NYC Interior Designer & Music Producer looking to relocate to Atlanta...Help! (Savannah: apartments)

[samolirose]

I am a female NYC resident looking to possibly relocate to Atlanta within the next year. I have a son, who will be graduating High School next year. He wants a career in computer graphics and animation, so I am trying to research art colleges in Atlanta. Do you know of any I should look into? I am seeking to either rent or purchase (according to which plan works better for me when it is time). I can afford a monthly rent of $500-$1050 (this is not including my extra living expense, which has it's own budget) and I would be arriving with a one to two year rent reserve account. Therefore, my rent would be taken care of while I adjust for about a year or so. I am seeking a 2- 3 bedroom residence in a nice area. I am more of a loft, condo, modern type of individual. What are the best areas in that rent range? I am also a music producer/engineer and require a space that I can record out of. For example: A separate room that I could insulate with acoustic foam (no structural changes), record vocals and build tracks. I was told that Atlanta has the worst walls ever! They are stated to be very thin due to the boom in construction, so it is very easy to hear your neighbors. Is this true? I am really into respecting my neighbors. Do you know of any apartments, condos, modern townhouses or lofts that do not have this insulation problem? Do you know of any producers who work from home? Please note, I will not be recording 12 piece bands or outlandish drum solos. Just tracks and vocals. Are there any music or artist apt/lofts in Atlanta like they have in NYC? I would prefer to be as close to downtown or midtown as possible. I also need to be close to the gym and supermarkets. I am not really into hanging out, so the club scene is not really that important. However, the art scene is. I also need to know, as a designer, is there a specific area that houses most of the furniture and design stores like in NY? Any advice? Please Get Back to me. Thank you

[atlantagreg30127]

I believe the Savannah College of Art and Design has a facility here in Atlanta, so you may wish to check into that as they have an excellent reputation. AVOID the Art Institute chain - been there, done it - long story but they're not what they advertise to be.

Newer Atlanta apartments (1980 and above) are notorious for being built pretty poorly. Some better than others, but none of them are rock solid and some of the 1990s and newer models have nearly paper-thin walls. Georgia has some of the most lax builder's laws and regulations in the U.S., so they slap them up with little regard to structural solidness.

You'd be much better off trying to find a home for rent, because no amount of foam is going to insulate noise like that from the neighbors, who most likely will not come to like you for it. In your budget range however, it's going to be next to impossible to find a home for rent in a "good" intown neighborhood - if you go to one of the suburbs then you MIGHT be able to swing a 2-3BR .. West of the city in West Cobb County, etc. Then of course, you'll have the commute to deal with if you have to come into town for school or a job, etc etc.

A lot of the artsy stuff is in Midtown, and furniture/design stores are in the Lindbergh area (South Buckhead), but there are others scattered throughout. Rents will be out of range in these areas for homes, though. You can always look at Craigs List and maybe luck out.