Decatur (Atlanta, North Atlanta, Jackson: fit in, best neighborhoods, apartments)

[Tsehai76]

Please help,

I am relocating to Georgia next year from Milwaukee. I am originally from Memphis and I miss the south. Memphis, not so much, but I do no like the Midwest. Midwest=Slow, Midwest=Snow. I am looking into the Oakhurst neighborhood of Decatur, someone also mentioned Kirkwood/East Lake. If someone could tell me about the schools in these areas and a little info about them that would be great. I am looking for total diversity, black/white/hispanic.. christians/muslims.. hetero/homosexuals. I want my kids to experience all types of people and cultures. Are any of these areas above resemble this description? Thank you kindly.

[larryb]

Originally Posted by Tsehai76

Please help,

I am relocating to Georgia next year from Milwaukee. I am originally from Memphis and I miss the south. Memphis, not so much, but I do no like the Midwest. Midwest=Slow, Midwest=Snow. I am looking into the Oakhurst neighborhood of Decatur, someone also mentioned Kirkwood/East Lake. If someone could tell me about the schools in these areas and a little info about them that would be great. I am looking for total diversity, black/white/hispanic.. christians/muslims.. hetero/homosexuals. I want my kids to experience all types of people and cultures. Are any of these areas above resemble this description? Thank you kindly.

not many whites, a lot of gays, some who say they are christians but club all weekend then church on sunday, muslim wannabes ( but dont really know what they are) few mexicans. Decatur is crime ridden, better to have ur kids in an area like morgan co.

[Tsehai76]

Morgan County where is that? Is Morgan Co diverse? Good schools and diversity are important to me. Can I find both in or around Atlanta area? Is there such a thing in Georgia? Thank you larryb

[xxman777]

Decatur is one of the most "progressive" areas in Georgia. You will find all sorts of different people in Decatur. Oakhurst and Kirkwood are quickly gentrifying neighborhoods made up mostly of young families (mostly white but some blacks and hispanics mixed in). You find both hetero and homosexuals throughout. The problem you will find is that Atlanta is very segregated so a mixed neighborhood here won't offer much more diversity then a mixed neighborhood other places.

[Tsehai76]

Thank so much. How diverse is Eastlake and Kirkwood? I live in Milwaukee which according census is the most segregated city in the nations. Cold and segregated which mean bitter and slow. I want to move back to the south. I have had it here. I am African American lesbian who grew up in a Pentecostal household. So I am looking for diversity, I am liberal, but conservatve on some views and I craved the right mixture. Wisconsin advertises acceptance to all, but you have to fit in their social landscape of living. How is that? Sort of an oxymoron. How is Atlanta or surrounding areas in regards to this?

[Steven2149]

If you are looking for complete diversity, then perhaps midtown would be your best bet. Even having said that, I don't think you will find what you are looking for here at all. There are areas that are more tolerant and accepting, but it isn't going to be like some little close knit community where everyone just gets along. Metro Atlanta has sort of become a haven for special interest groups who yell and scream diversity, yet all the while the screamers seem to be more racist and prejudice than the ones whom they are pointing at. All that aside, though, Decatur (as close to downtown decatur as possible), may come close to fitting your bill. It is not really that diverse though.

[jeweloflight]

I agree with Steven2149, stay as close to downtown/north decatur as possible, anything else would be mostly black and a dissapointment. That part of Decatur is around Emory University and Agnes Scott College, the best neighborhoods in Decatur, and very expensive. Dekalb county has some good schools too. The gays own midtown, although it is diverse racially somewhat, and it's in town so it's near everything. Midtown doesn't come cheap either, by the way. You need to come down here for a visit and look around for yourself. And I do mean more than one visit.

[stvincent]

The center of Atlanta's Black gay community is West Midtown and Western Buckhead. There are tons of gay people in these areas along with a good mix of white people, Muslims, Jews, and Christains. Not many Hispanics though. No part of ATlanta has a healthy mix of every group. Rents in West Midtown and Buckhead are kind of expensive compared to the rest of the Metro area but it would give you the diverse, open minded community you are looking for and the schools, as long as you are zoned in the Grady High School District, is good as well. The condos in the area range from the 200s to the 400s. Collier Ridge Apartments in West Buckhead has 2 bedrooms for like $850 a month and is zoned to Jackson Elementary School, arguably the best elem. school in the state. It also has the IB program at the elem. level and it continues into Sutton Middle and North Atlanta. BUT, when you get tired of renting and get ready to buy a home, most likely you would have to then move out of that excellent district, as $1,000,000 will buy you a tear down in that part of Buckhead. Frtunately though the apartments are cheap and Cross Creek has some inexpensive condos.

[backfist]

I have a question:

While it's true that more and more Black, Asian and Latino Georgians are moving to traditionally White suburbs, are Whites moving into traditionally Black suburbs at the same relative rate?

[Tsehai76]

Thank you all so much. I have enjoyed reading the post from many of you in Georgia. It is heartbreaking to read the many bad things about the south. I grew up in Memphis and the acceptance for people were not there back then. Whether is blacks hating the whites and the whites hating the blacks. But that will never change. We meaning blacks and white have a love/hate relationship with one another. It is not just in the south like so many in the Midwest think, where I live now. But it is all over the US. Look at our history, out of all races of people we have had the most conflict with one another. The colored signs were only moved from the fountains 40 years ago. So we have a a long way to go. But one thing I do admire about the south is that at least southerners realize that there is a problem, which is the first step and to be able to talk about it is grand. Here up north it is a pretending thing. The excuse is at least it is the not down south. I have experience more racism up here from my own people as well as whites. From the people next door to my professors. The south is beautiful. There is great history trying, but yet without the struggle how can it someday be a better place. When it is ignored or history is forgotten it will only repeat itself and rear it's ugly head. They are now trying to start some reverse segregation thing now at UW Madison, Wi. So pathetic. I am looking to visit sometime early next year and drive around. Any suggestions of what areas to really check out?Like here one street could be Pleasantville the next a third world country.