Is there a nice “Blue State” oasis in Atlanta? (Decatur: sales, neighborhoods)

[john1963]

avoid cobb county, it is republicans.

dekalb and fulton are mostly democrat

[stvincent]

Luckily, your wife will be working in a very liberal area around Emory University. A list of neighborhoods in commuting distance to the CDC that have liberals in the majority include Decatur, Virginia Highlands, Poncey-Highlands, Freedom Park, Druid Hills, Lake Claire, East Atlanta, Smokerise(Stone Mountain), Mitown, Ansley Park, and Sherman Hills. Except for East Atlanta*(which is being gentrified) all are located in afflent areas and are zoned to good schools. Not all of Cobb is conservative. South Cobb(Smyrna and Mableton) still vote mostly Democrats but that would be a harsh commute to the CDC. There are more places for an affluent family to live than Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, and Alpharetta(all Republican). The intown communities I've listed offer an amazing convience and a neighborhood feel not found in the suburbs.

[Go Blue 99]

I agree with what another poster said- concentrate more on good schools, parks, restaurants etc when choosing a place to live. Don't worry about how red or blue your town is. I'm a democrat from Boston that lives in Alpharetta, and I have never noticed anything that makes me think this town is anti-democrat.

[whinton]

I recently moved to Boston from Atlanta and also previously lived in California for several years. I am very happy with the move away from the South, but you can find blue neigborhoods with Califonia-like mindsets in Atlanta. These neighborhoods are older with character and parks and sidewalks where you can actually walk (not common in many areas there) Some examples include Inman Park, Candler Park, Virginia-Highland, Poncey-Highland, Morningside, Druid Hills, Ansley Park, and Midtown. Grant Park, Ormewood Park and East Atlanta are in the process of gentrification, so prices are a bit lower. Decatur is a city in and of itself (but inside the perimeter, not far from Emory) that is often compared to Berkley in terms of politics. It has a nice downtown with many stores and restaurants.

[atl1221]

pretty much anywhere inside the perimeter (285) will be more "blue." avoid the northern suburbs.....there's so much red there its disgusting. prepare to pay $$$$ for inside the perimeter....but since your from Cali it shouldn't be anything you're not used to.

[LLD]

Suggestion: let's not make personal guesses and judgments about people's motives when they ask questions about conservative and/or liberal areas.

[jjordan]

Originally Posted by Dd714

In reality, the original poster shouldn't even consider politics in his living decisions. In reality, choose a place that has the job you want, that has a reasonable cost of living, low crime, good schools, etc. I am saying the democrat enclaves in Atlanta are in areas he probably doesn't want to live in. It sounds like he wants a house in upper middle class Buckhead, maybe Dunwoody, maybe Alpharetta. Hardly democrat oasis. But who cares? I don't generally go to my neighbor and discuss politics and I couldn't care less which way he voted. You are right, ignorance and intolerance have no political affiliation.

LOL! You think that nice areas can't be democratic ? As some posters have already mentioned there are numerous neighborhoods that exude character and charm (in contrast to the faceless, non descript suburbia that characterizes Alpharetta, et al.) and are wealthy and "nice" such as Ansley Park, Inman Park, Va-Hi, Druid Hills, Morningside, etc. These places have more "soul" in a blade of grass than a place like Alpharetta could ever hope to have in its newest chain-stacked strip mall (and that's not because they're "blue", but because it's true.)

On Topic: Coming from California it probably(?) wont be an issue at all for you to purchase in one of the aforementioned areas. And a huge plus is that these areas wouldn't put your wife in for a long commute.

[gt6974a]

Find your job first, then find schools close, then move there. Yes, we're a bunch of republicans here, but it's not like the Scarlet Letter. Vote your way, which you will most often lose (if liberal) on a state basis. No one is going to crucify you. But that's where you're moving to. It's still a CHOICE.

If I moved to Cali I'd expect the complete opposite and have to live with not driving my v8 mustang GT w/o Catalytic Converters down the interstate.

Coming from Cali and the price you'll fetch for your home I'm betting you'll move to a Cobb or Gwinett once you see how things really are down here!

Git-R-Dun!

[niddy]

This is easy. ANY neighborhood within a couple of miles of the CDC will give you what you want. Fernbank Elementary is great, the Decatur City Schools near there are also good. There is a wonderful private K-12 school near the CDC called The Paideia School which would fit in well in Vermont or the The Bay Area, but it's pricey, like most private schools. Arbor Montessorri is also nearby and terrific, and the middle and high schools around there are good.
I'm a liberal from San Francisco and very happy around here.

[south-to-west]

Contrary to popular opinion and perception, Southerners are just as diverse as people from any other region of the country. The city of Atlanta, as well as the city of Decatur and DeKalb County, are some of the more progressive areas in the country surprisingly so. A large portion of the city of Atlanta, as well as the city of Decatur, are very bohemian and artsy, with more of an "urban" feel. Often times when friends come to visit from out of town, they are often shocked to see the diverse character of Atlanta's neighborhoods.

The only thing that may shock you is the racial segregation. You won't see any overt racism, but instead you will see different groups keeping to themselves outside of the workplace. But I truly believe that this is changing as more residents move to the metro area.