about the smog--in summer, that's ONLY by dawn--IF at all :-)

But I've been to Orlando in Summer so Atlanta COULD be hotter!!!!

The people over all are nice. If you like diversity--MAN OH MAN are you in for treat--we've got the WORLD and then some. Lots of warm, characters--of all economic levels.

Come down for different seasons and stay in different areas and explore. Do your homework, or just take a jump. I LOVE the endless opportunities here for EVERYTHING you can think of--businesses, restaurants, people, languages, even changes of scenery.

In South DeKalb, I'm equidistant from the country, the artsy/vegans, the hip young professionals (Dwntwn Dec, East Lake's areas--oh MAN did they turn that place into a nice people-watching area to walk in), celebrities, city, museums, it's got EVERYTHING!!! And if you want to see some of the most beautiful farmlands, and plantation-esque, peaceful, relaxing scenery--drive through Covington, GA in Newton County--WOW--there's a lot of beauty.

What I'm saying is, you can be a world away without having to get on a plane! We've got everything. We NEED to improve our traffic (like we did back in the '96 Olympics), and our summer air quality (see '96 Olympics reference), but yeah, we've got a BIG City with down-home, small town charm. Just look at how our anchors (radio and television) get along--they'll make you smile and laugh, and get you in action to go out and help your neighbors when disaster strikes (on individual and large scales).

LAST comment--in a recession, one radio station's listeners raised MORE Money for the Aflac Cancer Center's Ward at the CHildren's HEalth Care of Atlanta than we had last year--which broke a record itself. The generosity will make you cry. Even when Atlantans (no matter what your address states, if you live in or around the Metro Atlanta area--you're an Atlantan lol!) aren't doing well, they STILL dig down deep to help their fellow Atlantans--even when we're strangers--we're neighbors.

Where else in America will a stranger let you in in front of him or her on a HECTIC, BUSY, Stressful traffic time...and then get nearly run over by some nut job headed to Newton Co. from Fulton Co. (I UNDERSTAND NOW why they drive like they're on the Atlanta Motor Speedway--LONG COMMUTE)?

J/K, people here--especially in the "undesirable" "ghetto" South DeKalb area, are NICE like down-home-country time-lemonade-front-porch-sippin' nice. Ellenwood too!

ciao!