Thinking of Downtown Decatur - Thoughts? (Atlanta, Buckhead: rental, home, safe area)

[newyork004]

My wife and I have been living in NYC for nearly 15 years and are thinking of moving to Decatur, GA for a lower cost of living, to be closer to family, and have more resources (ie: time and money).

I'm from the suburbs south of Atlanta and that's where we stay when we visit. Since it's been 15 years since I've lived there, Atlanta is practically like a new city.

These are all questions pertaining to downtown Decatur, not incorporated Decatur:

How arty and liberal is downtown Decatur? We would prefer an open-minded community with an arts scene. We tend to lean left, but my main issue is open-mindedness whether you're conservative or liberal.

Is it safe? Can you walk around at night as a couple? Are home robberies common?

How horrific is the commute from downtown Decatur to midtown? For reference, let's say Decatur to around the High Museum?

What are the public schools like?

Is there enough to do? Maybe 10+ restaurants, cafes, perhaps a movie theater?

Is it really walkable? I heard it's the state's most walkable city, but do locals actually get out and about and make use of it?

We're going to visit the area in about a month, but I wanted to get a sense of what we're looking into before we explore it first-hand. Our main reason for looking into downtown Decatur is we want a quick commute to Atlanta, avoid some of the midtown crime, enjoy a walkable area, hopefully have access to the arts, and be in proximity to MARTA even though I realize it's not very efficient as public transportation. The rental and purchase prices are affordable enough for us, so that's not a big factor into this.

Any other thoughts on the area or other places to look are greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

[ATLHRLGUY]

Answers in bold.

Originally Posted by newyork004

My wife and I have been living in NYC for nearly 15 years and are thinking of moving to Decatur, GA for a lower cost of living, to be closer to family, and have more resources (ie: time and money).

I'm from the suburbs south of Atlanta, and it's been 15 years, so it's like a new city.

These are all questions pertaining to downtown Decatur, not incorporated Decatur:
How arty and liberal is downtown Decatur? I always found Georgia rather racist for being so diverse. Is Decatur like this? Decatur is very artsy and liberal.

Is it safe? Can you walk around at night as a couple? Are home robberies common? Yes it's safe to walk around at night. It's a pretty safe area.

How horrific is the commute from downtown Decatur to midtown? For reference, let's say Decatur to around the High Museum? 15 or so minutes

What are the public schools like? Don't have personal experience but hear they are quite good.

Is there enough to do? Maybe 10+ restaurants, cafes, perhaps a movie theater? Plenty of non-chain restaurants, cafes, festivals other activities etc.

We're going to visit the area in about a month, but I wanted to get a sense of what we're looking into before we explore it first-hand. Our main reason for looking into downtown Decatur is we want a quick commute to Atlanta, avoid some of the midtown crime, enjoy a walkable area, and have access to MARTA even though I realize it's not that efficient.

Any other thoughts on the area or other places to look are greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

I enjoy the area, thought about living there myself, but most of my daily activity finds me in the Buckhead and immediate surrounding area, so just didn't make sense.

Also do a search within this forum for more info, as the city of decatur has been discussed several times.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by newyork004

My wife and I have been living in NYC for nearly 15 years and are thinking of moving to Decatur, GA for a lower cost of living, to be closer to family, and have more resources (ie: time and money).

I'm from the suburbs south of Atlanta and that's where we stay when we visit. Since it's been 15 years since I've lived there, Atlanta is practically like a new city.

These are all questions pertaining to downtown Decatur, not incorporated Decatur (Downtown decatur IS incorporated Decatur):

How arty and liberal is downtown Decatur? Quite liberal, moderately arty. We would prefer an open-minded community with an arts scene. We tend to lean left, but my main issue is open-mindedness whether you're conservative or liberal.I don't think you'll find this to be a problem.

Is it safe? Yes Can you walk around at night as a couple? Yes Are home robberies common? Probably less common than other intown areas.

How horrific is the commute from downtown Decatur to midtown? For reference, let's say Decatur to around the High Museum? Easy on MARTA. Probably 30 minutes by car.What are the public schools like? Probably the best in the state.

Is there enough to do? Maybe 10+ restaurants, cafes, perhaps a movie theater? There are no movie theaters in the Decatur city limits, but there's a large restaurant/bar/coffee scene, with a few live music venues, and zillions of festivals throughout the year.

Is it really walkable? Yes I heard it's the state's most walkable city, but do locals actually get out and about and make use of it? Yes, although I don't know about the most walkable in the state claim.

We're going to visit the area in about a month, but I wanted to get a sense of what we're looking into before we explore it first-hand. Our main reason for looking into downtown Decatur is we want a quick commute to Atlanta, avoid some of the midtown crime, enjoy a walkable area, hopefully have access to the arts, and be in proximity to MARTA even though I realize it's not very efficient as public transportation MARTA is more than adequate for the needs/desires you've stated. The rental and purchase prices are affordable enough for us, so that's not a big factor into this.

Any other thoughts on the area or other places to look are greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

My responses are in red.

[newyork004]

Ha, got it! I thought downtown Decatur and incorporated were different. So far this has been super helpful, thanks so much.

[George Chong]

Ditto to what everyone else has written so far.

Here are some additional websites for you to explore:

www.decaturga.com
City of Decatur : Calendar
http://www.csdecatur.net/
Decatur Metro » Restaurants
The Decatur Arts Alliance

[JPD]

Originally Posted by newyork004

Ha, got it! I thought downtown Decatur and incorporated were different. So far this has been super helpful, thanks so much.

That's a common mistake. Incorporated = city. There are a lot of areas that people refer to as Decatur that are actually part of unincorporated Dekalb county, meaning, they're not part of ANY city. As long as you're focused on Downtown Decatur, you're well within the Decatur city limits. If I can dig it up, I'll post a map of the city limits.

You'll hear very few, if any, complaints about City of Decatur. The only complaint I ever hear is that property taxes are higher than other parts of the Atlanta area. Since you're from NYC, the taxes might not seem so high. If you're renting, that won't be as much of an issue, anyway.

[jematl]

Agree with all of the above, but want to add that although there are no movie theaters in downtown Decatur, there is a new documentary film series that screens at the gorgeous new auditorium at Decatur High:

DecaturDocs | Facebook

[IntownHomes247]

You won't find a better place to live around Atlanta than Decatur. There are almost constant festivals, concerts on the square, and other special events throughout the year. There are many wonderful restaurants -- Decatur is really the epicenter of the local food movement in Atlanta and has great farm-to-table restaurants in every price range (including Farm Burger and Burnt Fork BBQ for farm-to-table "fast" food). There are 2 organic farmers markets each week year-round (plus the DeKalb Farmers Market is nearby). Decatur is an extremely progressive city that is focused on continuing to improve itself and stay on top of technology and trends rather than constantly trying to catch up. it's truly a little jewel in the Atlanta area.

[newyork004]

Excellent! Thanks for the links and additional advice, especially about the new documentary series. It all sounds like it might be perfect for us, we're really looking for that small but progressive urban feel with close proximity. And yes, property taxes look cheap to me from up here in NYC. We'll probably rent for at least a year to make sure we're settling in okay. We love the 'village' feel of the arty towns upstate, but feel it's just too far. I like the idea of being so close to midtown if we want it.

[Brisco]

If you want to rent in Decatur, you have to act fast. Properties don't stay available long.

I did a lot of researching before moving to Altanta and we thought we would like Decatur-- and we really do! for all the reasons you mentioned below.

Enjoy!