Areas w/i Decatur and questions about Kirkwood and Candler Park (Atlanta: houses, neighborhoods)

[Breezy300]

Hi All.

My fiance and I are going to be in Atlanta for a week this Saturday to look at houses in several neighborhoods (Decatur, Kirkwood, Candler Park, Midtown, Grant Park). We've found a lot of houses that we'd like to see, but realize that we're not going to have time to see them all. When I search for Decatur, several areas come up, and so I'm wondering if some Decatur neighborhoods are better than others. Are there any we should avoid? We're looking for the following:

1. Walkability (meaning being able to walk to restaurants, retail, parks)
2. The Marta nearby (if we can get it; not a deal breaker if we can't)
3. A decent-sized (1,600 square feet+) 3-bedroom house with a level fenced-in backyard so we can garden.
4. Price range is up to $430,000, but we're hoping to find something in the 300s.
5. We may adopt a child so schools do become a consideration as well.

Some of the Decatur neighborhoods that have come up in our online search are: Oakhurst (I've been told this is a good one), Great Lakes (no nothing about it), Grove Park, and MAK Historic District. I think Lake Claire or Clairemonte (?) may've also come up, but I might be confusing it with another area, since I'm not familiar with Atlanta.

My other question is about Kirkwood and Candler Park. Are these ares walkable? Are they recommended? A LOT of nice houses have come up in Kirkwood, especially, and I know it's near Decatur. If not within walking distance, could we possibly bike to Decatur from Kirkwood? I've heard that Toomer school is decent, but know nothing about the schools in Candler Park.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Breezy300

[kdbanks01]

Hi there,

I live in Kirkwood so will try and answer your questions. Kirkwood is a great, up and coming community with a ton of nice houses. I moved here about three years ago because you can get more house for your money here. The neighborhood is very walkable (with a cute little village center with shops, restaurants, etc. and several wonderful parks) and it seems everyone has a dog and walks them every night.

My wife and I enjoy biking to Oakhurst (about 5 minutes by bike) and Decatur (about 10 minutes by bike).

The schools here (especially Toomer) are good, and getting better every year.

The neighborhood itself is in transition. There are new or renovated homes next to original homes from the early 20th century. Mine was built in 1940 and renovated. The people in Kirkwood really love the neighborhood and we have active neighborhood groups and even an annual festival each spring.

Hope that helps!

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by Breezy300

Some of the Decatur neighborhoods that have come up in our online search are: Oakhurst (I've been told this is a good one), Great Lakes (no nothing about it), Grove Park, and MAK Historic District. I think Lake Claire or Clairemonte (?) may've also come up, but I might be confusing it with another area, since I'm not familiar with Atlanta.
Breezy300

There are really no neighborhoods within the city of Decatur that I would wave you away from.
Oakhurst is indeed an attractive neighborhood with a lively little commercial district. It and MAK are two of Decatur's oldest neighborhoods.
Great Lakes is a lovely neighborhood located in the northeast quadrant of the city (east of Clairemont, south of Scott Blvd, west of Church and north of downtown). They have a top-notch residents' association, too. Grove Park is a small enclave on the other side of Clairemont from Great Lakes and is part of GL's RA.

Other neighborhoods that I particularly like in Decatur:

Winnona Park
Glennwood Estates
Lamont-Vidal

Lake Claire is actually an Atlanta neighborhood (and very nice), located just to the east of Candler Park and south of Druid Hills. Also check out the Druid Hills neighborhood of Fernbank, one of my favorites.

[Nast]

As LovinDecatur mentioned, Lake Claire is a City of Atlanta neighborhood between Candler Park and Decatur. Both LC and CP are great neighborhoods that are in Atlanta but also DeKalb County. Between the two, I would probably give the edge to Candler Park in terms of walkability, but only because it is closer to the retail districts of Little 5 Points and the Highlands. Both have easy access to the Marta E/W rail line. Both also are currently zoned to the Mary Lin elementary school, which is very highly regarded and has very high parental involvement.

That being said, houses in CP and LC are a bit more expensive than similar houses in Kirkwood and Oakhurst. This is most likely due to LC's and CP's longer record of neighborhood stability, as well as their inclusion in the Mary Lin school district.

Bottom line, though, is they're all great neighborhoods and close enough together so that no matter which one you might end up living in, you'll likely be spending a lot of time in the others for your eating/dining/entertainment/etc.

[Breezy300]

Thank you all for your responses; they're a great help. We are currently in Atlanta (staying in the Grant Park/Cabbagetown area) and looking at some houses. We're hoping to see Decatur and Candler Park in the next few days. Based on what many people have said on this forum, they both sound like good bets!

[plankton97]

Depending on how important schools are in your equation, I would give City of Decatur a bump for their school system stability. They have their own independent charter school system, whereas most other neighborhoods are part of much larger and sometimes more fractious school districts. We live in a nice area, but are going through pain with our dysfunctional school board; I regret not considering that more seriously before I had kids.