Shopping at Dunwoody Place Publix center on Roswell Road (Atlanta: apartments, rental)

[thehandymancan]

Hello all!
I'm staying in the Dunwoody area at least until the holidays. (I hope summers aren't tooooo bad!)

I'm staying in a rental a few minutes down the road from the Publix on Roswell Road @ Dunwoody Place. On my first visit I noticed a lot of very "interesting" characters coming in and out of the shopping center (a lot of them on foot!). I even saw one lady wheel her cart out of Publix and across the street!

Is there a problem with crime at all? Am I just being paranoid, or is there a reason to be wary of that shopping area?
I'm concerned about myself and/or my wife shopping there after dark, and just in general spending time in the neighborhood, using the bank there etc.

Do any folks from Dunwoody/ Sandy Springs/ Roswell shop there, or do you just go down the road? I'm attracted to its location along Dunwoody Place as I go to the expressway, but I'm willing to sacrifice time for safety and comfort.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[sdre43]

It's strange- the area around the river and Roswell rd is hit and miss. But most other areas there are nice. Thats just an odd pocket, where you are. I wouldn't be too worried but in this town you never know.

There is another publix on Mt Vernon in Dunwoody. There is also one at Abernathy and Roswell rd.

[CMMom]

I think it's OK; just use caution at night. There are a lot of people on foot up and down Roswell Rd. coming off and on Marta, so you see a lot of pedestrians. I'm not aware of any major crime incidents there anytime recently. I would probably not shop there alone at night (as a woman), but it would probably be OK (just my personal paranoia)!

[spacelord75]

That section of Roswell Rd. has always been sort of sketchy, but I wouldn't really be scared away from shopping at that Publix. Agree with above that it is an odd pocket there, as there are really nice neighborhoods surrounding it.

[thehandymancan]

Thanks everyone
I guess you shop there without incident.

It's so odd that in such a nice neighborhood there are these pockets. I wonder what happened to make things go that way.

Oh well, such is the nature of cities.
(Anyone ever read Simmel or the like? Interesting stuff. And the postmodernists like Jamison and scholars like Harvey. Brings back memories...)

[ramblinwreck17]

I know what you mean. Living in Roswell I am familar with the Publix you speak of. I would pick up items at that Publix when visiting my fiancee at the time. I was never really that worried about it but it can make you a little nervous.

[MMANN]

I can tell you exactly what happened to that part of town... when it was first built up, it was real nice. Developers decided to put in a lot of apartments, and these were supposed to be singles with no kids apartments. This happened all over Metro Atlanta in the 70's, including the Delk Road area, Roswell Road inside 285, Norcross, and basically any area developed in the late 60's and 70's.

A new federal law was passed though that prohibited apartments from discriminating based on marital status or if you had children. thus, the riff-raff moved in as the apartments aged, and now you see what you see.

Apartments dont work too well in Atlanta. When they are brand new they are great! Lots of singles, young professionals. But then they age, the singles move out, and the single mother of 3 moves in. Along with crime. Thats why you see many areas fight new apartment development for this very reason.

[Gradypaces]

At 285 and roswell road it's not the single moms, it's the illegals.

Sandy Springs got here in just the nick of time. They're going to clean this up, in the same way the guy did to Buckhead.

You just can't screw with rich peoples property and rightly so..

[PISSEDOFFMOM]

Let me get this straight, this area was made bad by the single moms with three kids, how stupid can one be? How many single moms do you know standing on a corner to sell drugs or our breaking in some ones house or car in the middle of the night.

As a single mom who has lived in an apartment in the area your are refering to I have to tell you most single moms I know are to busy to be out causing "trouble or being Riff-Raff". I work 2 job, I am in school and I am rasing 2 kids on my own. ( Newsflash- Most single moms that can afford this area are in my exact situation)

You sound so ingnorant I am embarrassed to say I live in the same area as you.

What a bunch of snobs!!!!! Jack ass

[spacelord75]

I don't think it's the single mothers he/she was referring to, in terms of committing the crimes, more so their kids. It's pretty much common knowledge that kids of single parents are more likely to get into and cause trouble b/c of lack of father figure and lack of supervision (because mom has to work so much to afford them).