What is so wrong with Clayton County (Atlanta, Forest Park: sales, rent)

[Tab1975]

I just wanted to ask the question above . I have a friend that lives in the small city of Lovejoy in Clayton. She has not been a victim of crime or has she had bad experiences with the schools. She memtioned some issues when she first got there almost 2 years ago with the schools. But nothing to which she was stressed over.

I was buying a house there, but the loan I had did not go thorugh because I coould not find employment. But the homes there are in my price range. I mean I am leaving NYC making 45k and I know that I am going to take a drastic pay cut so I have to think about the salary I will be making there. I was thinking about Gwinette County, but alot of those homes are resales and I was more looking for a new home so that all the ammenties that I want are there.

But if you can tell me what is really wrong with Clayton County. Not what the media says, or the folks on here that do not want anyone moving to GA. But the true people that will give me better perspective. Also pls so not emphasise on the crime. I am coing form BROOKLYN, NY. Pls your crime is nothing compared to ours!

Thanks

[Georgiafrog]

It's hard not to emphasize the crime when you are talking about Clayton county, but the Lovejoy area is a different story. Riverdale is the problem. Lovejoy and Fayetteville in Fayette county are still hanging in there, and are not bad places to be. The economy is good, so depending on what you do a similar salary to your old should not be hard to find.

[john1963]

i lived in atlanta 39 years, i would pick gwinett county, it is more developed, newer places, many more jobs.

[Tab1975]

I just wanted to ask the question above . I have a friend that lives in the small city of Lovejoy in Clayton. She has not been a victim of crime or has she had bad experiences with the schools. She memtioned some issues when she first got there almost 2 years ago with the schools. But nothing to which she was stressed over.

I was buying a house there, but the loan I had did not go thorugh because I coould not find employment. But the homes there are in my price range. I mean I am leaving NYC making 45k and I know that I am going to take a drastic pay cut so I have to think about the salary I will be making there. I was thinking about Gwinette County, but alot of those homes are resales and I was more looking for a new home so that all the ammenties that I want are there.

But if you can tell me what is really wrong with Clayton County. Not what the media says, or the folks on here that do not want anyone moving to GA. But the true people that will give me better perspective. Also pls so not emphasise on the crime. I am coing form BROOKLYN, NY. Pls your crime is nothing compared to ours!

Thanks

[nrgpill]

I encourage you to make the move and rent first, shop around, and learn about the municipality in general. No one here is intentionally trying to mislead you (and you should expect some homer speak on just about any forum). But at the same time, nothing beats surveying an area with your own two eyes.

[kevin44]

Don't let other people change your mind. If you think it's the right decision, go for it. It's not like this decision is set in stone, you can always move later if you dont like it. The south side of atlanta has always been the worst area for crime in the area. Yet, now atlanta is becoming more and more urban with upscale condos (mainly on northside yet also more and more on the southside). Therefore, the criminals that lived in those areas are moving out to the suburbs and since clayton county is right next to south atlanta, a sharp increase in crime has occured there. You can check the rates out yourself to decide.

i think what people are referring to are the heartbreaking stories that they see on the news coming from there. such as 15 year old kids getting shot at birthday partys and many other teenagers dying from senseless killings. As always, things are relative. Schools are terrible there by my standards, yet i hear the ones in brooklyn aren't great either so you may not be dissapointed. i'm not sure about the crime rate compared to brooklyn, although i wouldn't be surprised if it was similar to parts of metro atl. things are just more spread out here so its not as in your face. like i said about the schools, its all relative. i'm from north cobb county, where schools are excellent, so clayton county seems terrible to me.


you can also get a brand new townhome for about 115k there, so it is pretty affordable. with those prices you may be able to survive on a job paying 10-12 an hour. from you post it seems as though you are well spoken and a job like that shouldnt be hard to find because the area is booming. good luck with your home/job search. you need a car here without a doubt (didnt know if you have one in brooklyn)

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by Tab1975

Also pls so not emphasise on the crime. I am coing form BROOKLYN, NY. Pls your crime is nothing compared to ours!

Thanks

--------------------------------

Ok, to address this....

Um no, our crime doesn't compare to Brooklyn's... it exceeds it. 2004 are the most recent stats, but here they were compared to NYC...
Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed

In terms of media - they don't make this stuff up, folks. Case in point today's news via Clayton County: Foul Play Suspected In Death Of Woman In Bathtub - News Story - WSB Atlanta

The point is, crime is growing in Clayton quite a bit, and has for the last couple of years. They've interviewed the local police there numerous times who talk about the problems. It doesn't help that the guy running the Sheriff's department there is .. well... "controversial and not liked", let's just leave it at that.

So, Brooklyn you may be, but crime is crime. There are other places to live in the metro area that don't run the risk.

[gwebber70]

Do NOT move to Clayton county. That's just my advice. It is very bad for crime. Lovejoy probably isn't so bad, because it's more rural, but stay away from the rest of it. I would say if you are looking in that area, Lovejoy, Mcdonough, Hampton would all probably be okay. They are affordable and rural but still close to jobs and stuff. That area is also growing very fast. Don't move to Forest Park and probably not Jonesboro I would say. Atlanta is one of the most dangerous cities in the US so I would try to live out a little away from it.

[Clayton resident]

I'm an actual Clayton resident living in Hampton (down the street from Lovejoy), relocated here from Queens, NYC, and love where I live.

Clayton definitely has it's problems ... there is crime here but there's crime everywhere in Metro ATL & you’ll find that metro Atlanta crime statistics in general are higher than NYC, not just Clayton vs. NYC, or at least that was the case when we moved here in 2004. Some areas get more media coverage than others & Clayton is one of those areas. But there are definitely good, hardworking people here trying to make the county better. A part of the problem as mentioned also is the government here isn’t good, decisions were made over the past 10+yrs that lined the pockets of developers & politicians, many of whom have cashed in their chips, leaving office & probably the county. Many residents are hoping the upcoming elections will be a start in the right direction to make changes in Clayton. But for me even with the problems, this is definitely not the worst place I’ve ever lived. Being from NYC, I think you could appreciate the nice mix of city/country life in this area, you can probably find the same mix in other counties as well but it will be more expensive.

The schools in Clayton are terrible ... but will say, I know parents with kids in this system who take extra time with their kids & I think that makes the difference. If you don't take time to help your kid learn & leave the job totally on teachers then no matter where you live & how good the system is, your kid may not learn. But yes, statistically, Clayton public school system is the worst in Metro, if not all of GA. We have no children yet so that wasn't a concern for us & we just pray by the time we do have kids the school system will be revamped if we choose to use it. Even in NYC I was an advocate of private schooling anyway, so I'd actually prefer to send my kid to private school regardless of where we live. But I digress, school systems can make a difference when trying to sell your house down the line.

As I said we live in Hampton, literally down the street from Lovejoy. We love it here, love our house & the area. Everything we need is nearby. We've had no problems whatsoever here, haven't been victims of crime, have decent, hard working neighbors, nice quiet area. And I must say between the news reports & just the overall negative attitude towards Clayton, I was in a state of panic for the first year we lived here & was already plotting when we'd get out. I've since calmed down & noticed that the crime really does seem to happen more north of where we live in some sections of Jonesboro, but especially Riverdale & Forest Park. I think what saves the Lovejoy/Hampton area is that there is no public transportation here, you have to have a car to live out here so it's not as accessible.

Many areas in Clayton have had stagnant home sales because of the negative publicity & crime rate, so homes are very affordable here. Some areas (Riverdale, Forest Park, Morrow & some areas of Jonesboro) have had problems selling homes, but my subdivision doesn't seem to have that problem & the Hampton/Lovejoy area is thriving. Being from NYC, I also like that it’s racially mixed. I don’t know if our agent was just taking us to the wrong neighborhoods, but finding an area that was racially integrated in our price range was hard to find. If you choose Clayton I'd definitely suggest sticking with the Lovejoy/Hampton area & some parts of Jonesboro are nice also. But I’d say no matter what county you end up in, the farther out you go the better the area will be & less expensive, just like in NYC.

Anyway I'm rambling sorry so long. I'm probably the only person on this thread who actually lives/experiences this area of Clayton, just wanted to give you another view.

Good luck wherever you move. GA like NY has it's good/bad stuff but overall we're glad we made the move. Feel free to email me if you have any other questions.

[xxman777]

Clayton Resident do you live in Clayton County or Hampton. Hampton is in Henry County.

Hampton and Lovejoy are both nice areas. Low crime, decent schools (better in Hampton), cheap housing, etc. I would recommend them. I wouldn't recommend Riverdale, Forest Park or Morrow. Parts of Jonesboro aren't bad either but the farther north you get the worse it's going to be. I don't live in Hampton but have plenty of experience there.