Ga Tech- NJ to Ga need help with area!

[spacelord75]

Originally Posted by big_atlantan

Mableton area especially if you try to reach from GaTech is a very bad location. If you drive on Bankhead Hwy you will see what I mean. You can not stop to buy a coke on your way home. The roads change names thanks to their bad reputation but reality remains the same. With so many good options for relocators, I dont think Mableton area will appreciate in my lifetime ( I am 27). I never feel safe even while driving during the day.

I go to Gatech and know the area well, do yourself a favor and look for something in Midtown/Buckhead area.

I used to drive Bankhead twice a day to/from work (4 times when we still had a new puppy) and never felt unsafe. Yeah, it's sketchy, but you don't actually LIVE in Bankhead Courts! Like the areas simply around Tech are actually safe? This is Atlanta! Your idea that Mableton won't appreciate in your lifetime is already flawed, since I personally made $20k on a TOWNHOME I just sold in just 2 years!!! In the very same development I lived in, a girl I know bought there in 2002 for $280k (single family) and just sold for $400k! Not trying to be a dick, but you are scaring the guy away from an investment opportunity unnecessarily. Don't forget - people said all these exact same things about Va-Hi, East Atlanta, and Little 5 Points back in the 80's and 90's. All you have to do is look at a map to see this is the obvious next destination for city-growth, due to it's close proximity and tons of undeveloped land. Also, I would not even drive Bankhead into Atlanta from Mableton, as there are a couple much easier, less trafficked routes (Bankhead gets too backed up by people getting on 285). And finally, to the guy who said Bankhead Courts is STILL notorious, yes, it still physically sits there, but the city of Atlanta announced in the paper about a month ago that demolition will start in June and end next March. I believe another mixed use community is being slated (supposedly a Beazer Homes/John Wieland joint venture?)

Is Mableton party-central? No. But it's an easy commute to Tech, with low property costs (relatively speaking). If the original poster is looking to just rent, then yeah, I would recommend Midtown or further up in Vinings/Smyrna.

[jsimms3]

Live in either Marietta St Apts or the neighborhood of Homepark right in between Atlantic Station and Gatech where all the other tech students live. They arent bad but they arent buckhead. BTW Buckhead is NOT expensive, especially if ur coming from Jersey! I know somebody paying 1400/mo for a NICE highrise condo in Buckhead. I go to GA tech and am trying to transfer out back to FL because I personally do not like it here, it is landlocked and the people are so different from what im used to. Very southern, but very diverse too, just different. I dont see whats so special about da' atl except maybe it is literally the cheapest place I have ever seen for buying a house or renting. It is very sprawled with nightmarish traffic 50 miles out and it is growing too fast...out not up creating more traffic. People in Macon commute up for work for Christ's sake.

[runningncircles1]

Originally Posted by spacelord75

If you're going to Tech you might consider living on the westside perimeter in Mableton/Smyrna. I live there and work at Coke, which is right across the street from your campus and it takes me 20-30 minutes to get there. There is a decent and growing going out scene in Smyrna/Vinings, and Mableton is one of the "next hotspot" communities on the rise. Given it's close proximity to everything, it should just continue to go up in value there, and you can still find some fairly cheap housing.

I wouldn't recommend that. Parking is HORRIBLY expensive on campus ($600/semester to park my car) and NOT abbundant; most of the people I know on who live off campus (like, in the suburbs) say it's hard to find parking when they arrive in the morning, even off campus. Also, at GT, there is a "shuffle" type atmosphere where you're constantly having to be on campus, move from building to building, etc. So, I'd recommend living within walking distance.

[pchangVolt]

so much bad information in this thread. okay first off, i would NEVER recommend anyone to live in bankhead...period. if you're trying to go to gatech and have a decent place for a decent price seriously consider the virginia highlands...you'll always being moving against the flow of traffic if you live here, and it's about a 20 minute commute to school even though it's about 5 miles away.

spacelord, this guy is trying to get his masters not go on a real estate venture...

runningncircles, do you really go to tech because it is $600/year not a semester bro, trust me...go to www.parking.gatech.edu and it clearly says it. and it is very abundant if you get a parking pass for a parking deck so i don't kno where you're getting your information there either. moving from building to building? are you a freshman? if he's a grad student, he will probably be studying out of one building...

i have this information because i was in the same boat as you 3 years ago before i transferred to tech. if i had to do it all over again i would still live in VA-HI because it's a great area and definitely not ghetto like bankhead...you don't have to get on i-75 or suicide mission i-285 ever unless you're going to tennessee, marietta, or drive in a circle until you die, or go to peachtree industrial...i rarely do any of those and i'm sure you will rarely do any of those things either.

the hottest spots in atlanta is midtown, buckhead, and virginia highlands in that order for nightlife fun also...

[wxjay]

I am a Ph.D. student at Tech and own a condo in Vinings (REAL Vinings - you'll see what I mean when you get here). You can find a 2/2 condo in my area anywhere from $120 - $250K (don't worry, there are lots of them in the lower end of the spectrum). The area is super convenient - 15-20 minute drive to campus, close to all types of shopping, 15 minutes to Buckhead, etc. You would have a great time in this area.

Single family homes in this area are another story, though. They are quite pricy except for some older homes more in the Smyrna area. So, I am not sure what you are looking for.

Yes, parking is $600/year, but it is ABUNDANT on campus. The parking deck I use is never full, so I know there are plenty of spots available.