Hispanics Neighborhoods in Atlanta (Roswell, Marietta: middle-class, apartment complexes, rental)

[maggie2004]

Hi all!

Can someone tell me where are the good hispanic neighborhoods in Atlanta?
I'm relocating and my mom will be living with me, but she doesn't know any English and I don't want her to feel like an outcast. Please help! Thank you very much.

[atlantagreg30127]

Well, I'm unaware of any "good" Hispanic areas. If someone doesn't speak English here, they are generally considered to be an illegal, and reside anywhere along the Buford Highway area northward to Chamblee, Doraville, and parts of Duluth. Then there are smaller Hispanic areas in the Smyrna area and also near Marietta Square on the other side of the metro area - again, with high non-English speaking illegal populations. Someone may be able to correct me, but in my experience, the middle-class legal Hispanics tend to just spread out all over the place, and I'm unaware of a designated neighborhood or subdivision where they live. Again, I may be wrong but I'm just not aware of them.

That being said, once you DO get established, it's imperative that either via free classes at a church, or simply audio tapes, that your mother learn SOME English. The general climate here is not favorable when you run across someone who speaks *zero* English and/or doesn't appear as though they're trying to at least speak it. Generally people like that are just assumed to be here illegally, and having to self-segregate yourself into a Spanish-only speaking area will most likely mean also being in a higher crime area here.

[jxu66]

In Texas and in Florida, there are actually wealthy and well established hispanic community over there since many of them are over here for two or three generation.

Most of hispanic population in Atlanta (or in Georgia in general) is fairly new to this country. So there is unfortunately negative stereotype in Georgia in general.

[OhioNative]

Originally Posted by jxu66

In Texas and in Florida, there are actually wealthy and well established hispanic community over there since many of them are over here for two or three generation.

Most of hispanic population in Atlanta (or in Georgia in general) is fairly new to this country. So there is unfortunately negative stereotype in Georgia in general.

It's not a "negative stereotype," it's a statistical reality. The most recent numbers that I have seen document that 50 - 60% (perhaps up to 70%) of hispanics, at least in Gwinnett, are here illegally.

[Mrs. Garrison]

An illegal is someone who has entered the U.S. illegally, not someone who doesn't speak English. There are people who have legally entered the country but speak another language. That is not illegal and most people don't consider it as such.

There is a large international community in neighborhoods along the Buford Highway corridor through the cities of Doraville and Chamblee. Plaza Fiesta is a retail center that caters to the Hispanic community located on Buford Hwy. There are other Hispanic areas in metro Atlanta, but I'm not sure of the exact locations. Duluth and Gwinnett County in general has seen a big increase in Hispanic population in recent years and currently has the largest number of Hispanics living in metro Atlanta.

Atlanta has approximately 21 periodicals and 10 radio stations that are focused on serving Georgia’s Hispanic population. Univision, a national Spanish-language network, recently became the metro area’s first 24-hour local Spanish-language television station. Some helpful websites and information:

LAA - Latin American Association

Consulado de México en Atlanta, Ga.

The Hispanic Community Support Center
3116 Main Street
Duluth, GA

[Merin]

Originally Posted by OhioNative

It's not a "negative stereotype," it's a statistical reality. The most recent numbers that I have seen document that 50 - 60% (perhaps up to 70%) of hispanics, at least in Gwinnett, are here illegally.

I am always interested in how someone goes about doing research to determine percentages like this. I was under the impression that illegals liked to lay low.

[OhioNative]

Originally Posted by Merin

I am always interested in how someone goes about doing research to determine percentages like this. I was under the impression that illegals liked to lay low.

It seems that the numbers are usually presented as an estimate, just as no one can seem to agree on the exact number of illegal immigrants in the country as a whole. I would guess that they would estimate the number based on statistical sampling, just as the census bureau does each year when they estimate population growth.

[rackensack]

Do you have kids? Do you expect to anytime in the near future?

I ask because the areas of the metro area that have large numbers of Spanish speakers also tend to be areas with highly transient populations (lots of apartment complexes). That tends to have an adverse effect on school quality. When you combine that effect with the resulting higher proportion of students requiring ESOL instruction, you get a self-perpetuating cycle of perceived poor school quality where even the non-ESOL, homeowning families tend to either move out of the area or send their kids to private schools -- even if the school facilities, faculty, etc. are quite good. We certainly saw this in our old neighborhood -- no local homeowners wanted to send their kids to our local school (Nesbit Elementary in Gwinnett County) but when we did we found that the teachers, facilities, administration, support services, etc. were excellent. The point is that anyplace in Atlanta that has a large Hispanic population is going to be perceived as having poor schools, and that's going to have an effect on property values and your ability to resell, assuming you're planning to buy a house.

Most of the subdivisions in the heavily Hispanic areas of Atlanta are, frankly, declining. There's a host of reasons for that, but a lot has to do with the effect of low interest rates in fostering home purchases among those at income levels that have traditionally been renters, not owners. Another is that these areas tend to have a higher proportion of multi-family rental housing, as opposed to single-family owner-occupied. This tends to increase crime, drag down property values, and foster a more transient populuation with less connection to the community and less incentive to keep things "nice". There are pockets that are holding up OK, however. One is the neighborhood we just moved from a few years ago, Smoketree, in Gwinnett County right on the DeKalb County line, along Old Norcross-Tucker Road between South Norcross-Tucker Rd and Britt Rd. About 260 single-family houses right around $200K these days. Very friendly, active neighborhood with a really diverse mix of people, pool and tennis facilities, an active neighborhood watch program (District C.O.P.S. Community of the Year a couple of times), etc. The surrounding area is heavily Hispanic and getting more so every day, but Smoketree has been able to incorporate newcomers of all backgrounds (including a number of Hispanic families) and remain a very nice, well-maintained, pleasant neighborhood. There've been occasional culture clashes, but for the most part they've been worked out to everyone's satisfaction. We needed a bigger house, wanted to be closer to our synagogue, and wanted a better middle school/high school environment than Lilburn Middle/Meadowcreek High, so we moved to Roswell, but we loved living there and have stayed friends with several families who're still there.

Unfortunately, the other posters are right about the fact that Atlanta's middle class Hispanic community has traditionally been small and dispersed, and that the recent explosive growth has primarily been in the working class, who tend to be more transient and to rent rather than buy; there are lots of successful Hispanic entrepreneurs and businesspeople, doctors, lawyers, etc., but there's no certain areas where they tend to live.

[brook2ga]

Someone please correct me (and I know you will!) but I thought Norcross has a large Hispanic population.

[OhioNative]

Originally Posted by brookdaleresident

Someone please correct me (and I know you will!) but I thought Norcross has a large Hispanic population.

It does, but I don't think that most people would consider it a "good" area due to the high crime - that's what the original post was asking. In metro Atlanta, most middle and upper class Hispanics are intermingled with the population as a whole and not in a concentrated area.