Ghetto Suburbs??? (Atlanta, Smyrna, Duluth: low income, real estate, renting)

[EastATLGuy]

That's what i'm hearing people call areas such as Stone Mountain, Clarkston, Lithonia, Decatur(Outside The Perimeter), Ellenwood etc.or areas outside the perimeter. I didn't think that it could be possible, because suburbs are suppose to be nice and safe areas. I don't know what happened. Any comments?

[mg83]

I think I heard something about Stone Mountain having one of the highest crime rates in all of Metro Atlanta. I don't know, I could be wrong... nothing a quick internet research couldn't solve.

[maddy1980]

I heard that lithonia was filled with wealthy blacks who are very boughie so how is it ghetto?

[Steven2149]

You don't think its possible??? Do you not watch the news? Just within the last 3 years, the areas you mentioned..4 murdered police officers, god only knows how many other murders, car thefts, bank robberies, etc. Very common for cab drivers to wind up dead. That area is probably second only to sw atlanta in terms of violent crimes in the metro area. Terrible.

[plessthanpointohfive]

From what I've read about gentrification and "new urbanism" white flight is reversing on itself...only it's not just the whites. People of all races and ethnicities who want to rid themselves of their dependence on cars and commuting are moving BACK into the city and abandoning the suburbs. Of course, this isn't happening all over. But as it happens the cost of the homes in those suburbs goes down and poorer people buy them and, as we all know, poverty brings desperation and hopelessness that often translates into crime.

I read about it, primarily, in "Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream" by Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck. Now, granted, these are anti-sprawl, new-urbanism architects/urban planners who desiged Seaside, FL. But, I've read stuff to the same extent in other places, too.

[Steven2149]

White flight isn't reversing itself in the areas earlier mentioned. period. You can blame some of it on the government and so forth for allowing areas to go downhill so quickly.

[plessthanpointohfive]

I was speaking in general terms....

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

From what I've read about gentrification and "new urbanism" white flight is reversing on itself...only it's not just the whites. People of all races and ethnicities who want to rid themselves of their dependence on cars and commuting are moving BACK into the city and abandoning the suburbs. Of course, this isn't happening all over. But as it happens the cost of the homes in those suburbs goes down and poorer people buy them and, as we all know, poverty brings desperation and hopelessness that often translates into crime.

A few suburbanites are moving closer to town due to commutes, but most of the mixed folks you see moving into the inner city (whites, asians, south Americans, etc) are newcomers who are relocating from more urban areas who are used to a more urban lifestyle. The whites who moved out to the burbs such as Smyrna, Stone Mountain, Austell in the 70s during "White flight" are now getting older, and they're moving FURTHER out to places like Cumming, Dallas, Rockmart, Social Circle, etc, as the once all-white suburbs are now seeing a huge mix of folks moving in.

Regarding crime: Atlanta for the last few years has been tearing down the "projects" and building mixed-use and mixed-income developments in their place. Many people who lived in these grouped projects are now being spread out all over the place with special vouchers or programs that help pay their rent, so they're renting homes in the suburbs. While I'm not suggesting that low income=instant criminal by any means, you typically did see high crime in the projects when they existed. Once the folks got booted to the burbs, the troubled teens that caused the problems came to the burbs, too. Stone Mountain when I moved here in 1984 was an extremely sought-after and desireable area to live. Now people avoid it.

[dlh891]

I hate to just lump all parts of an area together like that. Now Lithonia, while a place I would not like to live north of Interstate 20, I would have no problem living in most parts of it south of 20. Unfortunately for Ellenwood, I do lump that into a yuck category. Since I live close to Stone Mountain, I know there are a few areas I would live there and actively look at houses there.

[JayRockTeam]

Ah, the hysteria of stereotypes. If you really want to know about Stone Mountain, your best bet is to just go there. I'm sure you'll find that it isn't a "suburban ghetto"... lol... you are on City-Data for the love of pete. Just check the demographics.

Stone Mountain
30088 Zip Code (Stone Mountain, Georgia) Detailed Profile - residents and real estate info
30087 Zip Code (Mountain Park, Georgia) Detailed Profile - residents and real estate info

Compared to Duluth
30096 Zip Code (Duluth, Georgia) Detailed Profile - residents and real estate info
Compared to Midtown Atlanta
30309 Zip Code (Atlanta, Georgia) Detailed Profile - residents and real estate info

The only real way to know anything about an area is to check it out for yourself. An areas "ghettoness" is entirely a subjective observation.

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