Inman Park, Peachtree Hills, Lindbergh or Midtown? (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: apartments, condos)

[ss9]

If you were a 29 single female with no car and a job in Downtown ATL, where would you move:

Inman Park, Peachtree Hills, Lindbergh or Midtown?

The closest to a MARTA station the better and of course since I'll be by myself, I want a safe, friendly place.

I'll be moving pretty soon, and I'm really really nervous, I don't know what to expect from ATL.
Hope you can help me, I'd really appreciate it.

[cqholt]

Midtown, if you got the income. Its the easiest place in Atlanta to live car-free. Downtown is another choice you didn't list. Lindbergh is on a rail line, somewhat walkable, but Midtown is the easiest. There are several condos and new apartment buildings going up. It is expensive though. Midtown is the center of Atlanta's club scene.

[Tarzanman]

I'd also consider Perimeter, if you don't mind a commute (via MARTA). A bit safer than midtown after dark, and within walking/bicycling distance of a mall and other shops.

Midtown definitely has more going on, though.

[Mishap]

Originally Posted by Tarzanman

I'd also consider Perimeter, if you don't mind a commute (via MARTA). A bit safer than midtown after dark, and within walking/bicycling distance of a mall and other shops.

Midtown definitely has more going on, though.

Which stop are you referring to? I don't see a ton of residential adjacent to Dunwoody or Sandy Springs from Google Maps. I recall looking at apartments near Perimeter and the Amli at Perimeter Place is among the closest at 3/4 of a mile walk. Sandy Springs has Peachtree Dunwoody Place but that's another stop north plus it's still 0.3 mile walk. I live that far from Midtown station and it's about as far as I'm willing to walk to Marta every day before driving starts looking more appealing.

I also don't recall them as being much cheaper than living inside the perimeter. That's a bit of a hike to get to and from the station. My client is at Lindbergh while my corporate office is at Peachtree Center. I can get from Lindbergh to downtown in 15 min via train and rarely is the wait more than 5 min. Lindbergh has apartments that pretty much overlook the station which you pretty much won't find anywhere else. Not too sure about the rents but I do dislike the lack of food options within walking distance. The major advantage of being Lindbergh or further south is you get twice as many trains on the N/S route vs. going to Buckhead or further up.

Definitely think Midtown is ideal if it's in your budget. Don't think safety is much different if you live along the higher traffic areas. Being on foot late at night in a deserted place is dangerous anywhere.

[Tarzanman]

Originally Posted by Mishap

Which stop are you referring to? I don't see a ton of residential adjacent to Dunwoody or Sandy Springs from Google Maps. I recall looking at apartments near Perimeter and the Amli at Perimeter Place is among the closest at 3/4 of a mile walk. Sandy Springs has Peachtree Dunwoody Place but that's another stop north plus it's still 0.3 mile walk. I live that far from Midtown station and it's about as far as I'm willing to walk to Marta every day before driving starts looking more appealing.

I also don't recall them as being much cheaper than living inside the perimeter. That's a bit of a hike to get to and from the station. My client is at Lindbergh while my corporate office is at Peachtree Center. I can get from Lindbergh to downtown in 15 min via train and rarely is the wait more than 5 min. Lindbergh has apartments that pretty much overlook the station which you pretty much won't find anywhere else. Not too sure about the rents but I do dislike the lack of food options within walking distance. The major advantage of being Lindbergh or further south is you get twice as many trains on the N/S route vs. going to Buckhead or further up.

Definitely think Midtown is ideal if it's in your budget. Don't think safety is much different if you live along the higher traffic areas. Being on foot late at night in a deserted place is dangerous anywhere.

I agree and disagree with some of your points. a 3/4 mile walk to a MARTA station is pretty close, in my opinion. Walking, that is ~10 minutes. Bicycling is what, 4 minutes (unless you are going uphill). It would be tough to get much closer than that and not have to deal with MARTA bus traffic on your doorstep.

Lindbergh is not midtown, but there are dining options with a 10 minute walk of the tation. Taco Mac, Chili's whatever phatburger became (smashburger I think?) and the small shops along Sydney Marcus.

I'll disagree about midtown being as safe as other areas OTP, deserted or not. Midtown is definitely much closer to some sketchier areas of town.

[kittyjo]

Where are you moving from? If its any major city then Midtown is the only part of town that has that kind of vibe (walkable, Marta, lots of nightlife and people your age) I would definitely choose it over the other options you gave.

[Mishap]

I've lived in Midtown for 4yrs now and currently work at Lindbergh or Peachtree Center and commute via Marta most days when I'm not on the road. You can only eat 5 Guys, Tin Drum, Chili's, Taco Mac et al so many times before you really wish the food trucks came up this way. It's pretty sparse compared to Midtown or even downtown and my team usually winds up driving out (they're mostly vegetarian).

The Midtown station is right in the most lively part of Midtown and there are people out at all hours but just as I wouldn't expect my g/f to walk to the Midtown Marta station by herself at 5am, I don't think it's advisable to cover a mile alone during weird hrs by yourself even if it is Dunwoody. If in doubt, take a cab...it's a few bucks. I went to the GT evening MBA program so I walked home at night 2-3 nights a wk for 3yrs on nights when nobody's out (sometimes after midnight) and never had more than a hobo yell some racist stuff at me. The sketchy part of town is definitely south of Ponce and if you live north of 10th St, you see very little of it. It's always a matter of being situationally aware but crime happens anywhere. My old roommate got on tv when his neighbor was killed in a robbery in his condo building on the southern edge of Dunwoody. It's rare but it can happen.

To me to go carless w/ least hassle, you have to be Lindbergh or further south. Twice the trains, fewer stops to get to major jobs centers, airport, and greater density making walking a bit easier. I definitely think Perimeter is a nice area...just think distance on the train plus walking increases the commute dramatically.

Ex:
Lindbergh -> Peachtree Center = 10 min ride | train every 8 min
Dunwoody -> Peachtree Center = 21 min ride | train every 15 min

Averaged out, you have a ~29 min ride from Dunwoody vs. a ~14 min ride from Lindbergh. Round trip and you're adding half an hr to your daily commute if both apts are equal distance. Obviously safety trumps convenience but I personally don't think you're materially safer at Dunwoody than Midtown/Lindbergh/Buckhead/etc if at weird hours.

[cqholt]

Obviously safety trumps convenience but I personally don't think you're materially safer at Dunwoody than Midtown/Lindbergh/Buckhead/etc if at weird hours.

Dunwoody is full of apartments and is not as safe as everyone thinks. At least in Midtown APD is out, I never seen Dunwoody PD anywhere. Midtown is more likely to have people walking around late night, while Dunwoody is more likely to shut down at 10pm and have very little people walking at night.
I live in Dunwoody my first year in Atlanta and have since move to City of Atlanta. Dunwoody is pretty boring, typical suburb/edge city.

[ss9]

Thanks for your answers.
I'll be moving from Mexico City so I'm kind of used to live in a "not so safe city", for me walking for 10 mins to any place is not that much, I'm planning on getting a bike once I get there so I could go to the market and do my groceries without needing a car.

I can afford living in Midtown so that's not a problem, and since my job is near Peachtree Center, that sounds like a great idea.

I think that besides safety and MARTA, my concern was also about moving to a clean, nice looking place.

Thank you again

[cqholt]

Coming from Mexico City, you'll be fine. We have nothing like that crime here. Midtown has a major grocery story situated 1 block from the Midtown station. Midtown is clean and very modern. A lot of new towers have been built there in the past 20 years.