So what's bad about Mableton? (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: real estate, low crime, mortgages)

[WarriorHI]

From everything I see and read, it looks like a great area. I'm possibly looking to relocate to Atlanta with my wife, 3 year old, and 1 year old. I'm looking for something close to downtown, but without that city feel. Sandy Springs first caught my eye, but seems a bit expensive. On the contrary Mableton looks a lot more in my budget which is around $300 to $350K. The schools in the area look good. We were actually looking for a Christian private school if possible. Any suggestions or input would be appreciated. Is the area safe? Nice? What's the weather like? Thanks!

[atlantagreg30127]

It's impossible to tell someone how they would like an area like Mableton simple based on a post in a forum.

Example: You're white and come here from Hootyville North Carolina and look at homes in Mableton. You see that there are a lot of black people there, and you freak out and go "no way". On the flip side, you come down here from Brooklyn New York which is more of a melting pot and the racial mixup of Mableton doesn't even cause you to bat an eye.

In other words, race is a very controversial topic and somewhat hushhush to discuss, but the fact is that some people do want all white or all black or an even mix in a neighborhood they live in. Hey, it's America and you have a right to pick the neighborhood you want. If you DO want all white and extremely low crime, then no, Mableton is not the area for you. If you want a mix, there are some areas that are mixed, and others that are majority black. Others will have to comment on the specific streets/subdivisions as the trends tend to shift a bit back and forth every few years.

You will have I-20 close to commute into the city. Public transit is very sparse in the area but if you drive inside the beltway there is a transit rail station on the West side (MARTA). Other areas to look at are Decatur on the East side, Smyrna in Cobb, or even Marietta if you don't mind being slightly further outside the city.

[Kalabash]

I haven't heard anything bad about Mableton. In fact Mableton has some very posh subdivisions like Vinings, Cooper Lakes Etc. And it's also close to Smyrna and the I-285. I would say drive around the area and do some comparing. Good Luck

[spacelord75]

I actually live in Mableton now and can give you some insight. What the previous poster said about race is correct - if it's an issue to you, you might have a problem here b/c it is pretty diverse. For the most part, however, the nice subdivisions are good just becauce you have black and whites together and they are all successful (for the most part) and just like to keep the neighborhoods looking good. The quality of the neighborhoods varies quite a bit, and I've been amazed at how high some of the new construction costs. Word to the wise - buy new resales....ie, resales in nice neighborhoods that are only a few years old, you can find some great deals in the current market. A good christian school is Whitefield Academy - has a great reputation and I use their track quite a bit for speed work and have been impressed with the facilities I've seen. I THINK it's K-12. There is also a new Mableton charter school, but I think there's a long waiting list to get in there. Outside of that, the schools are horrendous. There's a lot of development going on right now, and I think Veteran's Memorial Hwy is going to be booming in the next 5 years, especially once Bankhead Courts is demo'd.

Another thing is that Mableton is a pretty broad area - it goes all the way from the Chattahoochee to Floyd Rd. Some of the better neighborhoods are: Providence, Vinings Estates, Vinings Place, Barnes Mill, and Vinings Cove.

[Merin]

I moved here, like you, looking in the 350k price range and actually saw some great homes in Mableton. I am black from DC with is a totally melting pot of racial mixup. I would not move to Mableton. I have some co-workers who live there , in gated communities. They have told me repeatedly that they have problems with the children outside of their areas swimming in the neighborhood pool at all hours, and vandalizing parts of their area. They are actually counting down the days until the Atlanta Housing Authority gets rid of the Public Housing near Mableton. From the tone of your post it sounds like it would not be the area for you.

[spacelord75]

Your friends must live in Providence, which is the only gated community in the area. I'll admit that it can be mildly depressing when you see some of the riff-raff around, and occasionally you do get the straggler in the neighborhood, but you have to look at the upside - Mableton, especially the part closest to the river, is in a prime location for commutes to town. Why do you think John Wieland has done so much to build up the area (ie, putting in 3 developments AND putting up $ for a big Publix shopping center)? This place will explode. I am actually selling my townhome in Providence, reluctantly, but I found my perfect home back where I grew up in Dunwoody and don't want double mortgages. Otherwise, I think it is a very good investment. We're talking 30 minute commutes into town, which is hard to find. The schools and riff-raff will be rectified over time - it just takes a patient investor to wait it out. Just compared to 4 years ago it is night and day.

[atlantagreg30127]

One alternative is "Tributary".

It's not officially in Mableton. It has a Douglasville address, but it's close to the I-20/Thornton Road exit not much further out than Mableton. It's a very elaborate and large (1400+ acre) subdivision divided into varied neighborhoods of homes that go from around $190K for a townhouse to $1.8 million for the larger homes, and everything in-between.

They're also having the "Street of Dreams" there until July 1st where you can tour some of the homes (but the tours are of 9 homes that START in the $650k range). I went to the tour - neato stuff though I'd have to win the lotto to afford those.

Their web site: - Tributary Atlanta Real Estate: Atlanta Master-Planned Community 15 miles West of Midtown Atlanta Georgia.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by WarriorHI

On the contrary Mableton looks a lot more in my budget which is around $300 to $350K. The schools in the area look good. We were actually looking for a Christian private school if possible. Any suggestions or input would be appreciated. Is the area safe? Nice? What's the weather like? Thanks!

Mableton is an unincorporated area of Cobb County south of Smyrna and east of Austell, but there are actually a few distinct regions within Mableton itself. The norther part which borders the E/W connector tends to be nicer in general than the parts south of Veterans Memorial Highway, in my opinion, and I'm not sure I'd want to live in the far SE part next to Fulton County.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by spacelord75

I actually live in Mableton now and can give you some insight. What the previous poster said about race is correct - if it's an issue to you, you might have a problem here b/c it is pretty diverse.

I live in an older Wieland subdivision (Stoneybrook), and our neighbors are all over the spectrum. :-)

Another thing is that Mableton is a pretty broad area - it goes all the way from the Chattahoochee to Floyd Rd. Some of the better neighborhoods are: Providence, Vinings Estates, Vinings Place, Barnes Mill, and Vinings Cove.

The Vinings Estates subdivision is actually in Smyrna, I think (the Smyrna city limits go down Cooper Lake Road and halfway down Civitania). Not that it matters much, but I suspect you'll be paying somewhat higher property taxes inside the city limits.

[WarriorHI]

Originally Posted by spacelord75

I actually live in Mableton now and can give you some insight. What the previous poster said about race is correct - if it's an issue to you, you might have a problem here b/c it is pretty diverse. For the most part, however, the nice subdivisions are good just becauce you have black and whites together and they are all successful (for the most part) and just like to keep the neighborhoods looking good. The quality of the neighborhoods varies quite a bit, and I've been amazed at how high some of the new construction costs. Word to the wise - buy new resales....ie, resales in nice neighborhoods that are only a few years old, you can find some great deals in the current market. A good christian school is Whitefield Academy - has a great reputation and I use their track quite a bit for speed work and have been impressed with the facilities I've seen. I THINK it's K-12. There is also a new Mableton charter school, but I think there's a long waiting list to get in there. Outside of that, the schools are horrendous. There's a lot of development going on right now, and I think Veteran's Memorial Hwy is going to be booming in the next 5 years, especially once Bankhead Courts is demo'd.

Another thing is that Mableton is a pretty broad area - it goes all the way from the Chattahoochee to Floyd Rd. Some of the better neighborhoods are: Providence, Vinings Estates, Vinings Place, Barnes Mill, and Vinings Cove.

Sorry for my ignorance...When you say "diverse" you just mean that there are both blacks and whites in the neighborhood, right? There's not neccesarily any tension between them, right? Also what can I expect to pay in some of the areas you mentioned like Vinings Estate / Place / Cove, Barnes Mill, Providence, and also Smyrna? I don't need a large house at all. Maybe 3 to 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1/3 acre? Doesn't have to be new either, maybe something 20 - 25 yrs old? Anything in the lower 200's?

Thank you everyone for your advice!