Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Georgia > Atlanta
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 02-17-2010, 03:03 PM
 
7 posts, read 20,279 times
Reputation: 13

Advertisements

Hello Atlanta area friends,

I have read many posts on this site about Atlanta area relo considerations. I am excited but overwhelmed about the BIG "where to live" question. We will be moving as soon as we sell our house. We would like to choose an area where we can stay at least until our elementary school age boys finish high school. I have researched stats on Sperlings, zipskinny, and school rankings sites. Your ideas would be greatly appreciated on the following factors:

*Single family home - would like to stay under $600,000, looking for a deal in an area that holds its value. Ideal house would be around 3000SF, 4BR, 3.5BA, cook's kitchen, home office, big garage (3 car?), basement or bonus room for media/game room, don't need a big lot but would like trees and green space. I like the charm of older homes, but never owning one would be concerned about maintenance costs. Husband likes new for less maintenance.
*Neighborhood - Suburbs may be ok but would like access to what the city has to offer - sporting events, arts, great local restaurants. Torn between the charming established areas and the swim/tennis/golf neighborhoods that may allow us and our kids to make friends more easily. Friendly neighborhood feel would be great but not where everybody has to know everything (aka no drama). We would like access to Costco, specialty markets, and neighborhood restaurants (not a big fan of chain restaurants) without having to drive too far.
*Employment/Commute - husband needs airport access 3-4 times a month. Due to tough job market there, I will be doing contract work 2 days a week in the Lawrenceville/Suwanee area. You all have warned about living close to work to avoid the long commutes, but I don't know where I will be working after next year. The thought of hours in traffic is daunting!
*Children - 2 elementary age boys. Want excellent public schools even if we consider private. Kids now attend a public magnet school -top academics (very structured) emphasizing responsibilty, citizenship, and mutual respect (minimal behavior problems), ethnically and culturally diverse.
*Hobbies - boys into sports and music, husband into flying little planes (small airport with hangar nearby?), I like food and wine (perhaps a neighborhood dinner club), we all like travel so enjoy diversity.
*Public transpo - Marta would be great for husband's airport access, but what' s the latest on the stereotype controversy that close to Marta equals more crime?
*Other - low crime, reasonable cost of living, low flood risk zone, unpretentiousness (where we live now it's hard to tell the gazillionaire from the regular people and we like that).

While some areas in and around of Atlanta are great, we are leaning toward N such as Buckhead, Alpharetta, E such as Virginia Highland(s), Druid Hlls, Decatur or NE such as Suwanee. I know these areas are very different and certainly home costs vary.

Thanks in advance for your ideas!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 02-17-2010, 04:26 PM
 
Location: Atlanta/Decatur/Emory area
1,320 posts, read 4,259,002 times
Reputation: 501
City of Decatur should suit your needs quite well. The homes you can afford in Decatur will be smaller than you can get outside the perimeter, but the trade-off will be that you'll have a wonderful, charming small town feel, easy access to everything intown, MARTA rail access, lots of charming restaurants, nearby parks, and it's on the correct side of town for your temporary commute to Suwanee (since it's a reverse commute I don't think it should take much longer than 30-45 minutes).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-17-2010, 07:45 PM
 
7 posts, read 20,279 times
Reputation: 13
Thanks, we can afford $1M+ but just don't want to spend it. Mixed views of Decatur crime and schools on this site, but we will check it out on our next visit.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-17-2010, 08:26 PM
 
Location: St Simons Island, GA
23,310 posts, read 43,763,348 times
Reputation: 16418
Quote:
Originally Posted by AuroraGrits View Post
Thanks, we can afford $1M+ but just don't want to spend it. Mixed views of Decatur crime and schools on this site, but we will check it out on our next visit.
Keep in mind that 'Decatur' (much of which is outside the city limits of Decatur going south and north) covers a large part of the county not to mention the gamut socioeconomically. The city of Decatur/zip code 30030 has its' own school system, which is generally considered to be superior to that of surrounding DeKalb County.
Not to put words in IntownHomes' mouth (I would never dare to, as she knows well from whence she speaks), but I would guess that when she is referring to houses in Decatur in this price range she is specifically referring to zips 30030 and parts of 30033.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-17-2010, 10:01 PM
 
Location: Atlanta/Decatur/Emory area
1,320 posts, read 4,259,002 times
Reputation: 501
Yes, I was specifically recommending the City of Decatur, which is just 30030. There are parts of 30033 that might do for you as well (Oak Grove area, specifically), but Oak Grove lacks the charm and small town feeling of the City of Decatur, and DeKalb County schools are not as strong as City of Decatur.

It's totally going to be a case of whether or not you like the vibe. Decatur has a Mayberry feeling to it that a lot of people find compelling, AND it's really, really convenient. But if you go for the more suburban, golf course type community and don't mind really long commutes (especially for your husband) then you'll certainly find tons of options in the northern suburbs.

I'm a Decatur native, so I am admittedly biased. Come and check it out and see if it feels like home to you.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-17-2010, 11:01 PM
 
7 posts, read 20,279 times
Reputation: 13
Thanks to both, look forward to getting a feel for the Decatur neighborhood. Like I said in my original post, for those of us anticipating making Atlanta home, it is so big and overwhelming. Nevertheless, got a good feeling about returning to Southern roots!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Georgia > Atlanta
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top