Mableton/Smyrna (Atlanta, Douglasville, Douglas: upkeep, apartment complex, rental)

[down_south_diva]

I recently came across these two areas. Neither one seems like a too expensive area to live. What are your opinion of these areas? Are they "nice" places, meaning is the crime bad?

[stvincent]

I live in Vinings which is in very close proximity to both of these areas. I love Smyrna and would reccommend it to anyone looking to get the most for their money in a good location. I would stay away from the northside of Smyrna though. The apartments and houses up there are kind of run down and the neighborhoods are not very well kept. Even there though the crime is low. People think that crime must be high if poor people are staying in a particular area but this is not always the case. North Smyrna is poor/working class but I would never fear that I was going to be robbed or killed if I went through there at night. It's mostly a hard working immigrant population just trying to come up in the world. The biggest intersections to mark this area is S. Cobb and Windy Hill and Atlanta Road and Windy Hill.

STAY AWAY FROM WINDY HILL ROAD. While these areas dont have high crime levels they still have declining property values due to the lack of upkeep in their communities. South Smyrna is suburban paridise: Nice, cheaper homes(in comparison to other parts of the metro), and close to everything Atlanta has to offer.

Mableton is on the up and up. There are some shady parts that can be dangerous at night off of Mableton Pkwy. But there is alot of growth going on in Mableton and this is most evident along Veterans Memorial Hwy. The schools in Mableton are still pretty bad though. If you move to Mableton try moving off of the following roads: Fontaine Road, Glore Road, Cooper Lake Rd, parts of Floyd Road, Buckner Rd., Pebblebrook Rd., Oakdale Rd, Queens Mill Rd. and Veterans Memorial Hwy east of Cooper Lake Road. Appreciation of home values in this area is great. A friend of mine bought a house in Brookmere West off Buckner for $267,000 in 2003 and is now worth $305,000. Thats only three years!

The schools are bad now in Mableton but the area is rapidly gentryfying and they shoud be up to Cobb County quality in the next five to ten years. If you don't have children I would say it's definately worth the wait, especially for the fact that the purchase of your home will prove a very worthy investment. If you do have kids I would suggest moving to Smyrna, which is more expensive, for the better public schools living in Mableton and sending them to Whitefield Academy, one of the more popular private schools for parents living in the Smynra/Mableton area.

[DoveDiva]

Originally Posted by stvincent

The schools are bad now in Mableton but the area is rapidly gentryfying and they shoud be up to Cobb County quality in the next five to ten years. If you don't have children I would say it's definately worth the wait, especially for the fact that the purchase of your home will prove a very worthy investment. If you do have kids I would suggest moving to Smyrna, which is more expensive, for the better public schools living in Mableton and sending them to Whitefield Academy, one of the more popular private schools for parents living in the Smynra/Mableton area.

Wanted to add that a charter school is opening in Mableton next year...so things hopefully should be on the upswing. The same company is opening a school in Smyrna as well

[down_south_diva]

Originally Posted by stvincent

Mableton is on the up and up. There are some shady parts that can be dangerous at night off of Mableton Pkwy.

Is the crime bad in that area?

[down_south_diva]

I'm really considering moving to Mableton, can anyone else share their opinions on the area? Do you know about any of the apartments in that area, I've seen a few of them on the internet but I'm trying to narrow down which ones I should put on my list to consider. Also, I've visited Douglasville before, is Mableton similar to Douglasville or is it a more rural area?

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by down_south_diva

I'm really considering moving to Mableton, can anyone else share their opinions on the area? Do you know about any of the apartments in that area, I've seen a few of them on the internet but I'm trying to narrow down which ones I should put on my list to consider. Also, I've visited Douglasville before, is Mableton similar to Douglasville or is it a more rural area?

I live in Mableton off Cooper Lake Road, and I love the area. It's like a hidden no-man's land on the southern end of Smyrna. It's not incorporated, so there are no city taxes. Unfortunately, I know nothing about apartment complexes in the area as I've only lived in a rental house and in the house we now own.

Douglasville is further west and is more rural (it's quite a bit further out from the 285 perimeter, too).

[stvincent]

Originally Posted by down_south_diva

I'm really considering moving to Mableton, can anyone else share their opinions on the area? Do you know about any of the apartments in that area, I've seen a few of them on the internet but I'm trying to narrow down which ones I should put on my list to consider. Also, I've visited Douglasville before, is Mableton similar to Douglasville or is it a more rural area?

There aren't that many apartment complexes in Mableton. It's a community comprised of mostly single family homes. The few that Mableton does have are run down and have an impovrished look to them. If you are renting, Douglassville would definately have more options.

[adamslor]

Can anyone recommed some apartments in these areas (smyrna and mableton)?

[shine1]

South Smyrna, would you have an area code to search for single family homes? Thanks

[gt6974a]

Mableton is on the up and up but it's schools are the worst in Cobb. Many new residents of the area send their kids to private schools so that kinda hurts the schools records. Both nice and decent, great proximity to Atlanta, I've lived there and looking to buy a house, but at this point in my life, if I had kids(I don't), I would not send my kids to public school there.

give it 5 years and it may be different.