Filipino/Asian Community? (Moving to Atlanta for Job) (Sandy Springs, Roswell: appliances, house)

[gompol]

Hi,

We are Filipino parents in our 30's with 4yr old and newborn.
Were currently living in Virginia Beach,
but my IT job will be moving to nearby Perimeter Mall in Atlanta.
Wife will be dental hygienist out of school soon.

Where's the best place for a single family house in the 300K range within 30min work commute?
What areas to avoid (crime, traffic, etc)?

Where are the good asian restaurants and groceries?

Any Filipino-specific business or areas (church, restaurants, organizations, etc)?
Can you name a few? I'll look up names and map it out myself.

Thanks much!
gompol

[George Chong]

Hi there! I am Chinese by descent and I can tell you that there are lots of Asian restaurants and grocery stores. I don't know much about Filipino restaurants but I found a website for Filipinos in Atlanta.

Filipino American Community in Georgia Filipino Americans in Atlanta, Georgia, Filipinos in the United States
Fil-Am Atlanta
Access Philippine Atlanta

You will have plenty of access to Asian grocery stores:

Hmart.com: Online Shopping for Asian Grocery, Korean Kimchi, Rice Cookers, Appliances & more at everyday low prices.
Buford Highway Farmer's Market - Doraville, GA, 30340 - Citysearch

Buford Highway is the mecca for Asian restaurants and grocery stores. I know there is a good Malaysian restaurant Penang Atlanta I think Atlanta is missing a Filipino restaurant

Here is another Malaysian/Thai restaurant: The Blissful Glutton: Asam House Thai and Malaysian Restaurant: Buford Highway

Here is a blog on dining choices on Buford Highway: EatBufordHighway

A better question is where will you be working and potentially where your wife will be working. Traffic can be a bear

Good luck and let me know if you find any Filipino restaurants. I would love to try the cuisine!

[new2atlanta]

Hi there,
The Asian community is very active in Atlanta. There are a few organizations around here, professional and cultural.
I think you will be able to find this organization on the internet: the Filipino American Association of Greater Atlanta, the National Association of Asian American Professionals, in this one you might be able to get in touch with other fellow Filipinos. Good luck.

[gompol]

Thanks for the reply and links! I'll be reviewing them.

I guess compared to VA Beach, there are about 10 or more Filipino restaurants/groceries here in the area. Surely I will miss that, plus the beach itself.

But Atlanta has IKEA!! Wohoo!

I mentioned I will be working in a bldg nearby Perimeter Mall (285 & 400).
My wife being a dental hygienist should be able to find work anywhere we live nearby, so its really my work that will dictate the house location.

Thanks again!

[dronsayro]

Hi, I'm a 34yr old filipino who lived in the Atlanta area for 13 years. I JUST did the exact opposite, and moved from GA to VA. :-)

But here is what I can tell you:
There are NO Filipino restaurants in Atlanta that I was ever able to find.
There is ONE filipino store at 285 and Peachtree Industrial called Manila Mart.
For asian food and groceries, just find Buford Highway and drive up and down. You'll get the picture :-)
You may want to check out Yelp.com too for restaraunt reviews.

Most of the filipino's I've found either live in the Gwinnet area or south of the city (almost directly opposite of where you are going to be working, waaaay long commute if you went down there)
Join Fil-Am to get a good handle on what's going on in the area [url=http://www.atl-filam.org/]Fil-Am Atlanta[/url]

The FilAm Society of Greater Atlanta Fall Picnicis a picnic in Norcross (10 minutes from Perimeter) on the 11th of October. You'll meet a lot of great people there. It's at Jones Bridge County Park, 4901 East Jones Bridge Road, Norcross off Hwy 14.
If you are dying for someone to make you filipino food, you'll pro'ly meet at least 3 caterers there.

Areas to avoid:
South of I20
Chamblee/Doraville... although that area is getting better.

Good places to live:
Sandy Springs
Roswell
Duluth
Dunwoody

Pro'ly the best public school districts for your soon to be in school 4 yr old are in Cobb County though. But there are good schools around the area, and there are really BAD schools (educationwise) too, so you'll pro'ly want to do a little more research into that.

For the grown-up side in you when you can find a babysitter:
Halo Lounge in Midtown usually has one or two flips hanging around. (ask the bartenders to point out Marlo or Danny)
Cosmo/Lava has a couple of filipino bartenders. (Reyna and I can't remember the other guys name)
Trois (french restaraunt) off 14th St, the Bar Manager, Eric, is filipino.

Good luck in your move!

[ITP_woohoo]

Hey there gompol, I'm Filipino-American too and have been living in Atlanta for a decade (currently living in unincorporated dekalb/decatur with my young family).

You'll have no problems with Asian stores/restaurants. There are only two Filipino stores and NO restaurants. Manila Mart is located in Doraville (or Duluth)..15 minutes from Perimeter. I forgot the name of the other store but it's in Jonesboro and it's not worth the drive really.

The Filipino/Filipino-American population here in Atlanta is quite decent. However, unlike VA Beach, we are all spread out and have a pretty independent mindset (like most people who move to the ATL). The Fil-Am associations are composed of mainly folks who have recently immigrated to America. 2nd generation Fil-Ams generally don't associate with them.

As far as housing in the price range you're in. DEFINITELY look for housing Inside The Perimeter. Consider the City of Decatur or unincorporated north dekalb. Do your homework with schools. Decatur and it's vicinity (mainly northish) might make the transition for your family a bit easier. The atmosphere there is progressive and the people generally are more accepting of other ethnic groups.

My wife and I (we have a 13 month old daughter) have recently purchased our first home and might have some useful information for you. Obviously, this is the perfect time to buy. If you are going to buy a house in Atlanta, buy inside the perimeter.

[Richard53]

You will like Gwinnett County. I live in Duluth.. be sure and come to the last weekend in September parade (Saturday morning at 10 I think). and small shops set up around the town square. The humidity here will be pleasing, but it can get cold in the winter. I live in a very small neighborhood and we have Laotians, Russians, whites, blacks, and others. We still have yearly barbeques with hamburgers and hot dogs right in the culdesac. The neighborhood is near Buford Hiway and Rogers Bridge. See? not every street has a Peach in it, but it will seem like it when you first move here. This neighborhood is 200K plus, but other neighborhoods nearby have more elaborate housing.. Sugarloaf is $1M up, but across the street from there is a 300K + neighborhood which is VERY nice. Sugarloaf is on Sugarload Parkway, near the Gwinnet Civic Center, and close to Old Peachtree road.

There are many Korean shops sprouting up here, but there is a large Chinese presence here also. The best Chinese food in all of Gwinnett county is Emerald China at the corner of Pleasant Hill/Statebridge (street has two names depending on where you are) and Peachtree Industrial Blvd (PIB).

Good Luck

[brook2ga]

Richard, totally agree about Emerlad China!

Good luck gompol!

[Georgia]

For an Asian community Duluth (known by locals as Koreatown) is a good spot. The growing Asian community has brought some positive flare to the 30096 area, which was once trending downhill fast. HMart, Restaurants, etc., have brought Commerce back.
The Asian community is also growing north to Exit 120 on 85 Hamilton Mill. Seems Gwinnett is the new burb for Asian growth.
The Buddist Temple is complete off Satellite Blvd offering great Tai Chi. The place is beautiful.
Areas to check with Asian growth.
Duluth 30097 to live
Suwanee, Dacula, Dacula/Auburn, Johns Creek.

[southkakkatlantan]

Not to hijack the thread but can someone tell me where I can buy authentic lumpia in the Atlanta area?