Living without a Car : Is it possible in Atlanta / Serenbe ? (renting, home) - Georgia (GA) - City-Data Forum

Geologic · 02-23-2013, 06:43 AM

Living without a Car : Is it possible in Atlanta / Serenbe ?

I have lived happily without a car for many years, and in some great cities.

I am now considering a move to the Atlanta area - and more specifically to Serenbe (maybe)

I do not want to waste $8-10,000 per annum on a vehicle, if I can avoid it.

Have you got any suggestions for places to live in the area?
A nice Walkable neighborhood is what I am seeking, and one which also has some decent transport links.

So far, I have been eyeing the areas in Downtown areas in other cities.

BTW, I am self-employed, and normally work from home, and so I do not need to commute every day.

Surely, there must be people in the area, who enjoy the wonderful freedom of living a car-free life, and are willing to share some of their secrets.

lastminutemom · 02-23-2013, 07:05 AM

I would say no to Serenbe. It is really far out, in fact at least a few Atlanta area folks use it as a second home. I suppose there is bus service nearby, but it isn't practical as it most likely doesn't run very often.

Lots of choices within Atlanta, Midtown, Virginia Highlands, Ansley Park, downtown, etc. Even an area like Perimter Center, but that lacks the charm or urbanness of other areas I listed.

Atlanta_BD · 02-23-2013, 07:32 AM

Living in Atlanta without a car is not recommended, especially if you don't live in the city proper on the bus or train line. Even living in the city on the MARTA line, it's just too slow and unreliable to live a completely car-free lifestyle here.

I moved here from a city with a much more expansive and reliable transit system so I never, ever drove there. Didn't even have a license. When I moved here, because there was transit and I still didn't want the expense of a car I thought I could live here without a car. I did it my first five years here. It was hell getting around. I even lost a job and had to drop one of my college classes because the transit is not good and the trains were always breaking down.

Just recently I miss a full weeks worth of pay because my car needed to be repaired and there was no way for me to get to work without renting a car or spend literally hundreds of dollars to take a taxi.

I say all this to say if you are going to live in Atlanta, you NEED to have a car. Your life will be hell here without one unless your home and job are on the train line along with your neighborhood having sidewalks and has all of your shopping needs in walking distance. It's hard to get all that in one neighborhood here.

joey86 · 02-23-2013, 09:20 AM

Don't listen to that last poster, Marta usually runs very smoothly and can get you just about anywhere worth going. People from other big cities tell me it's great all the time. I wouldn't recommend Serenbe. It comes across as Orwellian. I assume that since you are considering Serenbe you want somewhere peaceful and walkable. Check out Virginia Highlands, Inman Park, Candler Park and Lake Claire. If you do want more urbanity Midtown is the place.

SwampFox35 · 02-23-2013, 09:22 AM

This guy is spamming every city forum with the same question about living without a car.

erick295 · 02-23-2013, 09:24 AM

Our transit is limited and infrequent. This is not a city you'll want to live in without a car.

Of course, living here costs less than any city I can think of where cars are optional...

ja1myn · 02-23-2013, 09:55 AM

I live in Midtown and I could totally survive without a car if I had to. I live right across from the MARTA station, there are tons of places to shop and eat within a 5-15 minute walk, Piedmont Park is close by, and my barbershop is also about 7 blocks south from me.

At times I am fortunate to own a car though since cab service down here blows.