Kirkwood lures budget-conscious buyers: This article/link is for those that insist that someone "caint, just caint... (Atlanta: Home Depot, neighborhood)

[GeorgiaLakeSearch]

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...ex=GA554981626

Under 300k in the Grady district and it is a 3/2!

[lastminutemom]

Originally Posted by Onthemove2014

The city of Decatur.



San Jose
San Francisco
DC
Portland
Seattle
NYC

Decatur doesn't count -- not a big city, poverty now below 25 percent poverty, etc

Most of the cities you listened, only serve children well in affluent neighborhoods or in schools of choice. I am not saying it is acceptable, but it is reality. (For the record, my good friend's child in Seattle attends a magnet program housed in an inner city school in Seattle. Great program, but she tells me the rest of the school really doesn't work very well.)

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaLakeSearch

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...ex=GA554981626

Under 300k in the Grady district and it is a 3/2!

Good thing there are plenty of restaurants around, since that kitchen isn't really big enough to actually cook anything in. It'll be fine for re-heating doggie-bags, though.....

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Nast

To call someone out because they might not be willing to take that gamble with their kids is bs.

Er, I'm not "calling somebody out" for their choices. I've said many times that in my opinion electing to live in the suburbs is a perfectly legitimate preference.

However, that's very different from insisting you have no alternative and that it's impossible to live intown. Reality says differently. The neighborhoods that have sterling schools like SPARK, Mary Lin, Inman and Grady weren't always that way and those schools didn't just happen. They came about because people made the choice to live intown and to roll up their sleeves and make things better. History shows us that once people make that commitment major improvements can happen very rapidly, as they did in Atlanta.

That's exactly the way good schools and communities are built everywhere -- intown and in the suburbs. And you're right that success is never guaranteed, regardless of where you choose to live. Suburban schools, just like those in the city, can go in the tank and they can be resurrected.

There are plenty of areas intown where people have already taken the risk of moving into troubled communities and done the hard work of turning them around. In most cases they've been very successful, which is why areas like Candler Park, East Lake and Virginia Highland now command premium prices. For those who are interested in doing the same thing, there's still plenty of room to get in on the ground floor in communities like Kirkwood and Riverside.

Of course that's not everyone's cup of tea. Many people prefer to take what seems to them to be the safe bet and live in the suburbs. That is perfectly understandable. But frankly, it's silly to claim there isn't a choice.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Good thing there are plenty of restaurants around, since that kitchen isn't really big enough to actually cook anything in. It'll be fine for re-heating doggie-bags, though.....

Shoot, my mama cooked up a storm in a kitchen like that. She made meatloaf and canned tomatoes and soup and baked enough biscuits and birthday cakes to feed our entire clan.

She always had enough left over to feed the dogs, too.

[noah]

You just named the most expensive real estate markets in the country and your question stated there are many cities where you get all that you asked for at affordable prices. Won't find it for under $400k at a minimum in these cities and that will be a small house that would be unacceptable to most on this board.

Originally Posted by Onthemove2014

The city of Decatur.



San Jose
San Francisco
DC
Portland
Seattle
NYC

[Onthemove2014]

Originally Posted by noah

You just named the most expensive real estate markets in the country and your question stated there are many cities where you get all that you asked for at affordable prices. Won't find it for under $400k at a minimum in these cities and that will be a small house that would be unacceptable to most on this board.

1. She never said anything about price.

2. The wages are actually living wages in those cities.

[Onthemove2014]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

Decatur doesn't count -- not a big city, poverty now below 25 percent poverty, etc

Most of the cities you listened, only serve children well in affluent neighborhoods or in schools of choice. I am not saying it is acceptable, but it is reality. (For the record, my good friend's child in Seattle attends a magnet program housed in an inner city school in Seattle. Great program, but she tells me the rest of the school really doesn't work very well.)

You never said anything about anything. You asked for good schools.

Those cities also have much higher wages then Atlanta where companies get tight when you someone tries to get 40k.

[cqholt]

Its easy to live in suburbs. All you gotta do is maintain the status quo. While others want to work hard and build something. We moved to Kirkwood because its on an upward trajectory. Toomer is a great school. Those kids and parents will move up to Coan then the brand new Jackson. We want to show our kids the conrewards of hard work.

[kittyjo]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

Decatur doesn't count -- not a big city, poverty now below 25 percent poverty, etc

Most of the cities you listened, only serve children well in affluent neighborhoods or in schools of choice. I am not saying it is acceptable, but it is reality. (For the record, my good friend's child in Seattle attends a magnet program housed in an inner city school in Seattle. Great program, but she tells me the rest of the school really doesn't work very well.)

You didn't specify city size or poverty level in your original question. And FYI, Decatur City is 25% free lunch, which is a lot higher than most high-performing suburban schools.
I completely agree with all the posters. Turning around ATL intown schools takes work from involved parents and if you don't want to work you should stay in the suburbs.10 years ago Decatur schools were not performing at the levels they are now. I am sure Kirkwood can turn things round in the same way Decatur and Candler Park etc did. They already have made some great changes at Toomer.