I need your advice (Atlanta, Dunwoody: apartment, rental, how much)

[LeeLi]

Hello everyone. I am planning to relocate to Georgia from New York next year in the spring. I am trying to find a 3 bedroom apt near public transportation since I do not have a car. I do not know much about Georgia, so I don't know the areas at all. I do know that I would like to live in a safe and affordable area since I have two children who are disabled and do not want them to grow up in a bad area. Pls send suggestions you may have.
Thanks

[clancymom]

Check out NE Georgia. Dacula is a great town with good schools.

[jxu66]

There is no public transportation in Dacula. Gwinnett has very limited transportation. The only one I know is through Gwinnett place mall area and discover Mall area.

You need to ask specific question. What's price range? Atlanta in general is not very public transportation friendly city. There is MARTA train but it has very limited stop, IMO.

[Babygirllisa1]

I am really having a tough time finding a 3 bedroom apt for less than $700 in a relatively safe area that has public transportation. I've found some but when i read the reviews for the apts, they weren't so good. I desperately need public transportation....thanks to all of you who responded to my previous post

[lastminutemom]

You may want to reconsider your move to Atlanta -- your price range and need for public transportation may very well make it impossible for you to find a safe neighborhood.

Ony DeKalb and Fulton participate at all in Marta, Cobb, Gwinnett and Clayton have their own public transportation that hooks into MARTA at a central point. That said, I wouldn't want to be dependent on public transporation in Cobb,Gwinnett or Clayton and even in parts of Fulton and DeKalb (the busses simply don't run that often.)

Even old complexes, in good areas, get close to $900-$1000 a month for 3 bedrooms, usually more.

[sweettea1]

I suggest looking in and around the Dunwoody area close to the Marta station. You may not be able to get a true 3 bedroom, but many complexes have 2 bedrooms with a den/office so you can save a little this way. Look at rent.com and search under Dunwoody and then make sure to ask if it's walking distance to the train. There are a few I know on Mt. Vernon Road near the intersection of Abernathy that may work. And they always run specials so don't necessarily rely on what you read in terms of the posted rent.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by Babygirllisa1

I am really having a tough time finding a 3 bedroom apt for less than $700 in a relatively safe area that has public transportation. I've found some but when i read the reviews for the apts, they weren't so good. I desperately need public transportation....thanks to all of you who responded to my previous post

Ok, a few things that MUST be said here....

1) Atlanta is not a New York of the South. It's more like a L.A. of the East - meaning, people drive their cars to their mailboxes and single driver cars are the king of the road. Transit here, even in the heart of the city, in no way comes close to comparing to New York. NYC is one of literally only a few cities where you can live without a car "easily" - Atlanta is not one of those cities. It's even hard to find a grocery store near the train here. If you combine the train with cabs and an occasional "Flexcar" rental then it's somewhat doable, but inconvenient. You really do need a car to live here.

2) You'll be lucky to find a 1BR apartment for under $700 in a "good" area here today that's on the above mentioned transit. Forget a 2-3BR for that price. If you want those rates, you need to move far into the outer burb areas, and then it may be a stretch, as well as the fact you'll have very very few if any transit options.

Sorry to do a downer post, but really, I read posts quite often here and on other boards from New Yorkers or people from London or other major cities with strong transit systems who come to Atlanta having done little research on how folks here get around - and then they freak out on how much you really need a car here, and it's too late... they've already made the move. Please consider the environment you're in regarding available transit options, and consider what we have here - then budget a car into your budget, or, reconsider the relocation to perhaps somewhere that is more transit-friendly than Atlanta (DC, San Fran, or perhaps Chicago).

[lastminutemom]

another point -- I met with a principal last week who said that she has numerous parents who have to take cabs to her school because they don't have cars and the bus route doesn't travel from their complex to the school in anything remotely close to a reasonable amount of time.

It is essential that you have a plan if you don't have a car.

[sweettea1]

While it certainly makes it a heck of a lot easier to live here with a car, there are many people who do not and probably do okay if they're strategic about where they live, work and go to school. MARTA has both trains and buses. Trains are limited with where they go and stops can be difficult to get to if you live even the slightest bit off the beaten track (no pun intended). Buses aren't the best or the most popular mode of transportation but they're here and people do take them if they don't have cars.
Do you know where you'll be working yet?