City in a Suburb??

[GeorgiaRiah]

I lived in Sandy Springs for 4 years before I bought my house in Smyrna that I have lived in the 4 1/2 years. I am in my mid-thirties now so here is my feedback...

I liked Sandy Springs because I found a lot of older 20 somethings living there at the same time I did. I also liked the ease of using Marta to go to the game, etc. I did not find it to be particularly walkable although there are some nice trails on the Chattahoochee if you are into outdoor exercise. There was plenty of food options etc although a lot of chains the closer you get to the malls. I found I had to use mall areas or go more suburban to get to places like Target. Downtown Roswell has some cool restaurants that are not chains and is very walkable and it's not too far from Sandy Springs. Overall, I liked Sandy Springs.

I then bought my house in Smyrna. Smyrna has a lot of cool restaurants within walking distance of my house. I live a mile and a half from downtown Smyrna so that is nice. I enjoy the bar scene more in Smyrna/Vinings. I am in my mid-thirties now and there seems to be a good mix of people my age as well as a little younger and little older. I find there are more places I like to eat and hang out in Smyrna. I like that I feel comfortable walking down Spring Rd for exercise which I never would have done on Roswell Rd in Sandy Springs. Smyrna is also closer to the Silver Comet trail which is awesome. I have also been enjoying the cool little boutique shops scattered around. They are opening a bunch of new stuff with the stadium so I am looking forward to that. To use Marta I do a 10 minute of so drive to Hamilton Holmes which is about how long it took me to get to the Sandy Springs stations. The station isn't as nice as the Sandy Springs ones but it is fine.

Overall, they are very urban suburbs. I liked them both. I fell in love with Smyrna but that is just me. I also work in Marietta so Smyrna was closer to work. I find them to both be a fairly young working crowd of people. I just enjoy the vibe of Smyrna much more myself.

Good luck in finding your new place! Atlanta has a lot to offer if you take the time to go out and explore on the weekends.

[dblackga]

Originally Posted by New Yawka1234

Well I guess what I am saying is I don't want to feel like the next house or apartment complex is 45 minutes away. I want live in a area where I can see people walking and driving around where there are shopping centers. I don't want dead silence.

Ha, no danger of "silence" around Perimeter Center! Trees are good -- they help keep the air clean, give shade and are glorious shades of yellow and red in the fall. Might want to consider how you developed that touch of hylophobia. :-)

It's funny -- when I spent a year in mid-Illinois, I REALLY missed the trees -- lots of farmland, lots of cornfields, but few trees. If they get three trees together out there, they call it a park. :-) I was SO glad to get back to Atlanta, where the horizon wasn't 50 miles away and there were trees everywhere. There are plenty of apartment complexes that are "tucked into the woods", so to speak, so you might want to think about some of the newer high rises that are going up in Sandy Springs, especially on Roswell Road across from the new City Center. And, of course, there's always possible rentals in Perimeter Center, near Peachtree Dunwoody and Hammond, as well as condos that may have private rental units available, such as the Manhattan.

[dblackga]

Originally Posted by New Yawka1234

I am going to try that, good idea. Do you think midtown is a lot more expensive than Sandy Springs?

Mdtown, for what you get, is significantly more expensive than Sandy Springs -- again, depending on the building and the amenities. The ones with the 24 hour concierge and the lush pool and clubhouse are, of course, pricier than the others.

For example, a 2 BR condo TO RENT in Midtown, in a high rise, is going to be a minimum of $1500, and generally run between $2000-3300, Around Perimeter Center, a 2 BR in one of the rare highrises (Park Tower, or Manhattan) is going to run between $1200-1700. But, around Perimeter Center, a mid-rise (up to 5 stories) is going to rent between $1100 to $1500, depending on amenities and sf.

Other options also include Town Brookhaven -- lots of shopping, inside the Perimeter, outside of Buckhead, Atlantic Station (hit or miss, but many stores), and, of course Buckhead -- but the price will go up. For example, a 2-3 BR condo near the top of the Sovereign can easily run $10-13,000K a month, but hey, it's 3,000 sf of privacy (only 4 per floor) and killer views!

[New Yawka1234]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaRiah

I lived in Sandy Springs for 4 years before I bought my house in Smyrna that I have lived in the 4 1/2 years. I am in my mid-thirties now so here is my feedback...

I liked Sandy Springs because I found a lot of older 20 somethings living there at the same time I did. I also liked the ease of using Marta to go to the game, etc. I did not find it to be particularly walkable although there are some nice trails on the Chattahoochee if you are into outdoor exercise. There was plenty of food options etc although a lot of chains the closer you get to the malls. I found I had to use mall areas or go more suburban to get to places like Target. Downtown Roswell has some cool restaurants that are not chains and is very walkable and it's not too far from Sandy Springs. Overall, I liked Sandy Springs.

I then bought my house in Smyrna. Smyrna has a lot of cool restaurants within walking distance of my house. I live a mile and a half from downtown Smyrna so that is nice. I enjoy the bar scene more in Smyrna/Vinings. I am in my mid-thirties now and there seems to be a good mix of people my age as well as a little younger and little older. I find there are more places I like to eat and hang out in Smyrna. I like that I feel comfortable walking down Spring Rd for exercise which I never would have done on Roswell Rd in Sandy Springs. Smyrna is also closer to the Silver Comet trail which is awesome. I have also been enjoying the cool little boutique shops scattered around. They are opening a bunch of new stuff with the stadium so I am looking forward to that. To use Marta I do a 10 minute of so drive to Hamilton Holmes which is about how long it took me to get to the Sandy Springs stations. The station isn't as nice as the Sandy Springs ones but it is fine.

Overall, they are very urban suburbs. I liked them both. I fell in love with Smyrna but that is just me. I also work in Marietta so Smyrna was closer to work. I find them to both be a fairly young working crowd of people. I just enjoy the vibe of Smyrna much more myself.

Good luck in finding your new place! Atlanta has a lot to offer if you take the time to go out and explore on the weekends.

This has definitely helped giving me a visual of what each brings to the table. I don't why, but when I googled certain areas of Smyrna and did a street map view it just seemed like less was happening in Smyrna than in Sandy Springs, I guess from my perspective Smyrna seemed very rural and isolated and that kind of scared me lol. This might be pure ignorance, but I always think it's easier for people to burglarize a townhouse or a small little apartment complex that's in a rural or isolated area so this is what made me want to move to Sandy Springs because from videos and pictures online it seemed to have more walkability and just more lively feel to it.

[New Yawka1234]

Originally Posted by dblackga

Ha, no danger of "silence" around Perimeter Center! Trees are good -- they help keep the air clean, give shade and are glorious shades of yellow and red in the fall. Might want to consider how you developed that touch of hylophobia. :-)

It's funny -- when I spent a year in mid-Illinois, I REALLY missed the trees -- lots of farmland, lots of cornfields, but few trees. If they get three trees together out there, they call it a park. :-) I was SO glad to get back to Atlanta, where the horizon wasn't 50 miles away and there were trees everywhere. There are plenty of apartment complexes that are "tucked into the woods", so to speak, so you might want to think about some of the newer high rises that are going up in Sandy Springs, especially on Roswell Road across from the new City Center. And, of course, there's always possible rentals in Perimeter Center, near Peachtree Dunwoody and Hammond, as well as condos that may have private rental units available, such as the Manhattan.

The same happens here in New York City. Lol. If we see three trees together we call it a forest hahaha. One of the reasons I want to move to Atlanta is because of the abundance of green. I would love to plant my own veggies and fruits because this pesticide ridden garbage here is ridiculous... But now after reading the responses from everyone I feel a little better moving to Sandy Springs or Smyrna, i'm considering Midtown now though. I am so confused.

[New Yawka1234]

Originally Posted by dblackga

Mdtown, for what you get, is significantly more expensive than Sandy Springs -- again, depending on the building and the amenities. The ones with the 24 hour concierge and the lush pool and clubhouse are, of course, pricier than the others.

For example, a 2 BR condo TO RENT in Midtown, in a high rise, is going to be a minimum of $1500, and generally run between $2000-3300, Around Perimeter Center, a 2 BR in one of the rare highrises (Park Tower, or Manhattan) is going to run between $1200-1700. But, around Perimeter Center, a mid-rise (up to 5 stories) is going to rent between $1100 to $1500, depending on amenities and sf.

Other options also include Town Brookhaven -- lots of shopping, inside the Perimeter, outside of Buckhead, Atlantic Station (hit or miss, but many stores), and, of course Buckhead -- but the price will go up. For example, a 2-3 BR condo near the top of the Sovereign can easily run $10-13,000K a month, but hey, it's 3,000 sf of privacy (only 4 per floor) and killer views!

10K a month!!!!!!!!! Is Town Brookhaven an apartment complex?

[AtlantaIsHot]

Originally Posted by New Yawka1234

This has definitely helped giving me a visual of what each brings to the table. I don't why, but when I googled certain areas of Smyrna and did a street map view it just seemed like less was happening in Smyrna than in Sandy Springs, I guess from my perspective Smyrna seemed very rural and isolated and that kind of scared me lol. This might be pure ignorance, but I always think it's easier for people to burglarize a townhouse or a small little apartment complex that's in a rural or isolated area so this is what made me want to move to Sandy Springs because from videos and pictures online it seemed to have more walkability and just more lively feel to it.

The fact that you consider Smyrna, where most of the houses are separated by mere feet "rural and isolated" continues to blow my mind. Surely you don't expect to find Manhattan in the leafy suburbs of sprawling Atlanta, Georgia do you??

Reading what you are reporting, I think you better choose Sandy Springs. One reason for seeming "livelier" than Smyrna is because it is bigger. Sandy Springs' estimated population is now 105,000. Smyrna is estimated to be at 57,000. Plus, Sandy Springs has half of the Perimeter Center edge city. I'd wait another year or so so that the buildings on Roswell Rd. are finished.

[dblackga]

Originally Posted by New Yawka1234

10K a month!!!!!!!!! Is Town Brookhaven an apartment complex?

1. You aren't going to be planting too many veggies in mid-town -- it's very, very urban. Maybe a small container on your balcony -- if the HOA permits them. :-)
2. Town Brookhaven is a live-work-play community with a Costco, a Publix Supermarket, workout studios, lots of little shops, a Cine-Bistro, apartments and condominiums in a planned development:

Town Brookhaven Directory - Town Brookhaven

It's about 1/4 mile south of Oglethorpe University on Peachtree Road, just before it becomes Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. It's very close the the Brookhaven MARTA station, too, so it's convenient to the airport, downtown, Midtown, etc. Other similar complexes are Atlantic Station in Midtown, Perimeter Pointe at Perimeter Center,, Avalon in Alpharetta, and others.