Closest suburb(s) to the city?

[ramblinwreck17]

Originally Posted by Cinema

The housing is secondary to the school. I checked out the "school" thread at the top, it was very helpful. From my current experience I'm not going by test scores alone. My kids' current school (Chicago suburb) has excellent test scores, some of the best in our district, however, they offer NOTHING in the way of clubs, extracurricular activities, enrichment programs, parent involvement, etc. So I'm looking for a school that offers a lot of that, isn't all about teaching to the test, and where the kids are taught to uplift their classmates, as opposed to constantly competing with each other. And before you think I'm looking for utopia, LOL, there are schools like that out my way, I just can't afford even a one-room shack in those districts.

I'm a freelance writer and my husband is a film editor so I'm going to assume that most of the post houses would be in the downtown area. He does mostly commercial work, he currently works for a post-production company but his clients are ad agencies. He's in the process of checking out companies, so I don't know where we would wind up, but we're in the burbs now and the commute to Chicago is wearing thin on both of us (him because of the time factor--leave before the kids wake up, get home after they've gone to bed--and me because I feel like a single parent during the work week!).

I checked out this website Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage for available rentals. I plugged in a max from $1,000 to $1,300 for a minimun 4bed/2bath home and I was shocked at what came up. Shocked in a good way, but a little leery at the same time. I saw really nice places (some 4-5 bedrooms) that were being rented for $1,000 and even less. Can that possibly be right? I was thinking maybe the neighborhoods are sketchy? But not knowing the area, it's hard to tell. I plugged in some of the schools (Jackson, E. Rivers, Sutton middle) and some available housing came up.

Right now we're doing some research, putting out feelers, etc. I have relatives in the Atlanta area, so some time before the end of this month I plan to fly down and do some investigating (and yes, I'm also getting their input, but it's nice to get it from objective folks, not just relatives who want you to come live where they live, KWIM?). I believe the schools start August 11? I'm sure we can't make the move before then, but I'm hoping we'll have something lined up before our schools start at the end of August.

Anyway, before I start to ramble, thanks for the input. I know I'm still not giving you much to go on, but anything and everything is appreciated.

craigslist classifieds: jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, events, forums would be a great source for apartments as well.

[IntownHomes247]

I would strongly suggest the City of Decatur. Progressive schools (expeditionary learning) and the entire system was just awarded charter status. Lots of parks. Wonderful special events throughout the year (concerts on the square, book festival, summer beach party, 4th of July parade, etc.). Make sure it's actually inside the city limits of Decatur (30030) and you can't go too far wrong. Good luck!

http://www.decatur-ga.com

[RainyRainyDay]

"Cinema" does seem very much to be looking for a Decatur experience. I just wonder about her rental budget though. Is $1,000 to $1,300 going to rent a 3BR/2BA in Decatur?

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

"Cinema" does seem very much to be looking for a Decatur experience. I just wonder about her rental budget though. Is $1,000 to $1,300 going to rent a 3BR/2BA in Decatur?

There's a 3/2 house over on Wilton Dr (Clairemont Elem district) for $1600.00 mo...that's about par for a SFH around here, I think. There might be some townhouses for a little less.

[netdragon]

Mableton as well, but less of Mableton touches Atlanta than it seems, since Smyrna and Vinings blocks off quite a bit of Mableton. Only the part of Mableton from Mableton Pkwy to Veterans Memorial is bordering Atlanta.

Some of the "suburbs" are less suburban than the city itself. For instance, Cumberland is an edge city with highrise and over 100,000 people in the surrounding area. Sandy Springs has close to 100,000 people as well. Everything from Smyrna to Doraville on the North end is densely populated and most of the time more densely populated than the adjoining neighborhoods in Atlanta.

[cmtiger]

[quote=Cinema;4384397]The housing is secondary to the school. I checked out the "school" thread at the top, it was very helpful. From my current experience I'm not going by test scores alone. My kids' current school (Chicago suburb) has excellent test scores, some of the best in our district, however, they offer NOTHING in the way of clubs, extracurricular activities, enrichment programs, parent involvement, etc. So I'm looking for a school that offers a lot of that, isn't all about teaching to the test, and where the kids are taught to uplift their classmates, as opposed to constantly competing with each other. And before you think I'm looking for utopia, LOL, there are schools like that out my way, I just can't afford even a one-room shack in those districts."

If that is what you are looking for, you should definitely check out Decatur City schools because you are describing them exactly. The elementaries are Oakhurst, Winnona Park, Clairemont and Glennwood Academy. The middle is Renfroe and the high school is Decatur High. Check them out on greatschools.net for more info.

K-3 schools in Decatur are ELOB (Expeditionary Learning) schools. They operate based on a philosophy that includes ten "design principals." These principals form the basis for the school culture. Here is a link that describes the design principals... these are definitely not schools that teach to the test.... Expeditionary Learning - Design Principles (http://www.elschools.org/aboutus/principles.html - broken link).

From 4th and up in Decatur is either already an International Baccalaureate School or is on the way to becoming one. IB is similar to ELOB in many respects except that there is more focus on individual/small group projects rather than class-wide projects.

Decatur High was ranked #584 in Newsweek's ranking of the top 1000 high schools in the nation. According to Newsweek, the top 1000 represent the top 5% of high schools in the country.

City of Decatur is definitely an inner suburb. Some would say that it's urban.

The only problem is you price point. I would check areas like Oakhurst, College Heights and the north east corner of the city because prices are a little more reasonable there. All of the schools are nearly identical as far as achievement so you don't have to worry about where to live (school-wise) if you are in the city limits.

[Cinema]

Decatur and "City of Decatur" are 2 different areas, right?

[IntownHomes247]

Originally Posted by Cinema

Decatur and "City of Decatur" are 2 different areas, right?

Just as the actual City of Atlanta is a much smaller entity than "Atlanta," so too the incorporated City of Decatur is smaller than the area known as "Decatur." You can have a Decatur mailing address but not be inside the city limits, just as you can have an "Atlanta" mailing address and be outside the City of Atlanta limits.

Here's a link to maps showing the exact borders of the City of Decatur:

http://decaturga.com/gettingaround_decaturmaps.aspx

Only addresses inside the city limits attend City of Decatur schools -- "greater Decatur" goes to DeKalb county schools.

[Cinema]

Thanks for the map, and thanks to ALL for your help.

[cmtiger]

OMG - I just realized that I used the term "principals" instead of "principles" in my post above.....Aaaaaagh...! Sorry, I know better! My mom would be sooooo disappointed!