Moving to Atlanta

[BT Lover]

Originally Posted by jsvh

I disagree with that you cannot find older Victorian homes. There are lots in the in-town neighborhoods and some of the original small downs that are now part of the suburbs.

However, with your budget, you are going to have to make some sacrifices in what you are looking for:

Short commute, Good public schools, larger sqft, Older place with character, single family home, good crime stats. Choose two, maybe three with your budget.

Personally, I think you can find some good places in the original suburbs on the south east side of in-town that will give you a decent balance of what you are looking for. But they are distinctly intown and will not offer a suburban lifestyle. Atlanta has grown mostly to the North and the suburbs to the north are more expensive. Since you will be working in downtown, I would look in areas to that are away from that direction. Traffic is terrible so I would recommend trying to incorporate MARTA into your commute. If you plan wrong you can end up with a two hour commute.

If you are really interested in fixing up old homes in up and coming neighborhoods there are some good deals to be had close to downtown. But you should rent first until you get to know Atlanta.

The options are still few and far between, not to mention that he has children and one with special needs. I would never put children in the school districts within Atlanta if I was in a situation like that. Now, if the OP is interested in sending his children to a private school, there are some amazing options, but they would definitely not be budget friendly considering the cost of living, safety, etc. that would be factors living closer to downtown. MARTA can be a good option sometimes, but adjusting work schedules seems to be a better option for most people. Friday mornings used to be the easier day for commutes and even that has changed. There is no easy day for commuting into Atlanta and MARTA has its issues too.

[eeberlien]

Well,

Thanks to all that have already posted. Sounds like the commute is gonna be hell. That's no bueno, I'm not a fan of driving, especially in the city. I may have to really investigate public transportation options. So far I've looked into mostly the western suburbs. One of the early posts on this thread suggested them. Powder Springs? Austel? that part of town.

Also, I need to live in close proximity to a good kenpo karate school. Yes, I'm aware that's coming from left field :-) I've been doing that most of my life and have no plans of stopping. It looks like all the kenpo schools, (or most of them) are in the western suburbs or whatever. Powder Springs, Smyrna, Austel, essentially that area. So I would like to look at settling around there. Provided it's a decent area of course.

I am fairly certain the maintenance facility for the streetcars will be downtown, it would make sense. Streetcars are for that. Although I don't have an exact address as of yet I have looked on the map and I found an area with a high concentration of railroad tracks. It's between highway 407, and 75. As I said I don't know for sure yet but it wouldn't surprise me if the shop were located in that area. It would make sense with the high concentration of tracks.

So, please let me know what you all think. All advice is welcome :-)

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by BT Lover

The options are still few and far between, not to mention that he has children and one with special needs. I would never put children in the school districts within Atlanta if I was in a situation like that. Now, if the OP is interested in sending his children to a private school, there are some amazing options, but they would definitely not be budget friendly considering the cost of living, safety, etc. that would be factors living closer to downtown. MARTA can be a good option sometimes, but adjusting work schedules seems to be a better option for most people. Friday mornings used to be the easier day for commutes and even that has changed. There is no easy day for commuting into Atlanta and MARTA has its issues too.

There are APS schools that are in the top rankings of the state and out pace most in the suburbs and vice versa. Good public schools are available in both places and living costs will be higher in both those places. OP is not going to be able to find anywhere that has all of his wants at that price point. If he wants good public schools and a short commute but willing to live in a smaller apartment then there are nice in town options to fit his price point. If OP cares more about having a large house and yard he should do the burbs. If OP is really set on restoring a large older Victorian and then there are options intown and in some the old towns in the burbs he can find.

You prefer the suburbs because those are the sacrifices you wanted to make. OP may have different priorities.

MARTA is a whole different topic, It has problems, it is still government run public transit but as far as safety and cleanliness goes it ranks as one of the best and downtown has good access.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by eeberlien

I am fairly certain the maintenance facility for the streetcars will be downtown, it would make sense. Streetcars are for that. Although I don't have an exact address as of yet I have looked on the map and I found an area with a high concentration of railroad tracks. It's between highway 407, and 75. As I said I don't know for sure yet but it wouldn't surprise me if the shop were located in that area. It would make sense with the high concentration of tracks.

I am not as familiar with the west burbs so someone else can help with that. But the Atlanta Streetcar maintenance facility is located under I75/85 between Edgewood and Auburn. here: http://goo.gl/maps/xNYpX

Congrats on the job! There are a lot of people in the city excited about the new streetcar!

[BT Lover]

Originally Posted by eeberlien

Well,

Thanks to all that have already posted. Sounds like the commute is gonna be hell. That's no bueno, I'm not a fan of driving, especially in the city. I may have to really investigate public transportation options. So far I've looked into mostly the western suburbs. One of the early posts on this thread suggested them. Powder Springs? Austel? that part of town.

Also, I need to live in close proximity to a good kenpo karate school. Yes, I'm aware that's coming from left field :-) I've been doing that most of my life and have no plans of stopping. It looks like all the kenpo schools, (or most of them) are in the western suburbs or whatever. Powder Springs, Smyrna, Austel, essentially that area. So I would like to look at settling around there. Provided it's a decent area of course.

I am fairly certain the maintenance facility for the streetcars will be downtown, it would make sense. Streetcars are for that. Although I don't have an exact address as of yet I have looked on the map and I found an area with a high concentration of railroad tracks. It's between highway 407, and 75. As I said I don't know for sure yet but it wouldn't surprise me if the shop were located in that area. It would make sense with the high concentration of tracks.

So, please let me know what you all think. All advice is welcome :-)

Those are all decent areas, I live on the western side and I know many people who commute without many issues. You can take public transit. Cobb has a good transportation system and I know many people who go that route and have few complaints. This site has more information: CCT - Route Schedules

You will get used to planning routes based on traffic. It isn't fun, but it is turning into a daily part of living in this area. I would try to focus on living in Cobb County, as the schools are good and I would say that most of it is very family friendly. Do you know if you will have any flexibility with your schedule? Are you going to get to visit the area soon?