Moving to ATL/Decatur for grad school at Emory (Atlanta: transplants, real estate market)

[Back2School]

Hello all,

I'm considering moving to the Atlanta/Decatur area to attend grad school at Emory University. I'd be moving from Northern California next summer. If people would give me some input in the following areas, I'd much appreciate it.

1. Cost of housing: How much does it cost to buy a 3 BR 2 bathroom house/condo? How much would it cost to rent a 1-2 BR apartment? Preferably I would like to live within the Perimeter to reduce the commute time.
2. Weather: Is ATL in the tornado zone? I get earthquakes out West and they're no big deal to me. But I've never been in a tornado. Plus, how hot and humid is Hotlanta?
3. Culture/Diversity: Being an ethnic minority (Asian-American, native born Californian), I would like to go to a place that embraces people from different cultures, ethnicities and beliefs. At my grad school interview, the director asked me why I would want to move from the liberal West to the "redneck" South (HIS words, not mine). He might have just been testing me, but that got me wondering how tolerant/accepting people are of others with different ideas/beliefs/backgrounds/cultures.
4. Education: I know that Emory has an strong pedigree and reputation. What are people's experiences going to school there? What are people's opinions of the school/campus and its stature in the community?

Thanks for any input that you can offer.

[jxu66]

I am not familiar with other questions, but I can answer about the Asian question.

I truly am surprised that the director asked your question. Atlanta has pretty large population of Asian, in particular Korean population. Korean population here is third largest in the country behind only LA and NY.
In the place I live Duluth GA has become a new Koreatown in two or three years period.

A couple of local high schools (Duluth, Peachtree Ridge and NorthView) has over 22% of Asian population.

So being an Asian should not be a big deal here in Atlanta. Also, Atlanta metro is very liberal since there are so many transplants here.

[Back2School]

Originally Posted by jxu66

I am not familiar with other questions, but I can answer about the Asian question.

I truly am surprised that the director asked your question. Atlanta has pretty large population of Asian, in particular Korean population. Korean population here is third largest in the country behind only LA and NY.
In the place I live Duluth GA has become a new Koreatown in two or three years period.

A couple of local high schools (Duluth, Peachtree Ridge and NorthView) has over 22% of Asian population.

So being an Asian should not be a big deal here in Atlanta. Also, Atlanta metro is very liberal since there are so many transplants here.

I wonder if he asked the question that way just to see how I would respond...

Thanks for the input!

[backfist]

Hey Back2school~

I'm African American, but I grew up with a Filipino/Hawaiian influence in California. So before we moved to metro Atlanta, I checked to make sure that it was not only a welcoming place for me, but for my Asian family members as well as friends.

Atlanta, and just about any point within a 50 mile radius, you should be OK. Don't get me wrong: many people won't take the time to understand the differences in Chinese and Vietnamese cultures, but there shouldn't be too much outright disrespect.

Best wishes.

[Zelia]

Emory is a very prestigious university. Its endowment fund is in the top 10. Harvard has the most money--billions, and Emory has a lot of money, too.

One-third of the Emory student body is Jewish, so being Asian is a non-issue. Geing gay is basically a non-issue. Diversity is the name of the game in metro Atlanta.

Buying a house would be risky in today's slow real estate market. Near Emory, you would be paying a premium. Older homes generally start at around $400,000. Of course, you're used to high home prices so you may not bat an eye.

There's a number of Web sites to check apartment rents. Near Emory, you'll be paying more bucks.

The easern half of the country has a humid summer climate. Average August temperatures are around 89 degrees with high humidity, but not as high coastal cities.

Thunderstorms are quite common during the summer. Tornados are fairly common, but not on a daily basis. Usually, they are small ones and strike one specific, isolated area. Big tornados are somewhat rare, but it can happen. Sometimes the destructive path will be wide and long.

Good luck!

Z

[Back2School]

Originally Posted by Zelia

Emory is a very prestigious university. Its endowment fund is in the top 10. Harvard has the most money--billions, and Emory has a lot of money, too.

One-third of the Emory student body is Jewish, so being Asian is a non-issue. Geing gay is basically a non-issue. Diversity is the name of the game in metro Atlanta.

Thanks for the input. Sounds like you are very familiar with Emory. Although I am neither Jewish nor gay, I worked at the Jewish Home for a few years and grew up in San Francisco. So I'm comfortable being around both.

The more I learn, the more I like the idea of going there. I hope that they accept me into their program. That part is completely out of my hands.

Keep the comments coming!

Thanks

[kevin44]

1. in a nice area inside 285, a 1 bedroom apartment can be had for anywhere between 700 and 1200 a month.
2. we haven't had any major tornados here in years, yet it could happen. yet, it is definitely not something to worry about at all. i never even think about it. plus that is something where there are usually warnings about the possibility of them.
3. this is always funny to me. i live in cobb county and have lived here since i was ten. the majority of people i know around here were not born in GA or the South at all and if they were, most likely their parents were not. you will have absolutely no problems as Atlanta is like any other major city with plenty of diversity. you grad school director has probably never been here.
4. Emory has a good reputation. i personally don't know anyone who goes there or went there, but that is bc its a private school and mainly for the elite of metro atl and the South in general. although it is very well respected as an academic institution in the area. yet, you dont hear as much about it as other schools because it doesn't have a football team which makes the school slightly less known.

i would say go for it. atl is cheaper than northern cal and a pretty good place to live. has problems like any city, but overall its not too bad and downtown has actually gotten a little better over the last few years. and emory is a great school.

[Back2School]

Originally Posted by kevin44

you grad school director has probably never been here.

Actually he grew up in the ATL area and went to school at Emory. I think that he asked me that "redneck" question just to test me and see how I would react more than have it be based on actual fact. Very clever, that one.

Thanks for the valuable input!

[cee]

Originally Posted by Back2School

Hello all,

I'm considering moving to the Atlanta/Decatur area to attend grad school at Emory University. I'd be moving from Northern California next summer. If people would give me some input in the following areas, I'd much appreciate it.

1. Cost of housing: How much does it cost to buy a 3 BR 2 bathroom house/condo? How much would it cost to rent a 1-2 BR apartment? Preferably I would like to live within the Perimeter to reduce the commute time.
2. Weather: Is ATL in the tornado zone? I get earthquakes out West and they're no big deal to me. But I've never been in a tornado. Plus, how hot and humid is Hotlanta?
3. Culture/Diversity: Being an ethnic minority (Asian-American, native born Californian), I would like to go to a place that embraces people from different cultures, ethnicities and beliefs. At my grad school interview, the director asked me why I would want to move from the liberal West to the "redneck" South (HIS words, not mine). He might have just been testing me, but that got me wondering how tolerant/accepting people are of others with different ideas/beliefs/backgrounds/cultures.
4. Education: I know that Emory has an strong pedigree and reputation. What are people's experiences going to school there? What are people's opinions of the school/campus and its stature in the community?

Thanks for any input that you can offer.

i went to emory for undergrad. maybe i can chime in. i'm filipino from tampa, so i had the same kind of issues.

1. cost of housing- not sure about buying, but i rented 1 BR's my last 2 years for around 800/mo. around the emory area. 2 BR's will run you anywhere between 1000-1500, depending on the apt complex. i wouldn't live outside the perimeter if you can. traffic can be brutal, and the streets are NOT on a grid system, so not many shortcuts. most undergrads who went to emory lived around the "emory box" which was n. decatur rd to the south, clairmont ave to the east, briarcliff rd to the west, and n. druid hills/la vista rd to the north. it forms a box with emory inside of it. if i had to do it all over again, i'd probably buy because the real estate market in ATL is going up. i'd get a condo in midtown or something, especially if in grad school

2. weather- no tornados in ATL. 2 summers were brutal hot, i'm from fla, so im used to the breeze of the ocean, but in ATL, you are landlocked and the trees block any breeze. so hot it made me pissed. 2 other summers were beautiful, high 70's, low 80's, mild humidity. i guess it's hit or miss. something that i wasn't used to coming from FLA (and it may be the same for you in CA): overcast. the non summer months, ATL is blanketed with overcast. you'll go weeks w/o seeing the sun. as for snow, it rarely snowed, and when it ever collected, you never really had to plow your way through it.

3. cultural diversity- emory is pretty diverse. undergrad-wise, most kids are from all over the country. so, when you walk on campus, it will be very diverse. HOWEVER, there seems to be an abundance of jewish kids at the school, and a lot of JAPPY (Jewish American Princesses) at emory. but, it's still diverse. don't pay attention to the director about rednecks.. inside city limits, there are rarely any rednecks. if anything you should get used to, it's the fact that it feels like 50% of the ATL citizens are black, and that's just not one region, but the entire metropolitan area-- not many cities are like that. however, over time, you wont notice.

4. opinion of emory- emory is known for being rather apathetic on campus. not much time spend on campus. it's very much a commuter school. you go, you park your car, you walk to class, and you go home for the day. a lot of this is because off campus housing is actually CHEAPER than on campus housing, which forces people to go off campus after the mandatory freshman year of on campus. undergrad life is completely different from grad life. undergrad wise, many students stay around the local emory area and don't venture out much. grad school, most students explore the city more and see what's out there. atlanta is a great city to be in your mid 20's and professional career, but i didn't think it was a good college town. whenever i go back now (i'm 25), i like it more now. it caters to my age-group. the campus is super nice, and the neighborhood is southern and well-landscaped. the technology on campus is top notch, but in retrospect, all you needed was a **** classroom to get it done.


hope you found this helpful. goodluck

[Back2School]

That's very helpful.

Thank you.