Closest suburb(s) to the city? (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: rentals, houses, neighborhoods)

[Cinema]

Greetings all. Can someone please tell me the closest suburbs (in all directions) to the city? Obivously, not all of them, nor the ones that are considered suburbs "of" Atlanta (intown). just the ones that border the city limits. Thanks.

[RainyRainyDay]

There's too many and your question of what's intown and what's "truly" a suburb is complex. Go to google maps, enter Atlanta, zoom out a couple of clicks and you can see all the names. Or qualify your question a bit more....

[OhioNative]

One issue with your question is the fact that many of the areas that border the city of Atlanta are not individual suburbs, but are areas of unincorporated county, for example, unincorporated Dekalb County (like the area around Emory, or the Brookhaven area northeast of Buckhead) which borders Atlanta to the east. Atlanta borders the city of Sandy Springs to the north (an area that used to be unincorporated and only recently became a city) and I think Smyrna to the northwest. I think that the Vinings area borders Atlanta to the NW as well, but that is also an unincorporated area. I'm pretty sure that most the areas west of Atlanta are all unincorporated (someone correct me if I'm wrong). East Point and College Park are cities that border Atlanta to the south.

[Cinema]

Thanks. As I was typing a reply I realized it would be hard to respond based on the many counties of Atlanta. I was going to give examples based on Chicago, that if I head west the first burb I get to would be Oak Park, if I head south it's Oak Lawn, etc. But then thought if I leave Chicago from a different area but headed in the same direction, I'm running into a different suburb, then we're talking west, southwest, etc. Okay, I'm rambling now, but I get why it would be hard to answer. But OhioNative gave me some idea of what I'm looking for. I'm trying to find areas that will keep me no more than a 30-minute drive (or MARTA ride) away from the city. But I have a feeling that might actually keep me in the city.

[lastminutemom]

It wouldn't keep you in the city, but might but you in an unincorporated area.

What is your price range (for rent or ownership) and what type of housing are you looking for.

[ramblinwreck17]

Originally Posted by Cinema

Thanks. As I was typing a reply I realized it would be hard to respond based on the many counties of Atlanta. I was going to give examples based on Chicago, that if I head west the first burb I get to would be Oak Park, if I head south it's Oak Lawn, etc. But then thought if I leave Chicago from a different area but headed in the same direction, I'm running into a different suburb, then we're talking west, southwest, etc. Okay, I'm rambling now, but I get why it would be hard to answer. But OhioNative gave me some idea of what I'm looking for. I'm trying to find areas that will keep me no more than a 30-minute drive (or MARTA ride) away from the city. But I have a feeling that might actually keep me in the city.

Some specifics as far as what you are looking for would help.

[IntownHomes247]

The actual City of Atlanta is very small. The suburbs actually "bordering" the city limits are all "intown."

It's helpful to understand the geography of Metro Atlanta. An important distinction is ITP (inside the perimeter) or OTP (outside the perimeter), which refers to I-285, which forms a perimeter around the greater Atlanta area (the perimeter is well outside the city limits).

The City of Atlanta straddles 2 counties -- Fulton [west] and DeKalb [east]. There are 3 additional counties that form the core of metro Atlanta (Cobb [W/NW], Clayton [S/SE], and Gwinnett [E/NE]), although there are many more counties included in the Atlanta MSA (metropolitan statistical area).

If you're planning to move to Atlanta, you'll do better to provide details about the type of place you're looking for. Factors/amenities that are important to you. Price range. Etc. Also, because of Atlanta's horrible traffic, commute is a key factor, so it would be helpful to know where your office is located.

[Cinema]

The housing is secondary to the school. I checked out the "school" thread at the top, it was very helpful. From my current experience I'm not going by test scores alone. My kids' current school (Chicago suburb) has excellent test scores, some of the best in our district, however, they offer NOTHING in the way of clubs, extracurricular activities, enrichment programs, parent involvement, etc. So I'm looking for a school that offers a lot of that, isn't all about teaching to the test, and where the kids are taught to uplift their classmates, as opposed to constantly competing with each other. And before you think I'm looking for utopia, LOL, there are schools like that out my way, I just can't afford even a one-room shack in those districts.

I'm a freelance writer and my husband is a film editor so I'm going to assume that most of the post houses would be in the downtown area. He does mostly commercial work, he currently works for a post-production company but his clients are ad agencies. He's in the process of checking out companies, so I don't know where we would wind up, but we're in the burbs now and the commute to Chicago is wearing thin on both of us (him because of the time factor--leave before the kids wake up, get home after they've gone to bed--and me because I feel like a single parent during the work week!).

I checked out this website Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage for available rentals. I plugged in a max from $1,000 to $1,300 for a minimun 4bed/2bath home and I was shocked at what came up. Shocked in a good way, but a little leery at the same time. I saw really nice places (some 4-5 bedrooms) that were being rented for $1,000 and even less. Can that possibly be right? I was thinking maybe the neighborhoods are sketchy? But not knowing the area, it's hard to tell. I plugged in some of the schools (Jackson, E. Rivers, Sutton middle) and some available housing came up.

Right now we're doing some research, putting out feelers, etc. I have relatives in the Atlanta area, so some time before the end of this month I plan to fly down and do some investigating (and yes, I'm also getting their input, but it's nice to get it from objective folks, not just relatives who want you to come live where they live, KWIM?). I believe the schools start August 11? I'm sure we can't make the move before then, but I'm hoping we'll have something lined up before our schools start at the end of August.

Anyway, before I start to ramble, thanks for the input. I know I'm still not giving you much to go on, but anything and everything is appreciated.

[new2atlanta]

[quote=Cinema;4384397]
I'm a freelance writer and my husband is a film editor so I'm going to assume that most of the post houses would be in the downtown area. quote]

Most of the post houses are located in the Midtown/Piedmont park area, a couple of miles from downtown Atlanta, if this helps.

[Cinema]

new2atlanta, yes, it does help. Thank you.

lastminutemom, I'm not looking for a house "style" in particular. Just need at least 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. Would like a community where kids can ride bikes on the sidewalks (lots of neighborhoods near me don't have sidewalks and I don't like young kids being forced to ride in the streets), family-oriented, block party type of place with good parks and recreation programs (or an active community center) and a "real world" mix of people.