Has anybody moved to Atlanta from Chicago and have regretted their decision? (North Atlanta: employment, theater)

[red92s]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Well, Kirkwood and NW Atlanta are pretty cool intown neighborhoods. Very up and coming, with excellent schools. There are still opportunities to get in on the ground floor.

Remember areas like Oakhurst, East Lake, Poncey-Highland, O4W a decade ago?

Oakhurst wasn't much different a decade ago. Fewer knock-down, in-fill houses maybe, but property values have been strong there compared to nearby areas for awhile. I'd say the "ground floor" for Kirkwood has come and gone. By the time you have a gourmet charcuterie and a brand new Sherwin Williams in your village, it's tough to claim you are an urban pioneer for living there.

By what yardstick are the Kirkwood schools "excellent"? Yeah, yeah, I get that all the young parents are really into Coan and getting things headed the right direction, and that it's on an upward trajectory, and Jackson is getting a huge renovation, and there is generally excitement about it in the community. All good things; really they are. But "better than other nearby options" does not make them excellent by default. Certainly they are one of the better options for public schools in the Atlanta districts, but frankly, that's not saying that much. I mean, the TEACHER didn't include Kirkwood in her list of neighborhoods with good schools, while naming several nearby or bordering communities. If it didn't make an educator's list of good in-town options for public school, it's probably not (yet) an "excellent" school. It's a good enough option that it'll continue to turn the screws on the Decatur market a bit, as people shy away from those higher taxes and initial investments. I still don't accept that "sorta almost as good as Decatur in 5 years" qualifies them as "excellent".

I'm a big proponent for some of these neighborhoods, but I'm not a stake-holder in any of them (for the moment). They are great options for a lot of people. But "affordable" for a college-educated couple with two wage-earners, and "affordable" for a family with a household income of $75k or less are dramatically different things.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by red92s

By what yardstick are the Kirkwood schools "excellent"? Yeah, yeah, I get that all the young parents are really into Coan and getting things headed the right direction, and that it's on an upward trajectory, and Jackson is getting a huge renovation, and there is generally excitement about it in the community. All good things; really they are.

We spent Thursday evening with some parents whose kids will be going to Coan and they are pumped. Betsy Bockman, the principal who shepherded Inman to excellence, has agreed to take over at Coan.

As I posted earlier, if you look back 10 years (or less) at schools like Mary Lin and Inman, they were pretty similar to where Coan and Toomer are now. They are clearly on the way up and things improve very quickly once a community decides it is going to make things happen. My grandchildren have gone through this exact process and they haven't suffered a bit. In fact they would say just the opposite. They now attend outstanding neighborhood schools in the city of Atlanta, that are brimming with other kids their age.

We're very close to some parents at Bolton and they would tell you the same thing.

[red92s]

Originally Posted by arjay57

We spent Thursday evening with some parents whose kids will be going to Coan and they are pumped. Betsy Bockman, the principal who shepherded Inman to excellence, has agreed to take over at Coan.

As I posted earlier, if you look back 10 years (or less) at schools like Mary Lin and Inman, they were pretty similar to where Coan and Toomer are now. They are clearly on the way up and things improve very quickly once a community decides it is going to make things happen. My grandchildren have gone through this exact process and they haven't suffered a bit. In fact they would say just the opposite. They now attend outstanding neighborhood schools in the city of Atlanta, that are brimming with other kids their age.

We're very close to some parents at Bolton and they would tell you the same thing.

I'd still argue that excited parents and a new principal don't earn a district an "excellent" rating, but it is nice to see people investing in those areas.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by red92s

I'd still argue that excited parents and a new principal don't earn a district an "excellent" rating, but it is nice to see people investing in those areas.

When my kids decided to move to the Mary Lin district the school was not what it is today. But they knew other parents who were moving in who intended to lift things up. And it happened pretty darn fast. They knew they were going to see to it that their kids (our grandchildren) were going to get a good education no matter what. They also believed that if the kids had to spend some time in a school that was still undergoing transition it wouldn't hurt them. In fact, it didn't hurt them at all -- to the contrary, it has been a positive experience. If you have good teachers, good administrators, good kids and parents who care and willing to go to work, then you are going to have an excellent school.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by arjay57

When my kids decided to move to the Mary Lin district the school was not what it is today. But they knew other parents who were moving in and who intended to lift things up. And it happened pretty darn fast. They knew they were going to see to it that their kids (our grandchildren) were going to get a good education no matter what. They also believed that if the kids had to spend some time in a school that was still undergoing transition it wouldn't hurt them. In fact, it didn't hurt them at all -- to the contrary, it has been a positive experience. If you have good teachers, good administrators, good kids and parents who care and willing to go to work, then you are going to have an excellent school.

Despite standardized test scores, a school can be excellent as long as it has the components listed above.

This thread has really jumped the tracks...

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by JoeTarheel

Despite standardized test scores, a school can be excellent as long as it has the components listed above.

True. And before you know it the test scores start rising quickly too.

Originally Posted by JoeTarheel

This thread has really jumped the tracks...

How so? I thought the argument was that Atlanta doesn't offer any affordable options for raising a family intown whereas Chicago supposedly does.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by arjay57

How so? I thought the argument was that Atlanta doesn't offer any affordable options for raising a family intown whereas Chicago supposedly does.

Well, I guess you could relate school quality to regretting your decision to move from Chicago to Atlanta...and I'm sure the OP (from 2010) doesn't mind anyway.

[alinka72]

Originally Posted by JoeTarheel

I wouldn't make those kinds of assumptions about anonymous people online. I don't want to go back and forth with someone about my personal history on this forum, that isn't why I come here. I will say that I have lived in 2 cities larger than Atlanta, one in Europe and one in the U.S...so you can stop with the personal questions.

This is the type of rudeness I was referring to...I'm not confused about anything here, we just have different opinions and I don't appreciate the aggression. The purpose of this forum is not to offend as many people as possible but to help people with relocation and discuss cities/states.

Ha ha ha! Atlanta boosters are the rudest and preposterous of them ALL!

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by alinka72

Ha ha ha! Atlanta boosters are the rudest and preposterous of them ALL!

As usual, you have nothing to add to the discussion but discord. At least you're consistent.

[Jeanies1234]

Hello,
Did you move to ATL? We are also considering moving from park ridge area to ATL.