Can anybody tell me a little bit about Smyrna? (Atlanta: for sale, apartments)

[BigSicily954]

Hey folks. I'm from South Florida. Looking to get out of this dump. My girl's brother owns four houses in the Smyrna area and is willing to rent one of them out to us. $750 per month for the 3/2 and $900 month for the other houses which are all 4 bedrooms. (with a little land)

We simply cannot beat that. In South Florida you won't even get a one bedroom apartment for less than $800, and that's probably in a seedy neighborhood. Anything in a decent neighborhood is $1k minimum.

She works for G4S Secure Solutions, which has offices all over the world. I work for the Broward County School Board and I'm also a high school football coach. That's actually one of the other reasons I'm exploring the move to GA, because I heard that they appreciate their coaches in Georgia. Down here we're only paid $1400 for the entire year to coach football. In the past decade over 158 coaches have left Florida for Georgia. I would like to continue to pursue both of my professions in GA.

All of his houses are in the Smyrna area to my knowledge. Can anybody tell me a little bit about the area? We're not into the club life at all. We like to eat out alot and we like our peace and quiet. We like to watch movies, shop, go to zoos, sporting games, etc. My main hobbies are custom cars (mainly classics) and coaching football. Her main hobby is shooting. We're both in our early 30's and she has a 4 year old daughter.

Can anybody give me some insight? Will we be happy there?



All help is greatly appreciated. Thanks yall.

[Saintmarks]

Smyrna is an older inner ring suburb that has some very positive qualities along with some areas that still need to see renewal. It all depends on what particular part of Smyrna these homes are in. The city rebuilt their downtown area in the last couple of decades and it is very nice. Many expensive neighborhoods line Atlanta Road. A large multi-use development has gone in at Atlanta Road and 285. It is super convenient to all of Atlanta as it borders 285.

However, some neighborhoods along Windy Hill Road on the northside are less than desirable. It can change quickly block to block. The schools are good to average, don't have the panache of East Cobb even though there are a lot of high dollar homes in the area.

All in all, Smyrna is a good community on the up and up. The last economic crash stalled out two major developments that would have moved Smyrna further along, but then again the houses you are looking at would probably rent for much, much more if the whole of Smyrna had been remodeled and rebuilt.

You will have a lot of good retail and restaurants in the immediate area and nearby in the Cumberland/Galleria area. Vinings is just to the east and is considered one of the toniest areas in all of the ATL.

So, it is a true mixed bag but overall I would rate it a thumbs up.

[Born 2 Roll]

If you and your family are currently living in a dump in South Florida then Smyrna will be a BIG STEP UP for you.

Smyrna is a town on the rise over the long-term with there being some degree of gentrification going on within the city limits.

If possible, you should check the neighborhood to see if you will like living there before you decide on moving into one of the four houses, but overall you should like the city as there is a growing village-like downtown area and a rising amount of interest in the city in terms of people who like living in an older suburban area that is urban but not too urban or inner-city urban.

[CAWjr]

I have lived in Smyrna since 2006 and I can tell you that there is nowhere else in the city that I would rather live. It is the OTP suburb that offers the most central access to everything you could possibly want to do in Atlanta (unless you want to hang out in Stone Mountain or Duluth every week). From my neighborhood on Atlanta Road, I can get to Buckhead, Midtown, Downtown, GA Dome, GA Aquarium, Turner Field, Six Flags, Atlanta Zoo, Dunwoody/Perimeter, Kennesaw, or the airport in less than 20 minutes.

The posters above have it spot on as far as the growth & demographics of Smyrna. The city ranges from a very black/Hispanic area on the northern part of the city along Windy Hill, apartments along Cumberland that are filled with a melting pot of white, black, Indian, etc, older homes interspersed throughout the city with a varying population of residents, and a very affluent demographic living in new construction neighborhoods along Atlanta Road and throughout other parts of the city.

Construction in Smyrna, like everywhere else in Atlanta, has stalled. The two major projects (on Cooper Lake/Atlanta Rd & Atlanta Rd/Windy Hill) are in the heart of the city and they definitely stand out, but they should not be viewed as evidence of a city in trouble. Some stalled construction projects have started back up again & housing prices are on the rise. In my neighborhood alone, we have seen a couple homes go up for sale after the school year ended & they were under contract very quickly.

For food, there are a ton of great restaurants. The city puts on a number of events as well including their summer concert series in the heart of the city. There is a community center that offers basketball, weights, workout, dance, etc. There are community sports teams for both kids & adults.

Public schools are what they are for Atlanta Metro & the South. There are good schools & not so good ones. The elementary we are zoned for is one of the better ones, but we still choose to send our kids to a private school. That's another advantage of Smyrna. If you are looking at private schools, 5 of the top private K-12 schools in the city are within a 15 minute radius.

You really cannot go wrong with Smyrna.

[BigSicily954]

Thanks for the all the info guys. Sounds a hell of alot better than Miami/South FLA.

[tonygeorgia]

Smyrna is cool. You are 15 mins away from downtown. You can go running along the trail at the Chattahoochee river. A huge outlet mall is opening up next month about 20 mins north. The worlds largest sports complex is opening about 25 mins north next year. You can get to the airport in 20 mins. Not far from Buckhead. You are 10 mins away from Kennesaw Mountain if you want to hike. Overall is it a good place to be

[CAWjr]

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

Smyrna is cool. You are 15 mins away from downtown. You can go running along the trail at the Chattahoochee river. A huge outlet mall is opening up next month about 20 mins north. The worlds largest sports complex is opening about 25 mins north next year. You can get to the airport in 20 mins. Not far from Buckhead. You are 10 mins away from Kennesaw Mountain if you want to hike. Overall is it a good place to be

Tony...tell me more about the outlet mall & sports complex. I live in Smyrna & I must have missed these!

[0nyxStation]

Originally Posted by BigSicily954

Hey folks. I'm from South Florida. Looking to get out of this dump. My girl's brother owns four houses in the Smyrna area and is willing to rent one of them out to us. $750 per month for the 3/2 and $900 month for the other houses which are all 4 bedrooms. (with a little land)

We simply cannot beat that. In South Florida you won't even get a one bedroom apartment for less than $800, and that's probably in a seedy neighborhood. Anything in a decent neighborhood is $1k minimum.

She works for G4S Secure Solutions, which has offices all over the world. I work for the Broward County School Board and I'm also a high school football coach. That's actually one of the other reasons I'm exploring the move to GA, because I heard that they appreciate their coaches in Georgia. Down here we're only paid $1400 for the entire year to coach football. In the past decade over 158 coaches have left Florida for Georgia. I would like to continue to pursue both of my professions in GA.

All of his houses are in the Smyrna area to my knowledge. Can anybody tell me a little bit about the area? We're not into the club life at all. We like to eat out alot and we like our peace and quiet. We like to watch movies, shop, go to zoos, sporting games, etc. My main hobbies are custom cars (mainly classics) and coaching football. Her main hobby is shooting. We're both in our early 30's and she has a 4 year old daughter.

Can anybody give me some insight? Will we be happy there?



All help is greatly appreciated. Thanks yall.

I live in Smyrna on Cobb Drive. Its close to my job. Its a pretty basic area. Its diverse kinda. Lots of whites, mexicans and black people. You wont really see hoodrats and knuckleheads around here. I mean you will see them, but not the typical wolf pack would see on the Westside or Southside parts of Atlanta. My girl loves it out here, I like it because im 8 minutes away from my job. I mostly just stay home a chill though, closest fun thing to where we live is Six Flags I think.

[tonygeorgia]

Originally Posted by CAWjr

Tony...tell me more about the outlet mall & sports complex. I live in Smyrna & I must have missed these!

It actually opens up in a few weeks. I was still thinking this month was June
Horizon Group Properties

First phase opens next year but it will be built out completely in 5 years
OUR STORY

[0nyxStation]

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

It actually opens up in a few weeks. I was still thinking this month was June
Horizon Group Properties

First phase opens next year but it will be built out completely in 5 years
OUR STORY

They not gonna build that stuff out here Tony.