How is your daily commute within the Atlanta metro area? (Sandy Springs: rental, mortgage)

[Atlanta Scientist]

1. Origin city: Lindbergh
2. Destination city: Norcross
3. Total # miles (to work): 14 miles
4. Total commute time (to work): 20 minutes
5. Telecommute options? N
6. Free parking? Y
7. Use bus? About twice a week
8. Use MARTA train? About twice a week
9. MARTA incentives (by your company) : N

With my current job I can work 4 ten hour shifts or 5 eight hour shifts. I work off peak hours as well so the commute isn't bad at all. But even when I go in early sometimes, the commute is still bearable since I have a reverse commute. I wouldn't mind having a job inside the perimeter though.

[fieldm]

10 mins driving, 14 mins via MARTA, 25 mins walking

O4W area to Downtown

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by Forhall

I'll say what I always say when people ask...Why purposefully rent a house as far from work as possible? Don't you want a work life balance and the ability to have some free time after work? A long commute can add 2 hours to a work day, that's 10 hours per week!

For some, there's what the rest of the time means. On your weekends, you can either be in your small apartment/house close to the city, or maybe you have a nice large house with a lake behind it and a garage with a shop. Now, I, myself, wouldn't want to go much more than ten minutes OTP on the north or west sides. But there are some people who really enjoy what they get further outside the city and having to have that commute is what gives it to them. One of my friends commutes from Acworth to south Atlanta, but refuses to move because of his boat and lake access.

If I could live in a small apartment in town, or come home to this every day with a 35-45 minute commute, I'd take the house and the commute. Unfortunately, that house is much more than 45 minutes away (and, of course, well outside my price range!)

[st10is1210]

Origin city: Smyrna
Destination city: Roswell
Total # miles (to work): 19 miles
Total commute time (to work): 30 minutes in the AM, 50 - 75 min most afternoons
Telecommute options? N
Free parking? Y
Use bus? Nope
Use MARTA train? Nope
MARTA incentives (by your company) : N

Looking to move to Sandy Springs area once my lease is up. My gf works in Vinings right off 285 so it would be right in the middle for both of us and we would be against most of the traffic. We would like to buy a house/condo but our biggest concern is how much more house your money goes if we live in either the Smyrna/Marietta area or close to Roswell but then leaving one of us with an hour + commute. Anyone been through a similar situation or like to chime in with some advice?

[Forhall]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

For some, there's what the rest of the time means. On your weekends, you can either be in your small apartment/house close to the city, or maybe you have a nice large house with a lake behind it and a garage with a shop. Now, I, myself, wouldn't want to go much more than ten minutes OTP on the north or west sides. But there are some people who really enjoy what they get further outside the city and having to have that commute is what gives it to them. One of my friends commutes from Acworth to south Atlanta, but refuses to move because of his boat and lake access.

If I could live in a small apartment in town, or come home to this every day with a 35-45 minute commute, I'd take the house and the commute. Unfortunately, that house is much more than 45 minutes away (and, of course, well outside my price range!)

I get that, but fortunately there are plenty of safe in town neighborhoods close to midtown or downtown where people can get a yard and big house. Alpharetta is nearly as expensive as those neighborhoods now so I don't see the benefit of driving 2 hours round trip everyday and having nearly no time left to e joy. A weekend isn't nearly enough.

[bornjacksonian]

1. Origin city: Tucker, GA
2. Destination city: Chamblee
3. Total # miles (to work): 7 miles
4. Total commute time (to work): 20-30 mins both ways and 10 mins on Interstate 285 (on lunch)
5. Telecommute options? Yes
6. Free parking? Yes
7. Use bus? No
8. Use MARTA train? No, but Doraville and Chamblee Station are near the area
9. MARTA incentives (by your company) :Yes

[MattCW]

1. Origin city: Decatur
2. Destination city: Buckhead
3. Total # miles (to work): 9
4. Total commute time (to work): 25-35 each way
5. Telecommute options? One day per week
6. Free parking? $75/month
7. Use bus? If I had to.
8. Use MARTA train? Yes, takes an hour each way.
9. MARTA incentives (by your company) : Reduced fare pass (Buckhead CID's $10 off)

Short version is MARTA is doable (I pass my origin and arrival stations), I did it, but driving is far better and far more flexible for me.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by Shin Dynamo X

Ok, ok, I have to ask some of you all this....how do you get such acceptable commute times? I always hear that Atlanta has terrible, terrible traffic, but outside of Primaltech and Samiwas1 (sorry for your suffering), many of your commutes are a blessing compared to mine! My current commute in the DC area averages 60 min-75 mins each way. I am so used to 1 hour+ commuting that anything less than 1 hour then I am grateful for.

So based on these number, I guess I'll be okay then when I move? I assume that renting a home (in Alpharetta, Duluth, Dunwoody, or Sandy Springs) would equal less than 1 hour commute to Atlanta (i.e. Suntrust HQ) ?

If our jobs are intown, we move to intown neighborhoods and use MARTA or bike commute. There are others that live in North Fulton, drive to North Springs and ride MARTA downtown. Or live near MARTA and ride it to Midtown, Buckhead, Perimeter Center.

[Go Blue 99]

Origin city: Brookhaven
Destination city: Alpharetta (Windward)
Total # miles (to work): 18
Total commute time (to work): 30-35 in morning; 45-50 in evening
Telecommute options? no (recently lost our perk to telecommute once a week)
Free parking? yes
Use bus? no
Use MARTA train? no
MARTA incentives (by your company) : no

I don't hate the commute- I use the time to enjoy satellite radio or podcasts.

[glovenyc]

Originally Posted by cqholt

If our jobs are intown, we move to intown neighborhoods and use MARTA or bike commute. There are others that live in North Fulton, drive to North Springs and ride MARTA downtown. Or live near MARTA and ride it to Midtown, Buckhead, Perimeter Center.

when I transferred to Atlanta, if my office was intown I would have definitely moved intown. Being that its up in Perimeter I stayed up that way