Potential relocation from Twin Cities, Can you help me narrow my search? (Atlanta: houses, transfer)

[Citykid3785]

My organization has a relocation opportunity that would involve moving from the Twin Cities down to Atlanta. We still have to evaluate the offer, but in the mean time I'll be flying to Atlanta for work at the end of the month, and I'm staying the weekend to scope out potential neighborhoods. Can you help me at least narrow my search?

We are in our young 30s with 2 young children. My wife and I would like to live ITP, particularly in an area that has it's own downtown, or walkable nodes of businesses with perhaps some coffee shops, restaurants, a grocery store etc. We've spent our lives living in the burbs, but really we prefer an area with some character and some independent shops and restaurants.

Wish list in order of priority:
-somewhat walkable/independent shops/not suburbs
-safe
-decent to good schools
-3+ bedroom house between $400 - $600K (is this realistic?)

For the time being, assume that commute is not a factor, although I'd like to not be south of Downtown Atlanta. Could you at least provide a few general areas to focus my weekend search, that might give me feel for the area?

Thank you in advance!

[PeteATL41]

Check out Peachtree City

[evannole]

Originally Posted by PeteATL41

Check out Peachtree City

That fails almost every single one of his requirements or wishes.

Decatur, Old Fourth Ward and Grant Park should all be reasonable options. Virginia-Highland, Morningside and Midtown might be, though even $600k might be a stretch for anything desirable in those areas.

[AtlJan]

Originally Posted by evannole

That fails almost every single one of his requirements or wishes.

Decatur, Old Fourth Ward and Grant Park should all be reasonable options. Virginia-Highland, Morningside and Midtown might be, though even $600k might be a stretch for anything desirable in those areas.

Old Fourth Ward and Grant Park don't have the best schools, though. Look into that--I think there is a portion of OFW zoned for Grady/Inman/Mary Lin--which are good, but check the zone for the houses you are looking at. As cute as Grant Park is, I would opt for less house in Va-Hi or Morningside because of the better schools. Grant Park has a charter school but not everyone gets in.

[evannole]

Originally Posted by AtlJan

Old Fourth Ward and Grant Park don't have the best schools, though. Look into that--I think there is a portion of OFW zoned for Grady/Inman/Mary Lin--which are good, but check the zone for the houses you are looking at. As cute as Grant Park is, I would opt for less house in Va-Hi or Morningside because of the better schools. Grant Park has a charter school but not everyone gets in.

Yes, expect that you're right and that you know the in-town schools and their boundaries better than I do.

To the OP: if you're willing to drop your ITP requirement, both historic downtown Roswell and historic downtown Marietta would also provide you with much of what you're looking for, if the aforementioned in-town neighborhoods don't pan out.

[AtlJan]

Originally Posted by evannole

Yes, expect that you're right and that you know the in-town schools and their boundaries better than I do.

To the OP: if you're willing to drop your ITP requirement, both historic downtown Roswell and historic downtown Marietta would also provide you with much of what you're looking for, if the aforementioned in-town neighborhoods don't pan out.

Agreed. And Smyrna has a walkable "downtown," as well, if you can get near there. IMPORTANT--find out the location of your job and then house hunt accordingly. If your job is near Decatur, then we can point you toward neighborhoods that would work best. Likewise if you are working in Buckhead, downtown, midtown or a suburban area. Traffic is such that you will NOT want a cross-town commute.

[Citykid3785]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. The job is in Sandy springs, right off the MARTA line, but the role has extreme flexibility to work from home as much or as little as I want. So I'd love to have a commute that averages under an hour for those one off times I do go into the office.

[evannole]

Originally Posted by Citykid3785

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. The job is in Sandy springs, right off the MARTA line, but the role has extreme flexibility to work from home as much or as little as I want. So I'd love to have a commute that averages under an hour for those one off times I do go into the office.

Understood. All of the aforementioned locations would work for a Sandy Springs work location. MARTA is a plus if you're near an in-town station, clearly, especially if you are near the red line and can thus avoid a transfer at Five Points. If you're driving, both Roswell and Marietta might actually provide a better commute than some of the city neighborhoods, as 400 and 85 southbound into the city are nightmarish in the afternoon. But again, all of these are likely good options and would likely reliably provide a commute of well less than one hour. AtlJan's Smyrna suggestion is also quite practical.

[jsvh]

Evannole has good suggestions. There are a lot of good intown east side neighborhoods with cool little downtowns. Kirkwood is another example.

I would do your own research and decide what is best on schools. I think Maynard Jackson High school district is a "best buy" right now. It is improving very rapidly.

[roxyrn]

Minnesota native here- lived in Edina, Eden Prairie and Plymouth (near downtown Wayzata).

Check out Roswell, especially the areas around Canton Street where you will find a lot of Southern charm and some of the best restaurants in the Atlanta area. The third Thursdays of the month (April-October) is the extremely popular Roswell after Five which is basically a huge street fair with bands, food, beverage and kids' events.

The parks and rec department is amazing with tons of activiities. Go by Roswell Area Park (RAP) on a Saturday.

Schools are very good and you'll have a relatively easy commute, for Atlanta.