May be moving to ATL soon for a job, need advice (Atlanta: apartment complex, to rent)

[elranzer]

I may be moving to Atlanta soon for a tech job. The office is located on 10th St, not far from the Alexander memorial Coliseum.

Lemmie describe myself:

27, single, male, techie, Libertarian-minded, progressive, well-educated (Masters degree), northerner (don't worry, not from NYC or NJ).

I'm sick of northern elitism and the ice-cold winters, so I am well open-minded to the south and southern hospitality.

I have no idea where to possibly look for apartments. I would only be looking to rent, not own property for now. I don't want to wind up in a ghetto because I found a "good deal" on Craigslist. Any suggestions?

Also, should I even be using Craigslist, or is there a better place to find the good apartments in the area?

[George Chong]

Glad to hear that you have a job lined up already. Depending on what your budget and your requirements are - you might like living in Midtown - close to your new job.

Here are some websites to check out:

www.piedmontpark.org Our version of Central Park and the same landscape architect.
Midtown Alliance
Midtown Mile Atlanta . An Urban Retail Experience (http://www.midtownmile.org/ - broken link)
MidtownAtlanta.org - News and Events

www.promove.com is a free apartment finding service.

Good luck to you!

[sweettea1]

George gives excellent advice, as always!

[elranzer]

I don't anything about Atlanta, its districts, neighborhoods, etc. Are there certain areas I should avoid? Too expensive? Should I bother commuting in from a suburb rather than live right in the city?

[George Chong]

It all depends on your budget and your preference of "lifestyle". I use the term lifestyle because if you don't want to commute and want restaurants and shopping close by, then live in Midtown or the surrounding area.

If you would like to have more space and like the feel of suburbs, then there are plenty of suburbs for you too.

I live in Inman Park which is not as dense as Midtown and there are plenty of restaurants, shops, walk to public transportation.

Here is some information about the neighborhood:

www.inmanpark.org
www.inmanparkvillage.com
N. Highland Steel | Perennial Properties is a newer apartment complex and I hear that their occupancy rate is always low. It only has about 10% availability.
PATH Foundation

Tell us what would be important to you in terms of how you live your life and I am sure you will receive more advice.

[FromCLTtoATL]

George was also very helpful to me when I was moving here. His advice is good. If you can afford it, I would advise trying to live close to work. I think you'll find lots of good options relatively near 10th Street. I work downtown and live 10 miles away. By Atlanta standards, my commute isn't bad but it feels bad to me! LOL.

I have a friend who lives in Midtown. He has liked it except for issues of petty crime -- people taking stuff off his porch, etc. The southern end of Midtown gets a bit sketchy around Ponce, but I don't think it's anything too bad.

I live between Decatur and 285 in a tiny unincorporated place called Scottdale. Decatur is a very nice town. At some point, Lovin'Decatur will probably come in here and make a good pitch for it! I wouldn't mind living right in Decatur if things break my way next year.

And welcome to Atlanta.

[FromCLTtoATL]

Originally Posted by elranzer

I don't anything about Atlanta, its districts, neighborhoods, etc. Are there certain areas I should avoid? Too expensive? Should I bother commuting in from a suburb rather than live right in the city?

Atlanta is such a patchwork, it's hard to generalize because there will always be exceptions. That said, most places south of Memorial Drive and I-20 should bear a little extra consideration. But there are people south of those corridors, and they will tell you they have a great neighborhood, with good reason.

[TimelessClassic]

Originally Posted by George Chong

It all depends on your budget and your preference of "lifestyle". I use the term lifestyle because if you don't want to commute and want restaurants and shopping close by, then live in Midtown or the surrounding area.

If you would like to have more space and like the feel of suburbs, then there are plenty of suburbs for you too.

I live in Inman Park which is not as dense as Midtown and there are plenty of restaurants, shops, walk to public transportation.

Here is some information about the neighborhood:

www.inmanpark.org
www.inmanparkvillage.com
N. Highland Steel | Perennial Properties is a newer apartment complex and I hear that their occupancy rate is always low. It only has about 10% availability.
PATH Foundation

Tell us what would be important to you in terms of how you live your life and I am sure you will receive more advice.

How is the crime and rush-hour traffic in Inman Park? I work in Duluth and live in Chamblee but might be up for moving.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by George Chong

if you don't want to commute and want restaurants and shopping close by, then live in Midtown or the surrounding area.

Just to be fair, there is plenty of shopping and plenty of restaurants close by in the suburbs too. Crime in the midtown area is also a bit more of a concern than in most of the suburbs. It really boils down to commute and whether you want more of an urban or suburban lifestyle. Given you're single with no kids, you may prefer more of an urban lifestyle with things within walking distance. There probably is no real value add for you to commute, unless you just don't want to be in urban surroundings.

Just for comparison, I'm in a suburb about 25 miles northwest, and it usually takes me about 30 to 45 minutes to get to midtown with average morning traffic. Off hours it takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

[Cityboy24]

Oh boy...

I'm a twenty-something grad student that has lived in Atlanta my whole life. I am so sick of it. Let me get down to the basics...

Where to live (if you've got the money): Va. Highlands. Definitely the area fit for most "hipsters" (I'm not judging...by today's standards I myself am a hipster). Virginia Highlands (or "The Highlands" - name dubbed by people in the city) is a small neighborhood in Atlanta that happens to be one of the few decent areas in Atlanta. It's filled with lovely, unique classic homes and a long strip down N. Highland that features plenty of unique bars, restaurants, and shops. You're able to walk through most of the neighborhood...but don't be fooled - about 95% of Atlanta isn't walkable like NYC, Boston, or Chicago.

Atlanta is hands down the most poorly designed city in the country. The metro contains nearly 6 million people, however the city of Atlanta only contains about half a million people. Do you realize what this means?? TRAFFIC. Undoubtedly the worst traffic I've been in. And I've been through and driven through many major cities like D.C. and L.A.. Atlanta's traffic is bad for 2 reasons: The amount of people that live in upper Fulton county and Gwinnett county. Gwinnett county is one of the most populated cities in the country, and they are proud of it. And the fact that majority of people talk on their cell phones and just don't understand how to drive. I'm assuming the DMV just hands out licensees to everyone. And everyone drives huge trucks here too. So, terrible pollution. If you're asthmatic or have bad allergies - stay away!

All I can say about Atlanta is truly this: It's mainly for families that want to live in the suburbs. As stated before, an overwhelming majority of the population is found in the suburbs. So, if you're looking for fun and a bit of a nightlife look elsewhere. Unless you have the bucks to shell out a Buckhead (upscale neighborhood adjacent to Midtown) apartment then you're going to have to drive everywhere. Everything is so spread out. But, even Buckhead isn't the same anymore. All the clubs and bars got shut down and has turned into all high-rise apartments.

Avoid areas like College Park and Vinnings. Anywhere on I-20 basically is scary. If you happen to make a trip down to "The Ted" (short for Turner Field - home of the Braves) then you better know your directions because one wrong turn means you're in GHETTO land. Don't depend on the MARTA (metro transportation). It is terrible, and doesn't reach half the places it needs to go to. After seeing the beauty of the Metro in D.C. I don't understand why every city can't copy that.

And lastly...weather-wise. Some of the nastiest weather possible. There are only about 3 months out of the year where it is nice. October and November are the best...but winter here is pretty bad. Summer is by far the worst. The whole summer features weather well above 85 degrees and near 100% humidity. It's highly uncomfortable, and AC just won't cut it most of the time because the humid air still makes you sweat. This lasts from May-September. March and April are nice however.

The positive thing I'll say about ATL is that there are 4 distinct seasons, and there is plenty of green-ness. And the food down here is very good. People are generally nice, but once you get a little ways out of the city you run into rednecks which make the south look terrible. Don't move here if you're scared of bugs either. There are about 4,000 speceis of spiders here (lol).

Anyway, I realize I was very negative but I'm ready to get out myself! Good luck if you end up moving here, and I hope you don't despise it as much as I do!

Regards,
Will