Best places to live for a couple with one of us working at emory and the other in the perimeter mall area (Atlanta: real estate, to rent)

[jdhgator]

My wife and I are moving to Atlanta in about a month. I will be working just off of 400 in the perimeter mall area and she will be working at Emory University. We were focusing on the Alpharetta and Roswell areas, but after further thought regarding home price appreciation, commute, and community safety, we're opening up to some more options. We don't have kids yet, but know that the home values are driven in part by schools. The communities we have looked in to are in two areas: the Suwanee area to the northeast, and the Decatur area outside the perimeter to the south (30034). What are the commute details on these two places, and are they worth looking into rather than roswell/alpharetta? any other areas that would work for our commute would also be appreciated. Thanks

[George Chong]

I am an avid promoter of living within the "Perimeter" rather than Outside the Perimeter "OTP". Commute times are horrible in Atlanta. The Perimeter is defined as anything inside of I-285 which is a big loop. For example, traffic starts to be bumper to bumper on 75/85 South starting at around 2:00 p.m. on a Friday. If I have a business meeting at the top of the Perimeter (Perimeter Mall area) it may take me an hour to get to downtown (which without traffic takes about 15 minutes).

Yes school systems drive the market in Atlanta. The City of Decatur (zip code 30030) is approximately 4 square miles in size and it is a smaller community within a large city. They have their own award winning schools, fire department and police. Of course you pay for the school system in City of Decatur taxes. Do not confuse Decatur City with a Decatur address. DeKalb County is a large county and Decatur stretches far and the markets cannot be compared. Look for Winnona Park, City of Decatur, Oakhurst or the zip code of 30030 to give you Decatur City address and school system. Check out the City of Decatur's website at City of Decatur, GA. Commuting to Emory would be a breeze as Emory is in DeKalb County too (Emory alumni here ) A lot of the traffic concerns around Emory are being addressed by The Cliff which is Emory's own inner transit system. I know that they are encouraging students and employees to use the Cliff because there are just so many ways in and into the main part of the campus.

I think that considering locations in Atlanta is more of a lifestyle and budget issue. Yes living intown is more expensive that outside but the commute is much shorter which in part gives you a better quality of life. Imagine being trapped in your car for an hour in our 100F heat wave. Everyone in Atlanta drives their private car. I am seeing a trend of more people moving into the City. I read an article that 16,000 people moved to Atlanta just last year.

If you need/want square footage in a home and a big yard - then living outside the Perimeter is a better fit. I live in Inman Park which is the first planned neighborhood in Atlanta founded in 1890 and I have no backyard and a postage sized front yard but I have a 2 car garage! Check out my "hood" at Inman Park.

A nice compromise outside the perimeter might be Chamblee or Doraville (Doraville is both in DeKalb and Gwinnett Counties). You could find a ranch with a backyard and commuting to Emory would be easy using the back roads and you could jump on the highway to head north to Alpharetta.

There of course is much greater appreciation of real estate values within the perimeter. The joke is that I do not visit friends who live OTP without my passport!

Happy hunting and welcome to Atlanta! It is a wonderful place to live and for the city our size - the cost of living is lower than other comparable cities.

Let me know if I can help as I am a real estate agent but do not sell in Suwanee as it is OTP and the markets are totally different.

Best of luck,
George

[cmtiger]

We live in Decatur and are thrilled, particularly with the schools. Decatur is convenient to Emory but it would be a more difficult commute (not horrible, but not great either) to the Perimeter Mall area. One area that pretty much sits ibetween Emory and Perimeter is Oak Grove. The schools are very good there (Oak Grove Elem. to Henderson Middle to Lakeside High). I have heard very good things about these three schools. They are some of the best schools in DeKalb Co.

If you go the Decatur route, I'm not sure 30034 would be the best place as far as schools go. The City of Decatur has its own school system that is separate from the county. You would need to be in 30030 to be in the city. Decatur schools include Winnona Park, Clairemont, Oakhurst, and Glennwood at the elementary level.

Both City of Decatur and the Oak Grove area are appreciating rapidly so you would do well in either place as far as home values. Decatur is more urban and funky, and Oak Grove has a bit more of a suburban feel. Both are ITP

Getting from Alpharetta or Roswell to Emory would be a nightmare you are smart to give that one a second thought!

Good Luck!

[sweettea1]

I'd look at Brookhaven. It's smack in the middle of both, maybe a bit closer to Perimeter but back roads will get you to Emory in minutes.

[JBnC]

Originally Posted by sweettea1

I'd look at Brookhaven. It's smack in the middle of both, maybe a bit closer to Perimeter but back roads will get you to Emory in minutes.

I think Brookhaven would be your absolute best bet. It is convenient to both.

[globalnomad]

We lived in Brookhaven for 2.5 months while we looked for a house near Emory/CDC. Brookhaven was very convenient to everywhere we needed to go.

[wxjay]

I'll echo Brookhaven as well. It's perfect for what you need. The problem would be if you wanted to buy a home because homes in that area are very pricey. If you need to rent, however, there are plenty of great complexes in the area.

[Go Blue 99]

What is your price range? There are some reasonably priced new townhome communities in Brookhaven.

[jdhgator]

Brookhaven appears to be the obvious geographical selection, but after looking through some homes in the area, it does seem to be a bit out of our price range. While a somewhat central location is key, we also don't want to strap ourselves to a monster mortgage early on. We also looked into the Tucker area, which has nice sized houses with decent yards, not to far from both emory and perimeter area, and there are non-highway routes to both jobs also. I think it's like 12-15 miles for my wife and about 15-20 miles for me. Any thoughts on that area?

[pinetreelover]

I agree with the previous posts - Brookhaven is the way to go. Suwanee is way, way too far for a daily commute. If money is a problem, look on the Marta side of Brookhaven. If money is not an issue, go for the golf course side. Lots of options for affordable, appreciating homes. Welcome!