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I moved to the Oakhurst area of Decatur almost 4 weeks ago and could not be happier.
I am so happy to read your positive post. We're moving from the Midwest, and the house I'm in love with (online) is in the Oakhurst area. My kids will go to public schools. It seems like the perfect fit for us, too! I can't wait to get down there and see if I'm right!
Hey rookat! I'm jealous--you just outlined all the things I like about Oakhurst! I was afraid that, in speaking of so many of MY perceived negatives about the City of Decatur, people would get the wrong impression. I like Decatur too. I just wish that I knew a few more things about it before coming here and thus wanted to offer a balanced view of the town to others considering it.
As for schools, as I said, I definitely plan to use the public schools. My neighbors' reasons for declining to do so vary. Some were outlined in my previous post. Also, some people just prefer private schools no matter what.
In the close-in areas of Atlanta, regardless of the quality of schools, you will find a lot of families who opt for private schools. There are a zillion reasons for this. Some of it is concern about the overall quality of education in GA, some of it is the believe that GA's curriculum isn't rigorous enough, some of it is the "snob" factor. There are also families in CoD (yes even there) who didn't value diversity and left the system after 5th grade. With the advent of the 4-5 Academy, I think many of those types of people no longer even bother with the public schools. I am think the general consensus about those people is "good riddance."
There are many families who know that their children are going to private school and thus schools make little to no difference in their housing decisions.
In the close-in areas of Atlanta, regardless of the quality of schools, you will find a lot of families who opt for private schools. There are a zillion reasons for this. Some of it is concern about the overall quality of education in GA, some of it is the believe that GA's curriculum isn't rigorous enough, some of it is the "snob" factor. There are also families in CoD (yes even there) who didn't value diversity and left the system after 5th grade. With the advent of the 4-5 Academy, I think many of those types of people no longer even bother with the public schools. I am think the general consensus about those people is "good riddance."
There are many families who know that their children are going to private school and thus schools make little to no difference in their housing decisions.
cautious-mom - You're totally right on giving a balanced view especially when you are new to the area. This is the first time we bought a house for the long term and with schools in mind. It was very stressful and why we relied on a lot information here and from talking to people. We love the Oakhurst area but I am concerned at what the 4th grade transition will be like. Right now, our son will be with a lot of our neighbors so I am banking on the fact that we will all go through this together
lastminutemom - that's kind of been my take away.
rockmama - I hope you like it. We took about 3 weekend trips looking around and seeing practically every house in the 30030 area. My best piece of advice is don't be afraid of houses that have been on the market for awhile. We closed on a house that had been on the market for a while that IMO was overpriced when it first listed. I found out that our #2 choice house was bid on a year ago at the current listing but was rejected and it now still sits on the market for that offer price. The sellers should have taken that offer. Obviously there are a lot of reasons for why a house might still be on the market but I found that a lot of decent houses in the area were overpriced since overall house values have held in CoD.
I have had two kids at Glennwood and now have two at Renfroe. Glennwood was a bit of an adjustment for the younger one who is more introverted, but by mid year in 4th grade, both of my kids were very nicely transitioned. Any time a kid is transitioning from a small, cozy school to a larger feeling school where they more is expected of them, it can be stressful. Also, there are lots of new friends to be made at Glennwood, and cliques from the K-3 schools are broken up which for some kids can be a challenge. For other kids, it can be a blessing and a chance for a "new beginning" though.
However, having had two kids go through the middle school transition, I can assure you that you would rather have your child get used to a bigger school "world" and a little more responsibility as a non-hormonal 9 year old than as a "puberty challenged" middle schooler. Middle school kids have enough stresses to deal with, puberty, pimples, braces, the opposite sex, drama queens, fitting in, more challenging school work, changing classes and teachers every period, etc. It was very helpful to my kids to have at least made part of the transition a couple of years earlier so middle school was not so overwhelming.
We visited Decatur for the first time today. Did we miss something? All I saw were a few funky shops and restaurants in the square and another "historic" area and dinky little houses in need of updating in so-so neighborhoods. The college and the churches were beautiful, but the rest was junky. Don't get the flap over Decatur!
Staywarm, you and a few other posters hit the nail on the head. There is hardly anything in decatur and it is mostly hype.
Frankly, there is a small army of realtors/house-flippers that use numerous computers to flood the internet with the praises of a paradise named decatur where everything is perfect and there is no crime. You can even purchase a tiny 1,500 square foot 100 year old house for only 400,000 dollars. But don't dare say anything negative about decatur or else the army will gang up on you and "beat you into submission."
Here is a little background on the situation:
After the olympics, atlanta was flooded with new residents looking for homes, which of course bought many many real estate speculators. Most of the raw land in the desirable areas outside of 285 was used up and what remained usually sold for 100-150,000 per acre. Rather than go 30 miles outside the city for affordable land, many of these developers/speculators turned to the old run down crime infested areas that stretch along the marta east track from downtown out to avondale. They found they could get old people to sell their tiny houses for like 50 or 70,000 dollars. Then they could sit on it, slap some paint on it and maybe some new floors/appliances and boom! it is now a 150,000 house. Then the real estate boom got into full gear around 2002. They soon discovered that with the right amount of hype and promotion, they could declare these areas the new "hot spots" and suddenly this 70,000 house was now worth 350,000 to some unwary buyer from out of state.
Now if someone feels happy paying 350,000 for a tiny old house that is fine but atleast be honest about the area. It is very dangerous. Car breakins, purse snatchings, robberies, burglaries, carjackings and murders. And the current neighborhood special is home invasions. All you have to do is go to the atlanta or dekalb police website and click on "crime map" and you will see those areas lite up like a christmas tree. I guess you heard the tragic story about the grant park bartender who was murdered. This same story plays out week after week, year after year...it is the same story just different characters: A inner city kid gets his first illegal gun and goes hunting for some crime victims. He figures it will be smarter to eliminate the witnesses. I have seen it over and over and over. I surely would not live in those areas even if it was free.
The neighborhood associations sing about the old days when crime was a problem. Now there is no crime as the thousands of thugs, desperate crackheads and vagrants have magically disappeared. That is why residents are asked to pay 400 dollars a year to have an off-duty
atlanta cop patrol their streets. (just in case)
While there is a huge area termed "decatur" for post office reasons, lets move west to an area called the city of decatur. Many talk about crime-free decatur but according to the decatur police dept, in 2008 there was 1,100 serious crimes and 18,000 residents. One in 18 citizens being a crime victim sounds pretty scary to me. http://www.decatur-ga.com/client_resources/cgs/citysvcs/police/2008_2009comparativecrimeanalysis.doc (broken link)
There was 200 burglaries and 8,000 residences which means about 2.5% of homes were burglarized. Humm, 1 in 40 homes getting robbed sounds pretty scary to me. (even though some of those burglaries were businesses, criminals don't care if it is a home or business, so you get the idea)
And in the 4 square mile area of the city of decatur, there is 159 registered sex offenders or 1 in 119 people. Humm, 1% of the population is a sex offender...sounds scary to me. In fact, the city of decatur says that 4,500 people live in one square mile and if 1% are sex offenders, that means that there are 40-45 registered sex offenders within one square mile of your house. That's not exactly the family friendly picture that everyone portrays. I wouldn't let my kids go near that area.
Those are only the stats for the tiny city limits of decatur...most of the crime occurs outside the boundries in the bad areas.
Now lets talk about the housing costs. Almost every year up to 2000, the average price of a house in the city of decatur was 140,000. Then in 8 years it more than doubled to 340,000. Why the increase? Why would this tiny old house gain 200,000 in value in 8 years? Did emory or cdc add jobs? Did new companies move in? No, it was an organized promotional effort to trick out of state people into beliveing that decatur was some type of special utopia.
Now consider all the people who bought at the peak of the market in 2006...they paid 350,000 for a 150,000 house, now they are underwater and desperately trying to find somebody else to "hold the hot potato." I guess if I lost 200,000 in 2 years I would be promoting the decatur area with a passion. LOL
Now let's talk about decaturs cluture. Many speak of the central business district. They must be talking about that 6 story building on the square and the bank across the street. They talk about the entertainment district...I think that is that bar "eddie's attic" where 2 people play acoustic guitars. They talk about the restaurant district. Humm, I didn't see but a few overpriced yuppie type places. They talk about the cultural areas...I still can't find them. When I ask what is special about decatur, all they say is "the founder of coca cola lived here". And don't forget the centerpiece of decatur, the marta subway station and the dozens of bums and hustlers who hang out there.
The facts show that there is an entire army of people singing the praises of an urban utopia called decatur; a crime free city with a thriving cultural, entertainment and business district and affordable housing. In fact, it is almost the opposite of that.
As we know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and what one person considers paradise another may consider hell...and vice versa. That is good, we are only human and I would hate live in a world where we all thought alike.
However, if people are going to flood the internet with what I consider misleading statements, then gang up and attack people for correcting or challenging them then that is just plain wrong. I thought that people who come to city data can expect to get unbias and honest information and even hear both sides of an debate, but when numerous people with the same agenda gang up on others, that makes civil communication and honesty impossible. And when I suspect it is done for profit I find that very dishonest and very annoying.
So yes, there are some great homes in these areas, but don't fall for all the propaganda about how perfect it is. These homes are next to very crime ridden areas and they are very overpriced. These people don't have your best interest in mind.
Good Luck.
Last edited by Apeman007; 09-18-2009 at 06:21 PM..
Reason: ?
Excellent post -- glad that someone finally "declared shenanigans" on the decatur cheerleading squad -- don't believe the hype!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apeman007
Staywarm, you and a few other posters hit the nail on the head. There is hardly anything in decatur and it is mostly hype.
Frankly, there is a small army of realtors/house-flippers that use numerous computers to flood the internet with the praises of a paradise named decatur where everything is perfect and there is no crime. You can even purchase a tiny 1,500 square foot 100 year old house for only 400,000 dollars. But don't dare say anything negative about decatur or else the army will gang up on you and "beat you into submission."
Here is a little background on the situation:
After the olympics, atlanta was flooded with new residents looking for homes, which of course bought many many real estate speculators. Most of the raw land in the desirable areas outside of 285 was used up and what remained usually sold for 100-150,000 per acre. Rather than go 30 miles outside the city for affordable land, many of these developers/speculators turned to the old run down crime infested areas that stretch along the marta east track from downtown out to avondale. They found they could get old people to sell their tiny houses for like 50 or 70,000 dollars. Then they could sit on it, slap some paint on it and maybe some new floors/appliances and boom! it is now a 150,000 house. Then the real estate boom got into full gear around 2002. They soon discovered that with the right amount of hype and promotion, they could declare these areas the new "hot spots" and suddenly this 70,000 house was now worth 350,000 to some unwary buyer from out of state.
Now if someone feels happy paying 350,000 for a tiny old house that is fine but atleast be honest about the area. It is very dangerous. Car breakins, purse snatchings, robberies, burglaries, carjackings and murders. And the current neighborhood special is home invasions. All you have to do is go to the atlanta or dekalb police website and click on "crime map" and you will see those areas lite up like a christmas tree. I guess you heard the tragic story about the grant park bartender who was murdered. This same story plays out week after week, year after year...it is the same story just different characters: A inner city kid gets his first illegal gun and goes hunting for some crime victims. He figures it will be smarter to eliminate the witnesses. I have seen it over and over and over. I surely would not live in those areas even if it was free.
The neighborhood associations sing about the old days when crime was a problem. Now there is no crime as the thousands of thugs, desperate crackheads and vagrants have magically disappeared. That is why residents are asked to pay 400 dollars a year to have an off-duty
atlanta cop patrol their streets. (just in case)
While there is a huge area termed "decatur" for post office reasons, lets move west to an area called the city of decatur. Many talk about crime-free decatur but according to the decatur police dept, in 2008 there was 1,100 serious crimes and 18,000 residents. One in 18 citizens being a crime victim sounds pretty scary to me. http://www.decatur-ga.com/client_resources/cgs/citysvcs/police/2008_2009comparativecrimeanalysis.doc (broken link)
There was 200 burglaries and 8,000 residences which means about 2.5% of homes were burglarized. Humm, 1 in 40 homes getting robbed sounds pretty scary to me. (even though some of those burglaries were businesses, criminals don't care if it is a home or business, so you get the idea)
And in the 4 square mile area of the city of decatur, there is 159 registered sex offenders or 1 in 119 people. Humm, 1% of the population is a sex offender...sounds scary to me. In fact, the city of decatur says that 4,500 people live in one square mile and if 1% are sex offenders, that means that there are 40-45 registered sex offenders within one square mile of your house. That's not exactly the family friendly picture that everyone portrays. I wouldn't let my kids go near that area.
Those are only the stats for the tiny city limits of decatur...most of the crime occurs outside the boundries in the bad areas.
Now lets talk about the housing costs. Almost every year up to 2000, the average price of a house in the city of decatur was 140,000. Then in 8 years it more than doubled to 340,000. Why the increase? Why would this tiny old house gain 200,000 in value in 8 years? Did emory or cdc add jobs? Did new companies move in? No, it was an organized promotional effort to trick out of state people into beliveing that decatur was some type of special utopia.
Now consider all the people who bought at the peak of the market in 2006...they paid 350,000 for a 150,000 house, now they are underwater and desperately trying to find somebody else to "hold the hot potato." I guess if I lost 200,000 in 2 years I would be promoting the decatur area with a passion. LOL
Now let's talk about decaturs cluture. Many speak of the central business district. They must be talking about that 6 story building on the square and the bank across the street. They talk about the entertainment district...I think that is that bar "eddie's attic" where 2 people play acoustic guitars. They talk about the restaurant district. Humm, I didn't see but a few overpriced yuppie type places. They talk about the cultural areas...I still can't find them. When I ask what is special about decatur, all they say is "the founder of coca cola lived here". And don't forget the centerpiece of decatur, the marta subway station and the dozens of bums and hustlers who hang out there.
The facts show that there is an entire army of people singing the praises of an urban utopia called decatur; a crime free city with a thriving cultural, entertainment and business district and affordable housing. In fact, it is almost the opposite of that.
As we know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and what one person considers paradise another may consider hell...and vice versa. That is good, we are only human and I would hate live in a world where we all thought alike.
However, if people are going to flood the internet with what I consider misleading statements, then gang up and attack people for correcting or challenging them then that is just plain wrong. I thought that people who come to city data can expect to get unbias and honest information and even hear both sides of an debate, but when numerous people with the same agenda gang up on others, that makes civil communication and honesty impossible. And when I suspect it is done for profit I find that very dishonest and very annoying.
So yes, there are some great homes in these areas, but don't fall for all the propaganda about how perfect it is. These homes are next to very crime ridden areas and they are very overpriced. These people don't have your best interest in mind.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Apeman007
Staywarm, you and a few other posters hit the nail on the head. There is hardly anything in decatur and it is mostly hype.
Frankly, there is a small army of realtors/house-flippers that use numerous computers to flood the internet with the praises of a paradise named decatur where everything is perfect and there is no crime. You can even purchase a tiny 1,500 square foot 100 year old house for only 400,000 dollars. But don't dare say anything negative about decatur or else the army will gang up on you and "beat you into submission."
Here is a little background on the situation:
After the olympics, atlanta was flooded with new residents looking for homes, which of course bought many many real estate speculators. Most of the raw land in the desirable areas outside of 285 was used up and what remained usually sold for 100-150,000 per acre. Rather than go 30 miles outside the city for affordable land, many of these developers/speculators turned to the old run down crime infested areas that stretch along the marta east track from downtown out to avondale. They found they could get old people to sell their tiny houses for like 50 or 70,000 dollars. Then they could sit on it, slap some paint on it and maybe some new floors/appliances and boom! it is now a 150,000 house. Then the real estate boom got into full gear around 2002. They soon discovered that with the right amount of hype and promotion, they could declare these areas the new "hot spots" and suddenly this 70,000 house was now worth 350,000 to some unwary buyer from out of state.
Now if someone feels happy paying 350,000 for a tiny old house that is fine but atleast be honest about the area. It is very dangerous. Car breakins, purse snatchings, robberies, burglaries, carjackings and murders. And the current neighborhood special is home invasions. All you have to do is go to the atlanta or dekalb police website and click on "crime map" and you will see those areas lite up like a christmas tree. I guess you heard the tragic story about the grant park bartender who was murdered. This same story plays out week after week, year after year...it is the same story just different characters: A inner city kid gets his first illegal gun and goes hunting for some crime victims. He figures it will be smarter to eliminate the witnesses. I have seen it over and over and over. I surely would not live in those areas even if it was free.
The neighborhood associations sing about the old days when crime was a problem. Now there is no crime as the thousands of thugs, desperate crackheads and vagrants have magically disappeared. That is why residents are asked to pay 400 dollars a year to have an off-duty
atlanta cop patrol their streets. (just in case)
While there is a huge area termed "decatur" for post office reasons, lets move west to an area called the city of decatur. Many talk about crime-free decatur but according to the decatur police dept, in 2008 there was 1,100 serious crimes and 18,000 residents. One in 18 citizens being a crime victim sounds pretty scary to me. http://www.decatur-ga.com/client_resources/cgs/citysvcs/police/2008_2009comparativecrimeanalysis.doc (broken link)
There was 200 burglaries and 8,000 residences which means about 2.5% of homes were burglarized. Humm, 1 in 40 homes getting robbed sounds pretty scary to me. (even though some of those burglaries were businesses, criminals don't care if it is a home or business, so you get the idea)
And in the 4 square mile area of the city of decatur, there is 159 registered sex offenders or 1 in 119 people. Humm, 1% of the population is a sex offender...sounds scary to me. In fact, the city of decatur says that 4,500 people live in one square mile and if 1% are sex offenders, that means that there are 40-45 registered sex offenders within one square mile of your house. That's not exactly the family friendly picture that everyone portrays. I wouldn't let my kids go near that area.
Those are only the stats for the tiny city limits of decatur...most of the crime occurs outside the boundries in the bad areas.
Now lets talk about the housing costs. Almost every year up to 2000, the average price of a house in the city of decatur was 140,000. Then in 8 years it more than doubled to 340,000. Why the increase? Why would this tiny old house gain 200,000 in value in 8 years? Did emory or cdc add jobs? Did new companies move in? No, it was an organized promotional effort to trick out of state people into beliveing that decatur was some type of special utopia.
Now consider all the people who bought at the peak of the market in 2006...they paid 350,000 for a 150,000 house, now they are underwater and desperately trying to find somebody else to "hold the hot potato." I guess if I lost 200,000 in 2 years I would be promoting the decatur area with a passion. LOL
Now let's talk about decaturs cluture. Many speak of the central business district. They must be talking about that 6 story building on the square and the bank across the street. They talk about the entertainment district...I think that is that bar "eddie's attic" where 2 people play acoustic guitars. They talk about the restaurant district. Humm, I didn't see but a few overpriced yuppie type places. They talk about the cultural areas...I still can't find them. When I ask what is special about decatur, all they say is "the founder of coca cola lived here". And don't forget the centerpiece of decatur, the marta subway station and the dozens of bums and hustlers who hang out there.
The facts show that there is an entire army of people singing the praises of an urban utopia called decatur; a crime free city with a thriving cultural, entertainment and business district and affordable housing. In fact, it is almost the opposite of that.
As we know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and what one person considers paradise another may consider hell...and vice versa. That is good, we are only human and I would hate live in a world where we all thought alike.
However, if people are going to flood the internet with what I consider misleading statements, then gang up and attack people for correcting or challenging them then that is just plain wrong. I thought that people who come to city data can expect to get unbias and honest information and even hear both sides of an debate, but when numerous people with the same agenda gang up on others, that makes civil communication and honesty impossible. And when I suspect it is done for profit I find that very dishonest and very annoying.
So yes, there are some great homes in these areas, but don't fall for all the propaganda about how perfect it is. These homes are next to very crime ridden areas and they are very overpriced. These people don't have your best interest in mind.
Good Luck.
Eye of the beholder, indeed. And where is you live in our esteemed city that you have such a rarefied perch as qualifies you to make such keen observations? "Overpriced?"...a house is priced and sells at what themarket will bear...simple economics. I left town for 10 days in August, just as two houses came on the market in my neighborhood. When I returned, both were under contract. Not bad in this market. I suppose it is your assertion that they were purchased by masochists.
I've lived in Decatur for over two years now...I've had no trouble whatsoever, and I live three blocks from the old courthouse; neighborhood gossip has yielded no signs of trouble, not even with petty crime. Decatur has an excellent PD, and really keep a lid on potential problems.
So, if you don't like Decatur, fine, no problem. But it's quite another thing to mischaracterize a community about which you clearly know little to nothing. People come here for information, and if I don't feel qualified to speak about a community, I don't speak. I suggest others try doing the same.
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