How's the public transit system in Atlanta? (Dunwoody, Decatur: real estate, apartment complexes)

[mimi1988]

I live in TX right now but I may be moving to Atlanta. (no, I don't know anyone there). I don't have a car so I'll have to rely on the MARTA (that is what you guys call it, right) to get me back & forth to work. I was just wondering if someone could tell me more about the transit system. For example: in what areas is the MARTA system most reliable? In what areas is it terrible? Or is it a bad idea to move to Atlanta w/out any transportation?
I'd also like to know more about the neighborhoods (good & bad ones). I'm a 20 year old female; I don't have very many skills so I'll most likely be earning minimum wage. Needless to say, I'm looking for areas that has affordable housing, but with fairly low crime. (As long as I don't have to worry about flying bullets lol, I think I can make it). I'm not looking to spend more than $600 for a 1 bd. room apt..
I'll admit, Atlanta wasn't my 1st pick; NY or CA was . But they're waaaay 2 expensive. Two of the main reasons I chose Atlanta is because the housing is pretty cheap, and from what I hear there are plenty of jobs there (or did I hear wrong lol)?

Help me out people!

[Midtownatl]

Where's your job going to be? In any event, the trains are reliable and there are other threads on that.
I'd consider Midtown (Solice is supposed to be very affordable) and Lindgbergh Center. West End is more affordable and is in transition. Vince City and Ft. McPherson areas are even more affordable but are in the much earlier stages of transitioning.

[lastminutemom]

Plenty of jobs? Not so much. Unemployment is above the national average.

Cheap housing generally equals not great neighborhoods or not on MARTA.

[DeaconJ]

Atlanta's tranit system is great as long as you live near a station and work near a station. If not, then it's still okay - but in your case I would recommend locating near a station at almost all cost. I imagine it would make life more difficult and less cheerful to be car-less and forced to rely on buses to get around.

No matter how you end up liking (or not liking) MARTA, it will be an improvement over anywhere you currently live in the state of Texas.

[martarider]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

Plenty of jobs? Not so much. Unemployment is above the national average.

Cheap housing generally equals not great neighborhoods or not on MARTA.

Errr exsqueeze me... Dunwoody was pretty nice neighborhood last time I checked...

[lastminutemom]

Opps.

What I meant was if it is cheap and nice, it is generally not on MARTA. Even Dunwoody has some run down apartment complexes with lots of crime.

[transplanner07]

Here is the MARTA system map: MARTA - Map Viewer
Generally, the train is a lot more reliable, flexible, and convenient than buses though there are a few routes that are direct and go pretty often (specifically 2, 23, 45, and 110). Not as familiar w/ other routes, but you really want to avoid being captive to a bus on both ends of your commute (so try to get either work or home near the rail stations. Preferably both, though that might be difficult). There are a few nhoods intown that you can fairly easily live in w/o a car. (But you should supplement your transit use with a bike!)

But.. It's tough to find anything in a good area for <$600 month, so I'd really look into either getting a housemate or renting a room in a large house or older apt building. Look for stuff in the vicinity of Midtown or Decatur (or between) first... These are the easiest places to love w/o a car.

As far as jobs go though, you're probably better off staying in TX if you don't have something lined up here. Atlanta is probably more expensive than where you live now and we have been hit fairly hard, especially in any field related to real estate development, construction, etc (and that includes the blue-collar tech services jobs.) It also takes a while to get to know the city and like anywhere, it's not easy to strike out totally on your own. Support systems really help in tough times.

[transplanner07]

Oops, also add the #13 bus to your list and the buford hwy to lindbergh corridor. There are a lot of recent immigrants that live in this area and there is definitely cheap housing.... Do you speak spanish?
MARTA - Getting There - Bus Schedules

[Brillemeister]

My understanding, although the situation may have changed in the past month or so, is that MARTA is dropping a full weekday's service this July for lack of funds. If you care to live somewhere with a survivable transit system, try Minneapolis-St. Paul or Chicago. What's more, the job market here is very much moribund, i.e. don't move here.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by Brillemeister

My understanding, although the situation may have changed in the past month or so, is that MARTA is dropping a full weekday's service this July for lack of funds. If you care to live somewhere with a survivable transit system, try Minneapolis-St. Paul or Chicago. What's more, the job market here is very much moribund, i.e. don't move here.

You do realize that transit systems across the U.S. have considered cutting back service, including hours/days of operation? MARTA is certainly not the only one...Chicago has been in a transit budget crisis for a while, and just raised the transit tax AND fares. Minneapolis LRT hasn't been around nearly long enough to even have a reputation - either good or bad.

It's so cute how synically proud some people appear to be of themselves when they jump to point out some negative tidbit of information. But it's usually a good idea to know what you're talking about beforehand.