Best area to live in Atlanta? (Roswell, Dunwoody: sale, to rent, crime)

[sftoatl??]

My husband has been offered a transfer to work the Georgia/Florida region of his company. We are thinking of living in the Atlanta area. We would need to be somewhat near the airport. Looking to rent for now. Definitely need to be in a good school district. Oldest son will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. Any ideas would be appreciated as this would be a big move for us. Californians all our life. But this move would allow me to be a stay at home mom. Thanks!

[Antwan (206)]

decatur ATL is the best spot

[vandiver49]

Antwan is right about the City of Decatur being great, especially in terms of public schooling. What are your reasons for wanting to live near the airport? There are nice areas out there, College Park specifically, but living near the world busiet airport does have its drawbacks.

[lastminutemom]

What is your price range? Decatur has good schools, but also has expensive housing -- you have to make sure that you are looking only in the city of Decatur, because the areas around it are still called Decatur, but are served by DeKalb County -- which has less good schools.

What type of home do you want -- how big, how new,. etc. You have lots of options, because if he is willing, your husband could jump on MARTA and take it to the airport from several parts of town.

[sftoatl??]

I guess my biggest concern is the public schools. Where should we live to be in the best school district. Do the children just go to their neighborhood schools? In S.F. it's crazy, you do not automatically go to your neighborhood school and the private schools are so expensive. Regarding housing, we would most likely rent. Looking for a 3 bed/2bath home with yard and possibly a pool (my son is requesting this since its the only way in getting him interested in the move).

[jxu66]

Your kids go where the schools zoned to. The only exception is Magnet school. In that case, your kids need to pass some tests.

It is different from SF. I saw an article on SF public school. That's crazy what they do. You have to submit 6 choices and school system decides where your kids can go.

Walton High (Cobb county), NorthView and Chattohoochee (North Fulton) are considered best public schools in Atlanta.

Other goods schools including East Cobb (Lassister, Pope), North Fulton (Milton, Alpharatta), Fayette (Starr Mills and McIntosh), Dekalb (Druid Hill and Lakeside), Gwinnett (Parkview, Brookwood and Duluth). Within Atlanta city school, Grady is considered the best.

Find out where you are going to work and get a house as close as possible. Atlanta MSA has serious traffic problem. And MARTA trains are only running in Dekalb and Fulton County.

[pomartini]

We're in the process of moving to the area (I am actually currently down here looking for homes) and need to be close to the airport for my husband's job. We're looking in Fayette County, particularly Peachtree City. I have been very pleased with what I have found and the schools are ranked very well. I am touring a couple tomorrow but feel confident that they will meet my standards. As already suggested, the Starrs Mill district is very highly regarded here.

Coming from CA, the sticker shock may not be as bad for you as it is for me. you can get a nice home for $250K+ and very possibly with a pool (we have looked at several with a pool). The golf cart lifestyle is also quite appealing. During my week here, I have found the people to be extremely friendly and inviting.

It might be worth checking out...my 2 cents anyway coming from someone who doesn't actually live here yet.

[jjordan]

Atlanta is a LOT less expensive than SF. You could probably buy a nice house in College Park (Rugby Ave is nice) and your son could go to Woodward. But if you prefer a more suburban lifestyle I'd recommend Peachtree City.

[spacelord75]

Compared to California, sad to say, Georgia's public education is horrible. I am a product of it, and hate to say that it is the truth. If you are currently owning in SF, you will probably make enough off the sale of your house to buy whatever you want here, and use the rest to fund private school for your kids. While the high schools in East Cobb are marginally better than some others, you would be depressed to live there after living in such a cool city as SF. It is suburban sprawl to the nth degree (ie, chain restaurant/store paradise....think Redwood City but with right-wing conservatives and no water views). I would recommend Morngingside, Virginia-Highlands, Decatur, and maybe Roswell. Dunwoody is pretty cool too, and actually has highly ranked elementary schools and an above average (not saying much here) HS. Despite other posters, I would not live in College Park if you paid me to, no offense to anyone....just too much crime in the general area.

[Monkey Toes]

Originally Posted by spacelord75

Compared to California, sad to say, Georgia's public education is horrible. I am a product of it, and hate to say that it is the truth. If you are currently owning in SF, you will probably make enough off the sale of your house to buy whatever you want here, and use the rest to fund private school for your kids. While the high schools in East Cobb are marginally better than some others, you would be depressed to live there after living in such a cool city as SF. It is suburban sprawl to the nth degree (ie, chain restaurant/store paradise....think Redwood City but with right-wing conservatives and no water views). I would recommend Morngingside, Virginia-Highlands, Decatur, and maybe Roswell. Dunwoody is pretty cool too, and actually has highly ranked elementary schools and an above average (not saying much here) HS. Despite other posters, I would not live in College Park if you paid me to, no offense to anyone....just too much crime in the general area.

I whole disagree. Don't let anyyone convince you that GA schools are inferior. We moved from Duluth, GA to San Jose, CA after my first daughter graduated high school and the second was just entering. The first daugher graduated from UC Berkeley because of that "inferior" Duluth High School education. My younger daughter went to Los Gatos High. She did not have nearly as many choices in AP classes or things like orchestra, band, etc. Forget about clubs and activites like OM and Model UN. She never had a chance at attending UC Berkely after her high school experience.

I do agree that Midtown, Morngingside, Virginia-Highlands and Buckhead will be more to your liking. Stay inside I-285 and keep in mind that nothing compares to SF as far as the landscape and the diversity. You will be able to afford a nice big house though and you won't have to wear a coat on the 4th of July