Moving to Georgia soon! (HELP) (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: real estate, apartment, rent)

[LadyNYC]

Hello All!

My family & I are planning to relocate to Georgia from New York(Long Island). My mom is obsessed with Gwinnett County, mostly Snellville. As for myself, I want to get my own apartment. Areas close to the shopping malls, movie theaters, night clubs, restaurants etc.. An area where it's a diverse of people & pretty safe if I choose to walk my dog 12 in the morning(not to be so blunt). I want to go to school for business & also do bar tending at a nice lounge/club or restaurant. I drive so commuting is not an issue, also I'm willing to pay up to $700/$800 a month for an apartment.

Soooo can anyone give me suggestions?!?!?

THANKSSSSS!

[MathmanMathman]

Oh....is that all? A nice apartment near those things and safe will be difficult. Might have to up it a bit.

[MattCW]

Yea, your price is a bit low. Despite all the hype, Atlanta isn't all that cheaper than New York, believe me, I've looked at the numbers in great detail. Where you relocate depends on a few things, namely where you work, and what kind of age environment you prefer. I'm assuming you're early 20s from your post, so you might want to look toward Buckhead, Midtown, and even the Sandy Springs/Dunwoody area. Those places are also close to transit which is very helpful once you realize you really don't want to commute far in Atlanta.

[rapier7]

When you mean "close" to clubs, bars, restaurants, etc, do you mean within walking distance or within a short 1-2 mile drive? The only really walkable area is Midtown, but average rents for 1 BRs will exclude you from the neighborhood. You could shack up with a roommate and still be able to live there, though.

If you're fine with a drive, then you've definitely got options in Buckhead. If you're fine living ITP but not in Atlanta per se, Decatur is also a great place for young people, but depending on where you rent in Decatur, it may or may not look like the safest neighborhood unless you're close to the city square.

Good luck!

[frankieg73]

Atlanta real estate is much cheaper than New York per square foot, but everything here is so much larger than what you have in New York, so housing is not as cheap as you might expect. Also, Snellville puts you a bit outside the city so it shouldn't be too expensive there. That town itself is small and only offers so much for entertainment, and I believe that is a 30 minute drive to most of the fun stuff in Atlanta midtown, unless you drive during rush hour where it could take you over 90 minutes. You won't find much for that price, and if you do it won't be anything great by Atlanta standards, but that doesn't mean that it will be bad or unsafe. Folks who have lived in Atlanta or north of the city for a long time have a very different perspective on real estate than anyone from NY or Boston (where I came from 3 months ago.)

[MattCW]

For $1300 in a New York suburb, I can get a one bedroom apartment, walking distance from a good transit line, and walking distance from all the stores I need. For $1300 in Atlanta...I can get a one bedroom apartment, about. I Just looked up prices and locations last night. Of course, for both cities, the prices drop as you move away from amenities, and into less desirable areas.

[suroga]

I'd first figure out what part of town you will be working in before deciding where to live. The commutes can be horrendous if you are going from one side to the other of the 'burbs.

[tarnishaluvsdontae]

Hey my post got deleted. What gives?

Anyways steer clear of Gwinett because it just isn't all that. It's better to live in the city. I live in the West but it isn't safe to a lott of folks. But it sure is cheap!

[No2Monsanto]

Originally Posted by tarnishaluvsdontae

Hey my post got deleted. What gives?

Anyways steer clear of Gwinett because it just isn't all that. It's better to live in the city. I live in the West but it isn't safe to a lott of folks. But it sure is cheap!

Wait, what?? Are saying the ENTIRE county of Gwinnett is not safe? That's a big blanketed statement, and I would say it's not at all true. I've lived in Duluth, Lawrenceville, and Suwanee, and never ever had even one problem. There may be PARTS of Gwinnett with some areas that aren't safe, but that's true with any suburbs or areas of town.

To the OP: Now I will say, if I were to move back to Gwinnett, I wouldn't look at living at or anywhere below Pleasant Hill Road. Just anything North of Pleasant Hill would be best, is what I'm saying. Don't know what your mom's obsession is with Snellville, but it wouldn't be my neighborhood of choice. Good luck with your search.

[tarnishaluvsdontae]

Originally Posted by No2Monsanto

Wait, what?? Are saying the ENTIRE county of Gwinnett is not safe? That's a big blanketed statement, and I would say it's not at all true. I've lived in Duluth, Lawrenceville, and Suwanee, and never ever had even one problem. There may be PARTS of Gwinnett with some areas that aren't safe, but that's true with any suburbs or areas of town.

To the OP: Now I will say, if I were to move back to Gwinnett, I wouldn't look at living at or anywhere below Pleasant Hill Road. Just anything North of Pleasant Hill would be best, is what I'm saying. Don't know what your mom's obsession is with Snellville, but it wouldn't be my neighborhood of choice. Good luck with your search.

Yeah, why she so pressed on Snellville?