Ponce City Market (Atlanta, Decatur: house, median income, living)

[GeorgiatoChina]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Supply and demand. There exist a demand to live intown!

Yep, pushing anyone who makes less then 60k to the burbs.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by GeorgiatoChina

Yep, pushing anyone who makes less then 60k to the burbs.

That's where poor people and those that gave up on their dreams belong! Just joking.

[netsirk]

I'm a recent transplant here--what IS the median salary in the metro Atlanta area? I see "less than $60K" and my frame of reference says, well, of course you can't live in the city on that. Or the suburbs. Or much of anywhere, if you're looking to live alone.

However, I moved here in August from the NYC metro area.

My head is clearly not attuned to medians here--in the northeast, $60K annually would drive you into a small apartment with several roommates, at least 30 miles away from the city. Maybe 60 miles. Or into your parents' basement. And I haven't found my own money going much further here than up there. Am I the only one?

[GeorgiatoChina]

Originally Posted by netsirk

I'm a recent transplant here--what IS the median salary in the metro Atlanta area? I see "less than $60K" and my frame of reference says, well, of course you can't live in the city on that. Or the suburbs. Or much of anywhere, if you're looking to live alone.

However, I moved here in August from the NYC metro area.

My head is clearly not attuned to medians here--in the northeast, $60K annually would drive you into a small apartment with several roommates, at least 30 miles away from the city. Maybe 60 miles. Or into your parents' basement. And I haven't found my own money going much further here than up there. Am I the only one?

If you are moved from NYC to here making the same salary and that salary is over 60k and your quality of life has not improved as far as your dollar in the suburbs or city you are doing it wrong. The price for an equivalent apartment up there is over 2X as high in a similar area and the taxes are a order of magnitude less here.

[netsirk]

I'm making more money here than there--and to be fair, in both locations, it's an excellent salary.

But I see that "if you're making less than $60K, you're pushed to the burbs," and it gives me pause. If you're making less than $60K in NYC metro NOW, you're not just in the burbs, you're in the burbs with a bunch of roommates. Renting. For reference, I made $60K in NJ in 1998. And I was not living large, I was 28, my job was not big or important, and I could not have bought a house on that salary unless I wanted to move to Pennsylvania. Or maybe western Jersey. Neither of which is really great for commuting to NYC.

For the record, housing here is cheaper to buy, but I'm renting here and paying my mortgage there, so I'm not seeing the benefits right now. And there are tradeoffs. Where I'm from, 30 miles outside the city on a direct commuter train line into the city, a one-bedroom condo, in an area roughly similar to Decatur, would rent for about $1,800/month without utilities. I live in Inman Park now and am renting at $1,410 without utilities. So, not twice the amount as here.

As far as taxes go, that's dependent on the municipality or township. I lived in a township with low taxes and excellent schools. It was by design (I grew up in the same town). The township has large corporations (formerly Bell Labs, Verizon), and also zones against strip malls and other eyesores; you get corporate tax breaks and zero big-box stores, to boot. Those nightmare property taxes you hear about in Jersey didn't apply to my town. Other counties have it worse, but I never understood why you'd want to live in Essex County and basically pay taxes to support Newark, anyway. Choices. All about choices.

And that's why I ask what a median salary is here, now. If you can get a place in the suburbs on a $60K salary...well...that's sort of unheard of, as far as my experience goes. What IS the median salary here?

[GeorgiatoChina]

Originally Posted by netsirk

I'm making more money here than there--and to be fair, in both locations, it's an excellent salary.

But I see that "if you're making less than $60K, you're pushed to the burbs," and it gives me pause. If you're making less than $60K in NYC metro NOW, you're not just in the burbs, you're in the burbs with a bunch of roommates. Renting. For reference, I made $60K in NJ in 1998. And I was not living large, I was 28, my job was not big or important, and I could not have bought a house on that salary unless I wanted to move to Pennsylvania. Or maybe western Jersey. Neither of which is really great for commuting to NYC.

For the record, housing here is cheaper to buy, but I'm renting here and paying my mortgage there, so I'm not seeing the benefits right now. And there are tradeoffs. Where I'm from, 30 miles outside the city on a direct commuter train line into the city, a one-bedroom condo, in an area roughly similar to Decatur, would rent for about $1,800/month without utilities. I live in Inman Park now and am renting at $1,410 without utilities. So, not twice the amount as here.

As far as taxes go, that's dependent on the municipality or township. I lived in a township with low taxes and excellent schools. It was by design (I grew up in the same town). The township has large corporations (formerly Bell Labs, Verizon), and also zones against strip malls and other eyesores; you get corporate tax breaks and zero big-box stores, to boot. Those nightmare property taxes you hear about in Jersey didn't apply to my town. Other counties have it worse, but I never understood why you'd want to live in Essex County and basically pay taxes to support Newark, anyway. Choices. All about choices.

And that's why I ask what a median salary is here, now. If you can get a place in the suburbs on a $60K salary...well...that's sort of unheard of, as far as my experience goes. What IS the median salary here?

Decatur nor Iman Park are anywhere near 30 miles (try like <5 )from the city so I wouldn't consider that a similar area unless you are just talking about looks. You are less then 5 miles away from the urban Intown areas which means a equivalent area within 5 miles or so to manhattan would cost you at least 2k but probably 3k.


60k salary with good credit can get you a nice house in the burbs here. All you have to do is look at the prices.

[GeorgiatoChina]

This whole Ponce City Market looks so LAME. As usual ATL is trying to mimic the big boys and ends up looking like Charlotte instead.

I wonder who sent me this.

[tonygeorgia]

Originally Posted by GeorgiatoChina

I wonder who sent me this.

I think it is cute. Out of the hundred of forums on here they still choose to come here

[JPD]

Originally Posted by GeorgiatoChina

I wonder who sent me this.

A miserable individual who lacks self worth.

[netsirk]

Originally Posted by GeorgiatoChina

Decatur nor Iman Park are anywhere near 30 miles (try like <5 )from the city so I wouldn't consider that a similar area unless you are just talking about looks. You are less then 5 miles away from the urban Intown areas which means a equivalent area within 5 miles or so to manhattan would cost you at least 2k but probably 3k.


60k salary with good credit can get you a nice house in the burbs here. All you have to do is look at the prices.

No, but Atlanta and Manhattan are very different cities. The appearance/amenities of Decatur and Inman Park are very much like the town I lived in 30 miles from the city--they are really more suburban than anything that's the equivalent amount of distance outside of Manhattan (in NJ).

Anyway, I'm not looking to get a house in the suburbs here...was just curious about median salaries.