Enjoying in-town living, but is 45 minute commute too long?? (Atlanta: for sale, renting)

[CObound]

Help! My husband and I don't know what to do! We just moved to Atlanta 2 months ago and are currently renting in-town. We are 26 and don't have kids and are really enjoying living so close to everything. My husband works off Fulton Industrial on the West side and currently has a 20 minute drive to work so everything has been fine so far. However, I have been searching for a job for the last 2 months and finally got one...but it's in Villa Rica. It is a 45 minute drive from where we are now. I will be working 12 hour shifts so I won't work 5 days a week...more like 3 or maybe 4.

Here is our dilemma. We could move to Douglasville and be halfway in between his work and mine (25 minute drive for both of us probably). If we move there we could buy a nice-sized house for 200-250K. However, we're scared we'll be bored in Douglasville. We also haven't met that many friends yet in our short 2 months here and are scared we'll have a harder time meeting young professionals like ourselves in D'ville. If we stay in the area we're in now, we can buy a small house (think 1200 sq.ft) for 300-350K. We can afford that, but it's definitely no 2000+ sq.ft for 250K. We also need a nice-sized backyard for our 2 dogs, so townhomes are out of the question. Any thoughts/opinions/advice would be appreciated!!

[Rockmama]

We've got the same dilemma. We have kids and we are older than you, but are having a hard time with wanting to be away from all the city stuff we really enjoy. But the prices! Holy cow, you can get a ton of house for not a ton of money by heading outside of town. I don't know... the case I keep making is that we've worked hard to earn the lifestyle we want. For us, that's been the "vibe" we want in a city neighborhood that's close to all the stuff we like to do. A bigger house in the suburbs has NOT been our goal.

Still, the lure of spending half the money for more house is soooooooo... practical? Sigh. I feel for you.

[sweettea1]

Have you considered Smyrna/Vinings? Look on the map...it's not terribly far and it's got a unique feel and is very close to the action of Midtown.

[onemanarmy]

Considering your age, and you are without children I think your commute will be fine. Given you are working non traditional hours and you both have a reverse commute, I cannot see your quality of life improving by moving to Douglasville, unless you seeking a suburban lifestyle.

[shalc]

Why don't you try the commute for a while and see how it goes? We really love living intown, and even though we could get a much bigger house for the same price, we like the vibe and living near the things we like to do. We waffled for a long time b/c my commute increased when we moved, but the best advice I got was to live where you want to live and just deal w/ the commute.

[billl]

If you can keep your commute to only 45 minutes, then you are doing great! For most folks it's over an hour, and growing every week (or so it seems).

[noah]

This is not true at all. Many people in the Burbs have long commutes but one hour plus is not average and many people in the city of Atlanta (not burbs) have much shorter commutes. I live intown and commute to the burbs and it is 20-25 minutes (This includes going thru part of the downtown connector).

To the OP: I would stay intown until you are at your job awhile and see if your commute is unbearable.

Originally Posted by billl

If you can keep your commute to only 45 minutes, then you are doing great! For most folks it's over an hour, and growing every week (or so it seems).

[CObound]

Thanks for all the responses! I have another question...if we do try staying in-town, can anyone tell me anything about the Howell Station neighborhood? We are currently in Underwood Hills and love it, but we would really have to push our budget to buy a house in this neighborhood. There are a couple houses for sale in Howell Station that wouldn't stretch our budget quite so much, so we're just wondering how the neighborhood is...crime, etc... Thanks!

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by billl

If you can keep your commute to only 45 minutes, then you are doing great! For most folks it's over an hour, and growing every week (or so it seems).

According to a much publicized 2008 article in Forbes magazine, Best And Worst Cities For Commuters - Forbes.com

Atlanta is so spread out that only 29% of drivers get to and from work in less than 20 minutes, the third worst rate in the country, and 13% spend more than an hour getting to work, the fourth worst rate in the country.

[Sweet Atlanta Peach]

Originally Posted by CObound

Thanks for all the responses! I have another question...if we do try staying in-town, can anyone tell me anything about the Howell Station neighborhood? We are currently in Underwood Hills and love it, but we would really have to push our budget to buy a house in this neighborhood. There are a couple houses for sale in Howell Station that wouldn't stretch our budget quite so much, so we're just wondering how the neighborhood is...crime, etc... Thanks!

From what I can tell, I haven't heard anything negative about Howell Mill...they built a Target, Walmart, Petsmart, Ross, and a variety of stores over there for shoppers so that would be convenient for you.

Now, driving from there to Villa Rica? That might take you more than 45 minutes depending on traffic. I-20 West can be a beast sometimes, if you are going to work during peak traffic time.

But if you aren't, you'll be going against the flow of traffic so you should be okay. If a 45 minute commute works for you, then do it. I, personally, wouldn't, but, I'm not you. My commute to and from work is 7 minutes.