What are the best neighborhoods for families CLOSE TO ATLANTA? (Sandy Springs: condos, house)

[bostonbaby]

We want to relocate.. but all the nice areas seem soooo far away... Is there something like a nice, safe good schools place to raise kids CLOSE to Atlanta?
We come from Boston and we like city life.. seems to us in Atlanta either you live there or you live really outside..
Help us thanks!

[jxu66]

For under 300,000, it is going to very difficult to find anything intown living. That's biggest problem. Check out the following article to find out why. You need to up the price range quite a bit.

http://www.atlantamagazine.com/article.php?id=332 (broken link)

[xxman777]

My list of best family friendly neighborhoods which are close in would be Decatur, North Druid Hills, North Decatur, neighborhoods near North Lake Mall, some parts of Chamblee, Sandy Springs or Vinings. Most of these wouldn't be considered intown but they are the closer in suburbs and you aren't going to be able to get into a single one for 300k (unless you like condos).

[lastminutemom]

In my opinion, the best school systems in metro Atlanta are Cobb, Fulton and (possibly) Gwinnett. I am not a big fan of Gwinnett, but I know to much and am particular, but most parents are pretty happy with the schools there.

DeKalb offers many close in communities, but is one of the lowest performing school systems in Metro ATlanta. There are close-in schools that are highly regarded, but the poor quality of the system is trickling into the schools.

Could you tell me a little more about how you define good schools -- what you must have, how you feel about diversity, school size, condition of building...

You are welcome to send me a private message if you prefer.

[nrgpill]

Maybe the best way to compare is to equate to where you are coming from. For example, what is the Boston equivalent to a 300k home in the Atlanta metro area? Would that be an 800k 2 bedroom brownstone near the city limits?

It is true that Atlanta is more affordable than Boston, but keep in mind that the numbers you see are just the average. All desirable areas in or near the city are the exceptions to the average cost. Having said that, look to the west of the perimeter to find values (starting with Smyrna). Also, you will find that the commute to downtown will be much easier from the west.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by xxman777

My list of best family friendly neighborhoods which are close in would be Decatur, North Druid Hills, North Decatur, neighborhoods near North Lake Mall, some parts of Chamblee, Sandy Springs or Vinings. Most of these wouldn't be considered intown but they are the closer in suburbs and you aren't going to be able to get into a single one for 300k (unless you like condos).

That's not exactly true. There are plenty of homes in the Northlake area for 300k or less. Maybe not a new McMansion, but there are lots of solid brick ranches with basements and nice yards in that price range.

[sweettea1]

Boston Baby, do you have jobs set up yet? If so, where will they be located?

[jxu66]

Her husband will work in downtown.

https://www.city-data.com/forum/atlan...tml#post616347

[bostonbaby]

My husband will be working in downtown. We are worried about the commute, we come from Boston so nothing is really scary for us, but now we are living in the city so it's ok, we want to buy a house with more room for our boys, so this means I guess commuting first to the MARTA and then into Atlanta.
Last night we spoke to one of our good friends that relocated 5 years ago to Duluth, he said compared to Boston Atlanta is heaven.. in traffic means.. sounds good to us.
Only problem I see, the MARTA doesn't have as many stops and stations as the T here in Boston, seems to us people get stuck just going to the MARTA in the narrow streets from the suburbs.. is this true?

[lastminutemom]

Even for those of us who live in Fulton and DeKalb Counties, the counties primarily served by MARTA, it almost always necessary to drive to the train stations. Though there are some people who take the bus to the train, it is a long journey.

Many of the other counties have adopted some kind of bus systems that will take the passengers to the nearest MARTA station or to major employment centers.

Many of the MARTA stations are located off surface streets, though those at the end of the lines are accessible by interstates fairly easily.