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We're not sure if it's going to happen, but my wife and I are considering a move to Atlanta from Indianapolis. Her parents have just had a home built in Reynolds Lake Oconee which will eventually be their only/primary residence. If we were going to do it, it would be in the next 1-3 years, with the second half of that time period most likely. Given Atlanta's size and complexity, I've come to you all for your expertise on where to look for great neighborhoods and for advice on schools. I truly appreciate your taking the time to read and respond.
About us:
- Early 30s.
- One kid (toddler). No more coming, or there will be a physician getting a nasty e-mail from me.
- Both work full time. I'm a physical therapist, and she's a CPA. No clue in which part of town we would work.
- Lived in Indy together for a decade, most of it downtown. We enjoy the downtown townhome we are currently renting (Mass Ave area) more than we enjoyed owning a historic home outside of downtown in a mostly residential are (Meridian-Kessler or Butler-Tarkington).
- Walkability, restaurant choices, nearby green space are big deals to us.
- I didn't dig yardwork and major home repairs, further evidencing why we are enjoying townhome living.
Since we don't seem to dig suburban life, we're most interested in inner-city neighborhoods that offer the walkability and bustle that we enjoy while still offering decent schools for our child. I am not at all opposed to public schools, so long as they are safe and offer the opportunity for success, college preparation, and variety of experiences. Diversity is a definite pro, not a con. I also realize that we have a few years before Kindergarten and over a decade before high school, so I'm more interested in the way school systems are trending that I am in their current state.
Decatur is certainly on the list of places to visit and check out. My current research leads me to believe that Grady High and its feeder elementaries meet my requirements, and Jackson is maybe not as far down the track of improvement that Grady is but is well on its way.
Given the above, here's the list of places we've got on our list for further research, in no particular order. I also just noticed that they all give pretty quick access to I-20, which will be our most frequently traveled route out of Atlanta.
- Decatur
- Sweet Auburn
- Inman Park
- Reynoldstown
- Old Fourth Ward
- Glenwood Park
- Midtown (though this seems to be largely condo-based living, and that's too many shared walls/ceilings/floors for my liking)
So, thoughts/suggestions? Am I missing neighborhoods I should check out? Do I have neighborhoods on the list that shouldn't be (I.E. not far enough along yet to be safe or not walkable enough)?
Specific Questions:
1) What are your thoughts on the directions of the school clusters I mentioned?
2) What elementary schools in those clusters would be the ones to target?
So, thoughts/suggestions? Am I missing neighborhoods I should check out? Do I have neighborhoods on the list that shouldn't be (I.E. not far enough along yet to be safe or not walkable enough)?
The most important thing to know is your budget for housing. That will greatly impact where you can live. Pretty much any east-side neighborhood north of I-20, and just south of I-20, is going to give you a lot of what you're looking for. But, it'll be easier to pinpoint the best areas knowing what you can afford.
We're not sure if it's going to happen, but my wife and I are considering a move to Atlanta from Indianapolis. Her parents have just had a home built in Reynolds Lake Oconee which will eventually be their only/primary residence. If we were going to do it, it would be in the next 1-3 years, with the second half of that time period most likely. Given Atlanta's size and complexity, I've come to you all for your expertise on where to look for great neighborhoods and for advice on schools. I truly appreciate your taking the time to read and respond.
About us:
- Early 30s.
- One kid (toddler). No more coming, or there will be a physician getting a nasty e-mail from me.
- Both work full time. I'm a physical therapist, and she's a CPA. No clue in which part of town we would work.
- Lived in Indy together for a decade, most of it downtown. We enjoy the downtown townhome we are currently renting (Mass Ave area) more than we enjoyed owning a historic home outside of downtown in a mostly residential are (Meridian-Kessler or Butler-Tarkington).
- Walkability, restaurant choices, nearby green space are big deals to us.
- I didn't dig yardwork and major home repairs, further evidencing why we are enjoying townhome living.
Since we don't seem to dig suburban life, we're most interested in inner-city neighborhoods that offer the walkability and bustle that we enjoy while still offering decent schools for our child. I am not at all opposed to public schools, so long as they are safe and offer the opportunity for success, college preparation, and variety of experiences. Diversity is a definite pro, not a con. I also realize that we have a few years before Kindergarten and over a decade before high school, so I'm more interested in the way school systems are trending that I am in their current state.
Decatur is certainly on the list of places to visit and check out. My current research leads me to believe that Grady High and its feeder elementaries meet my requirements, and Jackson is maybe not as far down the track of improvement that Grady is but is well on its way.
Given the above, here's the list of places we've got on our list for further research, in no particular order. I also just noticed that they all give pretty quick access to I-20, which will be our most frequently traveled route out of Atlanta.
- Decatur
- Sweet Auburn
- Inman Park
- Reynoldstown
- Old Fourth Ward
- Glenwood Park
- Midtown (though this seems to be largely condo-based living, and that's too many shared walls/ceilings/floors for my liking)
So, thoughts/suggestions? Am I missing neighborhoods I should check out? Do I have neighborhoods on the list that shouldn't be (I.E. not far enough along yet to be safe or not walkable enough)?
Specific Questions:
1) What are your thoughts on the directions of the school clusters I mentioned?
2) What elementary schools in those clusters would be the ones to target?
Thanks again for reading/responding!
Each of the areas you named are good areas to consider for walkable Intown/urban living, with the City of Decatur proper (the area served by the excellent Decatur City Schools system) likely being the best option out of all of those choices.
But before you start to get completely fixated on where to move to and establish roots, I will very strongly advise to first know where at least one of you will be commuting to and from for work each day before getting too far down the track of getting strongly attached on any one particular area to live.
You are very strongly advised to first know where you will be commuting to and from for work because of the unpredictable and delay-prone nature of Atlanta's metropolitan arterial (surface and freeway) network.
Peak-hour traffic (weekday morning rush hours, weekday afternoon/evening rush hours, and even daylight hours on some weekends) in a very fast-growing 6.6 million-inhabitant metropolitan region with limited road and transit infrastructure like Atlanta obviously is a totally different *ANIMAL* from rush hour traffic in a much smaller 2 million-inhabitant metro region like Indianapolis.
Morning and afternoon/evening rush hours can make for long and punishing commutes on many days in metro Atlanta.
Looking for housing in a walkable higher-density Intown urban neighborhood generally is very often a very good thing for prospective newcomers planning to relocate to a traffic congestion-challenged large major metro area like Atlanta.
But it is because of those very challenges with traffic congestion that prospective newcomers like yourself are very often strongly advised to first know where you will be commuting to and from for work... So that you will be able to give yourselves a good idea on where to look for housing in areas that will be geographically convenient to your place of work, and attempt to minimize as much as might be possible the time that you and/or your wife might have to spend commuting to and from work in Atlanta's nightmarish rush-hour/peak-hour traffic.
Housing budget is really important to include. In-town living is not cheap, even for a townhome.
Quote:
Originally Posted by samiwas1
The most important thing to know is your budget for housing. That will greatly impact where you can live. Pretty much any east-side neighborhood north of I-20, and just south of I-20, is going to give you a lot of what you're looking for. But, it'll be easier to pinpoint the best areas knowing what you can afford.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll
Each of the areas you named are good areas to consider for walkable Intown/urban living, with the City of Decatur proper (the area served by the excellent Decatur City Schools system) likely being the best option out of all of those choices.
But before you start to get completely fixated on where to move to and establish roots, I will very strongly advise to first know where at least one of you will be commuting to and from for work each day before getting too far down the track of getting strongly attached on any one particular area to live.
You are very strongly advised to first know where you will be commuting to and from for work because of the unpredictable and delay-prone nature of Atlanta's metropolitan arterial (surface and freeway) network.
Peak-hour traffic (weekday morning rush hours, weekday afternoon/evening rush hours, and even daylight hours on some weekends) in a very fast-growing 6.6 million-inhabitant metropolitan region with limited road and transit infrastructure like Atlanta obviously is a totally different *ANIMAL* from rush hour traffic in a much smaller 2 million-inhabitant metro region like Indianapolis.
Morning and afternoon/evening rush hours can make for long and punishing commutes on many days in metro Atlanta.
Looking for housing in a walkable higher-density Intown urban neighborhood generally is very often a very good thing for prospective newcomers planning to relocate to a traffic congestion-challenged large major metro area like Atlanta.
But it is because of those very challenges with traffic congestion that prospective newcomers like yourself are very often strongly advised to first know where you will be commuting to and from for work... So that you will be able to give yourselves a good idea on where to look for housing in areas that will be geographically convenient to your place of work, and attempt to minimize as much as might be possible the time that you and/or your wife might have to spend commuting to and from work in Atlanta's nightmarish rush-hour/peak-hour traffic.
Thank you. This is great advice, of course, but it's impossible to know where we will be working until the time comes. My aim is to have some good intel and research on the city, and then when it comes time to actually find jobs and housing, I won't feel unprepared.
With my profession and experience, I'm most likely to end up working for CHOA. I understand they will ultimately end up combining their forces at a new hospital in North Druid Hills, but I'm not sure of the timeline for completion.
My wife's landing spot for work is even more up in the air.
Also, housing budget would be in the ballpark of $600k or so.
Question; is MARTA a realistic option for a daily commute? Say we live in Decatur or one of the other neighborhoods in discussion above and I'm working at, say, a hospital in the medical center on the north side. Would MARTA be efficient and less stressful than commuting by car if I work normal daytime hours?
Thank you. This is great advice, of course, but it's impossible to know where we will be working until the time comes. My aim is to have some good intel and research on the city, and then when it comes time to actually find jobs and housing, I won't feel unprepared.
With my profession and experience, I'm most likely to end up working for CHOA. I understand they will ultimately end up combining their forces at a new hospital in North Druid Hills, but I'm not sure of the timeline for completion.
My wife's landing spot for work is even more up in the air.
Also, housing budget would be in the ballpark of $600k or so.
Question; is MARTA a realistic option for a daily commute? Say we live in Decatur or one of the other neighborhoods in discussion above and I'm working at, say, a hospital in the medical center on the north side. Would MARTA be efficient and less stressful than commuting by car if I work normal daytime hours?
If you live on the east side and work at CHOA on the northside, MARTA is certainly an option. It would involve a walk of about half a mile on the work end. The home end would obviously depend on where you end up. So it all matters how important that is. It would involve a transfer at Five Points. At peak travel time, MARTA would probably save you a ton of time, as Decatur to CHOA Northside could be anywhere from half an hour to over an hour. At non-peak times, it would be break-even, or slightly faster by car.
If you live on the east side and work at CHOA on the northside, MARTA is certainly an option. It would involve a walk of about half a mile on the work end. The home end would obviously depend on where you end up. So it all matters how important that is. It would involve a transfer at Five Points. At peak travel time, MARTA would probably save you a ton of time, as Decatur to CHOA Northside could be anywhere from half an hour to over an hour. At non-peak times, it would be break-even, or slightly faster by car.
You have options here.
The new CHOA campus only has MARTA bus service and there is no plan for any alternative modes in the foreseeable future. Utilizing rail would involve a transfer to bus from either the Lindbergh, Brookhaven or Kensington stations. A MARTA commute there from Decatur would involve a transfer from #19 to #8. It's an altogether unwieldy experience.
The new CHOA campus only has MARTA bus service and there is no plan for any alternative modes in the foreseeable future. Utilizing rail would involve a transfer to bus from either the Lindbergh, Brookhaven or Kensington stations. A MARTA commute there from Decatur would involve a transfer from #19 to #8. It's an altogether unwieldy experience.
I was looking at CHOA up at 285/400 as I thought that’s the area the OP was referring to. Didn’t think about the new campus. Yeah, for the new campus from Decatur, I’d probably be driving that one.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by samiwas1
I was looking at CHOA up at 285/400 as I thought that’s the area the OP was referring to. Didn’t think about the new campus. Yeah, for the new campus from Decatur, I’d probably be driving that one.
Then you have to negotiate North Druid Hills, Clairmont, Briarcliff and the other surface streets around there. Ouch. Thanks to a complete lack of interest in planning for adequate infrastructure around CHOA by all parties involved, it will no doubt be a traffic morass of epic proportions.
I was originally asking about CHOA on the north side, as I knew the new campus was not served by rail.
Any thoughts on the school clusters I mentioned, other than Decatur?
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