welp...i don't know where to begin (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: salons, apartment)

[str23]

I must start by saying that this is the first time I've ever posted on a forum before so please excuse me if I don't get it right or give my life story. Lol

I am a 30 year old single female with no children looking to move to the Atlanta area because I believe it will help my career in the cosmetology industry. I currently live in Orlando, FL and have visited the Atlanta area many times in the past.

I am looking for a decent sized between 600-700 apartment as I am not fully ready to become a home owner yet and something that is close to Atlanta but not to close if that makes sense (I hate the traffic there sorry lol). Maybe a 30 min to an hour commute from the area to downtown Atlanta would be nice even though I'm not much of a night owl having quick access to the night life would be great. I would like for it to have a suburban feel mixed with urban and would like to have but isn't really a big factor, something close to public transportation and in walking distance of shopping dinning etc.

From the little research that I've done and from my past visits I do like the Gwinnett Co. area I just don't know that much about it. I am also open to any suggestions for any of the other areas being that I haven't found a job yet and would like to be as close to work as possible once I have one.

The most important thing over all of that is making sure that I don't end up moving into a high crime area. I am a single female and I don't know anyone nor do I have family in the immediate area so being safe and sound is a top priority for me!

Thanks in advance for your input!!!

[netdragon]

Basically, the kinds of areas that match your description are the Smyrna/Vinings area, Sandy Springs, Tucker, Marietta and that covers a very large swath of area. Find a job first then move. There are so many good options in so many parts of the metro mainly because it's hard to get between them by car. The traffic in metro ATL is horrible. If you pick the location first then find a job, you may get stuck in an hour or more commute for your entire year lease.

How are you so sure you'll get your job downtown? There's so many commercial districts throughout the metro, it seems like you have less than a 1/5 chance. In fact, if I were to venture where the most high-paying jobs are for cosmetology, I'd guess Buckhead, then Perimeter Center, then midtown then Vinings. Not many people live in downtown, even though its population is increasing.

[MattCW]

If you Go with netdragon's suggestion of Sandy Springs, as well as Dunwoody, Roswell or Alpharetta, you might not have to drive at all. MARTA runs from these location either directly into the city via rail, or directly to a train station. Unfortunately, these are definitely the nicer sides of town so the prices may not be in your range. You could also try areas along MARTA's blue and green lines, out toward Inman Park, Reynoldstown, Edgewood and even Decatur and Avondale. Again, you won't have to drive to downtown and these areas are pretty decent.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by str23

I must start by saying that this is the first time I've ever posted on a forum before so please excuse me if I don't get it right or give my life story. Lol

I am a 30 year old single female with no children looking to move to the Atlanta area because I believe it will help my career in the cosmetology industry. I currently live in Orlando, FL and have visited the Atlanta area many times in the past.

Are you African-American? I would start contacting salons in the area to see if they are hiring and don't be bashful about asking what they pay if you are to work on commission versus renting a booth. I don't know if it's the same for the cosmetology industry, but Atlanta is a difficult place to get a job. So if I were you, I'd start making contacts before hand. Know for sure you will be able to find work. Don't move to Atlanta because you "believe" it would be good for your career. Trust and believe you do not want to be stuck in Atlanta (or anywhere) without a job.

Originally Posted by str23

I am looking for a decent sized between 600-700 apartment as I am not fully ready to become a home owner yet and something that is close to Atlanta but not to close if that makes sense (I hate the traffic there sorry lol). Maybe a 30 min to an hour commute from the area to downtown Atlanta would be nice even though I'm not much of a night owl having quick access to the night life would be great. I would like for it to have a suburban feel mixed with urban and would like to have but isn't really a big factor, something close to public transportation and in walking distance of shopping dinning etc.

I don't know if you've spent any time in downtown Atlanta during any of your visits, but there is nothing of interest in downtown Atlanta in terms of nightlife or shopping. There are some restaurants but that's about it, and outside of Rainbow, Payless and a few "urban" stores that sell cheap clothing, there is no place to shop downtown. Downtown Atlanta is not a party or shopping district. Not at all. It has the tourist attractions.

For being walking distance to shopping and dining with access to public transportation, you need to live in Virginia-Highland (a neighborhood in the city) or downtown Decatur (which has great restaurants and only a handful of nice boutiques), or Buckhead. Depending on where you are in Buckhead, it's a bit harder to be able to walk to shopping and restaurants but it can be done if you pick a place near Lenox Mall. They are opening up a shopping center in Buckhead that will be all high-end retail. I would definitely consider Atlantic Station. That would be a great choice.

Outside of these areas, Atlanta is not very walkable and the transportation system is horrible. Just get it in your mind that you will have to have a car in Atlanta. This is even more the case in Atlanta's suburbs if you don't choose wisely.

Originally Posted by str23

From the little research that I've done and from my past visits I do like the Gwinnett Co. area I just don't know that much about it. I am also open to any suggestions for any of the other areas being that I haven't found a job yet and would like to be as close to work as possible once I have one.

Again, for walkability, shopping and transit, scratch Gwinnett County off your list. As a single person, I really recommend the suburbs, except for maybe Sandy Springs and again downtown Decatur specifically.

Originally Posted by str23

The most important thing over all of that is making sure that I don't end up moving into a high crime area. I am a single female and I don't know anyone nor do I have family in the immediate area so being safe and sound is a top priority for me!

Thanks in advance for your input!!!

Metro Atlanta does in fact have a lot of crime, especially in the suburbs if you don't know where to look. A basic rule of thumb is if the place is cheap, it is mostly likely in a bad area. The places that are safer and fit what you are looking for are going to be expensive. Keep that in mind.

ETA: You will want to live near where you work, so secure a job first then try to get a place from there. Also be mindful that if you use Craigslist to find an apartment, you will see a lot of cheap places listed. A lot of places that are listed as being in Atlanta and cheap are usually either not in Atlanta at all but in some far out suburb an hour or more from the city or in a bad area in the city or suburbs, so be careful with that. Come back and ask the forum about locations before settling on a place. As a single woman who doesn't know the area, you don't want to end up in a bad place.

[Zanarkand A East]

Nothing to do in Downtown Atlanta after hours. Now that's funny!

[ElleKaye]

Atlanta_BD's comments are on point.

The worst traffic is in the northern suburbs so I've been desensitized to the point that I don't find the traffic in the city of Atlanta all that bad at all. Frankly, the most money spent on hair is on the south side and that's where I would be looking for work if I were a cosmetologist. If I did work on the south side, I think I'd have to consider living on that side rather commuting from the north. There are nice areas like Fayetteville, Peachtree City, and many others. As with any place, there are good and bad areas within each city.

You need to figure out where you'll be working first because you won't have time to go out at night if you have to spend all your off time driving to and from work.

[LovelySummer]

OP, please excuse me if I'm just behind the times but what does welp mean? Being serious here. I think you got good advice. I just wanted to know about the welp part.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by LovelySummer

OP, please excuse me if I'm just behind the times but what does welp mean? Being serious here. I think you got good advice. I just wanted to know about the welp part.

It's slang for well, grandmom

[LovelySummer]

Lolol ok thanks!

Originally Posted by PKCorey

It's slang for well, grandmom

[netdragon]

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

Metro Atlanta does in fact have a lot of crime, especially in the suburbs if you don't know where to look. A basic rule of thumb is if the place is cheap, it is mostly likely in a bad area. The places that are safer and fit what you are looking for are going to be expensive. Keep that in mind.

Not necessarily the case in areas that are not hot rental markets like Cobb county. Commercial rentals in Cobb at her price range will probably be dives, but she will be able to do pretty well with 1br private rentals (e.g. private landlords) for what she has to spend per month. For Cobb, I'd recommend she choose a private landlord condo rental in an HOA community (meaning most condos are owned versus rented and there's a governing body) or a detached home that's in a decent area, just tiny as heck and maybe needing a paint job on something like ugly piney paneling that hopefully the landlord would let her do.