Husband would have to work in Decatur. Is there a "short commute" and safe place to live for us (18-month-old)?

[lastminutemom]

I am curious what the original poster's price range is. Even in the downturn, Decatur and the decent surrounding areas are pricey.

[LovinDecatur]

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

I think the City of Decatur would probably fit their needs. While it's very close to the City of Atlanta and it does have it's own urban-ness, like DeaconJ said, there are plenty of places that feel "suburban".

I have a feeling that by surburban, MelbaToast means a neighborhood/residential/family feel, which is totally Decatur.

Unless she really does mean the "typical" (or maybe I should say sterotypical) Atlanta metro suburban model of swim-tennis-soley-residential-with-no-town-center type of subdivision development.

And even so, there are many options just north of the VA Hospital in north Decatur and Oak Grove (good schools too):

Leafmore Hills:

www.leafmoreclub.com

Briarcliff Woods/Sagamore Hills:

www.bwbc.net

Briarlake area (inc Amberwood and Breckinridge):

www.twinlakesswimtennis.org

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by TakeAhike

I'm still puzzled.

Unless the OP wants a swim/tennis community I don't know what sort of 'suburban' environment she hopes to find. A commute from East Cobb or Alpharetta to Decatur is something she didn't want.

If she's looking to replicate the area around Annapolis, I'd say she's looking for an area that's got a density similar to East Cobb. When most folks from the Northeast use the term "suburban", they're usually talking about someplace with 1/4 acre lots, newer homes, etc. The idea of "convenient to shopping" means being able to hop in the car and drive a mile or two to Target, Publix, etc.- not being able to walk around the corner to the local mom-and-pop shops.

I know that sounds odd to folks who are native to Atlanta because they see Decatur, Druid Hills, etc., as "suburban" and places like East Cobb as almost "rural", but that's not the case in the Northeast.

[MelbaToast]

Hi everyone,

Appreciate everyone's responses. I am actually not looking to replicate the area around Annapolis. I am actually trying to replicate where I live now, on Kent Island on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Most of our stores are 3-5 miles away, but there is a lot of farmland and park areas

[TakeAhike]

That sounds something like Suwanee or Buford or Cherokee county/NW of Atlanta.

The commute from either area would be abhorrent.

[bizchick86]

3-5 miles apart...yeah that's not even the suburbs. That's like Newton County, the "x-urbs". The following areas, other than Newton County, would be more dense than what you're describing. Still, they are closer to Decatur than some other neighborhoods listed, yet they are still quiet, have plenty of trees and space, and have a community feel to them.

- Smokerise
- Snellville
- Loganville
- Tucker (near Lawrenceville Highway closer to Gwinnet County)
- Oxford, GA (Newton County)
- Rockdale County

Oxford would be the most "country" out of all of these, but it's still not excruciatingly far from Atlanta. It would take 30-40 minutes to get to Atlanta from there, about an hour with traffic. Heading to Decatur, it would be even less time.

Plus, Smokerise and Snellville are close to Stone Mountain Park (which has a huge lake and beautiful scenery!) and Oxford is near some wildlife reserves, or something to that effect. I just remember going to some forests near there for school research.

[lastminutemom]

I think you need to investigate the options in NC and see if they meet your family's needs better than the job in Decatur will. I suspect that Charleston might work for you or one of the locations in NC.

Good luck!

[Move to Atlanta]

Fernbank is one of the best Elementary Schools in the state if you end up moving to the Decatur area. In terms of water, Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona are within an hour of Decatur.

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[gumboula]

I have to second lastminutemom. It is far easier to get out of the "city" in the other metro areas the OP listed than it is in Atlanta. City of Decatur and the neighborhoods around the VA still have a very high population density, even though I wouldn't consider them urban per se.

[RainyRainyDay]

On the same note as gumboula and lastminutemom, I remind OP that metro Atlanta has about 5 million people, and Decatur (where husband would work) is fairly centrally located in that metro area. Given that metro Atlanta has such a large population, and is quite sprawling, semi-rural areas such as OP is seeking are inevitably a significant distance and driving time from the center.

If you want a reasonable commute to a semi-rural location, a smaller city is likely to be a better bet.