Why is it so cheap west of Atlanta ? (Marietta, Perry: crime rate, house)

[residinghere2007]

Depends on the area. I live about a mile west of Downtown in English Avenue. The area has a bad rep as the hood, see above, so that is why stuff is cheap. There are still crime issues over here but nothing like it used to be.

And bryantm3 - it is "able" mable Thomas. She is actually a state representative and a cool character. She has lived in English Avenue her entire life so isn't an urban pioneer, which is one of the reasons why I actually like her even though she gets a bad rep by some as sort of a sheisty political figure.

But it would depend on which area the OP is speaking of. There are still a few good housing deals to be made in my neighborhood and in Vine City but most of those properties are in very bad conditions. The prices have actually increased over here over the past year pretty substantially. My own house was recently appraised at greater than 100K by a bank appraiser, which is more than I bought it for and almost as much as it appraised for prior to the housing market decline.

And FWIW, I live off of Bankhead and there are plenty of places to eat within a mile of here over on Marietta Blvd and Howell Mill. I can walk over there in about 10 minutes. The new Walmart is within 2 miles of me and I live on the north end of the neighborhood so there are groceries and restaurants around here. But it is still a depressed area and in English Avenue in particular, there isn't as much development. Vine City has had a much larger turnaround in regards to commercial development due to having the Walmart there and having a new park installed (Vine City Park) and the construction of a new park (Mims). The new Mims park is on Boone Blvd, which is the dividing point between English Avenue and Vine City and there have been quite a few structures torn down in anticipation of developments occurring on that street in both neighborhoods. There is also talk of development on Bankhead/Hollowell but we'll see how that turns out. All the talk and the new stadium is what many feel have made the values go up so much recently.

Most of the abandoned homes are owned by investors who don't live over here and are holding out for development. Unfortunately they are one of the primary reasons that development is not occurring, at least for those of us who live in the neighborhood who don't want huge investments at this point (other than a park in English Ave and a community center) because we are constantly trying to maintain and secure and bug the city about all the vacant properties and the blight they cause.

[gerrythesnake]

Nothing but chain restaurants, hookers and check cashing spots in West Atlanta

Generally

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by gerrythesnake

Nothing but chain restaurants, hookers and check cashing spots in West Atlanta

Generally

LOL, you must have not been to the Westside recently. And I haven't seen a hooker in a while! And I actually live in a neighborhood that used to have a whole lot of hookers walking around. I remember as a college student I would see multiple (at least 10-30) prostitutes a night and they shocked my upper income classmates who had never seen such people - especially the "she-male" hookers lol.

And I don't have a check cashing place near me at all. I'm sure the gas station probably cashes checks though, but I am closer to the Marietta St. Artery and they have a lot of nice stuff over there including many restaurants, a bakery, a 24 hour fitness facility, and a coffee house that isn't Starbucks or Caribou Coffee or any other chain coffee spot.

[bryantm3]

part of that is that ATL has really tightened up on prostitutes. the only red light district left is out on fulton industrial blvd. when it comes to chain places, those are actually the last places you'd find in west atlanta around bankhead and whatnot. until recently, they didn't think it was worth the risk to locate there. it's getting better fast, though, especially vine city. i'm just worried people will get priced out eventually; that's why they need to ensure long-time residents don't get property tax increases amongst other efforts.

[ATLTJL]

The area around Bankhead Highway and I-285 was terrible for many years because it was where the projects were. Bankhead Courts and Bowen Homes specifically were two of the most notorious government housing projects in the area, and they were both enormous. Section 8 has replaced government housing now and those properties have been abandoned, though I don't know what ever became of the infrastructure. I think it was supposed to be demolished but I'm not sure if that ever happened.

[gerrythesnake]

Originally Posted by residinghere2007

LOL, you must have not been to the Westside recently. And I haven't seen a hooker in a while! And I actually live in a neighborhood that used to have a whole lot of hookers walking around. I remember as a college student I would see multiple (at least 10-30) prostitutes a night and they shocked my upper income classmates who had never seen such people - especially the "she-male" hookers lol.

And I don't have a check cashing place near me at all. I'm sure the gas station probably cashes checks though, but I am closer to the Marietta St. Artery and they have a lot of nice stuff over there including many restaurants, a bakery, a 24 hour fitness facility, and a coffee house that isn't Starbucks or Caribou Coffee or any other chain coffee spot.

I said generally

[Discovery1]

This house here looks so lovely and is so cheap for a reason, perhaps ?.... Using google street view terrain, area not ghetto at all.
But maybe only those who living near by know .

19 Burbank Dr, Atlanta, GA 30314 | MLS# 7191473 | Redfin

[arjay57]

Looks to me like it compares favorably to Midtown in terms of crime, except there are more assaults along Joseph E. Boone and a few more burglaries scattered around.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by gerrythesnake

Nothing but chain restaurants, hookers and check cashing spots in West Atlanta

Generally

Must be a different part of West Atlanta. From the river to the outskirts of Midtown in Northwest Atlanta, there are very few chain restaurants outside of the clump on Howell Mill.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

Must be a different part of West Atlanta. From the river to the outskirts of Midtown in Northwest Atlanta, there are very few chain restaurants outside of the clump on Howell Mill.

Chain restaurants (with the exception of fast food) don't generally don't locate in predominately black areas unless there is already a proven market there. It's sad but true.

Go another 10 minutes west and you'll find some relatively nice areas...Mableton, Lithia Springs, Douglasville, etc. Douglas County has a lot of very nice, reasonably priced homes. Then again there are some really nice neighborhoods inside the perimeter on the west side of you don't mind being adjacent to some really notorious ones - but that situation is not much different than East Atlanta, Decatur, or many other places around Atlanta.