Thinking of Moving to Atlanta From philly (Sandy Springs, Dunwoody: apartment, rentals)

[philly guy]

Hi we are a young african american engaged couple in our early 20's that our looking to move to atlanta. Currently i am attending the art instiute of Philadelphia and plan to transfer to the Art Institiute of Atlanta. My fiance graduated school last spring and now works for the government. She plans to transfer to Gov. position in Atlanta. We our a pretty laid back couple who enjoys going out to eat and seeing movies. We also love shopping, we our addicted to buying clothes. But for the most part we are home bodies. Were looking to move to a nice quiet area thats not to far from the city and kinda close to my school. The school is located at 6600 Peachtree Dnwdy Rd # 100 Atlanta, GA 30328. So far we have been looking in the Sandy Springs area. Are there any other areas that i should be looking in? Thanks for the help.

[sweettea1]

Yes, also look in Dunwoody and Brookhaven.

[philly guy]

thanks sweettea. Im on craigslist right now and i see a lot of nice stuff in the area around our price. Were looking to stay under 1300 for 2 to 3 bedrooms.

[plessthanpointohfive]

What government agency (I am assuming federal?) is your fiance working for? I work as a contractor at CDC. Most federal or state offices are near downtown so will your fiance be commuting there?

What kind of vibe do you like in a neighborhood? Funky? "Hipster"? Upscale (like the old show Dynasty)? How much diversity would you like?

Welcome to Atlanta!

[sweettea1]

Look at Post Glen in Brookhaven. I'm sure you can also get some private rentals thru Craigslist in the area as well but parts can be dicey so if you find something you like, post the street names and we'll let you know what we think! There are some great streets off Ptree Dunwoody which would be very convenient for you.

[philly guy]

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

What government agency (I am assuming federal?) is your fiance working for? I work as a contractor at CDC. Most federal or state offices are near downtown so will your fiance be commuting there?

What kind of vibe do you like in a neighborhood? Funky? "Hipster"? Upscale (like the old show Dynasty)? How much diversity would you like?

Welcome to Atlanta!

She works for D.O.D. and she will be commuting. Were looking for a kinda, funky hipster community (we are both students of the arts), a kind of diverse community is good. We want to avoid the high crime area's also.

Also how is the work scene in atlanta. While my fiance is pretty much ok with finding work because she will be transfering. I on the other hand need to find a new job. I have been a research specialist in the psychiatry field for 6 years. I also have a background in retail and customer service.

[philly guy]

Originally Posted by sweettea1

Look at Post Glen in Brookhaven. I'm sure you can also get some private rentals thru Craigslist in the area as well but parts can be dicey so if you find something you like, post the street names and we'll let you know what we think! There are some great streets off Ptree Dunwoody which would be very convenient for you.

Thanks guys. Im actually scared to death to be moving so far from home. I'm 24 and all my family, friends and life are here in philly, my fiance on the other hand is ready to go a.s.a.p. lol. So I appriciate all your help.

I will let you guys know what I find.

[plessthanpointohfive]

Well then you need to move to MY neighborhood! Welcome to Little Five Points! Little 5 is actually a commercial district and has the reputation of being VERY groovy and hipster. Very. The neighborhoods that surround Little 5 are Candler Park (my neighborhood), Inman Park, and Poncey Highlands.

WELCOME TO LITTLE FIVE POINTS-ATLANTA
Poncey-Highland Neighborhood Association > Home
Inman Park
CP Tour (broken link)

You can DEFINITELY afford what you want here. It's a great neighborhood with low violent crime (we had our first murder in something like 20 years - a well loved man and the community closed ranks and the killer was caught) and good schools (lots of CDC and Emory folks raise their kids here). However, it's an expensive neighborhood to buy. I work as a contractor for CDC and my husband is a professor at Clayton State. So, we ain't rich. But, we wanted the vibe here, the reduced commute, and the good schools so we bought a duplex and we rent out the upstairs apartment to help pay the mortgage. Our upstairs apartment is 2 bedroom/1 bath, about 1100 sqft and we get $1100/mo for it. So, if you've got a budget of around 1300/mo then you will DEFINITELY find something you like here.

Start checking the zipcode 30307 on craigslist for places to rent.

As for jobs...if you have experience as a research specialist in psychiatry then you very well might be able to get a job at Emory's School of Medicine. I know from personal experience that they have a REALLY big research community in psychiatry and probably could use an experienced specialist.

Check here: Emory Careers

Also, if you're in the city you're more likely to find a job taylored to your experiences.

I hope you move to my neighborhood! You sound like just the kind of folks who love it here.

Again, Welcome to Atlanta!

[plessthanpointohfive]

I forgot to add that Little 5 and its surrounding neighborhoods are about 3 miles from downtown Atlanta so your fiance's commute will be very, very short. If you move close to the Candler Park or Inman Park MARTA stations then she can probably take the rail to downtown and walk to work...

Now your commute, on the other hand, would be about 18 miles from 30307. But, you'd probably be going AGAINST the nasty traffic. Also, if you're only going in a few days a week where as your fiance is going to her workplace every day then it's worth it to live intown.

My husband commutes to Morrow to Clayton State 3 days a week. It takes about 30 minutes even though it's only 17 miles. But he doesn't mind because he LOVES where we live. His commute time would probably mimic yours.

Move to my neighborhood!!!!!!!!! You'd love it here!

PS. I know how you feel about being scared. Both my husband and I are from south Lousiana. We moved here at age 27 (I am now 33) and left all our family and friends behind so my husband could persue a PhD. But, we made a second family here with some close knit friends. It was scary at the time we moved, and we had an infant, too, but I really love living here. So, again, welcome.

[philly guy]

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

I forgot to add that Little 5 and its surrounding neighborhoods are about 3 miles from downtown Atlanta so your fiance's commute will be very, very short. If you move close to the Candler Park or Inman Park MARTA stations then she can probably take the rail to downtown and walk to work...

Now your commute, on the other hand, would be about 18 miles from 30307. But, you'd probably be going AGAINST the nasty traffic. Also, if you're only going in a few days a week where as your fiance is going to her workplace every day then it's worth it to live intown.

My husband commutes to Morrow to Clayton State 3 days a week. It takes about 30 minutes even though it's only 17 miles. But he doesn't mind because he LOVES where we live. His commute time would probably mimic yours.

Move to my neighborhood!!!!!!!!! You'd love it here!

PS. I know how you feel about being scared. Both my husband and I are from south Lousiana. We moved here at age 27 (I am now 33) and left all our family and friends behind so my husband could persue a PhD. But, we made a second family here with some close knit friends. It was scary at the time we moved, and we had an infant, too, but I really love living here. So, again, welcome.

Thank you very much for your help. I think we will start looking in your part of town. It works out for my fiance and her work schedule. As far as me getting back and forth to class, I can handle that. Are there any buses or trains that run near my school. If I can avoid having to drive I will.