Neighborhoods near Emory (Atlanta, Decatur, Monroe: for sale, houses, new construction)

[movin'mama]

Hi - was are considering a move to Atlanta for a job at Emory. What neighborhoods are close to the hospital? Looking for:

-a pedestrian area
-within 5-10 miles of the hospital
-good school system
-willing to spend up to $1M (prefer in the 700,000s but need 5 bedrooms)
-kid friendly neighborhood (we have a 4 year old, a 1 year old and #3 on the way)

Also would like a Whole Foods, Costco and ideally a Trader Joe's nearby. Does this exist?

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by movin'mama

Hi - was are considering a move to Atlanta for a job at Emory. What neighborhoods are close to the hospital? Looking for:

-a pedestrian area
-within 5-10 miles of the hospital
-good school system
-willing to spend up to $1M (prefer in the 700,000s but need 5 bedrooms)
-kid friendly neighborhood (we have a 4 year old, a 1 year old and #3 on the way)

Also would like a Whole Foods, Costco and ideally a Trader Joe's nearby. Does this exist?

I think you're describing Virginia-Highland and Morningside.

[genki]

Look in the Morningside, Mary Lin, Fernbank and City of Decatur (Clairemont, Oakhurst and Winnona Park) elementary districts. Each neighborhood has a slightly different "feel" so definitely plan on coming for a visit. The only hike will be to Costco, but you won't be going there as much as publix/trader joe's/whole foods/etc.

[George Chong]

Originally Posted by movin'mama

Hi - was are considering a move to Atlanta for a job at Emory. What neighborhoods are close to the hospital? Looking for:

-a pedestrian area
-within 5-10 miles of the hospital
-good school system
-willing to spend up to $1M (prefer in the 700,000s but need 5 bedrooms)
-kid friendly neighborhood (we have a 4 year old, a 1 year old and #3 on the way)

Also would like a Whole Foods, Costco and ideally a Trader Joe's nearby. Does this exist?

I would also check out the area that serves Oak Grove Elementary in DeKalb County. There are lots of large homes in the area. You would be very close to a Sam's Club. Costco is a little further out by Perimeter Mall. The closest Traders Joe's is probably Midtown on Monroe. The Whole Foods on Briarcliff would be very close. Emory would be a very easy commute too.

If you were in Virginia Highlands/Morningside, the Sam's and the Costco would be further but there is a Whole Foods on Ponce too.

[IntownHomes247]

George is right. You should consider Oak Grove. Your biggest problem in Va-Hi, Morningside, etc. will be the number of bedrooms you need. There are a lot of infill houses in Oak Grove that are bigger.

Here's a link to rankings for Georgia Schools:

http://gppf.org/default.asp?pt=doc&doc=reportcard (broken link)

Oak Grove Elementary is in DeKalb county and serves that neighborhood

For Morningside/Virginia-Highland children attend Morningside Elementary School (City of Atlanta public schools)

There are also some excellent private schools in the area

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by George Chong

You would be very close to a Sam's Club. Costco is a little further out by Perimeter Mall.

Please, George, Sam's Club is not remotely in the same league as Costco!

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

Please, George, Sam's Club is not remotely in the same league as Costco!

My wife and I like BJ's better than Sam's Club. Similar selection of stuff but much better hours and much shorter waits at the cash register!

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by George Chong

I would also check out the area that serves Oak Grove Elementary in DeKalb County. There are lots of large homes in the area. You would be very close to a Sam's Club. Costco is a little further out by Perimeter Mall. The closest Traders Joe's is probably Midtown on Monroe. The Whole Foods on Briarcliff would be very close. Emory would be a very easy commute too.

If you were in Virginia Highlands/Morningside, the Sam's and the Costco would be further but there is a Whole Foods on Ponce too.

The only thing that Oak Grove will not give the OP is a pedestrian area (if the Vista Grove area were to become more interesting, that could change). That's one reason I relocated from there to Decatur (also to downsize from my 'empty nest').
Also, I would not consider the drive to Whole Foods on LaVista much of a shlep from Va-Hi or Morningside...just a quick trip up Johnson and Briarcliff Rds.
When I was househunting last year, I found this divine house in Johnson Estates...an absolute dream of a neighborhood! But I kept hearing my Scottish ancestors whispering in my ear, "$599M for this wee house? No, lassie, ye canna' do it!"

[cmtiger]

Movin' - I think you should check out City of Decatur (30030 within city limits). There are a few really nice 5 bedroom houses for sale there right now. I would say that they range from about 700K to close to a million - most are new construction.

Schools here are top notch - all of them - no need to worry about where you live so long as you are in the city limits. They are diverse (about 29% free/reduced lunch) but we have a lot of super smart kids here (lots of PhD parents - sometimes I feel undereducated with "just" a JD) and IMO, they are well served. The schools are small and innovative. The K-3 schools are expeditionary learning schools (google ELOB). From fourth grade up they either already are International Baccalaureate Schools or are in the process of becoming IB schools (it's about a three year process). The schools here put a huge amount of emphasis on critical thinking and project based learning versus test prep.

All of my kids walk to school, and we walk to restaurants and shops all the time. The place is swimming in little kids and there are a lot of kid friendly festivals (Decatur Beach Party is coming up on June 20 - they actually close down one of the main streets and fill it with sand to make a "beach"). There are also eight parks/playgrounds within four square miles so it's pretty hard to find a house that doesn't have a walkable park. Also, ... big bonus.... Agnes Scott Women's College is right here in Decatur - that means about 1000 well educated, responsible babysitters (who need work because the tuition there is insane)!!!!!!

You would be within 5-10 miles of several hospitals - Emory, DeKalb Medical, Grady, Crawford Long.

Anyway, with your price range you have a lot of options in town. I'm partial to Decatur, of course, but Va Highland, Morningside, Candler Park, Inman Park and Lake Claire would also serve you well.

Trader Joe's is looking to put a new store somewhere between Decatur and Avondale Estates. Everyone is vying to have it close to their neighborhood. They haven't made a decision on exactly where to put it yet. The nearest Sam's is at Clairmont and I-85. It's probably about a 10-20 minute drive from the center of Decatur, depending on traffic. Rumor has it that Costco is moving into North DeKalb Mall. I read about some meetings concerning that a few weeks ago. North DeKalb Mall is much closer to Decatur. Whole Foods - Let's see... there is one on Lavista Road (about a 10 minute drive) and I think (???) there is one on Ponce de Leon...????

Schools to look for....

Clairemont Elementary, Oakhurst Elementary, Winnona Park Elementary (City of Decatur Schools)
Mary Lin Elementary, Morningside Elementary (Atlanta Public Schools)



Good luck!

[Iconographer]

BTW there is an awesome 5 BR FSBO (renovated) on Ponce De Leon Place in my neighborhood. It's located next to the rear entrance of the Decatur First Baptist Church.
I can DM you the # and seller if you would like...it's rare that you see a 5 BR in this area, though.