Recommendations on good neighborhoods near Emory University (Atlanta, Dunwoody: apartment, crime)

[fil]

We're considering homes in the $400K-$1M range.

I'm considering looking around Piedmont Park. Concerns?

[cmtiger]

Do you have kids?

[VirtualM]

When I went to Emory, I rented an apartment in Virginia Highlands. It's in your price range, and we loved it. It's also about 3 miles to Emory using back roads. However, there are a lot of other factors - what kind of lifestyle you're looking for, kids, etc.

[itpgardengal]

Morningside is a little nicer, you would surely be in 1 mil price range.

[sweettea1]

I'd skip midtown. Instead look in Druid Hills, Ansley Park, and Morningside.

[goozer]

If very close proximity to Emory is important, you should definitely consider Druid Hills. It is one of the nicest (and oldest) neighborhoods in Atlanta. Heck, you could get rid of your car altogether and walk from many parts of Druid Hills to the university. Of course, it is still a very, very short car commute from Emory to Morningside and Va/Hi. Of the three neighborhoods, Va/Hi is where the most "action" is -- some great restaurants, shops, and bars.

[IntownHomes247]

There are many neighborhoods in the Piedmont Park/Emory area where you'll find homes in your price range. It will depend on what size home you're looking for, what kind of ambience you're looking for in the neighborhood, and how close you want to be to the heart of intown activities.

Druid Hills (adjacent to Emory and the setting for the movie "Driving Miss Daisy") is one of the finest historic neighborhoods in the city. It has grand homes (many priced well over $1 million, but you can certainly find homes for under $1 million as well) on large lots. Most of the homes are historic although there are a few new construction as well. Druid Hills is a park-like neighborhood laid out by the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted (father of American landscape architecture and developer of New York's Central Park). It is an "old money" neighborhood with a strong neighborhood association that vigorously defends the area from the unbridled development that is happening in much of the intown neighborhoods.

Morningside and Virginia-Highland are very popular neighborhoods. Va-Hi has a thriving business/bar district that most residents love being able to walk to. Most of the neighborhood is also within walking distance of Piedmont Park. Va-Hi homes were originally smaller Craftsman bungalows but most have been completely renovated and many vastly expanded.

Morningside (between Va-Hi and Druid Hills) was developed to resemble a Tudor village. It has charming Tudor bungalows (originally larger than the Va-Hi homes) and most have been completely renovated. There are also newer homes in the Lenox Park area of Morningside as well as infill houses (large new homes between older homes). The Morningside neighborhood is close to Piedmont Park but also has a number of small neighborhood parks sprinkled in.

http://www.atlanta-midtown.com/neigh...gside/map.html

http://www.atlanta-midtown.com/neigh...hland/map.html

Above are links to a couple of detailed neighborhood maps that I developed a few years ago. They'll give you an idea about the layout of these 2 neighborhoods.

Midtown is also a popular neighborhood. It's close enough to Emory but also in the heart of town. Midtown is home to most of the major cultural institutions in the city and borders Piedmont Park.

On the other side of Emory there's also the City of Decatur (an adorable small town with a courthouse square -- concerts on the square -- nice restaurants & shopes).

If you are looking for a large ranch in a more suburban type neighborhood the Oak Grove area is very popular. It's just about 2 miles from Emory and is in unincorporated DeKalb county so it has lower property taxes.

Other neighborhoods you might want to consider are Candler Park, Lake Claire, and Inman Park. Just ask if you want more info on these areas.

As far as I'm concerned, the Emory area is the very best part of the city. You'll definitely find a place you will love!

Welcome to the city!

[KevK]

A million dollars will be you a house anywhere here. All neighbourhoods around Emery are nice. Briarcliff Rd and the area around it are really nice and quiet areas and have wonderful homes and lots of woods. The only drawback is all the TV towers around there but if those don't bother you, I would look right in that area!

[fil]

Thanks for the great info,

With the market slump hitting Atlanta, is this one of the areas like Dunwoody that remains insulated from the housing market issues?

Even in Sugarloaf, the homes have had a difficult time selling and are going for much less then they are first listed.

Where we bought in Austin is also very insulated and appreciation is great. I knew that we'd be here for only a short time, so the house and location that we picked will make resale easy and we won't take a loss and may make money when we sell.

We would like to build our dream house up by the Mall of GA on vacant property we own, but want to be close to Emory for the first couple of years so we have the same strategy to buy into a value and quality area that is known for resale and respectable appreciation.

My wife is also concerned about crime in this area since we have a young child.

[fil]

Originally Posted by cmtiger

Do you have kids?

Yes, 3 yo son.

More information about us: http://www.city-data.com/forum/tampa...zip-codes.html

So we lived in Atlanta for 12 years, but never really spent time in the Emory area.

And, Yes, we're debating on Atlanta or Tampa or staying in Austin for job offers I have.