Looking for suggestions in Atlanta and environs from Chicago transplants! (Alpharetta: new home, neighborhood)

[lpdoxey]

Wow!, Thanks for all the suggestions. It seems like the resounding place is Decatur, but for whatever reason, I thought Decatur to be -excuse the expression- kind of ghetto? Nevertheless, I'm going to look into it and Virginia Highlands.
I am 38, married with two children entering middle school. I do expect them to be in a top notch school district-that is the first priority. I am a CPA/Daytrader and will be living off some assets for a couple of months until I find a suitable job, sense this is a totally unexpected move. I expect to be working at a downtown firm probably in the next three months after we get settled.
Concerning Buckhead- its seems pretty nice, but it also seems to be the happening place in Atlanta. I prefer to be in an area that doesn't get a lot of outside traffic. It is also to my understanding that Buckhead is very commercial and some parts could be seedy?
We're currently reside in Glencoe and have a host of recreational activites-we are literally surrounded by forest preserves, trails, lake Michigan, botanical gardens, and country clubs. We are also well ensconced in Chicago's social and civic scene - almost weekly venturing to many of the cultural venues like the Lyric Opera, the Steppenwolf, CSO, museuems and the multitude of restaraunts, etc. My biggest question is, Are we going to be bored out of our wits?

[IntownHomes247]

You might be able to find a house for 800k in Druid Hills, which is a historic neighborhood bordering Emory University. It is a gorgeous, park-like neighborhood (happens to be my favorite neighborhood in the city) with fine, architecturally significant homes set back from the street on huge lots. Of course the price of admission to the neighborhood for the finest and largest homes tend to be over the $1 million mark (sometimes well over). However, there are still homes to be found for under $800k, sometimes significantly under -- particularly if you'd be amenable to renovating.

Unfortunately, middle schools tend to be the weak link in every school system in the city. You can find school report cards here:

http://www.gaosa.org/FindASchool.asp...06&StateId=ALL

This area of town is right on the boundary line of DeKalb and Fulton county so kids in the vicinity generally go to either Fernbank Elementary (DeKalb) or Mary Lin or Morningside Elementary (City of Atlanta), Shamrock Middle (DeKalb) or Inman Middle (City of Atlanta), and Druid Hills High (DeKalb) or Grady High (City of Atlanta).

There are also a number of excellent private schools in the area, including Paideia, which is actually in Druid Hills. [http://paideiaschool.org/] (broken link)

Depending on your level of "outdoorsy-ness" you might enjoy some of the intown parks -- Piedmont is one of the largest -- or hiking through Fernbank Forest (little known resource in Druid Hills) -- or The Path (an urban trail that snakes through the intown neighborhoods -- or you might need to go to the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, which is nearby via the interstate and offers river rafting and similar pursuits.

Decatur does have some very fine homes. Parts of Decatur border on Druid Hills and are extremely charming with really cute bungalows. Decatur has just recently reorganized their school system and is currently seeking charter status for the entire system. Decatur has only one middle school and one high school.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by cmtiger

You will like Atlanta - you will get outside a lot more! Of course... the mosquitoes might carry you off in the summer!

The skeeters here are wimpy. I've seen skeeters in western Ontario that took three or four solid hits with a baseball bat to take care of, and then they only got a bit less uppity and put our car back down on the road.

Seriously... Mosquitoes were an issue for us in Minnesota and camping in Ontario and Wisconsin, but down here we've seen very few. I think the Palmetto bugs eat 'em.

[IntownHomes247]

Originally Posted by lpdoxey

We're currently reside in Glencoe and have a host of recreational activites-we are literally surrounded by forest preserves, trails, lake Michigan, botanical gardens, and country clubs. We are also well ensconced in Chicago's social and civic scene - almost weekly venturing to many of the cultural venues like the Lyric Opera, the Steppenwolf, CSO, museuems and the multitude of restaraunts, etc. My biggest question is, Are we going to be bored out of our wits?

Atlanta's cultural scene is rich and varied compared to most of the country but does not rival the largest northern metropolitan areas. However, you will certainly find a lot to do intown. Midtown is the cultural center of the city. It is home to the High Museum of Art http://www.high.org (which has a special relationship with the Louvre and will be hosting Louvre exhibits for the next several years), the Woodruff Arts Center (home to the Atlanta Symphony and the Alliance Theatre) the Fox Theatre (a grand 1920s movie palace that hosts a wide range of performances), and an abundance of smaller venues. The Atlanta Opera has recently moved to a new venue in Cobb County. There are also frequent cultural events on the Emory University campus (both at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts and at Glenn Memorial Church on the campus).

There are no lakes in Atlanta, but there are some, including Lake Lanier not too far north of the city (I believe it's about a 1 hour drive? -- haven't been in years myself).

If you play golf, there are public courses (not great) as well as 2 private courses in or very near Druid Hills (plus many others in the city). The Druid Hills Golf Course is in heart of the neighborhood and East Lake Golf Club is just 5-10 minutes away -- of course the last I heard East Lake cost about $200k for membership but it was the home course of Bobby Jones and hosts the PGA Tour Championship each year. Both clubs would offer lots of networking opportunities.

Atlanta may not offer quite the cultural milieu that you are used to, but if you want to be active in the social and civic scene, there are certainly many opportunities to do so and I believe you will find plenty of enjoyable diversions.

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by lpdoxey

Wow!, Thanks for all the suggestions. It seems like the resounding place is Decatur, but for whatever reason, I thought Decatur to be -excuse the expression- kind of ghetto? Nevertheless, I'm going to look into it and Virginia Highlands.
I am 38, married with two children entering middle school. I do expect them to be in a top notch school district-that is the first priority. I am a CPA/Daytrader and will be living off some assets for a couple of months until I find a suitable job, sense this is a totally unexpected move. I expect to be working at a downtown firm probably in the next three months after we get settled.
Concerning Buckhead- its seems pretty nice, but it also seems to be the happening place in Atlanta. I prefer to be in an area that doesn't get a lot of outside traffic. It is also to my understanding that Buckhead is very commercial and some parts could be seedy?
We're currently reside in Glencoe and have a host of recreational activites-we are literally surrounded by forest preserves, trails, lake Michigan, botanical gardens, and country clubs. We are also well ensconced in Chicago's social and civic scene - almost weekly venturing to many of the cultural venues like the Lyric Opera, the Steppenwolf, CSO, museuems and the multitude of restaraunts, etc. My biggest question is, Are we going to be bored out of our wits?

It sounds like you desire to live in an older "streetcar" suburb that is quiet, but still close to the city. I am from Milwaukee originally, so I'm very familiar with Evanston, Skokie, and other areas of the North Shore.

Virginia Highland, Druid Hills, Downtown Decatur, and the Oakhurst section of Decatur resemble those areas as they are all old streetcar suburbs in close proximity to Downtown Atlanta. All of those neighborhoods have older homes, varying degrees of walkability, and have a number of parks and gardens. I would also suggest that you check out the neighborhoods of Lake Claire, Candler Park, and Inman Park. Both neighborhoods are in the city of Atlanta, but they resemble streetcar suburbs moreso than the urban neighborhoods you find in Chicago like Lakeview and Bucktown. Also, if you like trees, these neighborhoods will make Glencoe look like a desert.

The cultural attractions in these neighborhoods include the Fernbank Museum, Dad's Garage live theater, Variety Playhouse (concert venue), Emory, Agnes Scott, Jimmy Carter Center, and the MLK Center is nearby as well. In regards to safety, all of the neighborhoods that I mentioned are pretty safe--especially Druid Hills, Lake Claire, Downtown Decatur, and Virginia Highland.

In regards to Buckhead, think of it as if Winnetka, Michigan Avenue, Rush Street, and Schaumburg all had a love child together...

[lpdoxey]

"In regards to Buckhead, think of it as if Winnetka, Michigan Avenue, Rush Street, and Schaumburg all had a love child together..."

Oh God, I couldn't even imagine, the traffic must be horrible!!
Anyway I thank you for the suggestions. South-to-West you hit it on the nail- My taste are very much older street car suburbs; everything else for whatever reason comes across as repusilve! I have decided to look into Decatur and Virginia Highlands. One last question- How would you rate Decatur and Virginia Highlands to communities like Vinings, Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, and Buckhead in terms of quality of life and desirabilty?

Again thanks for the suggestions!!!

[cmtiger]

It seems like the resounding place is Decatur, but for whatever reason, I thought Decatur to be -excuse the expression- kind of ghetto?

Decatur within the city limits is not ghetto at all. It is diverse with different races, income levels and lifestyles, but it is far from ghetto. Now as you go south of the Decatur city limits into unincorporated DeKalb County (also "called" Decatur) - you can run into some seedy areas near I-20.

Re Druid Hills, look very carefully at Shamrock Middle. They had to take hundreds of No Child Left Behind transfers from failing schools so they have had quite a time with crowding and discipline problems. They may be working it out now, but you need to look closely. One of mine will be at Renfroe Middle (Decatur) next year and I have heard all good things since the new principal came on board. I have also heard very good things about Inman Middle over in Virginia Highland. - Inman Park, Candler Park, Lake Claire, Va Highland Morningside, Midtown and Ansley Park all feed into Inman Middle.

That gave me an idea - y'all need to check out Ansley Park too!!!! I totally forgot about that area!! It is pricey so $800K won't get you anything amazing, but it is a very nice neighborhood and is close to all of Atlanta's big cultural venues (museums, symphony, playhouses, etc.). There are some gorgeous homes over there too. I'd love to see you in Decatur... but you might be very happy over in Ansley.

[IntownHomes247]

Originally Posted by cmtiger

That gave me an idea - y'all need to check out Ansley Park too!!!! I totally forgot about that area!! It is pricey so $800K won't get you anything amazing, but it is a very nice neighborhood and is close to all of Atlanta's big cultural venues (museums, symphony, playhouses, etc.). There are some gorgeous homes over there too. I'd love to see you in Decatur... but you might be very happy over in Ansley.

$800k in Ansley is more likely a townhome or condo, although it's possible you could find something to renovate.

[lpdoxey]

Originally Posted by IntownHomes247

$800k in Ansley is more likely a townhome or condo, although it's possible you could find something to renovate.

Well as I stated before, 800k was a minimal estimate, it would be higher if I was going elsewhere but since Atlanta's cost of living is lower than Chicago's I set it at 800k. But I definetly had planned on paying more for something I really like. But thanks I will look into Ansley.

[IntownHomes247]

If you're willing to go higher for something fabulous you should definitely look at Ansley Park and Druid Hills. They have exactly the feeling you are looking for -- park-like, historic neighborhoods with fine homes on large lots. Ansley borders Midtown, which is good for arts venues but makes the neighborhood a true enclave in that it is surrounded by the chaos of Midtown. Druid Hills is more sedate but still very convenient to Midtown arts venues as well as Virginia-Highland shops & restaurants. It has its own small business district (Emory Village), which is slated to undergo a major transformation over the next few years (to the delight and chagrin of different factions within the neighborhood).