Moving to Atlanta from Minneapolis... (Decatur, Weston: transplants, apartments, rental)

[niidawg3]

Hi All,

My wife and I are moving to Atlanta from Minneapolis. We are looking for a place extremely close (hopefully walking distance) to the CNN Center. We definitely want to live in town and avoid the traffic. Also as a young couple we will love being able to enjoy the city in terms of arts, culture, restaurants, bars etc.

I have come across some zip codes while doing the rental search, and wanted to get your thoughts on how safe these areas are. We are looking at the following zipcodes:

30308
30312
30315
30316
30318

One interesting thing we found is a listing for a 2BR apartment on 400 Marrieta NW. This would essentially be a half mile walk to work for me. Is this a good neighborhood? We are planning on flying down in a couple weeks and will do the drive/walk around of some of these neighborhoods.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[sweettea1]

If you're planning on staying and would eventually buy a house, I highly suggest calling a realtor and spending the day with him/her. You can tell realtor you're planning on renting first but of course if you decide to buy you'd call him/her again. Downtown is really iffy...transitional, heading in the right direction...but you want to be careful. Since CNN center is Marta accessible you can probably find a rental in lots of places that are close to MARTA and you can just hop right on. But don't just show up (time is precious when you're scouting for a weekend) and try to do it on your own. Contact a realtor. I think George C (??) is very active on this board and may have suggestions for you, if not be able to show you himself!
Good luck and welcome to Atlanta! You'll love the...weather!

[WilliamM]

One thing about Atlanta to understand right off is the way the freeways that cut through the central city (where CNN is located) remain a major divider - a 'scar' if you like - and that because of that there are many important gentrifying neighborhoods to the East of the 'Connector' (the name of the two freeways as they pass through the city) that you'll want to check out, Grant Park being a case in point. I'd be sure to take some time and drive through this and other neighborhoods off of Memorial Drive, which runs East and West. If you're amenable to taking public transportation, you might also consider Decatur to the East, which is nice 'intown suburb' and is connected by the East-West MARTA rail line.

[George Chong]

Originally Posted by sweettea1

If you're planning on staying and would eventually buy a house, I highly suggest calling a realtor and spending the day with him/her. You can tell realtor you're planning on renting first but of course if you decide to buy you'd call him/her again. Downtown is really iffy...transitional, heading in the right direction...but you want to be careful. Since CNN center is Marta accessible you can probably find a rental in lots of places that are close to MARTA and you can just hop right on. But don't just show up (time is precious when you're scouting for a weekend) and try to do it on your own. Contact a realtor. I think George C (??) is very active on this board and may have suggestions for you, if not be able to show you himself!
Good luck and welcome to Atlanta! You'll love the...weather!

You rang?

Walkable to CNN? Hmmmm....the closest neighborhood that I would suggest for what the OP described would be Castleberry Hill. It's not a very nice walk in my opinion but it is maybe a 10 minute walk. Castleberry Hill Neighborhood Association

Other than that - I would suggest that you look into an intown neighborhood that you could walk to or park and drive at a MARTA station. www.itsmarta.com For example, I live in Inman Park and I can get to downtown and not have to change trains with only 4 stops. I also only live about 5 blocks from the Inman Park MARTA station and it is by far easier to take the subway rather than pay for parking and fighting traffic during an event downtown.

Here is a list of intown neighborhoods that I would suggest for you to explore. Please note that zip codes flow into other bordering neighborhoods. So in other words, not all zip codes are the "same".

www.inmanpark.org
www.inmanparkvillage.com (gives you an insight on some of the shopping and dining too)
www.candlerpark.org
You might have find Little Five Points interesting. It is the neighborhood between Inman Park and Candler Park.
Virginia Highland :: Atlanta, Georgia

Sorry - I don't know much about apartments. I think there is a website that you can check out for ratings.

Atlanta is a very car centric city and what is lacking in the area of CNN center for residents is a grocery store within walking distance.

Good luck!

[blondandfun]

You have got to be kidding me, seriously. Here's a suggestion, stay in downtown for 1 week at the Weston or something before you decide to move here.

Downtown is 90% homeless during non-business hours. It's SAD. I hate seeing homeless people, because I think that they didn't have the things I grew up with, and that it's not always their fault.

Why on earth would you want to put yourself through that? Why not stay in Minneapolis where people are nice and educated and don't depress you?

[WilliamM]

Originally Posted by blondandfun

Downtown is 90% homeless during non-business hours. It's SAD. I hate seeing homeless people, because I think that they didn't have the things I grew up with, and that it's not always their fault.

Why not stay in Minneapolis where people are nice and educated and don't depress you?

Now, now. There are plenty of educated folks in Atlanta, too, and a heck of a lot more going on than in the rather more staid Twin Cities.

But seriously, this reminds me that I was also going to suggest these prospective relocators review the thread from a few weeks back (I'll try to find the link) that I participated in where this very topic of Atlanta vs. Minneapolis was discussed (I lived in the Twin Cities for a year in '01-02). The comparisons between the two cities are fascinating and not at all to Atlanta's disadvantage in my view, but of course it just depends on what you fancy. Sure, there will be a few ultra-culture snobs who dislike the hurly burly and disarray of a sunbelt, mostly car-centric culture, but the fact is, for those who are just plain interested in the evolution of the modern American city, Atlanta is a pretty interesting habitat to be in, as evidenced by the piece in this month's New Republic's (http://tinyurl.com/58z9y6, see the other thread which I opened today on this topic) which describes the "inversion" that occurring in American cities, and Atlanta figures prominently in this trend. What this results in is an energy about being in Atlanta that the Twin Cities, for all its virtues, simply can't match.

[blondandfun]

I will say Atlanta is unique, and not your standard city.

Whether that is conducive to your happiness or not depends on you. Since you are married and I'm single, you may enjoy Atlanta more than me because you probably can handle the isolationism.

[niidawg3]

Originally Posted by blondandfun

You have got to be kidding me, seriously. Here's a suggestion, stay in downtown for 1 week at the Weston or something before you decide to move here.

Downtown is 90% homeless during non-business hours. It's SAD. I hate seeing homeless people, because I think that they didn't have the things I grew up with, and that it's not always their fault.

Why on earth would you want to put yourself through that? Why not stay in Minneapolis where people are nice and educated and don't depress you?

kind of a harsh generalization, isnt it? anyway, thanks to all who contributed. still looking for more ideas. I am definitely going to move; the career opportunity and weather being my two main decision points.

been doing a ton of research this afternoon, and I have scrapped the concept of living downtown so i can walk to work. my focus now is to find a place that gives me the following:

1. 2 BR/2BA
2. walking distance to the MARTA rail
3. close proximity to the "happening" locations, where my wife and I can easily get out and do stuff.
4. looking to spend a maximum of $1200. i could probably spend more, but I really want to get into the habit of saving a lot due to this shaky economy,

What is the general thoughts on each part of the city in terms of safety? i.e, North vs South vs East vs West? Where should i stay or absolutely avoid?

any additional help would be appreciated.

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by niidawg3

kind of a harsh generalization, isnt it? anyway, thanks to all who contributed. still looking for more ideas. I am definitely going to move; the career opportunity and weather being my two main decision points.

been doing a ton of research this afternoon, and I have scrapped the concept of living downtown so i can walk to work. my focus now is to find a place that gives me the following:

1. 2 BR/2BA
2. walking distance to the MARTA rail
3. close proximity to the "happening" locations, where my wife and I can easily get out and do stuff.
4. looking to spend a maximum of $1200. i could probably spend more, but I really want to get into the habit of saving a lot due to this shaky economy,

What is the general thoughts on each part of the city in terms of safety? i.e, North vs South vs East vs West? Where should i stay or absolutely avoid?

any additional help would be appreciated.

George Chong's post includes the FYI you need to get started.
Inman Park, VA Highland/NE and Candler Park/SE are neighborhoods adjacent to downtown. Atlantic Station/NW and Decatur about 8 miles East of downtown. Grant Park/SE.
Train stations are located throughout the area.

[WilliamM]

Originally Posted by niidawg3

I am definitely going to move; the career opportunity and weather being my two main decision points.

Excellent. You should be well prepared then to hit the ground running in this Sunbelt metropolis of transplants and future-oriented folks.

Originally Posted by niidawg3

been doing a ton of research this afternoon, and I have scrapped the concept of living downtown so i can walk to work.

Even better. Now you're really starting to think like an Atlantan.