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It is generally more like city life in itp and generally more like suburbia otp. Generalizations but most places fit this description. If, by culture, you mean the museums, etc., all of that is pretty much itp. Fernbank, the High, the Children's Museum, Botanical Gardens, Woodruff Arts Center, the zoo, Piedmont Park, majority of the festivals, the aquarium, etc. All of that is itp. Proximity to all that is part of what you are paying for when you live itp. I lived in LA so I'm assuming you can afford MUCH more tham 1500 per month given that you even decent apartments there are more than that, so if that is right, itp would likely be no problem. Itp is much, much less than LA.
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Originally Posted by ledabout
Is there a cultural difference? More downtownish inside the perimeter? 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.
Your antecdote is true but there are also those who live itp, like us, who are at Fernbank and Children's Museum weekly, the aquarium and botanical gardens monthly, and we only have the time to do this with our busy schedules simply bc they are all less than 4 miles away 10 minute drive when traffic is light. So, for some, proximity matters bc we NEVER did these things when we lived 15-20 miles out.
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Originally Posted by 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. :-)
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. :-)
I totally agree! We really love being close to cultural things here, and since we can go at "off" times we often get a lot out of memberships to museums. Thanks!
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
Good thoughts. I have definitely seen what look like great deals (after LA I'm going to be easily impressed by cheaper housing) in both the city and the suburbs!
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.
Types of people? People who are friendly sounds simplistic, but we've had the best neighbors ever in LA in part, I think, because they are mostly elderly with a few families thrown in. Everyone here is used to being the new person themselves, too, so they were very open to our being the new people. In parts of the Midwest where we've been before people were not so open to meeting new people, especially in the small town where we lived before moving to LA.
So I don't know if that is a "type" of people so much as a disposition that any person *could* have but not all do (sadly).
It is generally more like city life in itp and generally more like suburbia otp. Generalizations but most places fit this description. If, by culture, you mean the museums, etc., all of that is pretty much itp. Fernbank, the High, the Children's Museum, Botanical Gardens, Woodruff Arts Center, the zoo, Piedmont Park, majority of the festivals, the aquarium, etc. All of that is itp. Proximity to all that is part of what you are paying for when you live itp. I lived in LA so I'm assuming you can afford MUCH more tham 1500 per month given that you even decent apartments there are more than that, so if that is right, itp would likely be no problem. Itp is much, much less than LA.
Oh, we pay much more than that here. We hope to save money, not spend the same amount. We are also anticipating that my husband will make a little less than he does here. Part of what I'm figuring out is how low we can go exactly in rent without sacrificing some of the very things for which we're willing to move (space and such) while still keeping some sort of city life. We drive plenty in LA, so it's not as if we're bound to a car-free lifestyle... just lots to think about. Thank you!
Types of people? People who are friendly sounds simplistic, but we've had the best neighbors ever in LA in part, I think, because they are mostly elderly with a few families thrown in. Everyone here is used to being the new person themselves, too, so they were very open to our being the new people. In parts of the Midwest where we've been before people were not so open to meeting new people, especially in the small town where we lived before moving to LA.
So I don't know if that is a "type" of people so much as a disposition that any person *could* have but not all do (sadly).
Yes, friendly is always important, and I'd say overall, Atlanta and it's suburbs are a very friendly place - especially for a large metro area. I asked for type because I think a lot of Atlanta neighborhoods (like many other cities) are dominated by groups of similar people - young families, hipster, artist types, wealthy execs, younger professionals, working class, etc. For example, my neighborhood (Grant Park) is dominated by young families/young professionals, but is also racially and economically diverse - probably gives an overall "yuppie" feeling. Other neighborhoods have a different feeling - like the West Paces area of Buckhead. That neighborhood also has a lot of families but probably less in the way of young professionals, and overall is wealthier and less racially/economically diverse - I'd describe it more preppy. Obviously, this is all very much MY OPINION, and my view on things. If you choose to live ITP based on the other general lifestyle choices I put in my response, the neighborhoods are VERY different - they are unique, and that is because of their physical character, as well as the people who live there. That said, in any neighborhood, you'll find exceptions, I'm just giving an examples to highlight what I meant by "type" of people. If you find a neighborhood you're comfortable in, that's all that matters!
Proximity to job, cost, and schools if you have kids are generally the biggest factors. Home/lot size desired could help us give you general cost estimates in different parts of town. The metro area is so spread out though that without at least general work area and some more specific info it would be difficult to give you narrowed down advice at all. Generally speaking the north side of town between east Cobb(the area east of the city of Marietta) through Roswell/Alpharetta and over to Duluth is generally where most families would choose to live assuming the job is on that side of town.
Yes, friendly is always important, and I'd say overall, Atlanta and it's suburbs are a very friendly place - especially for a large metro area. I asked for type because I think a lot of Atlanta neighborhoods (like many other cities) are dominated by groups of similar people - young families, hipster, artist types, wealthy execs, younger professionals, working class, etc. For example, my neighborhood (Grant Park) is dominated by young families/young professionals, but is also racially and economically diverse - probably gives an overall "yuppie" feeling. Other neighborhoods have a different feeling - like the West Paces area of Buckhead. That neighborhood also has a lot of families but probably less in the way of young professionals, and overall is wealthier and less racially/economically diverse - I'd describe it more preppy. Obviously, this is all very much MY OPINION, and my view on things. If you choose to live ITP based on the other general lifestyle choices I put in my response, the neighborhoods are VERY different - they are unique, and that is because of their physical character, as well as the people who live there. That said, in any neighborhood, you'll find exceptions, I'm just giving an examples to highlight what I meant by "type" of people. If you find a neighborhood you're comfortable in, that's all that matters!
Got it!
That brings me to a question that has no easy answers, perhaps. In our family, my husband and I are white, three of our children are white, and one of our children is black. Is there an area where that would be not tolerated at all or areas to avoid if we don't want to be hassled? I realize it all depends on the people, so if no one knows, I totally get it.
That brings me to a question that has no easy answers, perhaps. In our family, my husband and I are white, three of our children are white, and one of our children is black. Is there an area where that would be not tolerated at all or areas to avoid if we don't want to be hassled? I realize it all depends on the people, so if no one knows, I totally get it.
In general - No. There are mixed race families all over Atlanta.
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We really love being close to cultural things here, and since we can go at "off" times we often get a lot out of memberships to museums. Thanks!
