Buckhead Communities (Atlanta, Peachtree City, Decatur: houses, diverse, architect)

[cautious-mom]

Hi everyone,

The Atlanta metro area is so amazing and filled with so many nice neighborhoods we truly can't decide where to live! In researching places to live, we've jumped from Morningside to Peachtree City to Oakhurst to Oak Grove to BUCKHEAD!

We want a safe, intown community with excellent schools and lots of kids. We also prefer liberal, diverse communities, but suspect that we won't get lucky on that front in Buckhead. And we know we can't afford a 5BR mansion there. We actually happen to prefer good-sized mid-century houses and actually see a few of those in Buckhead.

If anyone has any thoughts on Buckhead Forest vs. Meadowbrook, I'd love to hear them either on this thread or via direct messaging. They both seem to have great elementary schools.

If we don't move to Buckhead, I suspect we will end up in the Oak Grove area--even though I still don't get what's going on at Lakeside HS.

Much thanks to all who have replied to my prior postings. This is such a terrific forum!

[LovinDecatur]

If you're looking for mid-century modern in Buckhead, you'll probably have better luck looking at the (newer) neighborhoods to the west of Northside Drive...between Peachtree and Northside are the old-line neighborhoods like Tuxedo Park and Haynes Manor that have older, more traditional styles of architecture.
I lived for a few years in Oak Grove, BTW, and loved it...I know that there has been some controversy on the forum re: Lakeside HS, but I do know people that have kids enrolled there and are fine with it, and these people could opt for private school if they felt otherwise. The presence of Emory U. in the area has an inestimable positive impact on that community IMO.

[cautious-mom]

Thanks LovinDecatur!

[masonbarge]

Sorry to say it, but in general "liberal-diverse" and good schools are a difficult combination in Atlanta, especially middle and high school levels.

Mostly, your more diverse neighborhoods will be inside the City. The Atlanta Board of Education, and the people who run the Atlanta City Schools, are inept beyond belief. If you can afford private school, you might have better luck, as there are some fairly diverse private schools with good staff.

Even a decent elementary school is hard to find inside the City (the City of Atlanta is only about 500,000 population, IIRC, about 10 or 12% of the metro area). The best ones are in comparatively affuent neighborhoods which are largely white and conservative. It is an unfortunate but self-perpetuating reality. They tried busing, which failed, and even aggravated the problems in some respects.

[Buckhead Betty]

I think Atlanta International School sounds like your kind of school. It's right in the middle of Buckhead.

Atlanta International School: For Prospective Families

[cautious-mom]

Thanks Buckhead Betty! I'll check it out!

Masonbarge -- For the most part, I do think you're right. It appears, though, that the City of Decatur is liberal and diverse, with great schools to boot! But for those high taxes and our love for mid-century ranches, we'd be there in a heartbeat!

[SCJ]

I would also recommend looking at Galloway (on the north part of Chastain Park - a great area to live) and Paidea (sp?) (in Decatur - which you would also probably like) if you are looking for a private school with more a more liberal parent body. This may be a generalization, but it is what I hear. FYI - the private schools in Atlanta are about $17,000 a year per child, and go up 3%-5% a year.