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.
Yeah that's a bit ridiculous. The area described is probably the most expensive in the entire city of Chicago. Hell you described South Shore and cheaper apartments, even in a popular one like Lakeview, you can still find some studios a block or two from the lake for under $800/month (which is not comparable to $575/month in a suburb of Atlanta until you bring in the price of transportation and realize you don't need a car in Chicago necessarily). In Edgewater, there's still stuff available for under $700/month right near the lake. Then yeah, places on the south side like Kenwood, Hyde Park, South Shore, etc same thing
Exactly! And this is the point I was trying to make. Just as Memphis pointed out that you may not want to direct a new transplant straight to South Shore, if one is deciding to move to Atlanta, they need to talk to someone who not only really knows the metro, but will be honest about the cheap costs in Atlanta with regards to location, crime and school districts (for those who need to know that info).
The way apartments are advertised in Atlanta it is very deceptive and if you don't know the area you will end up in a really bad spot. Firstly, places advertised as being in Atlanta are usually not in Atlanta at all or aren't even close to the city.
I did a Craiglist search and created a visual to further illustrate my point. The list is the first 16 ads you see when looking up places in Atlanta for today's date. Yeah these places are cheap BUT...
1. The ads I underlined in orange are in the suburbs or locations not anywhere near the city. The very first one is in Lakemont, GA. Lakemont is almost two hours away from the city. Gainesville also come up in the top of the search and it's an hour away from the city. Marietta and Lithonia are also suburbs with Lithonia being the farthest and a not so nice area.
2. The places I underlined in red are all in bad/unsafe areas with bad schools whether they are in the city or the suburbs.
3. The one I underlined in yellow, a studio on Marietta Street is in West Midtown for $800, which is a more desirable area in terms of it's location but it's still a sketchy area in parts. And as you pointed it, you can find places in Chicago for the same amount in decent areas on the lake.
4. The one I underlined in green is $1800 a month for a 2 bedroom and is in Vinings, which is one of the more sought-after parts of the city (in Edgewater you can get a two bedroom for $1200 or even a 3 bedroom for $1600), but still even with this, the area is very suburban like (nothing like what you'd get on the near north side or downtown at that price in terms of neighborhood amenities). Also one has to be mindful of ads claiming Vinings addresses because the advertiser will claim it's in Vinings when it's really in Smyrna or Mableton (which is a very industrial suburb that looks run down and borders the ghetto in Atlanta). Smyrna is ok but it's really not that great (even though they are building $600k homes there) and both Mableton and Smyrna close to Vinings are located near the city trash incinerator and many of the new homes were built on old landfills.
So yeah based on this listing there are lots of cheap places for rent but pretty much all of them are either way out or in bad areas except for one in this example. So while metro Atlanta may be cheap, the places that are cheap are so for a reason and if you want to live in a nice area, expect to pay high rent.
Are you saying that living in/near Downtown Decatur Square in Atlanta isn't as desirable to Atlantans as living in South Loop is to Chicagoans? I'm not considering the lake and other stuff like that because these are two different cities and I'm focusing on simply the cost of renting between the two with all other things being considered equal.
Did you live in or near the square? I used to work there right on Ponce de Leon. Did you actually live in downtown Decatur in 30030 or did you live in 30033? Where exactly did you live?
did you live in or near the square? I used to work there. Did you actually live in downtown decatur in 30030 or did you live in 30033? Where exactly did you live?
Most African Americans in Chicago who are settled here are from here and stay for family reasons and are very complacent Few come for a few years to experience the big city and when they get tired of it they move. If they have to stay for work reasons, they move to the suburbs.
For what it's worth, I think those three categories describe most white people in Chicago, too. There are increasing numbers of us who move here from elsewhere and stay in the city long-term, but we're nowhere near being the majority yet.
Last edited by nearnorth; 05-15-2014 at 10:47 AM..
I was wondering because the further east you go from downtown Decatur toward the farmer's market, the sketchier the neighborhoods get, so the apartments get cheap, especially as you get close to N. Decatur Rd. and start heading into Clarkston, Scottsdale and Avondale Estates. When I tried to find a place closer to work near the square, I couldn't find anything affordable and it's gotten more expensive over there. Houses over there now are going for $800k.
Yes while that area may be a desirable to Atlantans, you just can't compare that to downtown Chicago or the near north side. The square is nice but it doesn't compare it all. And with the housing costs constantly going up over there, to a Chicagoan, the area isn't worth it for the price.
Exactly! And this is the point I was trying to make. Just as Memphis pointed out that you may not want to direct a new transplant straight to South Shore, if one is deciding to move to Atlanta, they need to talk to someone who not only really knows the metro, but will be honest about the cheap costs in Atlanta with regards to location, crime and school districts (for those who need to know that info).
The way apartments are advertised in Atlanta it is very deceptive and if you don't know the area you will end up in a really bad spot. Firstly, places advertised as being in Atlanta are usually not in Atlanta at all or aren't even close to the city.
I did a Craiglist search and created a visual to further illustrate my point. The list is the first 16 ads you see when looking up places in Atlanta for today's date. Yeah these places are cheap BUT...
1. The ads I underlined in orange are in the suburbs or locations not anywhere near the city. The very first one is in Lakemont, GA. Lakemont is almost two hours away from the city. Gainesville also come up in the top of the search and it's an hour away from the city. Marietta and Lithonia are also suburbs with Lithonia being the farthest and a not so nice area.
2. The places I underlined in red are all in bad/unsafe areas with bad schools whether they are in the city or the suburbs.
3. The one I underlined in yellow, a studio on Marietta Street is in West Midtown for $800, which is a more desirable area in terms of it's location but it's still a sketchy area in parts. And as you pointed it, you can find places in Chicago for the same amount in decent areas on the lake.
4. The one I underlined in green is $1800 a month for a 2 bedroom and is in Vinings, which is one of the more sought-after parts of the city (in Edgewater you can get a two bedroom for $1200 or even a 3 bedroom for $1600), but still even with this, the area is very suburban like (nothing like what you'd get on the near north side or downtown at that price in terms of neighborhood amenities). Also one has to be mindful of ads claiming Vinings addresses because the advertiser will claim it's in Vinings when it's really in Smyrna or Mableton (which is a very industrial suburb that looks run down and borders the ghetto in Atlanta). Smyrna is ok but it's really not that great (even though they are building $600k homes there) and both Mableton and Smyrna close to Vinings are located near the city trash incinerator and many of the new homes were built on old landfills.
So yeah based on this listing there are lots of cheap places for rent but pretty much all of them are either way out or in bad areas except for one in this example. So while metro Atlanta may be cheap, the places that are cheap are so for a reason and if you want to live in a nice area, expect to pay high rent.
A good comparison would be to take a specific price (say $800). Look on CL and see what that gets you in Atlanta zips within a certain mileage of city center versus what it gets you in Chi zips within the same mileage of Chicago's center. On average, would you be seeing any differences in the sizes of the places, their age, and how close they are to the city's center/main attractions for those $800 rentals in Atlanta versus those in Chicago?
A good comparison would be to take a specific price (say $800). Look on CL and see what that gets you in Atlanta zips within a certain mileage of city center versus what it gets you in Chi zips within the same mileage of Chicago's center. On average, would you be seeing any differences in the sizes of the places, their age, and how close they are to the city's center/main attractions for those $800 rentals in Atlanta versus those in Chicago?
I lived in cheaper apartments in some of the best neighborhoods in Atlanta proper (so have many of my friends) and they were not new at all. They were old, small, and poorly maintained. Any thing newer I looked at in the nice areas whether they were in the city or burbs were were always four figures. They were also not big.
I've already done the legwork you are telling me to do. I've even used professional apartment locators in Atlanta to help find me apartments at a certain price point and everything they found for me were all in bad areas. Almost every single one of them. And if they weren't in a bad area, the units were tiny and in old buildings that hadn't been renovated since they've been built in the 50's or 60's. When I pointed out to the apartment people that everything they were finding for me were in bad areas, they said that's all that's available at my budget.
Last edited by Atlanta_BD; 05-15-2014 at 11:00 AM..
A good comparison would be to take a specific price (say $800). Look on CL and see what that gets you in Atlanta zips within a certain mileage of city center versus what it gets you in Chi zips within the same mileage of Chicago's center
That comparison only makes sense if all of the area within a certain distance of Atlanta's center is as desirable to live in as the area within the same distance of Chicago's center. From what I've heard, that is not the case.
I was wondering because the further east you go from downtown Decatur toward the farmer's market, the sketchier the neighborhoods get, so the apartments get cheap, especially as you get close to N. Decatur Rd. and start heading into Clarkston, Scottsdale and Avondale Estates. When I tried to find a place closer to work near the square, I couldn't find anything affordable and it's gotten more expensive over there. Houses over there now are going for $800k.
Yes while that area may be a desirable to Atlantans, you just can't compare that to downtown Chicago or the near north side. The square is nice but it doesn't compare it all. And with the housing costs constantly going up over there, to a Chicagoan, the area isn't worth it for the price.
I agree that you can't compare the two in terms of what they have to offer. But do remember I'm just focusing on the debate about which city is cheaper to rent in. I feel you can get an apartment in Atlanta that's close to things to do *in ATL* for cheaper than an apartment in Chi that's close to things to do *in Chi*. That doesn't mean I'm comparing Downtown Decatur Square to South Loop. The only thing I'm trying to compare is overall pricing for the rental markets between the two cities. And IMO it's cheaper in ATL. I know there are other factors to consider, but I'm not mentioning those because if someone posed the question to me, "I'm thinking about moving to either Chi or ATL...which one has cheaper rent on average?" I would say ATL, hands down, no questions. Period.
However, such conversations usually also extend beyond just the rental price. If they wanted to know more about both cities overall, I'd give them my opinions stated earlier in terms of pros and cons for both cities (ie transportation, weather, nightlife, diversity, employment market etc etc etc). Those are all variables that change whether or not its worth it for someone to be in either city regardless of the difference in rental prices on average between the two.
I lived in cheaper apartments in some of the best neighborhoods in Atlanta proper (so have many of my friends) and they were not new at all. They were old, small, and poorly maintained. Any thing newer I looked at in the nice areas whether they were in the city or burbs were were always four figures.
I even used professional apartment locators in Atlanta to help find me apartments at a certain price point and everything they found for me were all in bad areas. Almost every single one of them. And if they weren't in a bad area, the units were tiny and in old buildings that hadn't been renovated since they've been built in the 50's or 60's.
Well if I knew you and I were there while you were living there I would have been happy to help you find a decently priced place in a safe area that didn't put you out in Gainesville or Woodstock. I lived there for over 13 years and my budget was usually within the $650-$800 range and I was always in decent (not overly luxurious), but nice and safe neighborhoods that weren't an hour away from the city.
I'm not saying this is you, but if your budget for an apartment (alone) in Atlanta is below a certain #, you can easily end up in very unsafe neighborhoods. For instance, for me, if I'd put that # right around $600. If I need something less than around that price, I'm highly likely to end up in a less desirable community with a higher crime rate. Again, I'm not saying this is you, but if I had to live in areas like that in Atl I'm sure I'd be exposed to negative things I haven't experienced anywhere else, which would taint my perception of the city as a whole to be honest, but that's just me. This is coming from someone who's seen it happen to others.
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.
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.
