Is Decatur a safe place to live? (Atlanta, Avondale Estates: apartment complex, crime)

[Chris1917]

Hello,
I'm a liberal, artsy person who is thinking of moving to Atlanta. I've heard Decatur would be a good fit for me, but I'm wondering if it's really that safe or not. Also wondering which parts of Atlanta are safe in general and which are not? Could someone steer me in the right direction?
Thanks!

[red92s]

It's about as safe as you are going to get while remaining close to downtown.

[myspoonistoobig]

Yeah it's iight

[Iconographer]

I lived in downtown Decatur for years and never had a problem.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by Chris1917

Hello,
I'm a liberal, artsy person who is thinking of moving to Atlanta. I've heard Decatur would be a good fit for me, but I'm wondering if it's really that safe or not. Also wondering which parts of Atlanta are safe in general and which are not? Could someone steer me in the right direction?
Thanks!

The 30030 zip code is the nicest part of Decatur and this is where you'd want to be. Going into Oakhurst as you go away from downtown Decatur is very nice, but once you go into Kirkwood, going back toward Atlanta, though it's a decent area, they still have issues with crime (break-ins, robberies and such).

30033 is "ok" and is going away from the artsy downtown Decatur area (again 30030, which is the nicest part), but it's still very close to it. 30033 near North DeKalb Mall is one of the more commercial parts of Decatur. Going back toward downtown Decatur in 30033 around Church St. and N. Decatur Rd. (near DeKalb Medical Center) there are a few nice apartment complexes there. It's also a more commercial area. It also has a large Indian community and lots of Indian shops there. There some nice apartments near the mall in 30033. There are also a few sketchy ones not too far away.

Avoid 30032 and 30034, as they are the ghetto parts of Decatur. The further east you travel on N. Decatur Rd. going into Scottsdale, GA ( in 30079) and Avondale Estates (30002) is where it gets really sketchy, so don't go beyond the N. Decatur Rd/DeKalb Industrial Way intersections when considering Decatur. You can also check out the area around Agnes Scott College, which is not too far from Decatur Square (downtown Decatur)

A general rule of thumb when it comes to the Atlanta area (as with any major city), is that the cheaper the apartments are the less safe the apartment complex or the area is--particularly in the suburbs, while that may not always be the case in the more affluent areas.

[hunterseat]

I'll be working at the Army Reserve facilities in Decatur. We're looking at Gwinnett. LOL it's 30032, just looked it up. But we won't be living there and it can't be worse than Memphis!! I'll keep my doors locked when I drive through and don't go there at night.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by hunterseat

I'll be working at the Army Reserve facilities in Decatur. We're looking at Gwinnett. LOL it's 30032, just looked it up. But we won't be living there and it can't be worse than Memphis!! I'll keep my doors locked when I drive through and don't go there at night.

Its not that bad. I used to drive down Candler to I-20 and wasnt bothered.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Its not that bad. I used to drive down Candler to I-20 and wasnt bothered.

Driving down there and living there are two different things. For what the OP is looking for, it sounds like he/she wants both safety (obviously) AND to live near the square. With that being said, 30032 and 30034 in Decatur are much further away from the square and are also both less safe than the 30030 zip code where the square is located. Someone looking to live in a safe, creative, eclectic neighborhood should not choose either of those areas in Decatur. But if they don't know Decatur, they won't know that.

Someone unfamiliar with Decatur as the OP is doesn't understand that Decatur is a pretty decent-sized city in a major metro area, and with that said, has it's good and bad areas just like any place else. It needs to be broken down what parts of Decatur the OP needs to check out and what parts to avoid.

Anyone looking for what the OP wants should choose to live near the square first, with 30033 coming in second in terms of convenience to the cool areas and safety. Alternatively the Emory area around Clairmont Rd., Clairmont Rd. area off Ponce de Leon and Virginia-Highland or Poncey-Highland would put them closer to downtown Decatur in areas that would be safer.

30032 and 30034 just aren't as safe and are too far from the area of the Decatur the OP would want to be in or frequent. Since the OP is the "artsy type," Castleberry Hill is an arts district--even more so than Decatur Square, as 30030 is still a suburb with lots of families, and while nice, may not be as lively is CBH--but I can't speak for how safe Castleberry Hill is. Maybe someone else here can vouch yay or nay as to the safety in CBH.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

Driving down there and living there are two different things. For what the OP is looking for, it sounds like he/she wants both safety (obviously) AND to live near the square. With that being said, 30032 and 30034 in Decatur are much further away from the square and are also both less safe than the 30030 zip code where the square is located. Someone looking to live in a creative, eclectic neighborhood should not choose either of areas in Decatur.

Someone unfamiliar with Decatur as the OP is doesn't understand that Decatur is a pretty decent-sized city in a major metro area, and with that said, has it's good and bad areas just like any place else. It needs to be broken down what parts of Decatur the OP needs to check out and what parts to avoid.

Anyone looking for what the OP wants should choose to live near the square first, with 30033 coming in second in terms of convenience and safety. Alternatively the Emory area around Clairmont Rd., Clairmont Rd. area off Ponce de Leon and Virginia-Highland or Poncey-Highland would put them closer to downtown Decatur in areas that would be safer.

30032 and 30034 just aren't as safe and are too far from the area of the Decatur they want to be in or frequent. Since the OP is the "artsy type," Castleberry Hill is an arts district--even more so than Decatur Square, as 30030 is still a suburb with lots of families, and while nice, may not be as lively is CBH--but I can't speak for how safe Castleberry Hill is. Maybe someone else here can vouch yay or nay as to the safety in CBH.

Didn't mean to make it sound like I was endorsing those zip codes as places to live. I wouldn't. I was simply responding to a comment expressing fear of driving there.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Didn't mean to make it sound like I was endorsing those zip codes as places to live. I wouldn't. I was simply responding to OPs comment expressing fear of driving there.

I know you weren't. I just think it needs to be broken down for those who aren't familiar with the area. I'm not saying that that folks need to automatically assume they'd get shot up driving through there, but it's still the most unsafe part of Decatur and one needs to be aware of their surroundings. That's all.

I was just trying to create some clarity for the OP as well.

ETA:

Someone working there, if they are just going to work and going home, they should be ok.