Living without a Car : Is it possible in Atlanta / Serenbe ? (Mableton: neighborhoods, price)

[ATL_GUY]

Originally Posted by Geologic

Living without a Car : Is it possible in Atlanta / Serenbe ?

I have lived happily without a car for many years, and in some great cities.

I am now considering a move to the Atlanta area - and more specifically to Serenbe (maybe)

I do not want to waste $8-10,000 per annum on a vehicle, if I can avoid it.

Have you got any suggestions for places to live in the area?
A nice Walkable neighborhood is what I am seeking, and one which also has some decent transport links.

So far, I have been eyeing the areas in Downtown areas in other cities.

BTW, I am self-employed, and normally work from home, and so I do not need to commute every day.

Surely, there must be people in the area, who enjoy the wonderful freedom of living a car-free life, and are willing to share some of their secrets.

If you want walkable areas, then you must look at either intown neighborhoods or Decatur or some other towns right outside of Atlanta. Many of the suburban towns are not walkable. It certainly possible to live without a car(not always easy) but very possible. I did it for almosta year. I was able to walk because i happen to be fortunate the street I lived on was walkable with consistent sidewalks and it was on MARTA line. If you pick the right spots, you can definitely get around with public transportation and walking. When I watch property virgins and see those people looking at suburban homes, I see them walking on the streets because there are no sidewalks. Me, personally, I would never buy a house or rent one in an area like that. If I have to walk on the streets with cars as a pedestrian, then I keep my money. I hate neighborhoods like that and I avoid them as much as possible.

Nothing more appealing to me than a town that has sidewalks, street lights and shops nearby. I don't wanna have to depend on a car for everything. Look into Decatur if you get the chance. If you like that older feel, that urban vibe with charm and character, you will find Decatur appealing.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by joey86

Don't listen to that last poster, Marta usually runs very smoothly and can get you just about anywhere worth going. People from other big cities tell me it's great all the time. I wouldn't recommend Serenbe. It comes across as Orwellian. I assume that since you are considering Serenbe you want somewhere peaceful and walkable. Check out Virginia Highlands, Inman Park, Candler Park and Lake Claire. If you do want more urbanity Midtown is the place.

Maybe it runs smoothly now but when I was I school, I'd leave work to get the train to go to class and pretty much almost every day without fail the train would break down and sit for a half-an hour. I had to drop my class before I ended up flunking it as a result. No kidding.

[ATL_GUY]

There are two stories to MARTA. One, it's isn't great but it isn't bad either. It could definitely be better but it does okay with what it has. In some areas MARTA is great and in other areas it's not so good. It all depends where you live. I had a friend who lived on the southside and would make it to the northern suburb of Roswell in less than an hour. That's with subway and bus. It took me longer than that because I didn't have it so great. It all depends where you live.

[CMMom]

I stayed in Serenbe for a weekend and needed some medication in the middle of the night. It was almost a 30 min. drive to Newnan to get to a grocery store/drugstore. Unless you're a marathon runner, I would not consider that as a place to live without a car.

[Geologic]

Originally Posted by SwampFox35

This guy is spamming every city forum with the same question about living without a car.

I am simply using threads with a similar title to investigate cities that I may want to visit for a possible future move.

I appreciate the many helpful postings here, but overall they haven't been very encouraging. I can tell you where my top spots are, based upon feedback received so far.

But maybe this thread will help some to take a fresh look at living Carfree (or car-light) in Atlanta

Decatur is an area in Atlanta that I heard is walkable and suitable for carfree living

Reading what I saw here, I won't be pursuing more research on Serenbe. At minimum, it needs a good rail link, or at least a reliable bus service.

[berkeleylake]

Originally Posted by CMMom

I stayed in Serenbe for a weekend and needed some medication in the middle of the night. It was almost a 30 min. drive to Newnan to get to a grocery store/drugstore. Unless you're a marathon runner, I would not consider that as a place to live without a car.

I looked online to see where Serenbe is; it looks like it is in Chattahoochee Hills, South Fulton. The original poster would definitely need a car to live there as development there is centered around cars as it is most anywhere in suburban Atlanta. Without a car, you are manly limited to ares inside I-285 in and near the city center of Atlanta. You would need to live within a reasonable walk to a MARTA station. The bus routes have been cut back a lot, so I would not choose an area just because it is near a bus stop.

[SwampFox35]

Originally Posted by Geologic

I am simply using threads with a similar title to investigate cities that I may want to visit for a possible future move.

I appreciate the many helpful postings here, but overall they haven't been very encouraging. I can tell you where my top spots are, based upon feedback received so far.

But maybe this thread will help some to take a fresh look at living Carfree (or car-light) in Atlanta

Decatur is an area in Atlanta that I heard is walkable and suitable for carfree living

Reading what I saw here, I won't be pursuing more research on Serenbe. At minimum, it needs a good rail link, or at least a reliable bus service.

well I saw you pitching the Oyster Card thing in the Greenville forum and I do think you are a salesman for them, there is some k ind of financiail stake in you talking about this. My little conspriacy theory anyway.

If you need a walkable area, you should focus on n'hoods in the cities like Boston that have mass transit serving them, or master planned n'hoods that are almsot like small cities with all the amenites nearby.

[kasuga888]

No way for Serenbe, with that comment, the op sounds almost like a troll LOL.

Everytime i take the Marta to work or the airport, there are tons of folks whom i'm guessing relies on public transportation fully. If you can put up with spending a 1-2hr commute which otherwise will take 20mins in a car, it will surely be doable. Also you would also have to make some other sacrfices(ie not being able to meet friends, limited shopping, limited restaurant, etc).

I would suggest Midtown, Atlantic Station, Buckhead (near the mall), Perimeter Center (near the target). All have restaurant, shopping, and grocery. Also, they are all near the marta rail.

[Geologic]

Originally Posted by SwampFox35

well I saw you pitching the Oyster Card thing in the Greenville forum and I do think you are a salesman for them, there is some k ind of financiail stake in you talking about this. My little conspriacy theory anyway.

If you need a walkable area, you should focus on n'hoods in the cities like Boston that have mass transit serving them, or master planned n'hoods that are almsot like small cities with all the amenites nearby.

What complete and utter nonsense!

I wrote a letter to the Bus company, copying the Mayor, suggesting ways of making it easier to pay for a bus ticket in Greenville. My suggestions included cash, a ticket machine, and two types of cash cards - the same as is used in London and Hong kong, two places that I have lived. (If I was promoting the Oyster card, why would I mention a competitor's product?)

Somebidy seems to have deleted the letter now - It was a good example of effective writing, since I got a nice answer back from the mayor.

SwampFox seems to be a complete fantasist, who cannot imagine that someone might want to spend time, suggesting how a transport system can be improved.

If anyone is interested they can DM to me, and I will send them a copy of the letter. The powers-that-be here seem to think that such an effective letter is not suitable for viewing - though it strikes to the heart of a small transport problem. My satisfaction is that the Mayor seemed to like it, so deluded fantasists will not deter me from contructive communications in the future. Some folks have nothing better to do that try to disrupt the constructive efforts of others. Use your own common sense and discretion to understand whom (if anyone) you should believe in this little story.

[SwampFox35]

Originally Posted by Geologic

What complete and utter nonsense!

I wrote a letter to the Bus company, copying the Mayor, suggesting ways of making it easier to pay for a bus ticket in Greenville. My suggestions included cash, a ticket machine, and two types of cash cards - the same as is used in London and Hong kong, two places that I have lived. (If I was promoting the Oyster card, why would I mention a competitor's product?)

Somebidy seems to have deleted the letter now - It was a good example of effective writing, since I got a nice answer back from the mayor.

SwampFox seems to be a complete fantasist, who cannot imagine that someone might want to spend time, suggesting how a transport system can be improved.

If anyone is interested they can DM to me, and I will send them a copy of the letter. The powers-that-be here seem to think that such an effective letter is not suitable for viewing - though it strikes to the heart of a small transport problem. My satisfaction is that the Mayor seemed to like it, so deluded fantasists will not deter me from contructive communications in the future. Some folks have nothing better to do that try to disrupt the constructive efforts of others. Use your own common sense and discretion to understand whom (if anyone) you should believe in this little story.

no offense but that was the worse written letter i've seen. It took you several paragraphs to understand what your point was, and in a good business letter, it should be clear within the first two sentences what your purpose is in writing the letter. I think a lot of ppl would have stopped reading after the 1st paragraph because it seems like gibberish.

I noticed you are targetting Flagstaff Arizona with this type of thread about walkable areas. I would suggest Googling it and doing research on the internet. if there is such a utopia where you can walk to everything you need, i'm sure you can find information on it using a search engine.