Moving from Saint Louis to ATL? Help!

[Ant131531]

You'd probably have to go drive down to Buckhead for a meaningful young professional nightlife scene although young professionals live in Sandy Springs/Dunwoody.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by IAMDWRECK

Thank You So Much! Because of your post, I think I've narrowed it down to Perimeter Center/Sandy Springs, Chamblee, and Brookhaven. Is Decatur too far from the Hospital? And what are some thoughts on the communities I've listed. Does Perimeter have a nightlife as well?


Heart of Perimeter Center- Large 1 Bedroom-... - Perimeter Ctr E Apt 2303 | Atlanta, GA Houses for Rent | Rent.com®

315 Hilderbrand Dr NE APT C1, Atlanta, GA 30328 | Zillow

5517 Kingsport Dr, Atlanta, GA 30342 | Zillow

3400 Malone Dr UNIT 213, Chamblee, GA 30341 | Zillow

Thoughts on above listings?

Thanks for Everyone's input! All advice is appreciated.

Heart of Perimeter Center: Is in the heart of it, literally. It is bad traffic, but you live in everything. That area has as many jobs as Downtown. It is a very large suburban business district. One thing to note is you will face a great deal of traffic leaving for your job in Gainesville in the morning (Athens is really too far away at this point). This is no small thing. I'd be a little wary as your drive to Gainesville is already extremely long. You need to get to the Freeway quickly and get going against traffic to make that work. I'd inch more east towards I-85.

I can't comment much on Hildebrand.

Kingsport is in a nice area, except in that very immediate small area. There are many aging apartments and the area has a community of mostly Mexicans workers. I suspect some of those condos have followed that trend.

Malone is a very large condo building in Chamblee that is right next to the MARTA station. I've actually looked into this building before. I like the really large balconies they have. The other condo buildings in the area don't have them.

The area is actually very quiet it is a old tiny industrial district and the town is letting it slowly redevelop as a condo district. It has a ways to go, but has much promise. The amenities of the area are just now building up. You might find yourself driving a bit for some things. If you go towards Brookhaven/Buckhead prices pick up quickly, but restaurants, bars, etc... get very nice very quick. The nice thing about Chamblee is that is a relatively short drive or MARTA train ride away.

[lastminutemom]

You have until May 2017 right cause that is when the residency starts.

I would keep job hunting. And find something in the metro area. Given you have two job offers, I am guessing there is potential for others.

What are your plans for dog when you and your partner are gone all day.... If you are all the way in Gainesville or Athens, you won't be dropping in to let him out.

[IAMDWRECK]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

You have until May 2017 right cause that is when the residency starts.

I would keep job hunting. And find something in the metro area. Given you have two job offers, I am guessing there is potential for others.

What are your plans for dog when you and your partner are gone all day.... If you are all the way in Gainesville or Athens, you won't be dropping in to let him out.

I don't think I can pass up this job in Athens. They have shown me such kindness and professionalism. I told them about my competing offer in Gainesville and they responded with a 8k base pay increase, offered a large relocation package and signing bonus. The hiring manager also reminded me the job will also be 50% out of state travel and It would all be covered. And weeks I'm not traveling I can work from home twice a week.

And thank you for the dog reminder I have been so excited about the job offers I didn't think about that. I'm going to see if I can get my sister (at Spelman) to dog sit sometimes. I also heard theres this new app now like uber where you can find dog walkers, sitters, groomers and trainers at the click of a button and they show up in less than 15 mins.

What would a reverse commute from Chamblee to Athens,GA look like on a Monday morning? Google Maps says it's a straight shot down 85 and only 58 mins. I know this can't be accurate. Is it?

[cwkimbro]

You might want to reconsider Norcross/Duluth and give him a 45 minute commute to work.

Go here: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Cham...33.9519347!3e0

Then:

1) Click the 3 horizontal "-" bars in the upper left hand corner.

2) Click Traffic

3) At the bottom of the website Change Live Traffic to Typical Traffic and try playing around with your likely commute times.

4) Also change the times under the destination & Location to "depart by" 7:20am or whenever.

You can also do this for his commute to the hospital, but so know traffic gets intense going into the Perimeter Center area.


It is coming back with 1 hr 5 minutes to 1 hr 30 minutes, which is probably correct.

[sedimenjerry]

Outbound in the morning is rarely an issue. The afternoon may be a little more difficult. Seem to be more wrecks plus more surface street traffic. Also on occasion the ramp from 85SB to 285SB backs up and can cause delays on 85SB.

[IAMDWRECK]

My job will be flying me out next week for some training and to meet with a corporate relocator. We are very interested Brookhaven and North Druid Hills. Are these areas gay friendly and free of racial tension? I viewed a racial map and Atlanta looks very segregated. That's NOT how I imagined the city too busy to hate.

[sedimenjerry]

Those dot maps are great for seeing the areas that clearly trend one way or the other. It's a little harder to see just how mixed the diverse areas actually are. S/W Atlanta is noticeably black. Lots of north Atlanta/Buckhead is noticeably white but that's mainly in the residential areas with million dollar homes on huge lots. City Data has its own map that will show %s based on census tracts.

I can't possibly imagine Brookhaven or N Druid Hills being gay unfriendly. I think only midtown or the east Atlanta neighborhoods would be any gay friendlier. Buford Hwy does have a significant hispanic population but away from those areas it's harder to notice which race is most prevalent without actually counting people.

[wasel]

There are plenty of gay couples in the areas you are looking to live, and these areas are racially mixed as well. You will not have an issue. Since you won't be going to your office all that often you are definitely better off sticking close to Northside Hospital for your partner.

[PrincessLittlePiddles]

I lived in St. Louis for 6 years, undergrad and grad school. I can tell you from experience and having lived and loved both cities. It's layout you will absolutely hate, the sprawl and structure are odd coming from the rust belt and north; once you leave the inner city much of Atlanta feels like Suburban St. Louis even though you're still in the city limits. Atlanta is more segregated by class, education and opportunity than race. There is a lot more opportunity, fun and temptation good and bad. Atlanta is very gay friendly within the perimeter. But, The STD/HIV rate are extremely high here. It is also a city full of transplants so you will easily make friends if you're social.

Now to your living arrangements. Hmmm Athens commute will suck but if you're not going to be in the office that much it shouldn't be that bad since it's a reverse commute. I think you would love Decatur (i.e. University City or Clayton, MO) but it's a bit out of the way. I wouldn't recommend Chamblee (i.e. St. Ann) like others have it's pretty industrial and barren but it's up and coming in certain parts. I would suggest Brookhaven along Peachtree Rd NE reminds me of Des Peres. The Tucker area near Northlake, or live in Dunwoody in the Perimeter (i.e. Frontenac) but 1k won't get you too far there especially with a pet. also I suggest subleasing for 3 to 6 months before your partner comes down and get a lay of the land.