Gay friendly suburbs? (Atlanta, Roswell, Alpharetta: neighborhood, restaurants, price)

[dgoren]

Shane,

You have gotten great advice here. I live in Cobb County. I'd say, listen to the posts and put this area nearer the back of your list. Not because I/we don't want you, but it's pretty conservative, and it's harder to predict the local reaction. Good luck!

[peta34]

So how is charleston, or savannah...no gay night life there? maybe? My roommate wants to move to Georgia but Im set on LA, he said in Savannah, its more laidback and the cost of living is cheaper...but anything really is cheaper than LA, ya know! Your responses will be greatly appreciated....

[atlantagreg30127]

Folks - the original poster posted his bit in JULY of 2006, and it's been 13 months since the last post.

Revive dead stuff if you want, but I doubt the original poster will be monitoring it to receive your answers. For newbies, the last post date is in the upper-left corner of each post.

[back2dc]

Originally Posted by peta34

So how is charleston, or savannah...no gay night life there? maybe? My roommate wants to move to Georgia but Im set on LA, he said in Savannah, its more laidback and the cost of living is cheaper...but anything really is cheaper than LA, ya know! Your responses will be greatly appreciated....

By all means LA!!! The whole west end, Santa Monica, South Bay and Long Beach are expensive, but you have the beach, the mountains, the ocean breeze, no humidity, attractive people and hundreds of square miles of activities, restaurants, galleries, clubs to choose from...

[dwc1134]

The zip code 30030, downtown Decatur and outlying area. Great place! Very gay friendly, good food/nitelife/retail downtown scene. Good Luck!!

[Transfer]

Hi guys ,my partner and I are intending on moving from MA to GA Brunswick area. Is it gay friendly there ? any suggestions would be appreciate......

[seabornj]

Shane,

Like everyone else I have to say stay out of Marietta (Cobb County). To be honest, I think the suburbs around Atlanta or generally un-friendly or at best apathetic to neighbors..gay or straight.

We live in an area called Brookhaven in Atlanta (it butts up next to Buckhead if you are familiar with that area). Brookhaven is very gay-friendly, it's affordable, and it's close to just about everything...takes about 15 minutes to get to the corner of Piedmont and Tenth (the gay epicenter - sort of).

However, we are in that $250 for a bungalow range..actually $250K won't really get you anything inside the perimeter (that's the the circular interstate (I285) that separates the country mice from the city mice..so to speak)

If you are looking for more house for the money though, I've heard rumors that Doraville and Tucker have little pockets of very gay-friendly neighborhoods.

As far as comments about Dekalb being crime ridden...that really only occurs in particular areas..and crime is everywhere now...they have gangs in the N. Georgia mountains.

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by seabornj

Shane,

However, we are in that $250 for a bungalow range..actually $250K won't really get you anything inside the perimeter (that's the the circular interstate (I285) that separates the country mice from the city mice..so to speak)

If you are looking for more house for the money though, I've heard rumors that Doraville and Tucker have little pockets of very gay-friendly neighborhoods.

I think the area from Decatur to Tucker is gay-friendly. The houses might be considered 50's/60's ranches rather than bungalows but they would fall in that price range.

There are some older homes in Chamblee/Doraville that have more character and might also be an option.

[Herd_Water_Witch]

Originally Posted by Tdiddy0027

enjoy Atlanta. You'll find Atlanta to be a gay friendly oasis surrounded by extreme religious fundamentalism. All of the Northside suburbs are pretty gay friendly, and you can find a few on the southside like Peachtree City.

Right on about Atlanta being surrounded by extreme religious fanaticism, and most Atlantans have no concept of HOW EXTREME it can get!

Please check out my website:

http://www.HeardCountyGAWaterAuthorityBeingUsedToCommitAH ateCrime.com


After I filed suit to stop the destruction of my property, the Heard County Water Authority slandered and trashed me and my deceased family members, and nicknamed me the "Water Witch" (which frankly, I consider a back-handed compliment considering the source!) Hence, my new username -- Herd Water Witch.

I lived in the Midtown and Buckhead areas of Atlanta for 11 years, including my college days at Georgia Tech. This place is 60 miles from Hartsfield and 100 miles from the northern suburbs, yet from a cultural standpoint, it might as well be in a different universe!

This website is still a work in progress, but I want to get the word out about what is happening to me. Please pass it along.

[kaday]

Originally Posted by Zelia

[
Shane,

A new book profiling the 50 best gay-friendly cities was just released within the past year.

DeKalb ( pronounced De "KAB" ) County is the only Georgia area listed. It's not a city, but a county. As an Atlanta resident, I would highly recommend DeKalb County as probably you're best overall choice--especially if you're going to buy a house. Taxes are less.

Atlanta is located in Fulton County. The city of Atlanta is gay-friendly, but other parts of the county may not be as gay-friendly. Taxes in Fulton County are much higher. Fulton County is not a well-managed county.

Case in point is the Appraiser's Office. The AJC had an article about an owner of a multi-million dollar house that hadn't paid taxes for several years. The reason why? He didn't get a bill.

Elton John is suing Fulton County for his high property tax bill. His condo has 12,000 square-feet. Apparently, he feels that it's a million or so over-valued. I think half of the Fulton County appraisers have been fired, due to property appraisal irregularities.

Midtown, and homes around Piedmont Park, is the center of the gay community. Expect to pay $400,000 for an old bungalow--1200 square feet, and $150,000 to $200,000 for a one-bedroom condo--800 square-feet.

Virginia-Highlands is gay and expensive. Gay-friendly areas extend eastward and the prices are less. However, Inman Park is quite expensive. Little Five Points is the counter-culture center of Atlanta. Homes are expensive.

Gwinett County is undergoing a radical transformation. Something like 30 to 40% of the residents were not born in the U. S.

Presently, the condo market has some good values. High-rise condos such as both of the Mayfair buildings, Metropolis, and Spire are a good 50% gay.

For the most part, gay-friendly areas here have old homes. A few new homes are being built, but expect to pay $600,000 plus. Condos are the exception. Atlanta has gone condo-crazy. The developers say there's a healthy market, other people are not so sure.

Quite a few flippers bought them and then couldn't sell them. There's some good deals, but you have to live in them. Most of them are already 25% leased, and that's the top percentage allowed. If you're an investor, don't buy one.

Atlanta is a liberal city, but the state of Georgia is not. Republicans are firmly in control--politically. They made sure that the same-sex marriage law was full of loopholes. Having it full of loopholes means it would be an issue for years.

Stay away from Cobb County. Many gays live there, but fundies are firmly in control.

Cobb county voted 45% for Obama so the tide is turning.