Advice on Relocating to Marietta, Vinnings, Smyrna, Mableton Area? (Atlanta: apartment, lease)

[Further North]

Hi Everyone,

I moved down the the Alpharetta area in March of last year for a new job and recently it hasn't been going well. I'm interviewing with another Metro Atlanta company and given the distance between where I'm living and the office I plan on relocating when my current lease ends.

The new job has an office in the big industrial park on SW Fulton Industrial Blvd near the HWY 6 intersection. I probably will need to take some combination of 285 > 20 and/or 70 to get to work. I'd like to avoid taking 400 S if I can.

In the 10 months I've lived here I'm starting to get the lay of the land and I've certainly driven 400 to 285 many times and visited more popular neighborhoods like Virginia Highlands, Cabbage Town, Five Points, O4W, etc and spent some time around the West End too but I haven't really roamed enough to really have a good feel for the whole city or especially the West side of the OTP area where I'd likely want to move to.

I fully understand the warning of "live as close to work as possible!" in Metro Atlanta and I would like to move closer to the new office. I'd like to end up within a 45 minute commute if I can and hopefully find a house with a garage to rent in the $1,800 to $2,200 budget range.

To give you some background info I’m a 41 year old male, no wife, no kids, not looking to buy a house in the short term so I don’t care about school districts, etc. I’m into hiking and the outdoors, art, seeing live music, and car shows. As far as nightlife, I’d say low key brewery or an Irish Bar or Dive bar is my preference over a loud ass club full of 20 somethings.

Vinnings, Smyrna, Mableton, Marietta is probably where I want to look and I could use some advice on these areas.

Where would you suggest I look out of those areas?

Are there any neighborhoods East of 70 and West of 285 that are worth looking into?

How about East of 285 and West of 85?

Any areas I should avoid?

[lorilove]

I live less than 2 miles from The Battery and your budget will get you a townhouse with a 1 car garage but the supply is minimal. You would need to search daily and be ready to jump on a possibility as soon as it became available. You might consider going month to month on your current lease for a few months while you wait to find your new place.

[Further North]

Originally Posted by lorilove

I live less than 2 miles from The Battery and your budget will get you a townhouse with a 1 car garage but the supply is minimal. You would need to search daily and be ready to jump on a possibility as soon as it became available. You might consider going month to month on your current lease for a few months while you wait to find your new place.

Thanks for the suggestion. The good thing for me too is the office is Hybrid right now. I was told I'd only need to have to come in on an as needed basis for meetings or whatever. So I'll probably have some flexibility in waiting to find the right place. I'm just not sold on the "Work From Home Revolution" and the idea that companies won't eventually want to bring us back in the office. Hence the desire for me to move closer when I can.

[Born 2 Roll]

Finding a way to get between Alpharetta and the intersection of FIB (Fulton Industrial Boulevard/GA-70) and Camp Creek Parkway (GA-6) in the City of South Fulton/Southwest Fulton County without using GA-400 will be difficult because of the severe lack of nearby north-south alternatives.

If you live in Alpharetta closer to GA-400, you could try using GA-9, which runs parallel along the west side of GA-400... But GA-9 is a slow surface route that is loaded with traffic-generating surface development and littered with numerous stop lights.

If you live in and/or near the Johns Creek side of North Fulton County and can easily access GA-141, maybe you might could try using GA-141 southbound to I-285 eastbound/southbound around the south side/south end of the I-285 Perimeter to Camp Creek Parkway (GA-6) westbound to FIB.

Otherwise, because they generally are located on the same side of the metro area and will often you provide you with shorter commutes to and from work, Marietta, Smyrna, Vinings and Mableton are good OTP living options to consider for peak-hour commutes to and from the FIB/Camp Creek Parkway area.

Marietta is a fairly close-knit community with an extremely active historic downtown village area of numerous bars, restaurants and shops built around a popular community gathering spot in a historic town square (Marietta Square).

Smyrna is a rising and gentrifying inner-suburb that is really popular with young professionals.

Vinings is an affluent inner-suburban village area (with a small historic downtown village area) that dates back to the Civil War.

All 3 of the aforementioned inner-suburban communities (Marietta, Smyrna and Vinings) offer a high quality-of-life and provide great access to an abundance of metropolitan amenities.

Mableton is located the closest to your new place of work in the FIB/Camp Creek Pkwy area and likely could provide you a good opportunity to find a more affordable (newer or mature/existing) home with a garage and a yard. Though, Mableton itself is much more of a purely residential bedroom community (with both mature and newer residential elements) than the other 3 inner-suburban communities you named, which have more social amenities.

[aslowdodge]

Can’t speak for the work situation, but Marietta puts you close to several pubs as well as a lot of car meet ups. I do probably 5 to 8 car meets a month in the nicer weather.

[Citykid3785]

Don’t live close to work, live central to all the job centers. I’ve learned the hard way, don’t strive to live 5 mins from your job, as the job market is too volatile nowadays. Strive to live within 30 mins, 45 at worst, to several job centers.

That said, Marietta is best of the bunch you mentioned. Vinings is nice, but a bit “rich” if that makes sense. Not really the place for a young single

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Citykid3785

Don’t live close to work, live central to all the job centers. I’ve learned the hard way, don’t strive to live 5 mins from your job, as the job market is too volatile nowadays. Strive to live within 30 mins, 45 at worst, to several job centers.

That said, Marietta is best of the bunch you mentioned. Vinings is nice, but a bit “rich” if that makes sense. Not really the place for a young single

Um, the Vinings area is great for singles.

[Atlanta-Native]

Originally Posted by aries4118

Um, the Vinings area is great for singles.

Really? Where do singles in Vinings meet up?

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Atlanta-Native

Really? Where do singles in Vinings meet up?

Bars, pubs, and out and about.

Greater Vinings, though not like other areas farther intown, has always been single professional friendly. And still is.

You will find similar attributes in the Perimeter Area. My single, 27-year-old niece lives in Perimeter Area in her cute apartment is loving life.

[Atlanta-Native]

Originally Posted by aries4118

Bars, pubs, and out and about.

Greater Vinings, though not like other areas farther intown, has always been single professional friendly. And still is.

You will find similar attributes in the Perimeter Area. My single, 27-year-old niece lives in Perimeter Area in her cute apartment is loving life.

But where? Old Vinings Inn, or Marlow's? I just don't recall much of a scene in Vinings, or the Perimeter area, for that matter.