Where to live in Decatur? (Atlanta: job, medical, housing)

[doubledownmom]

My family may be moving to the Decatur area due to the my husband's (possible) job at Dekalb Medical Center. We were born and raised in NC (southern at heart), but we currently live in southern new jersey and commute into philadelphia, pa for my husband's grad school and my job.

I have been doing serious internet searches on Dekalb County. It looks like the City of Decatur is a really nice little town and that the public schools are great. We have twin girls that will be school age when we would move there and we will not be able to afford private schools at this time in our lives. So, great public schools are extremely important. And a safe area is also extremely important to us.

The housing price range that we will be looking for is around 350,000. We would want 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. I really like the look of the cute bungalows in the Oakhurst and Winnona Park areas. And it seems like (from my internet searches) that the public schools in those areas are fantastic!

Am I completely "off" in my assessment here? It seems like many people on this forum are talking about the high crime in Decatur...and that the schools are awful.....

Can anyone help me figure Decatur out??

[IntownHomes247]

Decatur is absolutely delightful. You'll want to visit to see which neighborhood is the best fit for you, since no one else will be able to tell you whether or not you'll feel comfortable in any given area.

Oakhurst has a better park in the center of the neighborhood but Winnona Park is adjacent to the Agnes Scott College campus, which is beautiful.

Both neighborhoods have little business districts. Oakhurst Village is in the heart of the neighborhood but Winnona Park is just about a block from a great new retail area with some nice restaurants.

Of course, both neighborhoods are very convenient to Downtown Decatur (across the railroad tracks), but Winnona Park has a slight edge on proximity to the Square (although not by much).

Both neighborhoods have web sites and listservs. You might want to join the groups to monitor what's happening in the neighborhoods:

Winnona Park Home Page

winnonapark : Winnona Park, Decatur GA

Oakhurst Neighborhood Association

Oakhurst Neighborhood E-Mail Lists

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by doubledownmom

Am I completely "off" in my assessment here? It seems like many people on this forum are talking about the high crime in Decatur...and that the schools are awful.....

Can anyone help me figure Decatur out??

I agreee with the FYI posted by Intown Homes. The City of Decatur is a good place for a family, jmo.

It is located in DeKalb County--government headquarters.

'Decatur' zipcodes are assigned to a broad area within DeKalb County.
The crime stats reflect this.

The City of Decatur schools are separate from the DeKalb County School System.

bhs

[George Chong]

Please be reminded that there is a huge difference between the City of Decatur and Decatur. Both are located in DeKalb County (which can be confusing) but the City of Decatur has its own separate school system from DeKalb County. If you are conducting a search, make sure that you look in the zip code of 30030.

Many families move to the City of Decatur specifically for the school system. Here are some helpful websites for you:

The City of Decatur's website: City of Decatur, GA

City of Decatur's school system: City Schools of Decatur

A website on school ratings: GreatSchools.net

My boss lives in Winnona Park and has reared her children there. Both boys have gone through the public school system and have no regrets.

If your husband gets and accepts the position at DeKalb Medical, no matter where you live in the City of Decatur, the commute will be very short. Remember, the City of Decatur is only about 4 square miles in size.

Good luck!

[LovinDecatur]

I think my user name speaks for itself...I live in the Clairemont-Great Lakes neighborhood and paid 350M for my 3BR, 2 BA last year.
I don't know who would have told you that schools and crime are a problem...absolutely untrue.

[lastminutemom]

Yes, outside the city of Decatur, in parts of unincorporated DeKalb, crime and schools are a problem. Not in the City of Decatur.

[cmtiger]

Ditto to all of the above. You will love Decatur and as long as you are in the city limits, you are fine. There are no bad parts in the City of Decatur and it is very, very kid friendly. The only part that may still be a bit dicey is the area around Chevelle Lane (southeast area) - but that area is changing rapidly. Also, there were a couple of break-ins a while back of some homes that lived right on Candler Road near the southern border of the city. However so long as you are off the main Candler drag you are fine.

We live in Oakhurst and I have two kids (soon to be three) in the school systems. We have been very happy with the schools - they are innovative and are warm and inviting for the kids. The K-3's are Expeditionary Learning Schools and from 4th and up will be International Baccalaureate Schools by the time your kids get there. Many kids walk to school everyday (from K all the way through high school) - so it has a bit of that Mayberry feel.

I would suggest that you tour all three of the K-3 schools and see if one of them gives you a warm and fuzzy and then look in that district. All the elementary schools are almost identical as far as test scores and academics - so don't worry about the specific neighborhood from a school perspective.

You can find a 3/2 for $350K with a little effort.

Good luck on your search!

[LovinDecatur]

If you want to broaden your search a little, I would suggest zips 30033, 30329, 30345 (the neighborhoods north of the city of Decatur). They are by and large lovely.
For your price range, I would suggest Leafmore Hills, Sagamore Hills, Creek Park Hills (do you get the impression that it's a hilly area?) and Oak Grove.

Happy hunting!

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

If you want to broaden your search a little, I would suggest zips 30033, 30329, 30345 (the neighborhoods north of the city of Decatur). They are by and large lovely.
For your price range, I would suggest Leafmore Hills, Sagamore Hills, Creek Park Hills (do you get the impression that it's a hilly area?) and Oak Grove.

Happy hunting!

Lovin Decatur--

LOL--The OP might get a bit confused--ie 30329 is unincorporated DeKalb County/Atlanta--not really in the 'City of Atlanta'...not sure she/he is ready for this much FYI.

At times I wonder myself.

bhs

[doubledownmom]

Does anyone have a map of the different neighborhoods? I would like to know where oakhurst, winnona park, clairmont/great lakes, leafmore hills, sagamore hills, creek park hills and all of the other neighborhoods that people have listed above....

I can't find them on the internet....thank you all so much for your help!