Moving to Atlanta - Thinking about Midtown Area (North Atlanta, Decatur: apartments, rentals)

[smariem]

Hello,

I will be relocating from Milwaukee, WI to Atlanta, GA in late July to attend John Marshall Law School in Midtown.

I have a son who will be 4 years old by then so I am looking for preschools as well as a condo or apartment to rent in the area. I have heard good things about the Midtown area and would like his preschool and my home to be as close to my law school as possible. I have a small home-based business that I can operate from any place I move to, so employment is not an issue.

For preschools it is not in my budget to pay for private schools, so I am looking for good public preschools or centers that use the Bright from the Start Pre-K program.

For a condo or apartment, I prefer privately owned and operated 1-2 bedroom condos with rent around $700-$850/month. If I need to go a little higher to get what I want, I will. I'd prefer to pay more for rent than to have a long commute and pay for more gas. If I can't find anything before my move I will be residing with a friend in Ellenwood until I can find what I am looking for.

Any information you can offer about the Midtown area or nearby areas would be greatly appreciated. I don't mind living in another area as long as the drive isn't too long (less than 30-45min. in traffic) and it has good schools and is a safe area...I've heard Decatur is not too far and is nice.

Thanks!

[testa50]

There are places within that budget, but you will have to look hard. Certainly not a 2BR, I'm afraid. You won't have your pick of 1BR--you'll have to settle for something less than optimal in an older building, most likely.

Decatur is a bit cheaper than Midtown and has excellent schools. You can drive (~30 min) or take MARTA (~45 min). The good thing about MARTA is you'll have a built in hour of reading time on the train each day, and parking is free so long as you can walk to the station. There is a station in downtown Decatur and a station two blocks from the school.

Decatur is more family-friendly than Midtown, FYI. But both are good options.

[DeaconJ]

I rented a fairly nice (but far from luxurious) 2 bedroom apartment in Midtown back in 1994 for $850/month, so I'm pretty sure you will need to pay a good bit more than that now. I'm not sure what the average rent in Midtown is today, but I would bet that $850/month would be a steal.

Midtown is a great area, and probably one of the more expensive in the city. You might want to check Lindbergh or Clairmont Road areas, as both are nearby with lots of newer apartments/condos to choose from. I'm sure other members will offer addtional options.

[AnsleyPark]

Consider, too, giving a realtor a call. A lot of folks who cannot sell their houses are, instead, renting.

[stvincent]

When it comes to inexpensive intown housing you will usually have to choose one or the other: cheap rent OR good schools. Midtown is one of the most desirable areas of the city and landlords know this. Most are not going to charge $850 a month for something they know they could get $1200 for, even in a recession. Since the city is built out for the most part, in the desirable areas, the recession hasn't affected home prices(or rents) as much as in the further out burbs. Supply and Demand. You might be able to find some apartments in the Midtown/intown areas that cheap but they will resemble a slum. And even for a slum, in a good school district, for a 2 bedroom, $850 would be pushing it.

With that being said, the very far southwest corner of Buckhead would have good schools and apartments in your price range(maybe you can increase to $950?). They're not going to be lavish but will be inhabitable. Check out the Defoors Ferry and Collier Road areas. Also the Cross Creek Condos over there usually have affordable rentals. These areas are in the zips codes 30318 and 30327. MOST of 30318 is very undesirable for someone with a child so be careful that the elementary schools you're zoned to feed into North Atlanta High School. But that area in SW Buckhead is probably your best bet for what you're looking for. It's only 10 mintues north of Midtown, plenty of side streets to take during traffic hours to easily transport you from one to the other.