What's the Big Deal about Decatur (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: middle-class, buying a house, buying)

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

Having done a lot of intown living in my time, in my experience I took the car to the grocery store maybe once a year. Normally we (husband or I, or both) would walk over to the grocery store and pick up the items needed, every day. This may seem strangely inefficient to folks who only know the weekly suburban shopping trip. However, if you're not wasting a lot of your time driving in the car, walking over to the store to pick up a few things gets you out of the house and allows you to greet the neighbors you see at the store and buy whatever's fresh that you feel like preparing today. This is how they do shopping in Europe too, by the way.

It is difficult to imagine walking to a grocery store to pick up a few things, having lived the suburban life for too many decades.

My parents moved out to the 'burbs from the Grady High School area in the early '50's. It is somewhat amusing that this area is now 'intown', FWIW. It was a 'big' deal when a grocery store opened at LaVista and Briarcliff--the sheer convenience was newsworthy. I just don't think I could live another way at this point. The very thought of walking a mile to and from grocery shopping and only bringing back a few items sounds absurd. I know I wouldn't be greeting anyone on the way because they would be whizzing past me in their cars. LOL.

jmo $.02--not a fan of grocery shopping in general and from time to time I try to imagine myself living a different style of life. I just cannot imagine myself without the option of stocking up when I make a grocery run. I cannot picture myself purchasing one marble rye ---citing the famous Seinfeld episode.

[staywarm2]

Originally Posted by girlinatl

Alpharetta sucks. Unless you have kids. Then it's ok. But, if you're 20s, 30s, no kids, there NOTHING to do here.

You're right. If you are a 20-30 something, this is not the place for you. No nightclubs that I know of (of course, I'm not looking for them). It's dead at 10 pm.

It's a great place for families--safe, good schools and shopping, etc.

[meadgrad]

This is why i sometimes get frustrated with metro Atlanta....

where do you go around here if you want:
History
Culture
Walkability
Close to major employment centers
Safe
Good schools
Close to transit

In the midwest and new england this is easy to find around major cities...here not so much, which is why we chose the Decatur area...the city is older than Atlanta, beautiful scenery (homes and nature), HUGE trees (not something you get in a new sub usually), Decatur has its own Police and other services, Schools are good etc tec

I grew up in the burbs of Atlanta. I watched the forests and woods I played in become cul de sac subs and parking lots...I dont want my kids to see that happen to their "hood".

I watched the few old homes (not many...mostly rural where I lived untill it became suburban) torn down for strip malls (around Holcomb bridge).

I remember when Neely Farm was an actual farm!

In town we can walk to parks...history everywhere...huge trees...

yes, we gave up a big house which I would love, but its worth it to me. I grew up spending 2 hours mowing the lawn on a riding lawn mower...I like that as an adult I have a yard big enough for dogs and it only takes a half hour to mow.

To each their own.

So...Whats so great about Decatur? Depends on the person of course...but the city is a very rare thing in metro Atlanta.

Like it or not...its unique.

[IntownHomes247]

Not that it's ever a bad thing to talk about Decatur but y'all realize this thread is more than a year old, right?

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by IntownHomes247

Not that it's ever a bad thing to talk about Decatur but y'all realize this thread is more than a year old, right?

Yes, I think the OP was beaten into submission some time ago.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by meadgrad

This is why i sometimes get frustrated with metro Atlanta....

where do you go around here if you want:
History
Culture
Walkability
Close to major employment centers
Safe
Good schools
Close to transit

Well, there are areas in Cobb County that meet all but the "close to transit" part, depending on your definitions of "culture" (there are multiple theaters in Cobb including the Cobb Energy Centre, Strand Theatre, and Theatre in the Square as well as the Mable House Amphitheatre) and "walkability" (which varies tremendously within the county but which is quite good in several areas). Though folks in Vinings are close to the MARTA buses by the Cumberland Mall, and there's always CCT.

I've always been fascinated by the fact that Union troops probably wandered right through my neighborhood (located right between Ruff's Mill and Johnston's River Line). And having been up on Kennesaw Mountain, I know *I* sure wouldn't want to have to climb that slope if it had armed defenders on the top.

[meadgrad]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

Well, there are areas in Cobb County that meet all but the "close to transit" part, depending on your definitions of "culture" (there are multiple theaters in Cobb including the Cobb Energy Centre, Strand Theatre, and Theatre in the Square as well as the Mable House Amphitheatre) and "walkability" (which varies tremendously within the county but which is quite good in several areas). Though folks in Vinings are close to the MARTA buses by the Cumberland Mall, and there's always CCT.

I've always been fascinated by the fact that Union troops probably wandered right through my neighborhood (located right between Ruff's Mill and Johnston's River Line). And having been up on Kennesaw Mountain, I know *I* sure wouldn't want to have to climb that slope if it had armed defenders on the top.

I suppose I should have written "Historic core" a la Marietta...but of course city of Marietta schools suck...so Marietta is out. What are the other historic cores in Cobb?...Marietta size...with good schools....etc.

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by meadgrad

I suppose I should have written "Historic core" a la Marietta...but of course city of Marietta schools suck...so Marietta is out. What are the other historic cores in Cobb?...Marietta size...with good schools....etc.

How about historic Roswell? Not in Cobb as you asked (well, once upon a time) but it always strikes me as walkable and appealing. I think the schools should be good, too.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by meadgrad

I suppose I should have written "Historic core" a la Marietta...but of course city of Marietta schools suck...so Marietta is out. What are the other historic cores in Cobb?...Marietta size...with good schools....etc.

Uh... The infamous Newsweek rating system that everyone seems to either love or hate said the following in 2008 for Georgia schools:

America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com

The top five Cobb County high schools (out of 18, I think, if you group the Marietta school district and Cobb together): Walton, Campbell, Lassiter, Marietta, and Wheeler, in that order. That's not a bad showing for Marietta.

In 2009, we see the following:

America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com

The top five Cobb County schools: Walton, Campbell, Lassiter, Wheeler, Marietta. Again, not bad for Marietta.

Disclaimer: I think this method of ranking schools is interesting but not all that meaningful in many/most cases as factors related to individual students, teachers, and specific programs will often outweigh any general measurement.

BTW ... where did Campbell come from? Did I just miss it before? Maybe it's a better school than some people give it credit for? We're zoned for Campbell, so I'm pleasantly surprised, and I know people really like Nickajack Elementary which we're also zoned for. Does southern Smyrna rock for education or what?

...

W.r.t historic cores: I think Austell has one, Lithia Springs has a cute downtown, Smyrna tore much of theirs down but replaced it with the Market Square area which I think is really cool and very walkable, and Vinings is nicely centralized in the Vinings Jubilee area, but if you're mainly interested in old rather than centralized I admit I really don't know. Kennesaw has an old downtown too, doesn't it?

[MGD]

Originally Posted by staywarm2

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!

lol I didn't even know there was a flap over decatur...the place has a bunch of iffy looking people or maybe that's just the part I've been to off snapfinger.

not hearing anything about dekalb county schools except gang/bully problems.

try sandy springs next time. nice to look at, nice to live in, and central to everywhere you need to be!

Originally Posted by TakeAhike

Weel---how much do you want to know?

-Decatur was established before the city of Atlanta.
-Agnes Scott College & Columbia School of Theology played a major role in the values/culture of the area ---Atlanta, GA. ie-Social Change of the most excellent and perfect kind, etc

-Druid Hills, Emory University and the Carter Center are also a part of this.
-Asa Candler/Coca Cola, Robert Woodruff --city leaders in every profession and industry lived in and around the area.

The area around the city Atlanta ie-- Inman Park/Ponce de Leon to Decatur was once farm land--and the 'First' families, such as the Candlers lived there--as described by Margaret Mitchell, GWTW.

This would have been in the early/mid 1800's, IIRC. Our family historian said that my great, great, great/or something like that grandparents lived near the Candler's. (I haven't reviewed all the records in a while but he was thorough and when I have a chance I need to brush up on this.)

Anyway--Decatur is the headquarters of DeKalb County government and those that live in Decatur are committed to excellence in every aspect of life. Always have been and always will be.

Family values, social change of the highest order and proactive planning for the future.
Decatur, Georgia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
THE DEKALB HISTORY CENTER

LovinDecatur is the poster to answer this question or ?cmtiger?--there may be others can explain all this.

hm.