Neighborhood Suggestions (Atlanta, Decatur, Nashville: short sale, apartment, foreclosure)

[mymellowman]

Hi all,

I've recently been going through some interviews w/ Turner and have never been to Atlanta, so my wife and I need some help with neighborhoods to look into.

My wife and I are 30. If we head down, I will probably working at CNN Center and my wife would be home with our 6month old son, dog and two cats. I'd like to keep the commute to around a half hour each way (open to mass transit or driving).

We're looking for at least a 3 Bed, 1.5+ Bath, a yard or outdoor space would be nice for the dog, but not a requirement if parks are very close by. We'd like access to a pool (community pool would be fine).

We're pretty urban people (grew up outside New York, have lived in San Francisco, LA, and Nashville) and definitely would like to be in walking distance to a "downtown" or "main street" type area (restaurants, shops, parks, etc). We don't want to be in too-suburban of an area.



1. Budget: $200k

2. House/Condo/Townhome: Preference towards Townhome/Condo, but open to houses also

3. Employment Status(commute/work from home): Would commute to CNN Center, bt may work from home a day a week (thus the need for a 3 bed room).

4. Children(public school vs. private): At this child is young, so not important

5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two: More on the urban side (as noted above).

6. Easy access to public transit, important or not?: Not a make or break item, but definitely would like to be close to the train if possible.

7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood: Very safe as we have a newborn child, we like a neighborhood, shops & restaurants with character, (My wife and are very into music, movies, and the arts (our backgrounds are in the film industry), outdoor areas such as parks are very important as we like to spend time outside. Young families in the area are a plus. Also, would be a plus to have a Catholic Church nearby.
[LEFT]
We'd appreciate any insights you all have. Thanks!!!
[/LEFT]

[plessthanpointohfive]

Hey, welcome to Atlanta!

Your budget won't buy you a house in-town where it's not "transitional", at least not one that doesn't need a great deal of work. But, it will buy you a townhouse. Checkout townhouses along the east MARTA line. You should be able to find something in your budget. The bulk, if not all, of the east line is "family urban", with lots of families and lots of neighborhood parks. There is also a nice Catholic church in Decatur, which is on the east line.

FYI, I live along the east line in then Candler Park neighborhood, which is City of Atlanta but Dekalb County (there is a tiny portion of Dekalb that is in the city limits).

If you go to this site (my favorite MLS search site because you don't have to registers and get an annoying email from a realtor when you're just browsing): Atlanta MLS, No Registration, No Agent Calls, No Email Spam

Put in these codes:
MLS #2878221 (bungalow 3/2 that needs a big rehab, apparently)
FMLS #4001564 (this house is a 3/2 and is one of a series of more modern 'garden' homes built just around the corner from me. Most homes are turn of the century but there's this little row of 80s garden homes. )
FMLS #4010574 (a 3/2 townhouse in Inman Park - GREAT Location on Delta)

All I did was search zipcode 30307 (my zip) for places that were max 200K and had at least 3 bedrooms.

This zipcode, by the way, funnels to great schools so when your little one does get old enough you won't have to move or send to private. Mary Lin and Springdale Park elementary schools are top notch public schools. At Mary Lin the kids have Promethean boards in every classroom (I loves these things - interactive white boards), a really great playground across from Candler Park golf course (9 hole/executive and public - great, great park overall).

This isn't the only zipcode that's worth checking out. It's just mine and it's a great place for a 30-something young family (I am 35) to have a family and still have an urban lifestyle. Best of all you'd be on the east MARTA line and could take the train to work at CNN.

Best of luck in your search and good luck with the last round of interviews!

Oh, whenever you head down to check out Atlanta, let us know where you'll be staying and we can suggest places for you and your family (assuming they accompany you and make a mini-vacay out of it) to visit, restaurants to go to, and if there are any neighborhood events going on.

[IntownHomes247]

I'd say Decatur might be a good fit for you, although it has more of a "small town" feeling than "urban" but with fun stuff to do (you might like Popular Live Music Venue in Decatur, GA ), lots of restaurants, parks, etc.

Your budget will probably not buy you a 3 bedroom (unless you luck onto a foreclosure or short sale), but it will buy you a 2 bedroom condo or townhome.

You should check the area out when you're in Atlanta and see if it feels like a good fit.

City of Decatur, GA

[plessthanpointohfive]

Some links to the neighborhoods I'd recommend:

Candler Park Neighborhood Organization | Welcome to your intown hometown

Check out the photos at the bottom of Neighborhood Events | Candler Park Neighborhood Organization (http://www.candlerpark.org/content/neighborhood-events - broken link)

You can always go Ski Lake Claire! Lake Claire Neighbors (FYI - there is no lake...the neighborhood is named after Claire Ave and Lakeshore Dr...and Lakeshore Dr used to pass by a private man-made lake "back in the day" but it's no longer there)

Atlanta's first "planned" development: Inman Park

Where Jane Fonda lived before she left: Poncey-Highland Neighborhood Association > Home

The extremely rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods of Edgewood and Kirkwood (even in this economy): Organized Neighbors of Edgewood
Kirkwood Neighbors' Organization (KNO) :: Kirkwood Neighborhood, Atlanta, GA

With a great park and golf course, there's Eastlake: ELNCA | Welcome to the East Lake Neighbors Community Association Web Site

And I can't possibly leave out DECATUR: City of Decatur, GA (which, by the way, is its own city and not a neighborhood...but it's a great little companion to Atlanta)

Within Decatur are the neighborhoods of...

Oakhurst: Oakhurst Neighborhood Association
Winnona Park: Winnona Park Home Page


Honorable mentions are (and only because they're a little earlier in their gentrification - but I still feel perfectly safe jogging through them by myself):

Cabbagetown: Cabbagetown > Home
Reynoldstown: Reynoldstown Civic Improvement League - Home

I probably left some out and also, I didn't include other neighborhoods that are safe for families. These are just the ones I could think of on the east MARTA line.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

There is also a nice Catholic church in Decatur, which is on the east line.

That would be St Thomas More, which also has a school:

Saint Thomas More Catholic Church - Atlanta, Georgia

[mymellowman]

Thank you all for the insights! These definitely seem to fall in line with what we're looking for!!!!!

Will keep you updated as we move forward!

[Lady300]

I live in an apartment in downtown Decatur and I think you would love it here. It's like the best of both worlds ya know. Not too suburban and not too urban. You have easy access to downtown Atlanta and easy access to the suburbs. Crime is low, housing is expensive but I think it's worth it if you want a piece of mind. It's a mix of single professionals and families. It's very gay friendly if you are okay with that. I'm a 30 something black professional woman and although Decatur is primarily white and then Asian, I've never had any problem. The people are very nice and really take interest in the community. There are tons of famiy oriented activities that you'll enjoy. At the Decatur square they have the annual beach ball festival or something like that....can't really think of the actual name. In Oakhurst which is in the city of Decatur they always have events there. The schools are good. I went to all the schools in the City of Decatur growing up and they were all good with great teachers. I have two dogs and the whole area is dog friendly. People around here walk their dogs as late as 12 at night and 5am in the morning...no kidding there. I've seen it but I wouldn't do it. Now traffic can get to be a bit of a headache sometimes but it's doable. It's a minor thing considering all the other great things here. The Decatur Police department are excellent in my opinion. If you need anything, they are quick to respond. You have easy access to Marta which is our public transportation but I don't ride it. My comfort level with public transportation is not there yet. This isn't New York or Chicago where everybody rides public transportation, here, poor people primarily ride public transportation and in my opinion it's not worth meeting all the weirdos and crack addicts so I just drive everywhere. The Decatur Library is excellent and they have great parking. I worked there during my undergrad years and loved it. Glenlake Park is in the area and it has a pool which has been renovated and a tennis court and picnic area. I worked there when I was in high school...again excellent. There is the Decatur Recreation center...you'll love the various activties. Lots of yard sales around here...I think you'll love that. Great churches......if you are into that.

Now what you want to avoid is South Decatur...different world there. Lower income people, terrible schools and higher crime. You'll know when you are in South Decatur because it won't feel right.

I think you should come check out the city of Decatur. I think you will love it. Obviously I've been here all my life and I think it's a great place. I'm getting ready to move to Kansas though but if you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer.

Someone mentioned Cabbagetown and Reynoldstown...not sure if I would recommend those areas....I mean they are okay but you might be a tad closer to areas you wouldn't want to be. That's just my opinion. I'm single so I'm a stickler about safety. It's just that those gentrified areas are sketchy. I mean one minute you're in an okay area and the next two streets over you're in the hood or something. Maybe I feel that way because I'm a single woman who lives alone. Also be careful with Eastlake. It's another gentrified area that can get sketchy. Some areas are nice and others not so nice. Just take caution with the gentrified areas. I know how you feel. I'm getting ready to move to Kansas for a job and don't know a single soul there. It's the same ordeal there......lots of gentrified sketchy areas that I want to stay out of. Some people say they are okay and others have a different story. It's a headache trying to pick somewhere to live in a short amount of time but in my honest helpful opinion, you can't go wrong with the City of Decatur! If your zipcode is 30030 or 30033 you are fine!....at least in my opinion.

[plessthanpointohfive]

Cabbagetown and Reynoldstown were honorable mentions for people who don't mind being urban pioneers. I wouldn't buy there if I had a school-aged child because the schools for that area aren't transitioned yet so you might feel like you have to send your child to private school.

But I do take a bit of exception about saying those areas aren't good for personal safety. I'm a female and a runner and I run on those streets all the time and it's really NOT dangerous. I mean, this is a city, so there is some random muggings that happen. But on these types of residential streets you're pretty much okay unless you're flashing some pricey goods. It's kind of like traveling to other countries....if you're carrying around and making visible a lot of money or expensive electronics you up your chances of being a victim of a mugging.

But if you're taking a jog, riding your bike to work, walking to a restaurant, strolling around with your kid and wife/husband....you're really not very likely to be confronted.

All that being said, Decatur is probably the very safest of all the choices. However, the other neighborhoods (excluding Cabbagetown and Reynoldstown) are nearly as safe.

[JohnnyDawg]

Decatur-the less expensive side