Choosing inside ATL or OTP (Atlanta, Roswell: apartments, rent, home search)

[DaBurgh]

Originally Posted by ledabout

Thanks for that. I assume there is also generally less space between houses, for yards, etc. ITP?

Actually I think there is a reasonable amount of space between houses in the ITP neighborhoods --another poster can correct me if I'm wrong.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by ledabout

Thanks for that. I assume there is also generally less space between houses, for yards, etc. ITP?

Not like you'd expect. Is it less than homes built in the 60's and 70's; yes. But more yard than modern, master planned subdivisions. Eg: I own a home, built in 1925, in a historic, intown neighborhood and have 1/3 acre.

[bu2]

Homeschooling gives you a lot more flexibility. You can choose a place that doesn't have a premium price for a better school. NE of downtown sounds like you would most want to focus on the north part of DeKalb and southern part of Gwinnett Counties. Parts of Chamblee and Tucker in DeKalb you wouldn't consider if schools were an issue. The north part of Fulton County near downtown is mostly pretty expensive (although others may know of less expensive pockets).

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by cqholt

The Perimeter isn't a wall that prevents you from crossing it. You can freely come and go as you please.
Price really matters.

Originally Posted by ledabout

Is there a cultural difference? More downtownish inside the perimeter?

There is definitely a distinct cultural difference between OTP (Outside-the-Perimeter) and ITP (Inside-the-Perimeter).

OTP is much more conservative and right-leaning in its political, cultural and social structure while ITP is much more liberal, left-leaning and moderate in its political, cultural and social structure, though some places just outside of the I-285 Perimeter are beginning to moderate away from the far-right towards the center of the political, cultural and social spectrum due to dramatic demographic changes (...more politically-moderate young professionals and racial and ethnic minorities moving into formerly overwhelmingly predominantly-white suburban areas in massive numbers).

Originally Posted by ledabout

We have a young family but have lived in LA for 3 years and enjoy cultural things nearby as well. We realize this may be impossible in a suburban setting but also want space... hence my question. And I'm mostly picking brains here because I'm truly curious why people choose to live where they live because I don't have a lot of experience there yet.

Like DaBurgh stated, many (if not most) people live where they live in the Atlanta metro area to be relatively-close to work (in an attempt to shorten their rush hour commutes as much as possible) in an area of good schools that they can afford.

[dblackga]

One of the reasons people choose OTP over ITP is the amount of house you get for the money. When we were looking a couple of decades ago, we had targeted Buckhead as a preferred neighborhood because of my husband's commute. However, when we realized that a 2 BR/1.5 bath home with no garage and an unfinished basement cost more in Buckhead than a 5 BR/4 BA home with a finished basement and a 2-car garage on 3/4ths of a acre just outside the Perimeter -- we decided that just a little bit OTP wasn't such a bad thing. Atlanta has expanded in our direction, so we have become more and more urban. I've always been bemused by people who declare that they wish to live ITP because of the access to cultural outlets, but when you ask them when was the last time they went to the High or the symphony, they shrug and admit it's been several years -- whereas I've been a member for 20 years and go every couple of months. Living OTP certainly doesn't reduce your access to cultural hotspots. Living next to a museum doesn't make you cultured. :-)

[lorilove]

Most people don't start with a specific decision to live ITP or OTP. Like you they start with their job location, and then based on their individual needs an wants look for a home within a reasonable commute.

I technically live OTP (less than 2 miles). I started by renting ITP (by 1 mile) but when I was ready to purchase my home many years ago there was not as many options in affordability in safe neighborhoods ITP. My life style had me ITP more than OTP but not where moving north 3 miles was going to have a negative impact.

Over the years, I have known many young adults that graduated from Tech or Emory and declared themselves ITP snobs and when I run into them 10 years later. They are married with kids and living happily in Alpharetta (OTP) - my how things change.

There are wonderful neighborhoods all over Atlanta with the key being the best fit for your needs. Don't get too concerned whether that neighborhood is physically ITP or OTP

[testa50]

If you're young and single, you want to be ITP--no doubt about it. If you meet someone and tell them you live in Snellville, Peachtree City, etc, the assumption is going to be that you live with your parents. Sandy Springs and Dunwoody are more permissible, as are places along the GA-400 corridor, Marietta, and Smyrna. Personally I'd date someone who lives anywhere ITP, and maybe in the Central Perimeter area, but I definitely wouldn't go through the hassle of dating someone who lives in Newnan.

For couples and people with kids, it matters a lot less. If you're really into artsy/community stuff, then you'll find a lot more of that and people who enjoy that ITP. Not to say there aren't local markets and cool scenes out in the burbs (mainly in the older town square areas), but it's much spottier and you'll have a harder time meeting like-minded people.

If I were you, I'd have a preference to live ITP, for sure. But if budget and commute preclude it, all isn't lost: check out Smyrna and some of the areas around the old historic downtowns (notably Marietta).

ITP is definitely more cramped than OTP in terms of space, but compared with LA it's extremely spread out. For a variety of reasons, Atlanta is one of the least dense cities on the planet. If you can find a housing format with suitable space in west LA, surely you can do the same in Atlanta. ITP or OTP is just a question of money and what you value.

[jeoff]

I would see if I could find something nice in Tucker, and branch out from there. If you decide not to homeschool, I would look into Lilburn.

[LovelySummer]

I've lived in both and I like living itp because there are numerous businesses within walking distance of my home. Restaurants, malls, grocery stores all 2-3 blocks away or less than a mile. I caution you that all itp is not like this, however. There are many areas itp without grocery stores and businesses nearby. I live in the Buckhead area of itp. Otp was nice for all of the kid-based reasons living in the suburbs is nice (we have a child). We had a bigger yard and the pace was slower. You actually saw kids riding bikes. That kind of thing. But, again, all otp is not like this either.

Originally Posted by ledabout

We are very (VERY) early in the stages of thinking about maybe (possibly) moving to Atlanta. I am an over-planner, though, so I've already started researching.

My main question is how/why did you decide to live inside Atlanta versus outside the perimeter? Proximity to job? Traffic? Other factors? I don't know Atlanta very well, so I'm really curious. We'd like to stay within 10 miles of a location that is inside the perimeter, leaving us with options outside as well as inside.

Thanks in advance!

[CCATL]

Originally Posted by ledabout

Ack! I saw that sticky, started a post, revised my post... they are lost. Here are my stats per the sticky:

1. $1500/mo rent
2. rental house
3. trying to stay 10 miles from husband's work location which is northeast of downtown inside the perimeter
4. homeschool
5. suburban space is great; we realize this will probably only come at the expense of funky urban living unless you know of something cool that is a mixture
6. unsure about transit--willing to use it if it helps/is convenient/more efficient, but it's not a deal breaker at all as far as living near a station
7. friendly people... we are pretty easy, other families with school-age kids would be nice, but we've also enjoyed living near older people recently

As many posters have said, the commute time to work and price determine whether people here live ITP or OTP. However, there are also lifestyle choices that I would think are correlated with that choice. My wife and I chose to live ITP versus OTP for a few reasons, though we briefly considered both in our home search. OTP offers larger houses, cheaper houses for the size (generally), and oftentimes reasonable commutes depending on job location - but it is also dominated by a car centric lifestyle, strip malls, No transit, further from our jobs. We chose ITP because we wanted walkability, more diverse and liberal neighbors, alternative commute options, and closer access to other urban amenities. We probably paid more for our house than OTP, but there are good public and charter schools in our neighborhood and we have all those other previously mentioned attributes of city living. I bike to work, have access to frequent bus and train service, can walk to restaurants and bars, and have walking access to many other local events, parks, etc. Even with those amenities, I own a SFH and have a small yard - small enough for easy maintenance but large enough for kids/dogs to run around in. Living ITP vs OTP was 100% a lifestyle choice for us, and probably will be for you too.

Bases on your requirements, affordability ITP won't be a concern. You can find many houses in desirable neighborhoods with good schools (both public and ccharter) ITP in that price range. If your husbands job is ITP, then that helps the case to live ITP. You'll have a mix of urban and suburban space, friendly people, etc. That said, what types of people do you want to be around, and what is your lifestyle? That will be the deciding factor for you for ITP vs OTP I think, based on your criteria above which could be either.