Female Grad Student Moving to Atlanta Needs Advice (Buckhead: apartment, house)

[fresha]

I am planning on moving to Atlanta to attend a grad program in Buckhead in late August. I have never been to Atlanta and I need advice!

First, I would like to spend no more than $500, I would like to find one or two roommates.
I have no preference for house or apartment, but I do prefer the "urban" lifestyle, which I understand is difficult on such a budget.

I do plan on working, but I don't have a job yet, so I really want to focus on finding a place around my program.

My main questions: What areas should I be looking into? I would love to be close to public transport, but I will have a vehicle also. I know traffic in Atlanta can be bad and I would like to be within a 30 minute drive to Buckhead.

I don't think I have preferred demographics, but other grad students or young professionals would be ideal, and, of course, a safe neighborhood would be great!

Any other advice would be appreciated!

Thanks

[AtlJan]

Have you checked out your school's resources? Sometimes there is a message board/facebook page etc. for finding other students in your program who need roommates. You could call or email the administrator (whoever sent you your registration packet!) and s/he will surely help you finding housing. You'll probably want to be in Buckhead or midtown, it sounds like. You could call the housing office at Georgia Tech and see if they have a bulletin board for posting "roommate wanted" information.

[MathmanMathman]

I would suggest getting an apartment around North Springs MARTA station. You can take the train into Buckhead and continue Downtown/Midtown if you want. You'd have to get a roommate to make your budget. It's not urban but safer and you can reach what you want. If you qualify, you can get a University Pass MARTA card for unlimited travel.