Young, progressive couple looking for the coolest intown neighborhoods (Atlanta: apartments, for rent)

[meghan44]

My long-time boyfriend and I are planning to move to Atlanta around the beginning of the year and are trying to decide on the best intown neighborhood to choose. We are both pretty progressive and are an interracial couple, so we definitely not interested in the suburbs, gated communities, etc. I am a writer and work from home and my boyfriend is in IT and will be finding a job when we move, so we are going to choose neighborhood first, and then he can look for jobs based on where we live and the ability to commute easily. We'll want to rent at first, and buy probably within a year. Budget is approximately $1300 or less for rent and $225k or less to buy a condo. I know it might be asking a lot, but what we would love is:
Walking distance to bars, restaurants, shopping
An apt/condo in a historic building, rather than new construction
A young, but not college-centered demographic (we're 27 and 30 with no kids, so we would love to have at least a decent number of similar people around)
A neighborhood that feels like a neighborhood, rather than a suburban enclave or total city rush
Close to a park where we can walk our dog
Reasonably safe (i.e. I don't feel frightened to walk to my car at night, but we are realistic about the fact that nowhere is perfectly safe, especially if you live IN the city)

I have been thinking/told that Virginia Highland might be best, but wanted to see if anyone could give feedback. Thanks so much for any input!

[LovinDecatur]

Yes, Va-Hi is a good place to start...also consider:
Midtown
Poncey-Highland
Inman Park
Candler Park
East Atlanta
Grant Park
Decatur (city)

If you are keen on 'historic' apt buildings, this site might be of interest:

www.bradenfellman.com

[mceis]

My fiance are in the same boat. VA Highland would be perfect, but prices may be a bit of an issue. Try to look in Morningside and Midtown (between Ponce, Monroe, 10th, and P'tree). We've been looking in these areas for over a year and it's been really tough to find a place (we almost had a contract on a house in VA Highland but the seller backed out at the last minute). We've found that sellers have not adjusted their expectations to the market and have either taken their homes off the market or decided to rent instead. If you want some nice apartments check out the Gables apartments on E. Rock Springs. I enjoyed it there. It's between Emory and VA Highland. Good luck and stay away from Atlantic Station!

[IntownHomes247]

You'll certainly be able to find a 2 bedroom condo in Midtown or Virginia-Highland for $225k. Both these neighborhoods will fit your parameters. Midtown is adjacent to Piedmont Park (one of the largest in the city) and there are smaller parks scattered throughout Virginia-Highland (which also borders Piedmont Park on one side). Midtown and Va-Hi are right next to each other. Here's a link to a map of the intown neighborhoods that should help you visualize where different areas are in relation to each other:

Intown Atlanta Neighborhoods

Bear in mind that there are soooo many condos in Midtown, with lots of new condos still being built, that purchasing a condo in a neighborhood with a smaller supply may be a better investment. Virginia-Highland has primarily older condo buildings, so that might be a point in its favor over Midtown. But I'd suggest you look at both those neighborhoods in your search.

Good luck! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[scgraham]

Originally Posted by meghan44

My long-time boyfriend and I are planning to move to Atlanta around the beginning of the year and are trying to decide on the best intown neighborhood to choose. We are both pretty progressive and are an interracial couple, so we definitely not interested in the suburbs, gated communities, etc. I am a writer and work from home and my boyfriend is in IT and will be finding a job when we move, so we are going to choose neighborhood first, and then he can look for jobs based on where we live and the ability to commute easily. We'll want to rent at first, and buy probably within a year. Budget is approximately $1300 or less for rent and $225k or less to buy a condo. I know it might be asking a lot, but what we would love is:
Walking distance to bars, restaurants, shopping
An apt/condo in a historic building, rather than new construction
A young, but not college-centered demographic (we're 27 and 30 with no kids, so we would love to have at least a decent number of similar people around)
A neighborhood that feels like a neighborhood, rather than a suburban enclave or total city rush
Close to a park where we can walk our dog
Reasonably safe (i.e. I don't feel frightened to walk to my car at night, but we are realistic about the fact that nowhere is perfectly safe, especially if you live IN the city)

I have been thinking/told that Virginia Highland might be best, but wanted to see if anyone could give feedback. Thanks so much for any input!

Take a look at MWEST II; it's very contemporary.