Atlanta area house hunting - easy commute to downtown/airport (Sandy Springs: condos, low crime)

[EZPZ]

My wife and I are expecting our first and we're house hunting. We are due at the end of this year, and we would like to get into our home in advance of the baby. We are in an apt. in Smyrna currently and are pretty flexible in finding our new place, but would like to find an area with a low crime, good pre-school & elementary school that has an easy commute to downtown and also to the airport. We are Jewish, and while proximity to a reform synagogue is important, it is more important to us that we are not the only Jews in the neighborhood. Not really looking at Dunwoody due to traffic, and also because our money doesn't seem to take us very far there. We'd like to see ethnic diversity in a young middle class neighborhood with newer construction. Our budget is between 250-300k. So far we have considered Tributary in Douglasville and Cobblestone Creek in Mableton but haven't pulled the trigger on either. Any additional feedback on either of these neighborhoods or suggestions about neighborhoods that we have not yet considered would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-EZPZ

[ramblinwreck17]

What about staying in Smryna?

[Pcola110]

I'm suggest Decatur 30030, City of Decatur Contact Directory. LovinDecatur can give you more details about the housing stock in her/his n'hood. If you're wanting to be adventurous, Historic West End 30310, has some charming Victorian, Bunglalows, Craftsman style homes that have been renovated. Both areas are near Marta stations to get to the downtown/airport.

[Mawoods]

don't know exactly your situation, but Peachtree City has a synagogue and you can probably do better in housing in the area like Peachtree City or perhaps SummerGrove in Newnan. They are close to the airport which you wanted and full of young couples like yourselves. Although not as many Jewish families as say Sandy Springs, there are a good number living around me in my neighborhood of SummerGrove. The nearest congregation is Peachtree City I believe which is only 10 minutes awa.

[rackensack]

That's a pretty tall order -- the areas with any significant Jewish population tend to be slightly above your price range and/or to have longer commute times to downtown and the airport. Decatur's probably too expensive, for the most part, and had a history of being inimical to Jews (from 1902 to 1932, Decatur City Schools held classes from Tuesdays to Saturdays as a way of discouraging Jews from moving there) -- that's a thing of the past now, but it meant that as neighborhoods grew and developed, Jews tended to bypass Decatur (hence the large Jewish community in the Toco Hills area -- same general area, same proximity to Emory, the CDC, etc., but outside Decatur per se), and there are no Jewish institutions in Decatur. If Dunwoody's out as being to far away and too expensive, the same would likely be true of East Cobb, Roswell, Sandy Springs, etc. -- other areas that would have better odds of having Jewish neighbors. The "newer construction" bit also makes it a challenge.

Ultimately, you may have to compromise on one or more of these factors.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by EZPZ

Not really looking at Dunwoody due to traffic

Although there is a MARTA station in Dunwoody that will take you directly to both downtown and the airport. Houses (or condos) can be found there in your budget or just above, but the size, condition, and specific location may not be ideal.

[Tdiddy0027]

I would suggest Newnan or fayette county. We "pride" ourselves on our close proximity to the airport. We're not a heavily jewish area like areas of the northside but there are jewish families here and as some previously said, there's a synagogue in peachtree city. It's also just a very nice, growing area that's close enough to the city to take advantage of its resources while far enough away to avoid excess crime and traffic

[EZPZ]

Thank you all for your suggestions. We'll retool our search a little bit based around them.

[scgraham]

Originally Posted by EZPZ

My wife and I are expecting our first and we're house hunting. We are due at the end of this year, and we would like to get into our home in advance of the baby. We are in an apt. in Smyrna currently and are pretty flexible in finding our new place, but would like to find an area with a low crime, good pre-school & elementary school that has an easy commute to downtown and also to the airport. We are Jewish, and while proximity to a reform synagogue is important, it is more important to us that we are not the only Jews in the neighborhood. Not really looking at Dunwoody due to traffic, and also because our money doesn't seem to take us very far there. We'd like to see ethnic diversity in a young middle class neighborhood with newer construction. Our budget is between 250-300k. So far we have considered Tributary in Douglasville and Cobblestone Creek in Mableton but haven't pulled the trigger on either. Any additional feedback on either of these neighborhoods or suggestions about neighborhoods that we have not yet considered would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-EZPZ

Are you considering a resale home or new construction?

[JasonPaul]

I live in Cobblestone Creek (about 6 weeks now). I haven't met all our neighbors but if I had to guess I would say there is not alot if any Jewish couples, but we still have a good bit to go before the neighborhood is completed. I haven't heard of any breakins yet, but I know there have been about 3 in Legacy which is about a mile from Cobblestone and we are pretty close to Bankhead courts which is a rough part of the area. I don't know what a good place would be for you and your family but if I had to re-choose I wouldn't live in Cobblestone Creek. Everything looks nice from the outside and I have a 3,000 sqft home for under 250k and the view of Atlanta and the Lenox area from my porch is amazing, and we are very close to Atlanta and 285, 75, and 20 but we have had more problems with our "new" home then I think anyone anywhere should have. But I also live in a townhome and it was one of the first in the community to be built, so things may be better with the newer homes. Also I don't believe the school system in that area is the greatest, so as much as I hate to tell folks not to help "fill-up" the subdivision where I live, I feel an obligation to warn them also. Hope that helps narrow your search down.