Why aren't blacks buying houses in Dunwoody/Sandy Springs (Atlanta: school, gated)

[robertpolyglot]

Originally Posted by blackrabbit

You talk *******s and have an unbelievable chip on your shoulder. FWIW we have a Volvo wagon and send our kids to private school yet guess what? my neighbour who is black drives a Bentley and also has his kids at the same school.

Its not a race thing its a money thing.

You know, dude, I was merely addressing someone's observation that the "north end" isn't that diverse. It isn't, from what I saw 10+ years later...and I agreed.

What chip? I don't have the money you do, it seems...the Volvo wagon, the kids at Marist (or insert name of school). Atlanta is beautiful but its monied areas, regardless of who lives there, are kind of stuffy. It was the same way in the firms in which I interviewed, so I realized it might no longer be a good match. I liked living there and made a lot of friends, but then I worked for one of the bigger employers in town. Most of the residential areas in the West tend to be more casual. I'm now in architecture (wasn't when I was in Atlanta) and the monied Atlanta home has to make a very strong vertical presence (12:12 roof gable pitches and HIGHER) to let you know "here I am." Don't you find all the gables, dormers, projections, different kinds of stone and on and on and on put on the Buckhead, Brookhaven and Ashford-Dunwoody McMansions kind of ostentatious? These neighborhoods tend to feel more like they are full of museum pieces and less for casual living. Exclusive homes from the Rockies and points west tend to be low-slung and understated. It's just "rougher around the edges" in a lot of places out here, that's all. Chill.

[Buckhead_Broker]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

You know, dude, I was merely addressing someone's observation that the "north end" isn't that diverse. It isn't, from what I saw 10+ years later...and I agreed.

What chip? I don't have the money you do, it seems...the Volvo wagon, the kids at Marist (or insert name of school). Atlanta is beautiful but its monied areas, regardless of who lives there, are kind of stuffy. It was the same way in the firms in which I interviewed, so I realized it might no longer be a good match. I liked living there and made a lot of friends, but then I worked for one of the bigger employers in town. Most of the residential areas in the West tend to be more casual. I'm now in architecture (wasn't when I was in Atlanta) and the monied Atlanta home has to make a very strong vertical presence (12:12 roof gable pitches and HIGHER) to let you know "here I am." Don't you find all the gables, dormers, projections, different kinds of stone and on and on and on put on the Buckhead, Brookhaven and Ashford-Dunwoody McMansions kind of ostentatious? These neighborhoods tend to feel more like they are full of museum pieces and less for casual living. Exclusive homes from the Rockies and points west tend to be low-slung and understated. It's just "rougher around the edges" in a lot of places out here, that's all. Chill.

Correction: The NEW money crowd may fit your description, but not the old money crowd.

[Noc]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

I did find out about that on my last trip there and NOT when I lived there. I always said one should change the B to an F...hehehe...sick mind. Seriously, it's NOT a nice sounding name, nonetheless, when the Beverly Hills type neighborhoods of cities have B.H. sounding names:

Bel Air or Beverly Hills or Brentwood in LA
Atherton or Los Altos Hills or Lafayette in SF
River Oaks in H-town
Georgetown in DC
...and on and on

I actually rarely went to Buckhead to "party"...I usually just went places with my friends out in the suburbs...

BAHAHAHA!!!!!

I though the same thing too!

[robertpolyglot]

Originally Posted by Buckhead_Broker

Correction: The NEW money crowd may fit your description, but not the old money crowd.

True, "new money" can be more vulgar whereas "old money" often keeps it under wraps

[turtleman]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

Heck, I lived at I-285 and Ashford Dunwoody. It's exactly why I bought there. The location was ideal. Close to downtown and all the trendy intown places, yet far enough away. Close to the far flung suburbs where my friends lived, but not that far out. You can't miss. In my mind, it is THE best ATL location...even better than Buckhead (the stupidest 'effin name for any exclusive area).

Exactly!! Its like you are in your own universe. You can take walks around the area and it is really a beautiful place. For me, its the perfect place for retirement..

[kwr]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

True, "new money" can be more vulgar whereas "old money" often keeps it under wraps

I find this new money and old money thing a joke. It is all about personal preferences and affordability. There are plenty of people with "old money" who live lavishly in really large McMansions. At some point, "new money" becomes "old money."

As far as the topic, I decided not to live in Sandy Springs or ITP because most of the houses were old. Several looked really nice on the outside -- plenty of curb appeal, but needed extensive remodeling on the inside. The last thing I wanted to do was buy a $1M+ home and spend an additional $200-300k to make the house look current. Also several of the ITP neighborhoods lacked the feel of a "true" neighborhood that you can easily find OTP with children playing together.

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by kwr

I find this new money and old money thing a joke. It is all about personal preferences and affordability. There are plenty of people with "old money" who live lavishly in really large McMansions. At some point, "new money" becomes "old money."

As far as the topic, I decided not to live in Sandy Springs or ITP because most of the houses were old. Several looked really nice on the outside -- plenty of curb appeal, but needed extensive remodeling on the inside. The last thing I wanted to do was buy a $1M+ home and spend an additional $200-300k to make the house look current. Also several of the ITP neighborhoods lacked the feel of a "true" neighborhood that you can easily find OTP with children playing together.

"True neighborhoods" are easier to find OTP than ITP? Are you serious? I live in Inman Park and see children playing all of the time. I can also easily walk out of my place to a nice restaurant down the street, a bar around the corner, and one of the cities largest parks a couple of blocks away. Also, I can walk to a MARTA station in 15 minutes or walk to Little Five Points in 5-10 minutes and run into friends along the way. I just don't think areas where you have to drive all of the time, neighborhoods behind gates, or eight-lane streets such as Cobb Parkway symbolize anything related to a traditional neighborhood.

[blackrabbit]

Originally Posted by kwr

I find this new money and old money thing a joke. It is all about personal preferences and affordability. There are plenty of people with "old money" who live lavishly in really large McMansions. At some point, "new money" becomes "old money."

As far as the topic, I decided not to live in Sandy Springs or ITP because most of the houses were old. Several looked really nice on the outside -- plenty of curb appeal, but needed extensive remodeling on the inside. The last thing I wanted to do was buy a $1M+ home and spend an additional $200-300k to make the house look current. Also several of the ITP neighborhoods lacked the feel of a "true" neighborhood that you can easily find OTP with children playing together.

Again it come down not to race but to money, class, taste and most importantly location, location, location. Many well travelled educated wealthy older money people want an individual old home with character they can fix up to represent their own personal style. This is why these homes even in unmodernized condition cost so much. They want to stamp their own personalities. Not everyone wants a house to look current inside or out this is why older homes in areas such as ViHi, Druid Hills, Midtown, Historic Brookhaven or Buckhead etc are so expensive. Talk to a high end remodellor and this is where they will be doing most work. A lot of new money people want the biggest house for the buck that they can bling to their friends. Quantity over quality even if the house is located closer to Alabama than Atlanta.

I also cannot understand how you can seriously say neighbourhoods OTP are more "true". In reality most (not all) OTP are disney type creations with vanilla people looking for a vanilla life style in vanilla sub divisions who have to drive in their SUVs tens of miles down featureless 4 lane highways to even get to a grocery store. In some suburbs you cannot tell where you are because every street corner, strip mall and subdivision is the same. I see way more young children playing in parks and on sidewalks etc ITP. In the suburbs they would be run down. Is there even a park for kids that people can walk to OTP?

[blackrabbit]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

You know, dude, I was merely addressing someone's observation that the "north end" isn't that diverse. It isn't, from what I saw 10+ years later...and I agreed.

What chip? I don't have the money you do, it seems...the Volvo wagon, the kids at Marist (or insert name of school). Atlanta is beautiful but its monied areas, regardless of who lives there, are kind of stuffy. It was the same way in the firms in which I interviewed, so I realized it might no longer be a good match. I liked living there and made a lot of friends, but then I worked for one of the bigger employers in town. Most of the residential areas in the West tend to be more casual. I'm now in architecture (wasn't when I was in Atlanta) and the monied Atlanta home has to make a very strong vertical presence (12:12 roof gable pitches and HIGHER) to let you know "here I am." Don't you find all the gables, dormers, projections, different kinds of stone and on and on and on put on the Buckhead, Brookhaven and Ashford-Dunwoody McMansions kind of ostentatious? These neighborhoods tend to feel more like they are full of museum pieces and less for casual living. Exclusive homes from the Rockies and points west tend to be low-slung and understated. It's just "rougher around the edges" in a lot of places out here, that's all. Chill.

The Volvo wagoin is used cost me 6k. Thats one of the ways we save to pay school fees............

Also agree about Marist but not evey private school is as stuffy.

[robertpolyglot]

Originally Posted by blackrabbit

The Volvo wagoin is used cost me 6k. Thats one of the ways we save to pay school fees............

Also agree about Marist but not evey private school is as stuffy.

It's the Volvos with the skinny lights up each side of the rear wagon door that cost $ 40k or $ 45k + that I was complaining about.

Marist - well, that's where my immigrant Italian parents would have sent me had I grown up in Atlanta...they would have insisted.... I bought a brick ranch home a stone's throw from there, but not because of Marist.