Good and bad areas in Smyrna - 30082 and 30080 how are they? (Atlanta: apartment complex, for rent)

[jodi1617]

[SIZE=3]We have decided to buy a home in Smyrna area after a looking around quite a bit. Our budget is $250-$300k. I wanted an insider’s perspective on which areas in Smyrna are the good/decent and which are not so good/bad. How are the zip codes 30082 and 30080 in terms of crime rate, and safety? (I know we can use crime maps, but I wanted an insider’s view, as to which areas are usually safer) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]To start, we have been looking for homes within the Ennisbrook community (does anyone know about this community?) and homes around the E/W connector. We want to be away from Windy Hill a bit, since we didn’t like the overall look there…[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Also, if anyone has good information on the good and decent enough schools in Smyrna, please let me know… Cultural diversity is good, and safe and friendly neighborhoods/sub divisions. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Any help, would be appreciated. [/SIZE]

[techugagrad]

Originally Posted by jodi1617

[SIZE=3]We have decided to buy a home in Smyrna area after a looking around quite a bit. Our budget is $250-$300k. I wanted an insider’s perspective on which areas in Smyrna are the good/decent and which are not so good/bad. How are the zip codes 30082 and 30080 in terms of crime rate, and safety? (I know we can use crime maps, but I wanted an insider’s view, as to which areas are usually safer) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]To start, we have been looking for homes within the Ennisbrook community (does anyone know about this community?) and homes around the E/W connector. We want to be away from Windy Hill a bit, since we didn’t like the overall look there…[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Also, if anyone has good information on the good and decent enough schools in Smyrna, please let me know… Cultural diversity is good, and safe and friendly neighborhoods/sub divisions. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Any help, would be appreciated. [/SIZE]

I just bought a house in 30082 in the covered bridge area, after searching for houses in Smyrna for almost a year. I also have relatives who have lived here for years, so I am pretty knowledgeable.

Generally, the best areas in Smyrna are south of Concord Rd. West of South Cobb Dr., the areas north of Church Rd. go downhill fast. The area immediately around the Village is also OK.

Going by schools, you want to be in the King Springs, Nickajack, Teasley, or Brown elementary districts, and the Campbell High district. Osborne is absolutely horrible, horrible and will affect your property values. None of these schools is exceptionally good. Lots of lower income residents in apartments feed these schools, and many parents choose to send their kids to private schools. The schools were much better until the mid-1990s, so it is possible that with all of the reconstruction of Smyrna in the past few years that the schools will be getting better.

Almost all of the crime is centered around the apartment complexes. Including murders, stabbings, etc. Generally, everything south of Hurt Rd. is great, except for that apartment complex near Hurt and Concord.

I'd say the post-1995 subdivisions are OK, plus, for example, Forest Hills, Hickory Hills, Concord Village, Bennett Woods, Smyrna Heights, West Smyrna Heights, Creatwood, anything with Vinings in the name, areas near the Village, areas near the E-W connector and east of Hicks, etc. Ennisbrook looks OK, but it is closer to some sketchy areas if you go north of Church Rd.

Stay away from the 30060 Marietta area. Also, note that if you go past the covered bridge, you are in the South Cobb high school district, which is not good, but not horrible like Osborne.

[brownhornet]

Is there even a such thing as a bad area in Smyrna? Hell I live here and I haven't seen not one place to even remotely be afraid of. If there is a "bad" area out here I must have missed that memo.

[techugagrad]

Originally Posted by brownhornet

Is there even a such thing as a bad area in Smyrna? Hell I live here and I haven't seen not one place to even remotely be afraid of. If there is a "bad" area out here I must have missed that memo.

Bad areas? Yes! The apartments behind the El Valu supermarket at South Cobb... the apartments behind the QT at King Springs & South Cobb.... the area around Argyle School... the area north of Windy Hill....

As I said, most of the crime is centered around the older apartment complexes.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by techugagrad

Bad areas? Yes! The apartments behind the El Valu supermarket at South Cobb... the apartments behind the QT at King Springs & South Cobb.... the area around Argyle School... the area north of Windy Hill....

As I said, most of the crime is centered around the older apartment complexes.

That makes sense...everyone knows that's where you find the big bucks.

[brownhornet]

LMAO @ major crime on south cobb drive. Im convinced some of you are just paranoid.

[spacelord75]

Originally Posted by brownhornet

LMAO @ major crime on south cobb drive. Im convinced some of you are just paranoid.

You're kidding right? There was even a ceremony when they did the ground breaking for West Village because they bulldozed a crack house! techugagrad is right about the bad areas centered around those apartment complexes. No doubt it's not like they are Bankhead Courts or whatever, but there's definitely a lot of crime in those areas.

[David1502]

There definitely are some bad areas of Smyrna which many posters have already referrred to. In fact, just last week, there were two murders within the Smyrna city limits -one occurred at an apartment complex, and the other in a townhome (owner occupied) community.

I will attempt to give you a big picture from the perspective of the most safe towards the less safe. In general, those subdivisions closest to I-285 and south of Windy Hill are safest and have greatest appreciation potential(North of Windy Hill = you don't want to go there!!). So all of the subdivisions along Atlanta Rd. - no problem. Keep in mind, the Smyrna Police station is on Atlanta Rd. Now, as you get closer to S. Cobb Dr., it gets a little dicier. There is alot of gentrification going on in the neighborhoods behind Smyrna Market Village so those aren't bad. However, once you cross S. Cobb Dr. try to stay south of Concord or in the newer subdivisions which front onto Concord but don't connect with Hurt Rd. And by all means don't go west of the Covered Bridge. (You are no longer in the Smyrna City Limits there).

Any of the neighborhoods along N. Cooper Lake (Bennett Woods, etc. are fine) and the neighborhoods along Cooper Lake Rd. are fine, too however, when you get west of Vinings Estates and closer to Veterans Highway - it's a lot more risky as you are no longer in the Smyrna schools, but in Mableton. So, the safer bet is to stay within the Smyrna City Limits.

As has been mentioned earlier, apartments are the locations for most crimes. In the Atlanta area, the pattern over the past 50 years is for apartment complexes to start out with tenants who are professionals and over time, as the rents remain the same or go down, the management doesn't keep up the property and the income of the residents goes down. (e.g. Buford Highway was the "Melrose Place" of the 1960's with lots of Delta pilots and flight attendants). Crime then becomes a reality and the nearby neighborhoods are none too happy. A recent example is one of the murders which occurred in Smyrna last week took place in the Wexford complex which is located behind the Quick Trip at the intersection of S. Cobb and King Springs. Just above the hill from the complex is Vinings Glen- a neighborhood of $500,000 and up homes - they can literally thow a rock down the hill from their backyards into Wexford Hills apartments. Obviously they are not thrilled about the adjacent apartments, but there is nothing they can do as the apartments were there first. There is a reason why the Smynra City Council has had a moratorium on new apartment construction for the past 8 years.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by David1502

Any of the neighborhoods along N. Cooper Lake (Bennett Woods, etc. are fine) and the neighborhoods along Cooper Lake Rd. are fine, too however, when you get west of Vinings Estates and closer to Veterans Highway - it's a lot more risky as you are no longer in the Smyrna schools, but in Mableton. So, the safer bet is to stay within the Smyrna City Limits.

FWIW ... we're in Mableton just outside the Smyrna city limits (and two subdivisions south of Vinings Estates), but we're zoned for Nickajack Elementary and Campbell High School. I don't remember which middle school off the top of my head.

[JoeP]

the area around Argyle School

That is not true at all - maybe for renting, but there are good options for owning and property values (recent national economic crisis aside) have been consistently positive.