Safe, walkable neighborhoods for young (read: broke) progressive w. commute to Glenridge Connector (Atlanta: apartment, rent)

[msmcullers]

The facts:
1. The company I work for is moving to the Sandy Springs area (right at the Glenridge Connector).
2. I'm interested in Atlanta neighborhoods that could be described as walkable, intellectual, progressive, artistic, sustainable, yet still down-to-earth. Ethnically diverse is a plus. You know, the kind of place with lots of young people where I could walk to the farmers' market, lecture at a university, art house theater, coffee shop, etc.
3. I won't necessarily have to go the office everyday. I should be able to work remotely around 50% of the time.

My concerns:
1. Safety. I'm a young female and look even younger than my age. Being able to walk a few miles in a park or neighborhood for exercise (or maybe a few blocks to MARTA) is important to me.
2. Affordability. The most I can afford for an apartment is $800, maybe $900. Even then, I'll be looking for a roommate. The pretentiousness and conspicuous consumption in some 'progressive' areas tend to put me off, as I am still an Aldi and thrift-store shopping, DIY kind of person.
3. Commute time. The neighborhoods often recommended to people with similar preferences (Decatur, Inman Park, Candler Park, Virginia Highland, East Atlanta) seem a bit far from work(?).

Your wisdom and advice will be invaluable and immensely appreciated!
- future Atlantan

P.S. Is there any way I could make this work without a car or, at the very least, minimize car usage? From what I've read, MARTA seems unreliable and/or dangerous, but I am open to using it.

[ATLTJL]

Ah yes, I believe the area you seek lies at the intersection of Having Your Cake Dr. and Eating It Too Ln.

Sorry, I don't want to be a jerk about bringing your expectations down to earth, but I'm not sure that what you are looking for exists anywhere in metro Atlanta.

If it does, it is most certainly out of your budget by a long shot.

So what'll it be, will you raise your budget, or which attributes are you willing to compromise on? After you decide that, this board will be able to be much more helpful.

[onemanarmy]

Honestly, I think you would do well in Midtown, Va Highland or City of Decatur. If your budget is 900 and you are ok with a roommate (meaning renting at $1600-$1800), you will be able to afford all of these locations. I would vote for Midtown, since it's the easiest commute to your job, and the more central to the things you like to do. If you if your job is MARTA accessible even better, get rid of you car. Uber, Zipcar, Taxi, MARTA would give your more freedom in your budget.

[jsvh]

Yeah, do a roommate and you can afford midtown. Take MARTA up and your life will be easier.

You also can walk to MARTA from many east side neighborhoods.

Perimeter is just not an easy place to commute to without MARTA IMO.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by msmcullers

The facts:
1. The company I work for is moving to the Sandy Springs area (right at the Glenridge Connector).
2. I'm interested in Atlanta neighborhoods that could be described as walkable, intellectual, progressive, artistic, sustainable, yet still down-to-earth. Ethnically diverse is a plus. You know, the kind of place with lots of young people where I could walk to the farmers' market, lecture at a university, art house theater, coffee shop, etc.
3. I won't necessarily have to go the office everyday. I should be able to work remotely around 50% of the time.

My concerns:
1. Safety. I'm a young female and look even younger than my age. Being able to walk a few miles in a park or neighborhood for exercise (or maybe a few blocks to MARTA) is important to me.
2. Affordability. The most I can afford for an apartment is $800, maybe $900. Even then, I'll be looking for a roommate. The pretentiousness and conspicuous consumption in some 'progressive' areas tend to put me off, as I am still an Aldi and thrift-store shopping, DIY kind of person.
3. Commute time. The neighborhoods often recommended to people with similar preferences (Decatur, Inman Park, Candler Park, Virginia Highland, East Atlanta) seem a bit far from work(?).

Your wisdom and advice will be invaluable and immensely appreciated!
- future Atlantan

P.S. Is there any way I could make this work without a car or, at the very least, minimize car usage? From what I've read, MARTA seems unreliable and/or dangerous, but I am open to using it.

If you're working at the Medical Center station end of the Glenridge Connector taking MARTA would be a snap. The trains are very safe and reliable.

However, the other items on your list might be a tall order.

[ATLTJL]

So do you mean you have $900 for an apartment and will be seeking a roommate that can pay the same, or you can afford $450 and need a roommate to bring you up to $900?

Because obviously, that makes a huge difference.

[DaBurgh]

You may find someone at GSU who needs a roommate, but move quickly, the semester starts soon

[10 feet tall]

Originally Posted by msmcullers

The facts:
1. The company I work for is moving to the Sandy Springs area (right at the Glenridge Connector).
2. I'm interested in Atlanta neighborhoods that could be described as walkable, intellectual, progressive, artistic, sustainable, yet still down-to-earth. Ethnically diverse is a plus. You know, the kind of place with lots of young people where I could walk to the farmers' market, lecture at a university, art house theater, coffee shop, etc.
3. I won't necessarily have to go the office everyday. I should be able to work remotely around 50% of the time.

My concerns:
1. Safety. I'm a young female and look even younger than my age. Being able to walk a few miles in a park or neighborhood for exercise (or maybe a few blocks to MARTA) is important to me.
2. Affordability. The most I can afford for an apartment is $800, maybe $900. Even then, I'll be looking for a roommate. The pretentiousness and conspicuous consumption in some 'progressive' areas tend to put me off, as I am still an Aldi and thrift-store shopping, DIY kind of person.
3. Commute time. The neighborhoods often recommended to people with similar preferences (Decatur, Inman Park, Candler Park, Virginia Highland, East Atlanta) seem a bit far from work(?).

Your wisdom and advice will be invaluable and immensely appreciated!
- future Atlantan

P.S. Is there any way I could make this work without a car or, at the very least, minimize car usage? From what I've read, MARTA seems unreliable and/or dangerous, but I am open to using it.

Your #2 under "the facts" does not exist in Atlanta in any location at any price point. Atlanta just isn't that kind of place. Particularly with the "still down to earth" factor.

[msmcullers]

ATLTJL (and 10 feet tall): No worries. I grew up in southeast metro Atlanta and figured if such a place existed I probably would have heard of it by now, but it never hurts to ask. Cost is non-negotiable at $800-900 max for me. The roommate part would be to cut rent down even more, maybe to $500-700 if that's possible.

As far as lower expectations go: how about a walkable neighborhood with fairly intellectual, friendly residents
and access to green space? A nearby farmers' market would be a huge plus. I'm definitely willing to have a car, but it seems like MARTA might be more efficient when it comes to commuting all the way to the Perimeter.

The High Museum and Piedmont Park are major pluses as far as Midtown goes. Dunno about safety though. Thank you everyone for the advice thus far!

[msmcullers]

Decatur also gets points for walkability and access to Emory. Taking MARTA would require a lengthy commute (about an hour) but it seems fairly simple (taking the blue line, then the red line).