Neighborhood/schools question (Atlanta, Decatur, Druid Hills: real estate, houses, neighborhoods)

[Bbdd205]

We are moving from Los Angeles to Atlanta and are flying in this week to see two homes in the Morningside and Edmund Park neighborhoods of the city. Would those neighborhoods be good for a quiet couple in their late 20s with 2 kids under 2? I'm a stay at home mom and my husband frequently travels so I am looking for neighborhoods that are relatively walkable with a stroller, lots of parks/restaurants in the proximity, kid friendly basically. Our real estate agent mentioned Emory was near by and that was really appealing to me. We are looking for a "community/college-town feel" and we were tired of how spread out and difficult to navigate LA is. Are there any other neighborhoods you would recommend besides those two?

Also, how is the Morningside school vs. the private school Paideia? We are weighing on whether to not do preschool (we aren't fans of church preschools) and just send our oldest to pre-k when the time comes and our real estate agent mentioned Paideia had an option for kids 4 and older. Is it worthwhile?

Thank you for your help!

[AtlJan]

Paideia is a wonderful school and there are other private schools nearby if you want to go that route. Morningside elementary is well-regarded, as well. Will your husband be commuting to an office when he is not traveling? If so, what area is his office in? That would determine what other areas you would want to consider.

[Bbdd205]

Originally Posted by AtlJan

Paideia is a wonderful school and there are other private schools nearby if you want to go that route. Morningside elementary is well-regarded, as well. Will your husband be commuting to an office when he is not traveling? If so, what area is his office in? That would determine what other areas you would want to consider.

He will not be commuting, he works overseas mostly. So travel not concern for him. But I'd like to be in a place where I don't have to drive a lot.

[TripTychTwo]

Originally Posted by Bbdd205

He will not be commuting, he works overseas mostly. So travel not concern for him. But I'd like to be in a place where I don't have to drive a lot.

What streets in Morningside?

We have a great park on Sherwood and there are tons of families with young kids to babies right around the park. With Ansley mall down the street we can get by with barely driving on the weekend. I know we have a couple houses on the market but they are probably 1mil+

[Bbdd205]

Originally Posted by TripTychTwo

What streets in Morningside?

We have a great park on Sherwood and there are tons of families with young kids to babies right around the park. With Ansley mall down the street we can get by with barely driving on the weekend. I know we have a couple houses on the market but they are probably 1mil+

The one in Morningside is on East Rock Springs Rd. Do you have any other recs for good streets to look at? Our budget is 900K for 4/4. We can go a little above that but would prefer not to.

[AtlJan]

Have you looked at Grant Park or City of Decatur?

[arjay57]

If I were you I'd expand my search to nearby neighborhoods like Garden Hills and Peachtree Park. There are no bad streets in Morningside or any of these other areas.

Also, there are tons of young families with kids in the Sarah Smith district (North Buckhead), just north of Phipps Plaza. The locals love those schools. They have direct access to the airport via the Buckhead and Lenox train stations. That might fit your bill, though it might be tough to find 4 bedrooms under a million.

[Iconographer]

Don't think you could go wrong with any of the aforementioned. Good neighborhoods, good elementary schools, very social and family-friendly, access to most anything.
I'll add my two cents now:

Druid Hills (Fernbank Elem)

https://www.druidhills.org/

Oak Grove (Oak Grove Elem)

https://nextdoor.com/neighborhood/oa...--decatur--ga/

Collier Hills (E Rivers Elem)

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not ok

Margaret Mitchell (Morris Brandon Elem)

http://www.mmca-atlanta.org/

Good Luck!

[bu2]

Originally Posted by Bbdd205

The one in Morningside is on East Rock Springs Rd. Do you have any other recs for good streets to look at? Our budget is 900K for 4/4. We can go a little above that but would prefer not to.

Our agent told us to avoid streets with double yellow lines. Rock Springs is a pretty active through street. If you are going out during rush hour, it may be difficult to get out of your driveway.

But Morningside is a good neighborhood with quite a few families and quite a few quiet streets. Morningside Elementary is viewed in the top tier of public elementary schools, along with some of the other ones mentioned-Morris Brandon, Fernbank and Oak Grove. Sarah Smith is viewed in the top tier as well, but I've seen one report that says they don't do particularly well given their demographics (relatively high average income and few lower income students).

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by bu2

Our agent told us to avoid streets with double yellow lines.

Gee, that would eliminate many of the most spectacular and desirable streets in the city!