Young West Virginian Moving to Atlanta - Best Neighborhoods (Sandy Springs: job market, college)

[WestVirginian12]

I plan to leave rural West Virginia for city living in Atlanta. I have never been to the city so I am hoping that Atlantans can help me to find a great neighborhood to live based on what I am looking for (listed below).

I am a young white male wanting to live in an open-minded, progressive to liberal areas with good diversity.

I happen to be gay so I want to be myself and out of the closet. I am not interested in dating scenes where gay men like to jump around so I hope it is not that bad in Atlanta. I want to find the right partner to be together and adopt children some day.

Although I will be fresh out of college in December, I will have B.A. degrees in TV Broadcasting and Journalism so my career options are most likely to be in Downtown Atlanta.

I enjoy traveling, shopping, sailing (interested in sailing/yacht clubs by a lake), hiking trails at a scenic city park, and hanging out at local shops/restaurants/bookstores.

Do you have any ideal neighborhoods that match my needs?

So far, I only read about Druid Hills, N. Druid Hills, Decatur, N. Decatur, Midtown, Buckhead, Virginia-Highland, Piedmont Heights, Morningside-Lenox, Inman Park/Aktins Park, and nearby suburbs of Snellville, Tucker, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Mt. Paran, and Vinings but it is hard to narrow them down.

[cittic10]

Midtown is where the main concetration of gay men is.
Decatur is the liberal part of town.

There are a few lakes in the metro area, Lanier is the best for sailing. It is far, far, far, away from downtown, midtown, and decatur.

You asked about a city park. Midtown is where Piedmont park is. Not really any hiking trails. There are paved walking trails and a nice dog park but if you want hiking, you're going to have to drive although there is lots of it in the northern part of the state. There is a gay outdoors group that I know of based in atlanta.
There are restaurants. Not so many book stores. In fact the one LGBT book store there was in midtown (OutWrite) recently closed its doors. There may be others but that's the only one I knew about. Sorry I can't be much help about those in town areas. I'm a country mouse. Liberals and diversity is cool but I chose the lake.

As for the other areas you mentioned...

Druid Hills,: Families. Religious area (Jewish)
Decatur: sounds like what you want
Midtown: also sounds like what you want
Buckhead: real expensive. Yuppy kind of area.
Virginia-Highland: Not quite as expensive yuppy kind of area
Snellville: Meh
Tucker: Nah
Dunwoody: Real nice. expensive. Mostly families
Sandy Springs: same as above
Mt. Paran: How many millions you got?

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by WestVirginian12

I plan to leave rural West Virginia for city living in Atlanta. I have never been to the city so I am hoping that Atlantans can help me to find a great neighborhood to live based on what I am looking for (listed below).

I am a young white male wanting to live in an open-minded, progressive to liberal areas with good diversity.

I happen to be gay so I want to be myself and out of the closet. I am not interested in dating scenes where gay men like to jump around so I hope it is not that bad in Atlanta. I want to find the right partner to be together and adopt children some day.

Although I will be fresh out of college in December, I will have B.A. degrees in TV Broadcasting and Journalism so my career options are most likely to be in Downtown Atlanta.

I enjoy traveling, shopping, sailing (interested in sailing/yacht clubs by a lake), hiking trails at a scenic city park, and hanging out at local shops/restaurants/bookstores.

Do you have any ideal neighborhoods that match my needs?

So far, I only read about Druid Hills, N. Druid Hills, Decatur, N. Decatur, Midtown, Buckhead, Virginia-Highland, Piedmont Heights, Morningside-Lenox, Inman Park/Aktins Park, and nearby suburbs of Snellville, Tucker, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Mt. Paran, and Vinings but it is hard to narrow them down.

You could live freely and openly in most any of the neighborhoods or suburbs listed above (and many others not listed), but I would recommend living in the city rather than in a suburb. Midtown, Virginia-Highland, Piedmont Heights, or Morningside would be the best places to make friends and possibly meet a partner. Decatur is also a great choice if you really want a suburban area...it's more urban than the rest.

[lastminutemom]

Please make sure you understand the dynamics of your job field here. It is very tough and Atlanta is considered a major market -- so many jobs will require experience, sometimes even at the entry level, from smaller markets.

[atltechdude]

Originally Posted by WestVirginian12

I am not interested in dating scenes where gay men like to jump around so I hope it is not that bad in Atlanta.

Hate to break it to you but that comprises the majority of younger gay men everywhere.

That said, you will certainly enjoy Atlanta more than rural West Virginia.

[WestVirginian12]

Originally Posted by cittic10

Midtown is where the main concetration of gay men is.
Decatur is the liberal part of town.

There are a few lakes in the metro area, Lanier is the best for sailing. It is far, far, far, away from downtown, midtown, and decatur.

You asked about a city park. Midtown is where Piedmont park is. Not really any hiking trails. There are paved walking trails and a nice dog park but if you want hiking, you're going to have to drive although there is lots of it in the northern part of the state. There is a gay outdoors group that I know of based in atlanta.
There are restaurants. Not so many book stores. In fact the one LGBT book store there was in midtown (OutWrite) recently closed its doors. There may be others but that's the only one I knew about. Sorry I can't be much help about those in town areas. I'm a country mouse. Liberals and diversity is cool but I chose the lake.

As for the other areas you mentioned...

Druid Hills,: Families. Religious area (Jewish)
Decatur: sounds like what you want
Midtown: also sounds like what you want
Buckhead: real expensive. Yuppy kind of area.
Virginia-Highland: Not quite as expensive yuppy kind of area
Snellville: Meh
Tucker: Nah
Dunwoody: Real nice. expensive. Mostly families
Sandy Springs: same as above
Mt. Paran: How many millions you got?

Thank you for explaining each area in details! Your post helped me out alot. It sounds like Midtown and Decatur are the best matches for me. I don't mind living in a suburb as long it is very close to Atlanta with urban feeling to it.

Paved walking trails at Piedmont Park sound perfect! I happen to have a dog myself.

I can always attend gay outdoor group and go sailing at Lanier on the weekends.

[WestVirginian12]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

Please make sure you understand the dynamics of your job field here. It is very tough and Atlanta is considered a major market -- so many jobs will require experience, sometimes even at the entry level, from smaller markets.

Thank you for your advice. I know nothing is guaranteed with the way economy is right now. I am willing to do other jobs until I break into the job market related to my field in Journalism and TV Broadcasting.

I could always move to Washington, D.C. but I would rather live in a warmer climate. Is the humidity in Atlanta really that bad in summer on top of urban heat?

[WestVirginian12]

Originally Posted by atltechdude

Hate to break it to you but that comprises the majority of younger gay men everywhere.

That said, you will certainly enjoy Atlanta more than rural West Virginia.

I know most gay men my age like to jump around. I enjoy dating but I do have respect and high standards for myself. I know there will be some out there that want to settle down with the right partner. Hopefully, it won't be that difficult in Atlanta. Which part of Atlanta does most gay men raise their family? Just curious. I know most lesbians raise theirs in Avondale Estates.

[atltechdude]

There is no area that most gay men raise families. Gay people (both single and families) are all over the ATL metro area.

[WestVirginian12]

Originally Posted by atltechdude

There is no area that most gay men raise families. Gay people (both single and families) are all over the ATL metro area.

Thanks for the information! What are the bad areas in Atlanta to avoid other than South Atlanta, Riverdale, and East Atlanta for living and passing through?