Schools become significanlty more ethnically diverse

[Ant131531]

My parents who are solidly well off definitely wants to move to Midtown or the Perimeter area in the next 5-10 years. We were at one point the black family that moved from South Dekalb to Rockdale. We were the middle class to upper middle class family. When they first bought their big house(7 bedrooms), they were ecstatic, but after nearly 10 years, they understand how much it really cost to maintain a house that big and now they're tired of it and want to move where there are more things. My mom loves Perimeter Mall(takes an hour to get to from where they live in Conyers), but over the last 6 months, I've been taking her to eat in Midtown and she says she loves the ability to walk to many different places and restaurants. A contrast to where they live now. I'm just hoping they can get a condo before prices spiral out of control in Midtown.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

My parents who are solidly well off definitely wants to move to Midtown or the Perimeter area in the next 5-10 years. We were at one point the black family that moved from South Dekalb to Rockdale. We were the middle class to upper middle class family. When they first bought their big house(7 bedrooms), they were ecstatic, but after nearly 10 years, they understand how much it really cost to maintain a house that big and now they're tired of it and want to move where there are more things. My mom loves Perimeter Mall(takes an hour to get to from where they live in Conyers), but over the last 6 months, I've been taking her to eat in Midtown and she says she loves the ability to walk to many different places and restaurants. A contrast to where they live now. I'm just hoping they can get a condo before prices spiral out of control in Midtown.

I'm not sure your parents' situation is unique to black families. A lot of folks move out for larger houses and the expectation of better schools. Once the kids are grown, different considerations come into play.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by jero23

That is just a result of correlation does not mean causation for black middle class flight from APS and Dekalb County. I'm pretty certain if they could afford it then they would move their families into better school clusters within either school districts rather than dealing with the arduous commute or drive to the major places of interest into the urban core from Gwinnett or Rockdale counties. Most black middle class individuals I know would much rather be closer to places like WestEnd, AUC, Midtown, etc. where there are things to do and places to go aside from shopping and chain restaurants, but they cannot afford the increasing housing costs in most of the revitalized areas of the urban core. This is the funny thing, the only black middle class households want to be in the suburbs like that either don't work in the urban core areas or never had much interest in those areas in the first place (usually because they are transplants from other regions). The rest of the black middle class would like to buy properties closer into the city in areas where they have direct access to better paying jobs, shorter commute, proximity to black cultural amenities, patronize black-owned businesses particularly restaurants, and MARTA.

Well they aren't moving because costs/gentrification are driving them out of their neighborhoods. At least in the last few years, prices have dropped across south and east Dekalb. They are moving for better schools, lower crime rates and newer housing stock, just like middle class white families did in the 80s and 90s.

[afdinatl]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

My parents who are solidly well off definitely wants to move to Midtown or the Perimeter area in the next 5-10 years. We were at one point the black family that moved from South Dekalb to Rockdale. We were the middle class to upper middle class family. When they first bought their big house(7 bedrooms), they were ecstatic, but after nearly 10 years, they understand how much it really cost to maintain a house that big and now they're tired of it and want to move where there are more things. My mom loves Perimeter Mall(takes an hour to get to from where they live in Conyers), but over the last 6 months, I've been taking her to eat in Midtown and she says she loves the ability to walk to many different places and restaurants. A contrast to where they live now. I'm just hoping they can get a condo before prices spiral out of control in Midtown.

Take them to the Beltline. Especially if they aren't active exercising they will love it. Plus I feel older people need to live in urban areas to get them out the house walking/etc

[Dkeating]

Originally Posted by bu2

Well they aren't moving because costs/gentrification are driving them out of their neighborhoods. At least in the last few years, prices have dropped across south and east Dekalb. .

But not in the DeKalb neighborhoods that are in the Atlanta city limits. Those have skyrocketed, even those with "underperforming schools."

[jero23]

Originally Posted by bu2

Well they aren't moving because costs/gentrification are driving them out of their neighborhoods. At least in the last few years, prices have dropped across south and east Dekalb. They are moving for better schools, lower crime rates and newer housing stock, just like middle class white families did in the 80s and 90s.

Yet, most white middle class families are moving back into the urban core in droves these days. The black middle class are even more at financial risk of winding up amongst those already in poverty in the suburbs, which is a phenomenon that has become even more prevalent since the 2 recessions of the 2000s. The problem with poverty in the suburbs here in Georgia outside of Atlanta, the state has shown nothing but hubris towards those in less fortunate economic situations especially when it comes to lack of non-automobile mobility. In other words, being a black middle class family in a so-called "better school district, with lower crime, and a newer housing stock" means nothing when you are only one paycheck and/or automobile repair/mishap away from serious economic hardship.

[Clayton white guy]

Dkeating, Prices in "Atlanta in Dekalb" have skyrocketed and are among the most rapidly gentrifying communities in the City of Atlanta (remember, every time you cross Moreland Avenue you may be leaving Fulton County, but not the City of Atlanta. I really think that it will not take the local public schools that long to catch up, either, if the neighborhood people support their local schools. I see TONS of babies and pre-schoolers in the neighborhoods (Kirkwood, East Lake, even East Atlanta) when I drive through. It really gives off a "Candler Parkish" (another nice Atlanta in Dekalb community) family friendly vibe to me. I think Fred Toomer, Burgess-Peterson, and (possibly a re-opened renovated East Lake Elementary) could really be just like Mary Lin Elementary in a few years (no one foresaw Mary Lin's rise in the late 90's outside of the general Candler Park/ Inman Park community in the mid-90's, although I really think the community members were definitely 'early believers') I also could see within a decade Jackson High School ( old Southside High) mirroring Grady as an ethnically/ economically diverse Intown high school with good academics, too.