Visiting Atlanta Neighborhoods (Dunwoody, North Druid Hills, Decatur: real estate, rentals, condos)

[movingsoon2020]

I posted last week about relocating to Atlanta in the next 6 months and asking for advice regarding neighborhoods. After looking at homes on Craigslist in some of the areas suggested by people in my previous posting, I have a list of potential neighborhoods I will be visiting.

East Cobb
Dekalb
South Forsyth
North Fulton
Virginia-Highland
South Decatur
Buckhead
Dunwoody
Little Five Points

Does this sounds like a decent list? If anyone has any more suggestions or think we should avoid a neighborhood, please let me know. My BF and I will be visiting the Atlanta area in the next month, spending 4 days. Does anyone have any reputable real estate agents/companies that they can suggest? I'd like to try to see some homes to get a feel for some of the areas. Is there any other trusty website besides Craigslist for rentals that anyone can recommend?

Here's a bit more information about my BF and I:

-Ages: 24 (me) and 30 (him)
-Budget: 1,300/month to RENT ONLY (we are willing to spend up to 1,500/month for the right home)
-House/Condo/Townhome: We are looking for a 2 bedroom/1.5 bath house with a yard for our dogs.
-Location/Demographics: All suggestions and additions to the above list welcome. We are looking for a quiet suburban area but we don't want to live amongst only retirees either. Prefer liberal, educated, and open-minded folks. Would love to have a Whole Foods/Trader Joes/Starbucks/Coffee Bean/farmers market in the area. Maybe some nice restaurants and a shopping area. We have no children so school zones don't matter. We will both not have employment when we arrive but I am willing to commute up to an hour and I have yet to pinpoint possible locations where my BF might work but I'd like to be within an hour of Downtown Atlanta. Public transport would be nice but we can live without it.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[movingsoon2020]

If anyone has any particular streets/zipcodes that they would recommend, that would be helpful too. I'm trying to plan out on Google Maps how we'll do our Atlanta tour and being very OCD about it.

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by movingsoon2020

If anyone has any particular streets/zipcodes that they would recommend, that would be helpful too. I'm trying to plan out on Google Maps how we'll do our Atlanta tour and being very OCD about it.

East Cobb
Dekalb
South Forsyth
North Fulton
Virginia-Highland
South Decatur
Buckhead
Dunwoody
Little Five Points

This is pretty much the metro Atlanta area with the exception of Gwinnett County.

You said:
We are looking for a quiet suburban area but we don't want to live amongst only retirees either. Prefer liberal, educated, and open-minded folks. Would love to have a Whole Foods/Trader Joes/Starbucks/Coffee Bean/farmers market in the area. Maybe some nice restaurants and a shopping area. We have no children so school zones don't matter. We will both not have employment when we arrive but I am willing to commute up to an hour and I have yet to pinpoint possible locations where my BF might work but I'd like to be within an hour of Downtown Atlanta. Public transport would be nice but we can live without it.

Based on that--zipcode 30329 would match closely. Emory/N Decatur.
For example the Briarcliff Heights neighborhood---young professionals and others, some young families, within 10 minutes of Whole Foods/Lavista Rd, Toco Hill Shopping Center--Publix, Kroger and many ethnic restaurants---about 15 minutes from VA Highland--even more ethnic shops and restaurants--DeKalb Farmers' Market--30 minutes away, 30 minutes to downtown Atlanta and access to MARTA. 1950's ranch homes on 1/3 acre lots--rent $1,000+, safe and quiet.

[rackensack]

Based on your description of what you want, I'd probably look hard at the older neighborhoods along North Druid Hills Road and North Decatur Road -- Medlock Park, University Heights, Pine Glen, etc. The Medlock Park/University Heights area in particular has tons of older (~60 year old, though many have been renovated), smaller houses (lots of 2/1.5, 3/1.5 or 2), many of them with fenced yards. From what I've seen, rental rates for that type of house in that area are very much in line with what you're hoping to pay. The proximity to Emory University and the CDC means a generally well-educated, fairly liberal, diverse population. Very close to parks, close to downtown Decatur, near Emory and the CDC. And since you don't yet know where you'd be working, an intown location would give you a lot of flexibility -- convenient to downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead, or a reverse commute to the nearer suburban areas. If you end up with jobs in far-flung suburbs, you'll want to relocate closer to those areas anyway, but there's no place that's convenient to all of them.

[IntownHomes247]

You really need to use a lot of caution in relocating without having a job first. Atlanta's unemployment is higher than the national average and there are a LOT of people out there competing for every job that pops up. Perhaps you have vast experience in some kind of career where there is always a great deal of demand, but unless that's the case, you really need to consider the wisdom of relocating prior to finding employment first.

That said, the list you've put together is a bunch of neighborhoods/areas that, for the most part, have nothing in common and many of which I'd be surprised if they began to meet the criteria you have set.

I'd suggest either the City of Decatur or (more likely for your budget) the North Decatur area (that's 30030 for City of Decatur or 30033, 30329, or 30345 for North Decatur). This is the "greater Emory area," (that's Emory University) at least the more suburban side of it -- Emory's hipper "intown" side would include Virginia-Highland, Candler Park, etc. and be in the 30306 and 30307 zip codes.

[johnatl]

Originally Posted by TakeAhike

East Cobb
Dekalb
South Forsyth
North Fulton
Virginia-Highland
South Decatur
Buckhead
Dunwoody
Little Five Points

This is pretty much the metro Atlanta area with the exception of Gwinnett County.

You said:
We are looking for a quiet suburban area but we don't want to live amongst only retirees either. Prefer liberal, educated, and open-minded folks. Would love to have a Whole Foods/Trader Joes/Starbucks/Coffee Bean/farmers market in the area. Maybe some nice restaurants and a shopping area. We have no children so school zones don't matter. We will both not have employment when we arrive but I am willing to commute up to an hour and I have yet to pinpoint possible locations where my BF might work but I'd like to be within an hour of Downtown Atlanta. Public transport would be nice but we can live without it.

Based on that--zipcode 30329 would match closely. Emory/N Decatur.
For example the Briarcliff Heights neighborhood---young professionals and others, some young families, within 10 minutes of Whole Foods/Lavista Rd, Toco Hill Shopping Center--Publix, Kroger and many ethnic restaurants---about 15 minutes from VA Highland--even more ethnic shops and restaurants--DeKalb Farmers' Market--30 minutes away, 30 minutes to downtown Atlanta and access to MARTA. 1950's ranch homes on 1/3 acre lots--rent $1,000+, safe and quiet.

Zip 30329 is my area also, and I really like it. As mentioned by TAH, the single family homes in this area are mostly nice brick ranches from the 50's - 60's. They tend to have nice sized lots with a canopy of beautiful huge trees. Many areas of this part of town really feel like "a city in the forest." There are also a lot of condos for rent, some that will have privacy courtyards for your dogs.

Also check out the Drew Valley area (30319) for rentals.

I noticed that South Decatur was one of your areas. Please be very, very careful here. The areas of South Decatur within the City Limits are nice (30030-adjacent to Agnes Scott College). South of the City Limits is an entirely different situation though - proceed with caution. The area to the North of Decatur (30033 & 30345) is definately worth a look also.

Good luck!

[movingsoon2020]

Originally Posted by IntownHomes247

You really need to use a lot of caution in relocating without having a job first. Atlanta's unemployment is higher than the national average and there are a LOT of people out there competing for every job that pops up. Perhaps you have vast experience in some kind of career where there is always a great deal of demand, but unless that's the case, you really need to consider the wisdom of relocating prior to finding employment first.

That said, the list you've put together is a bunch of neighborhoods/areas that, for the most part, have nothing in common and many of which I'd be surprised if they began to meet the criteria you have set.

I'd suggest either the City of Decatur or (more likely for your budget) the North Decatur area (that's 30030 for City of Decatur or 30033, 30329, or 30345 for North Decatur). This is the "greater Emory area," (that's Emory University) at least the more suburban side of it -- Emory's hipper "intown" side would include Virginia-Highland, Candler Park, etc. and be in the 30306 and 30307 zip codes.

Thank you for the heads up. We're trying to stay positive about employment (LA is horrible at the moment too) but if worse comes to worse, we'll simply pack up and move again. We also have enough to cover basic costs for at least a year without employment. I'm trying to plan this move out to account for all scenarios.

Thank you for your suggestions, I've heard about North Decatur from an Emory friend and it sounds just right for us. I will definitely check it out.

[movingsoon2020]

Originally Posted by johnatl

Zip 30329 is my area also, and I really like it. As mentioned by TAH, the single family homes in this area are mostly nice brick ranches from the 50's - 60's. They tend to have nice sized lots with a canopy of beautiful huge trees. Many areas of this part of town really feel like "a city in the forest." There are also a lot of condos for rent, some that will have privacy courtyards for your dogs.

Also check out the Drew Valley area (30319) for rentals.

I noticed that South Decatur was one of your areas. Please be very, very careful here. The areas of South Decatur within the City Limits are nice (30030-adjacent to Agnes Scott College). South of the City Limits is an entirely different situation though - proceed with caution. The area to the North of Decatur (30033 & 30345) is definately worth a look also.

Good luck!

Noted about South Decatur, don't really want to live close to any area that might be unsafe. I'll take that off of my list. Thanks!

[ladycage]

I will be moving to GA also, I am thinking about Snellville, Lithonia, Covington so far. I will be going back and forth to NYC for months at a time so I want a neighborhood that will be safe enough that I can have an alarm and leave for NYC for a month or so and not be certain that my house will be robbed or broken into. I am looking to buy a house for cash no mortgage for 90-150k. I don't have any kids or a job lined up but since I won't have a mortgage I thik I will be ok for a while even if I have to work at Walmart.