Best Place to Live for Young Family with Kids (Working in Downtown Atlanta) (Sandy Springs: middle-class, house)

[lawyermom88]

Originally Posted by AtlJan

There are a whole lot of law offices in Buckhead/Lenox and the Perimeter area, as well as some in midtown, Cumberland and all across the very large metro area. You will need to nail down the area of the city where you'll be working before you can really shop for a house.

If your children are not school aged yet, you could rent a place for a year until you figure out where you'll be working. If they are already in elementary school, then you'll probably want to zone in on a school district before you come.

Tell us your budget and your preferences for urban/suburban, type of schools, and we can help more.

I really like being close to good restaurants and all the amenities of urban life while having a quiet neighborhood that is full of families with young kids. My kids are younger than school age now but my oldest will be in kindergarten soon. I prefer public schools to private as private school is an added expense that I'd rather avoid.


If it's at all helpful, all of the firms that I'd consider working for are on Peachtree Street N.E. Budget is flexible but I'd like to keep it around $600k.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by lawyermom88

I really like being close to good restaurants and all the amenities of urban life while having a quiet neighborhood that is full of families with young kids. My kids are younger than school age now but my oldest will be in kindergarten soon. I prefer public schools to private as private school is an added expense that I'd rather avoid.


If it's at all helpful, all of the firms that I'd consider working for are on Peachtree Street N.E. Budget is flexible but I'd like to keep it around $600k.

Sounds like intown neighborhoods; Kirkwood, Grant Park, Ormewood Park, East Atlanta, and East Lake.

[lawyermom88]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Good schools and safety go hand-in-hand.

Unfortunately, that isn't true in Los Angeles. You can have magnet or charter schools that aren't necessarily in the best neighborhoods. But I do take your point.

[jeoff]

Originally Posted by lawyermom88

I really like being close to good restaurants and all the amenities of urban life while having a quiet neighborhood that is full of families with young kids. My kids are younger than school age now but my oldest will be in kindergarten soon. I prefer public schools to private as private school is an added expense that I'd rather avoid.


If it's at all helpful, all of the firms that I'd consider working for are on Peachtree Street N.E. Budget is flexible but I'd like to keep it around $600k.

You can get into Candler Park-Lake Claire for that, of course you can get a lot more house in the suburbs. The neighborhood has a top-notch elementary school, and highly regarded (for Intown) middle and high school. The neighborhood is on the rail-line (with parking), and is one of the more family centric Intown neighborhoods. It also has parks, a public pool, a private pool, a public golf course, and nearby restaurants and shops. You can probably get a nice city lot (50x150-ish), but not a lot of house—3br/2Ba, but the commute, neighborhood and schools make it worth it. You can get into one of the nice neighborhoods with “up-and-coming” schools for less, but really the discount isn’t that much, and Mary-Lin Elementary is a great school now.

[BackInATL2011]

Hands down Woodstock, GA should be on your radar! Great Schools, Super Safe, Great Prices for Homes ($300 to $350k average) Great Downtown/Restaurant Scene, Great Schools (some are only above average but just buy in the better school areas), New Separated HOT Highway will reduce commute time drastically, Great sense of community, Cheaper Taxes, Bike Lanes/Trail system being built out, Great Shopping, the list goes on and on. Very happy with our decision to move to Woodstock when I finally had to leave the city. I used to live near Ponce City Market in the city in Old 4th Ward but just had to leave in order to have a cheaper lifestyle with great schools to have more children.

[BackInATL2011]

You can splurge and get a mansion for 600k or live way below your means when you purchase a home in Woodstock and save the rest for your kids' college or investments!

[lawyermom88]

Originally Posted by stoxdiamond

If a bigger house is necessary, check out the area zoned for Walton High School in Cobb County. Commute is not awful into the city but there is no public transit.

I've looked at all the neighborhoods recommended so far and this is the one that looks most like somewhere I'd want to live. The schools are rated very highly.

[brown_dog_us]

Law jobs tend to be close to Hwy 400 that heads North out of Atlanta. The good news is the better schools tend to be in the same area.

I would find the job first and then look at houses close to your job. If you want to check out options, start in Buckhead and follow 400 out to Windward. You won't need to live on 400, but your job will probably be close to 400. Here is a decent list to start from close to Atlanta first:

Decatur
Dunwoody
Peachtree Corners
Roswell
East Cobb
Alpharetta

[CMMom]

Forsyth County is a non-starter if you're looking for commute or an hour or less to downtown proper unless you're coming in at 6 AM and back out of downtown no later than about 3 PM, and that might be pushing it. 600K is going to make Buckhead/Midtown difficult for a SFH, although maybe a condo. East Cobb is a decent option. Smyrna might also be a good option (although schools are a little more hit or miss).

[lawyermom88]

Originally Posted by brown_dog_us

Law jobs tend to be close to Hwy 400 that heads North out of Atlanta. The good news is the better schools tend to be in the same area.

I would find the job first and then look at houses close to your job. If you want to check out options, start in Buckhead and follow 400 out to Windward. You won't need to live on 400, but your job will probably be close to 400. Here is a decent list to start from close to Atlanta first:

Decatur
Dunwoody
Peachtree Corners
Roswell
East Cobb
Alpharetta

Thank you for the recommendations.