Moving to WestEnd or WestView neighborhood...a couple questions (Atlanta: houses, neighborhoods)

[dawnpoetic]

Hi All! My husband and I are planning to purchase a home in West End or West View very soon. Love the neighborhoods and the properties there. We also love the resident's involvement in the community. We currently live in Dekalb county. I'm originally from NY (Western, NY not the city) and my husband is from Atlanta. While I've been in GA for quite a while (15 years total) I've never lived in any other part of the metro area. I worked at Georgia Tech for 10 years so I am familiar with the Midtown area but not much outside that. I'm still getting a feel for the part of the city we'll be moving to so I wanted to post a couple questions:

What grocery stores are in the area and are there any Whole Foods or Trader Joes type stores close by? I know there's a Trader Joe's near Piedmont and Whole Foods on Ponce, are those the closest? Are there any other similar type places in West End? I was trying to look as we drove around but I was focused more on the houses and the people we saw out and about

Can anyone recommend a good vet in the area? We have 2 dogs and I can't see dragging them all the way back to Stone Mountain for vet appointments (one of them is not good with car rides so anything more than a couple blocks kind of sucks).

I'm guessing Comcast is the only cable provider in the area (I wish Charter would expand it's territory). Please let me know if I'm mistaken.

Lastly, I'm assuming, other than my water service, all the other utilities will be the same choice as Dekalb County? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Sorry if these questions seem silly...just gathering as much info as I can before the move.

Thanks!

[KevK]

Originally Posted by dawnpoetic

Hi All! My husband and I are planning to purchase a home in West End or West View very soon. Love the neighborhoods and the properties there. We also love the resident's involvement in the community. We currently live in Dekalb county. I'm originally from NY (Western, NY not the city) and my husband is from Atlanta. While I've been in GA for quite a while (15 years total) I've never lived in any other part of the metro area. I worked at Georgia Tech for 10 years so I am familiar with the Midtown area but not much outside that. I'm still getting a feel for the part of the city we'll be moving to so I wanted to post a couple questions:

What grocery stores are in the area and are there any Whole Foods or Trader Joes type stores close by? I know there's a Trader Joe's near Piedmont and Whole Foods on Ponce, are those the closest? Are there any other similar type places in West End? I was trying to look as we drove around but I was focused more on the houses and the people we saw out and about

Can anyone recommend a good vet in the area? We have 2 dogs and I can't see dragging them all the way back to Stone Mountain for vet appointments (one of them is not good with car rides so anything more than a couple blocks kind of sucks).

I'm guessing Comcast is the only cable provider in the area (I wish Charter would expand it's territory). Please let me know if I'm mistaken.

Lastly, I'm assuming, other than my water service, all the other utilities will be the same choice as Dekalb County? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Sorry if these questions seem silly...just gathering as much info as I can before the move.

Thanks!

There is not much over there in terms of grocery stores. West End Foods is a smaller store and there is a Kroger on Cascade Ave. You won't find upscale stores like Whole Foods over there because it is not an upscale neighbourhood for the most part. As for cable, Comcast is there, ATT Uverse is in some areas and of course DirecTV and Dish are everywhere.

[dawnpoetic]

Thanks for the info.

[westviewbungalow]

The closest Trader Joe’s is the one off Monroe, across from Grady High School, and then like you mentioned the Whole Foods on Ponce.

There’s a Kroger right at the corner of Ralph David Abernathy Blvd and Cascade Ave, though personally I often go to the Edgewood Kroger because the store appears cleaner and they carry some items that I like to buy that the other store does not carry. Alternatively there are Publix and another Kroger if you drive down Cascade Ave towards I-285.

There’s also a little health food store called Life's Essentials Market on Cascade Ave, although I’ve never gone there to check it out. (I probably should!)

The vet we go to is the Humane Society on Howell Mill. I know other neighbors have various vets they like to go to, but I’m not sure any of them are within a few blocks of the neighborhood.

I believe the utilities are probably the same. I use Gas South and Georgia Power – are those the same you currently have?

[arjay57]

That is a really nice little neighborhood. I am surprised that little commercial district where Lucile runs into Gordon Road hasn't caught on. It could easily be another Virgina-Highland.

[dawnpoetic]

Thanks for the info Westviewbungalo. We have narrowed it down to 2 homes and will be putting in an offer in the next week or so. Both the homes are in Westview so it looks like we'll be neighbors!

The health food store you mentioned is the one I think my husband likes to go to. I'll double check but if it is you should definitely check it out. They have lots of great stuff and the staff is really helpful and knowledgeable.

I've asked my vet for recommendations in the area and the Humane Society was on his list so we may check that one out.

Looks like we're stuck with GA Power. We currently use Infinite Energy for our gas provider so I'll have to see if they serve that area as well. We had major issues with Gas South so I'm hoping we don't have to go back to them.

I've read your blog and love the work you've done on your place.

Thanks again for your input!

[westviewbungalow]

That's exciting to hear. Crossing my fingers for you on the homes and looking forward to hear "I'm a Westview homeowner!"

[afonega1]

Wal-Mart will be opening their new store in Vine City by September so that i and added bonus.Its only a mile or two from the area

[DONNIEANDDONNA417]

its the hood

[dawnpoetic]

afonega1, I had heard about that. I'm hoping it will be an asset to the area. I'm not a Walmart fan but if it helps that community, I'm all for it.

Donnieanddonna417, thanks for your opinion. I happen to disagree. I know there are many people who have the perception of what the area was and have no idea what it is now or what it will be.