Advice on moving to Altanta (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: for sale, hair salon, real estate)

[Prairieview]

Hi, my wife and I will be moving down to Atlanta from NC in late February / early March with our two daughters for a new job. I was looking for some advice on where to move and good school systems. Here's the details:

We are looking to buy a house, our budget is around $300-350k. We have one child in kindergarten and one in pre-school and would like to stay in public schools. I will be working near mid-town and would prefer a reasonable commute, so we would like to live somewhere inside the perimeter. Close to a MARTA station would be nice too. We like the look of older craftsman-style houses and the idea of a nice, walkable neighborhood close to restaurants/shops/markets. Also, my wife will be staying home with our daughters, so an area with good mommies groups would be great.

We also realize that we could live a little farther outside the city and get a lot more house and land for the money. We wouldn't mind doing this if it was an area with great schools and the commute would be 45 minutes or less.

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Prairieview]

Someone asked "Why ATL?" I got other job offers from up north, but I liked the job in Atlanta the best and felt it would be the best location and easiest transition for us coming from NC.

We've been looking hard at Decatur (the incorporated part) because the community, houses and schools seem to be to our liking. We're just wondering if it is worth the price. Home prices there haven't been affected as much as other areas and the taxes are really high. We'd be interested in other similar areas that are up and coming, but just don't know what those areas are.

[lorilove]

Our resident experts on intown neighborhoods and schools should eventually chime in - that is not my area of knowledge.

You might also want to consider areas like Sandy Springs or Dunwoody. You won't get the craftsman style homes but there are good schools and reasonable commutes. MARTA is accessible from both of these areas although not in walking distance. Peachtree Corners would also be an option although you are getting a little farther out - I can't comment on what the commute would be like.

[lastminutemom]

Originally Posted by Prairieview

Someone asked "Why ATL?" I got other job offers from up north, but I liked the job in Atlanta the best and felt it would be the best location and easiest transition for us coming from NC.

We've been looking hard at Decatur (the incorporated part) because the community, houses and schools seem to be to our liking. We're just wondering if it is worth the price. Home prices there haven't been affected as much as other areas and the taxes are really high. We'd be interested in other similar areas that are up and coming, but just don't know what those areas are.

Decatur is a great choice. And given the condition of the other intown school systems, it is probably your safest bet. It is very family friendly.

That said, you can also look in the Grady High School district as well as parts of Jackson high, I think. Not sure how much lower the taxes are in the City of Atlanta than the city of Decatur.

Sandy Springs might be a good choice as well but won't have the charm of intown districts.

[Prairieview]

Thanks for the info lorilove and lastminutemom! We'll keep looking for houses in Decatur but will start checking out Sandy Springs and Dunwoody too.

[cqholt]

We are looking to buy a house, our budget is around $300-350k. We have one child in kindergarten and one in pre-school and would like to stay in public schools. I will be working near mid-town and would prefer a reasonable commute, so we would like to live somewhere inside the perimeter. Close to a MARTA station would be nice too. We like the look of older craftsman-style houses and the idea of a nice, walkable neighborhood close to restaurants/shops/markets. Also, my wife will be staying home with our daughters, so an area with good mommies groups would be great.

Start in Kirkwood, Kirkwood Neighbors' Organization (KNO) :: Kirkwood Neighborhood, Atlanta, GA, Kirkwood (Atlanta) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. It is 4 miles from Downtown Atlanta, 3 miles from Decatur Square all accessible by MARTA. The area is also located along I-20, for quick access to the freeway system.
My wife and I live in Kirkwood, she works in Midtown and I in Dunwoody. We use MARTA to commute to work everyday, it takes her about 15-20 minutes. Kirkwood is served by 2 MARTA station, Edgewood/Candler Park and East Lake stations. There is big box retail; Lowes, Kroger, Target w/grocery, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, Ross, Bed, Bath and Beyond located 1 mile away at the Edgewood Retail District, Commercial Retail Real Estate Listings | Sembler Properties. Kirkwood also has a downtown business district with several great restaurants, bars, retail shops, hair salon, pet shop, dog training and boarding. The police and fire station are both located downtown Kirkwood.
For outdoors there are 5 parks within the neighborhood. These range from 7 acre hardwood preserve to small parks. Also there is a walking/biking trail, Stone Mountain PATH Stone Mountain.
Kirkwood has lots of updated, renovated craftsman homes for sale at a reasonable prices. There is a mix of Victorian, craftsman, ranch, and modern infill homes.
Kirkwood is served by a great elementary school, Toomer E.S. Toomer Elementary School / Welcome Page that is centrally located in the neighborhood and allows most kids to walk to school. The middle school is rapidly improving and got one of the best principals to lead the improvements.
We love living in Kirkwood. Crime is low, schools are good, and the area is a great southern charm about it. The neighbors are great, strong neighborhood organization, and lots of kids. There are several new businesses opening up in the area and homes do not stay on the market long. It is a traditional, intown, streetcar suburb that allows one to walk to a lot of amenities, know your neighbor and be part of a a great neighborhood.

[Prairieview]

Thanks for the suggestion cqholt. We liked a lot of the houses we saw in Kirkwood but shied away from the area based upon the school ratings from greatschools.org. I realize those ratings don't fully capture the overall quality of a school, so it's good to hear from someone who lives in the neighborhood and has had a positive experience. Thanks for posting!

[cqholt]

Thanks for the suggestion cqholt. We liked a lot of the houses we saw in Kirkwood but shied away from the area based upon the school ratings from greatschools.org. I realize those ratings don't fully capture the overall quality of a school, so it's good to hear from someone who lives in the neighborhood and has had a positive experience. Thanks for posting!

How very true, but there are kid bubble growing in the neighborhood. Just talking to people I know that everyone is committed to sending their kids to APS and improving the schools. As these kids move up through the grades the 'ratings' will follow. Toomer was not very good 10 years ago, but active parent involvement has brought the test score up and its been winning governor awards every year. My wife and I are expecting and intend 100% to send our kids to public schools.
Just from your earlier posts

We'd be interested in other similar areas that are up and coming, but just don't know what those areas are.

people with your type of thoughts are exactly what live in Kirkwood. People that are willing to work hard, show their kids what hard work accomplishes, and reap the rewards.

[ChefRamsey]

Originally Posted by Prairieview

Thanks for the suggestion cqholt. We liked a lot of the houses we saw in Kirkwood but shied away from the area based upon the school ratings from greatschools.org. I realize those ratings don't fully capture the overall quality of a school, so it's good to hear from someone who lives in the neighborhood and has had a positive experience. Thanks for posting!

I'd say go for the ratings. They're a lot better than opinions. Opinions can very from person to person. An average of opinions is more reliable. Some school systems suck more than others.

[kittyjo]

Originally Posted by Prairieview

Thanks for the suggestion cqholt. We liked a lot of the houses we saw in Kirkwood but shied away from the area based upon the school ratings from greatschools.org. I realize those ratings don't fully capture the overall quality of a school, so it's good to hear from someone who lives in the neighborhood and has had a positive experience. Thanks for posting!

Prarieview, buying a house and deciding where/how to educate your kids are very important decisions (the latter even more than the first). I have many friends with young kids who live in Kirkwood, they are happy living there but not ONE of them is using or intends to use their zoned public schools. Kirkwood is zoned to a very successful charter school (Drew) so some of them are hoping to get in there through the lottery. Most of them are opting to go private (they got a cheaper house and accept they will have to spend money on school tuition). The schools could improve, they are certainly trying. But it's a risk, and do you want to take a risk with your child's education?
City of Decatur is the most stable intown system, very good schools and no worries of redistricting as its such a small city. The taxes are very high (higher than city of Atlanta) but they're still cheaper than private school tuition! Stay away from Dekalb County schools entirely (they have just been put on probation). In the city of Atlanta, look at areas zoned to Inman Middle and Grady High. Other than that you will have to move OTP to get a high standard public education for your child.