Relocation to Georgia in Feb 2008.....so excited (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: apartment complexes, rental)

[plessthanpointohfive]

If I were you, since you're young and have no kids, I'd rent an apartment in Midtown. You'll be right in the middle of all the fun things to do and you can walk to a MARTA station to get to the airport.

I live in nice neighborhood near Midtown and have a MARTA station 2 streets behind my house. I travel to DC for work every other month and my husband travels for his job, too. We just walk to the station, take it to the Five Points Station, and then take the southbound train to the airport.

MARTA is the BEST way to get to the airport - no driving, no parking, no leaving your car, no waiting for someone to pick you up...it allows a lot of independence.

Seriously, check out Midtown. Vinings and Smyrna are very suburban type places. Better for people with kids and maybe not so much even then. I am not knocking these places at all. I am just saying that I am your age and if I didn't have a kid I'd be living in either a high rise apartment or an old loft in Midtown. You'll be able to walk to eateries, grocery, Piedmont Park, theaters, everything.

Welcome to Atlanta!

[plessthanpointohfive]

Check out this link:

The Essential Reference Site for Midtown Atlanta

[south-to-west]

Since you're young and have no kids, it would be best for you and your husband to live in the city where there is more to do for younger people. You'll be closer to restaurants, bars, sports and entertainment venues, and MARTA. The commute to the airport would be a reverse commute, also you would be centrally located, which would be easier to find a job. Some areas to consider would be Midtown, Inman Park, Candler Park, East Atlatna (you can rent a whole house), Old Fourth Ward, and the Lindbergh area. Inman Park Village is up and coming with hundreds and hundreds of new apartment and condo units and is centrally located.

A lot of times, when younger people move straight to the suburbs when relocating to Atlanta, they become disillusioned and may get the wrong perception of the area. Moving to the city would make it easier for you to discover other areas of the city and metro area so that when it comes time for yall to buy a home, you can make a good, sound decision about which community suits your interests best. Good luck!

[AAchander]

I would say that while midtown is the social center of Atlanta, it can get dangerous at night. My friends were robbed at gunpoint right outside his apartment.

Henry County is up and coming. It's growing at an unparalleled rate and is fairly close to the Airport.

[plessthanpointohfive]

It's the city...you can be robbed anywhere. However, violent crime is NOT high in Midtown, or my neighborhood, for that matter. Most crime is smash and grab in the nice areas. And Midtown is a nice area.

Henry County is barely the burbs. People coming to Atlanta and looking forward to "big city" life won't be happy there. The burbs of Atlanta aren't like the burbs of NYC. If you want big city life in Atlanta then you can only get it by living in the city.

Move to Midtown. Have a good time. And don't be stupid - it's the city - keep your eyes open. As a city slicker I highly recommend Midtown.

[south-to-west]

Stay away from the growing headache called Henry County. While it is growing at a fast rate, the county is doing nothing to provide the needed infrastructure for a booming population. Also, a lot of the housing stock that has been constructed in Henry County has been rather cheap and unsustainable. Also, crime does happen in Henry County as well--including carjackings and shootings.

At the OP's age, she and her husband need to live in the city instead of the burbs.

[tdatl]

Not sure about the traffic from Smyrna/Vinings to airport, but in fairness, ancedotes about travel times today aren't meaningful. Traffic has been very light this week. Not too many delays anywhere that I've been.

[Shelovezlaw]

ty very much. I will definitely look into places. My hubs job is very important so we need to be close. Also I need to find universities and jobs out there. Thanks for the information. Check...we have the GPS

[plessthanpointohfive]

There are several options for schools in the city. For starters there's Georgia State, Georgia Tech, and Emory. If you want to go to a historically black school there's Clark Atlanta, Morehouse, and Spelman (called the Atlanta University Center since they're all physically close to each other). There's Agnes Scott College, an all girl private school, in Decatur. Savannah School of Art and Design.

And I'm sure there are many other choices.

Jobs are also easier to find in the city.

Based on everything you've said (close, schools, jobs) I really do think Midtown is the best choice for you.

You really don't need a GPS. After a couple months of living in Midtown you'll know all the streets like the back of your hand. You'll know about cut throughs and alleys that aren't on GPS...

[kagmypts]

We also live in Smyrna (South Cobb exit), and my husband travels to NYC every other week. It routinely takes him 25 minutes to get to and from the airport (leaves about 5 AM and heads home at 6:30 PM).