Southwest ATL neighborhood suggestions?? (Union City, Fairburn, Jonesboro, Newnan, Griffin) (Atlanta: low income, transplants)

[revolutionary1492]

A friend and I will both be working in the south/southwest outside-perimeter region of Atlanta. I will be working in Griffin and he will be working in Newnan. We would like to be fairly close to Atlanta perimeter, meanwhile splitting the distance between Newnan and Griffin. (Anywhere that would be less than 1hr driving distance to either Newnan and Griffin would be ideal). Since we're both younger, single males, we'll probably be going out in the Atlanta area on the weekends; so ideally a neighborhood that is a reasonable Uber/Lyft ride from downtown Atlanta would be great as well. Given those characteristics, something like Union City, Fairburn area would be the best location. But from what I've heard, that whole area is kind of a rough/ghetto, high crime sort of area. You guys have any suggestions or thoughts?

Tl;dr: looking for safe, decent neighborhood in SW Atlanta, 1hr (or less) drive to either Griffin and Newnan, and 20ish minute drive to downtown Atlanta

[demonta4]

Out of those in the list, I think Jonesboro would be a decent choice as far as distance between your jobs and distance to the city. Jonesboro is a straight shot to Griffin and Newnan (Via US41 and GA54 though traffic is heavy on both routes in the morning). Jonesboro also has some decent subdivisions on the east and south sides (The Lake Spivey/Jodeco area and the Mundy’s Mill area). Real estate prices are reasonable, but keep in mind that public schools aren’t as statistically good as Newnan or Fayetteville if you have children. They’re not bad, they just suffer from issues of a good amount of low income students. As far as crime goes, it isn’t crazy, but things happen, mostly domestically. The worst that may happen to you personally is petty theft, as in cell phones and wallets, and keys left in cars. Just use common sense like anyone in a city would and you’ll be okay.

[citidata18]

I'm also a single male in my 20s and have settled in Newnan. Just to give you a feel of my perspective, I'm a recent transplant from a northern major city.

It is true that the areas you mentioned (Fairburn, Union City, etc.) tend to have a higher rate of crime. This is purely anecdotal (so take it FWIW), but I was watching Fox 5 News this morning and they spent a good several minutes during the beginning of the newscast reporting multiple shootings and robberies that occurred exclusively in places such as College Park and the city of South Fulton.

In comparison, as East Newnan and northern/eastern parts of Coweta County have some of the wealthiest census tracts in all of Metro Atlanta, Newnan was recently determined to be the 7th safest community in all of Georgia (neighboring Peachtree City was #1 safest).

I also feel those suburbs have much less to do (relatively speaking) in those cities for a younger person. Newnan at least has a lifestyle center-type shopping mall called Ashley Park with a very nice movie theatre, as well as places to go Mini-Golf or do Laser Tag. Plus it's home to a rapidly growing University of West Georgia college campus that's poised to host over 3,000 students by 2020. Newnan also has, by far, the nicest and most walkable downtowns in SW Atlanta (IMO, one of the nicest in Metro Atlanta). There's the Taste of Newnan that features over 7,000 visitors and local restaurants serving their dishes for you to sample twice a year. It also has what's monthly what's called "Market Days" events.

https://www.mainstreetnewnan.com/default.aspx

It pales in comparison to the big city amenities you find in Atlanta, but Newnan definitely punches above its weight in terms of being a suburb as far as cultural offerings. This is because, historically, Newnan was considered the "big" city amongst areas between Atlanta and LaGrange, being first a hospital town during the Civil War and then a mill town for the better part of the 20th century. IMO, of the unplanned way it has grown with it having become the shopping/cultural/healthcare hub of the SW metro, Newnan feels more like a mini-city to me (actually, not too different from Auburn, AL), which is what I like about it. It's also the most diverse part of SW Atlanta, with a rapidly growing Asian population (thanks to the nearby Kia Motors plant and the growing healthcare industry) as well as a decent-sized hispanic population (which makes up 11% of the total population).

Newnan and Coweta County is the fastest growing part of SW Atlanta (Newnan proper home to just shy of 40,000 people, versus roughly 12,000 and 20,000 in Fairburn / Union City), so it's rapidly adding a ton of new amenities on a regular basis compared to immediately adjacent communities.

[revolutionary1492]

Thanks for all that info @citidata18!! I didn't know Newnan had so much going on. Definitely might consider staying around the area then. Have you found that it is relatively easy to meet other young people in the Newnan area? Like is there at least a few bars to go/nightlife?

[citidata18]

Originally Posted by revolutionary1492

Thanks for all that info @citidata18!! I didn't know Newnan had so much going on. Definitely might consider staying around the area then. Have you found that it is relatively easy to meet other young people in the Newnan area? Like is there at least a few bars to go/nightlife?

I've met a ton of people here within my age group. A lot of young couples and families have been moving to Coweta County recently because of the affordable cost of housing. It's just that they you won't find them congregating in one particular place on a regular basis. The key is getting out of the house on a regular basis and visiting the different establishments around town in order to interact with them. Many of them tend to be transplants themselves, so they're very friendly and approachable.

I do know there is an active group for young professionals between the ages of 21-45 that's run by the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce. They meet on a regular basis and this may be of interest to you.

As far as bars / nightlife, bear in mind that Coweta County is a partially dry county (the sale of certain Alcoholic beverages is banned). So that limits the extent of the nightlife. A lot of establishments are open later on Weekend evenings and downtown gets overall busier than what you will find in Fairburn, Union City and Jonesboro by comparison, but they still close fairly early (around 10-11pm). You'll probably still have to go to Atlanta to experience a true nightlife. But again, Newnan's growing at a rapid pace, so the nightlife it offers is likely to improve with time.

[CaliDreaming01]

I think Jonesboro is your best bet for splitting the difference between Newnan and Griffin during the workweek, as well as being less than 30 minutes from ATL. It doesn't have the amenities that Newnan has but has some pretty recreation areas. It is more family oriented than Newnan.

You would probably love Newnan. It is a good 35+ minutes to downtown without traffic, but it's an easy drive.

[Atlwarrior]

Please note that the further you go out. The more difficult it will become to request an Uber or Lyft. Most drivers try to be in areas that are constantly busy near the city. It want be impossible, but could take longer, and you risk the driver canceling the request if its over 10 minutes to travel.

Henceforth, I think Fayette County meets your requirements down Highway 85.

[brownhornet]

Originally Posted by Atlwarrior

Please note that the further you go out. The more difficult it will become to request an Uber or Lyft. Most drivers try to be in areas that are constantly busy near the city. It want be impossible, but could take longer, and you risk the driver canceling the request if its over 10 minutes to travel.

Henceforth, I think Fayette County meets your requirements down Highway 85.

Not so much the case anymore. Lyft and Uber are both pretty active even in LaGrange now. I went down to visit my parents and couldnt believe that I was seeing lyft and uber stickers on cars riding around.

[citidata18]

Originally Posted by brownhornet

Not so much the case anymore. Lyft and Uber are both pretty active even in LaGrange now. I went down to visit my parents and couldnt believe that I was seeing lyft and uber stickers on cars riding around.

Yes. I've used them several times since arriving and my waits were no longer than what I experienced the first time I used Uber in Alpharetta.

The thing about Newnan too is there's a ton of folks who use Uber/Lyft to get to/from the Airport too (especially with the Cancer Treatment Center).

It's such an easy and straight shot ride given the lack of traffic on I-85, so you'll be surprised by how many drivers don't mind the trek (plus, they earn a lot more money too for the longer distance rides).

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by CaliDreaming01

I think Jonesboro is your best bet for splitting the difference between Newnan and Griffin during the workweek, as well as being less than 30 minutes from ATL. It doesn't have the amenities that Newnan has but has some pretty recreation areas. It is more family oriented than Newnan.

You would probably love Newnan. It is a good 35+ minutes to downtown without traffic, but it's an easy drive.

There's no quick way to get from Jonesboro / Clayton County over to Newnan . Coweta County. Thousands of people already cross-commute through Fayetteville and Peachtree City going both ways and the traffic is horrific. The only real way to do it is going up 75 to 285 and back down 85, which is ridiculous.

The OP may want to consider Fayetteville or Peachtree City. Or even Senoia! There's lot more down there than people realize, and the film industry is driving development like Pinewood Forest that's designed to appeal to people in his demo. Fayette County is definitely the BEST BET for "splitting the difference" ... and the drive into Atlanta isn't bad either.