Unincorporated Dekalb/Incorporated Dekalb v. City of Atlanta (Decatur, Jackson: how much, new house)

[bobbyjohnson]

Hey everyone...hoping I can get a lil more help from the city data forum one more time....

I'm looking to move into East Atlanta or Kirkwood area but am a little unclear on the differences btw being in UICD/Incorporated Dekalb v. within City Limits?

Are there any real significant advantages / disadvantages?

The lines look pretty arbitrary. In the East Atlanta area, there's a section East of Moreland and West of Bouldercrest that falls out of City Limits and is "Unincorporated Dekalb". In the Kirkwood area, Parkview (South of Memorial on Eleanor, Liberty, etc.) is not in City Limits.

Any helpful info would be appreciated...

[Saintmarks]

The schools will definitely be affected by these city limits as the cities of Atlanta and Decatur have their own school systems separate from the DeKalb County school system. School systems and their rankings will have a big effect on how a neighborhood shakes down.

This is painting with a big brush, but of the areas you are considering and judging by schools, the city of Decatur would be the best area, followed by unincoprated DeKalb NORTH of Atlanta and Decatur city limits, followed by Atlanta in DeKalb and would say unincorporated DeKalb south of Decatur and Atlanta city limits being in last place.

There are others on this site more knowledgable of this area (Lovin Decatur, you out there? Aries?). Perhaps they can chime in and be more helpful.

[shalc]

The real significant part of it is taxes, w/in city limits you also have to pay city of atlanta (or decatur) taxes, which can be steep depending on what part of the city you're in. Do a little research and make sure you know how much extra you'll have to fork out to live w/in city limits and decide if it's worth it for you.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

The schools will definitely be affected by these city limits as the cities of Atlanta and Decatur have their own school systems separate from the DeKalb County school system. School systems and their rankings will have a big effect on how a neighborhood shakes down.

This is painting with a big brush, but of the areas you are considering and judging by schools, the city of Decatur would be the best area, followed by unincoprated DeKalb NORTH of Atlanta and Decatur city limits, followed by Atlanta in DeKalb and would say unincorporated DeKalb south of Decatur and Atlanta city limits being in last place.

There are others on this site more knowledgable of this area (Lovin Decatur, you out there? Aries?). Perhaps they can chime in and be more helpful.

What St. Marks says is right on...about the schools. If the OP wants more details but specific schools, we could help out on future posts.

And like shalc said, you will find a difference in taxes when comparing incorporated vs. unincorporated.

[bobbyjohnson]

Thanks...schools are not that big of a deal as no kids now and probably not for at least a year or more...so schools are at least 7-8 yrs away but I guess it does make a difference for resale considerations. Any other opinions?

[gumboula]

Schools do matter in resale, so I would not discount them even if you don't have children. Plus if you are buying now, you are buying low and probably should buy some place you can stay for a long time. Within the boundaries of City of Atlanta, I would rank Kirkwood and East Lake higher than East Atlanta (and definitely unincorporated Dekalb south of I-20) because Kwood and EL are zoned to Grady High School, while EA is Maynard Jackson (formerly Southside). A realtor friend had a buyer back out of a contract in Kwood when they realized that the street the home was on was one of the few in the neighborhood zoned to Southside, not Grady. And these buyers did not have high school age kids.

I can say that I bought when kids were years away and now with a three-year old I really wish we had bought a more kid friendly house. We are buying a new house now and definitely planning to buy something that will last our family for as long as we want it to. (BTW, those who have seen me ask about neighborhoods/houses/realtors for YEARS; our house is under contract and it looks like we are finally really buying!).

In terms of the specific areas the OP is looking at... "East of Moreland and West of Bouldercrest" just seems really far away from city ammenities to me. We looked in that area and you can get alot of house for your money, but you are just a real drive from things (and Moreland traffic can be a bear). As far as Parkview goes, it simply isn't Kirkwood. Very strange how every neighborhood, no matter how transitional, has its own snobbery... North of Hosea is considered the better area of Kirkwood (south of Hosea is fondly called SoHo by those who live there) and Parkview is not part of the neighborhood. Realtors consider this and price accordingly. Which means you get the house at a lower price, but you will also sell at a lower price.

Good luck on your search!