Vibrant neighborhood choices for commute to Alpharetta and Old fourth ward (Atlanta: to rent, condo)

[kothrush]

We are thinking of moving to Atlanta. My office will be in Alpharetta, my wife's office is expected to be in old fourth ward.

We don't like to live in a area with typical suburban feel (still in our late 30s/early 40s ), would like to be in a vibrant and diverse community. It would be preferred if there are restaurants, gym, pubs etc. in walking distance or at least within a very short drive. At the same time, we both would like to avoid grueling long drive to work (about 30-40 mins or less would be ideal). I need to go office daily (Alpharetta), my wife would only need to go to office 1-2 days a week (old fourth ward).

We can afford to rent a place for ~$2500/month or we can also consider buying a condo/townhouse type place with budget of ~$550K. We don't need anything too big, about 2000 sq. ft. (3 bedrooms) place will suffice in low crime, decent schools areas.

What neighborhoods would you recommend ? I'm reading about Sandy Hills, Buckhead, Alpharetta, etc. What would be pros/cons of these choices? Thanks!

[seussie]

Live in Brookhaven. Half and half driving-sharing distances for yall. Nearby lots, esp. if you're already going to be in a position of being car centric (Edit* I'm assuming such because you have to commute to Alpharetta everyday). Or, roll the dice and live in Woodstock. Her way down to O4W would be shorter than her ride home. Actually, I recommend Woodstock over Brookhaven.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by kothrush

We are thinking of moving to Atlanta. My office will be in Alpharetta, my wife's office is expected to be in old fourth ward.

We don't like to live in a area with typical suburban feel (still in our late 30s/early 40s ), would like to be in a vibrant and diverse community. It would be preferred if there are restaurants, gym, pubs etc. in walking distance or at least within a very short drive. At the same time, we both would like to avoid grueling long drive to work (about 30-40 mins or less would be ideal). I need to go office daily (Alpharetta), my wife would only need to go to office 1-2 days a week (old fourth ward).

We can afford to rent a place for ~$2500/month or we can also consider buying a condo/townhouse type place with budget of ~$550K. We don't need anything too big, about 2000 sq. ft. (3 bedrooms) place will suffice in low crime, decent schools areas.

What neighborhoods would you recommend ? I'm reading about Sandy Hills, Buckhead, Alpharetta, etc. What would be pros/cons of these choices? Thanks!

seussie’s suggestion of Brookhaven is an excellent one that you should seriously consider because of the numerous urban amenities and the solidly above-average schools.

Buckhead would also be a very good option to consider, especially because of all of the urban amenities that the area offers along with the above-average schools.

Chamblee is another excellent option to consider because of the urban amenities and the solidly above-average schools.

All 3 of the aforementioned amenity-rich areas (Brookhaven, Buckhead and Chamblee) would offer decent/acceptable commutes to both your jobs in Alpharetta and O4W (Old Fourth Ward).

Sandy Springs might could be an okay option, particularly because of the numerous amenities and the above-average schools. But traffic likely will be a challenge in Sandy Springs during peak hours.

Woodstock is a good area to consider because of the generally well above-average school quality and the numerous amenities there, including the popular walkable vibrant downtown village area filled with shops and restaurants.

But a likely rush hour commute between Woodstock and O4W might would concern me. That’s even though a Woodstock-O4W commute would be only 1-2 days a week and your wife would be able to use the toll lanes to commute along Interstates 575 and 75 during morning and afternoon/evening rush hours.

A likely rush hour commute between Woodstock and Alpharetta might also be at least somewhat concerning because heavy traffic that typically uses GA-92 and other routes between the Woodstock and Alpharetta areas during morning and afternoon/evening rush hours during normal times.

Because of the excellent quality of the schools and the overwhelming amount of metropolitan amenities there, Alpharetta would be an excellent option for commuting to and from your job in Alpharetta 5 days a week.

But a rush hour commute (though figuring to improve somewhat after the completion of the reconstruction project at the I-285/GA-400 interchange) between Alpharetta and O4W would still be very tough on many days, even if only 1-2 days a week.

[Citykid3785]

Brookhaven
Lindbergh terminal
Midtown
Atlantic station
Parts of sandy springs

If you can swing downtown Alpharetta in a condo, do consider that as they have done a really nice job with that area, and it would favor your commute which is more frequent than you wifes

[Go Blue 99]

Living near downtown Alpharetta could be a nice option for you. It's definitely the suburbs, but they've done a great job with building a scene (bars, restaurants, walkability). It's very popular with your age demographic. But your wife would be looking at an hour commute to O4W.

Brookhaven is another great choice that would bring you ITP and give you train access. I did a Brookhaven to Alpharetta commute for 9 yrs- mornings are easy, but evening commute would be about 35-50 min.

[Tarzanman]

I would advise against splitting the baby half and half in this case. After full traffic resumes this fall when school lets in, even a location smack dab between Alpharetta and Old 4th ward will be a 40 minute commute during rush hour.

It would be better to push for flex time, work from home options and the prospect of one person having the shorter commute and thus be closer to home for emergencies and other occasional events (contractors at the house, checking in on kids, etc).

The other person will have to deal with Atlanta traffic.

Parts of Brookhaven, Roswell, or Sandy Springs fit the bill. Atlanta isn't all that upscale urban. The areas that are urban and nice are well out of your listed price range