Moving to atlanta soon? Read this first (Gainesville, Decatur: real estate, townhome)

[designkt]

Moving to ATL in the next month with my boyfriend. Would appreciate any advice anyone has on where to move and any tips as well...

We are renting with a max rent amount of $800.00 excluding utilities, $950 including.

We are looking for either managed apartment communities, older homes that have been transformed into apartments, and condos.

We will both travel within atlanta fairly often and would prefer somewhere not too far away from I-85 going North towards SC.

No kids or four legged furry family members.

Ideally we know we can't have everything but some things we'd like are a fitness center, walkable, parking, safety, and a washer/dryer. Also I should mention we are looking at studio/1bdrms

We like the ability to walk to a handful of cafes/bars/dining/grocery in either an urban setting or "town like" suburban area. We have previously lived in major cities so we don't scare easy but we still want to be safe!

We will both require our cars for our jobs so parking is also an issue. We would like to be near MARTA but not a huge priority.

We are in our early mid 20's and looking for similar age demographics in the area as well as diversity. We would like something with ample variety of dining options (indian, thai, sushi, etc.) we also enjoy a beer and live music so an area that caters to that lifestyle would be great.

If anyone has had a good experience (or bad) at a specific apartment complex or knows of an area or just has tips we'd appreciate it!

[pnlope29]

Want to know what communties to consider renting home for my familhy

Work: Georgia Tech/Turner Studios Area
Maximum time I would like to commute 30 Minutes
looking to rent 5bed/3-4bath home preferably w/finished basement $3k max per month
Children 2yrs and 4yrs so good Ranking Public School Elementary
Suburb or mixed urban suburb
We are interacial family with mixed children blk/wht not a problem here in Los Angeles but dont know how ATL neighborhoods are.
Would like to be in a family oriented neighborhood with children in the neighborhood Community Parks/Playgrounds
Would not mind living in a planned community with Pool/Park/Playground etc.
I have just heard that traffic is very tricky there...cant imagine anything worse than Los Angeles Traffic but would like to live as close to work area as possible but still have nice home life environment for my wife and kids Oh also to have shopping like Groceries/ Target/ Movies somewhat nearby

Any advice would be greatly appreciated FYI moving end of May beginning of June 2010

[hazfora]

Need help in deciding which of these 2 areas referred to me by a relative fit my criteria for a livable neighborhood. I'm looking for my next (and probably final) hometown, having retired recently at 62. I agonized over where to live next for a whole year (traveling in between), and am still agonizing. I'm currently in Pittsburgh investigating housing. Great-looking old homes in Shadyside (which they describe as the best urban neighborhood in Pitts outside the main downtown, which is a business district), but iffy landlords are rampant, covered parking rare in apartments (and they have SNOW!). It's a toss-up between space vs. amenities, and at this age I think I'll settle for both space and amenities and I can't have them both in Pitts.

Help, please. Moving as soon as the right place turns up. I'm flexible. Thanks for any input!

1. Budget: $800 up to $1200 (lower than $800 and I'll be excited) for a 2BR or 1-1/2. LOFT BUILDINGS IDEAL.

2. House/Condo/Townhome? -- AS LONG AS IT'S A LONG-TERM RENTAL. I DON'T WANT TO OWN. IT HAS TO HAVE A PORCH OR BALCONY OR PATIO AND A REALLY GOOD KITCHEN.

3. Employment Status(commute/work from home): RETIRED BUT WILL
WORK PART-TIME or at home PROBABLY.

4. Children(public school vs. private): NONE

5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two: MORE URBAN BUT A MIX IS OK; ACCESS TO CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY AMENITIES; WALK TO SHOPPING AND RESTAURANTS; ACCESS TO PARKS; VIBRANT DOWNTOWN BUT NOT COLLEGE-TYPE ROWDY.

6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? VERY IMPORTANT. I DON'T WANT TO OWN A CAR IF I CAN HELP IT. NEED CAR RENTAL COMPANIES TO BE ACCESSIBLE OR AVAILABLE NEARBY IF I DO NEED ONE.

7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. DIVERSIFIED AND NOT ULTRA CONSERVATIVE; SAFE FOR FEMALES LIVING ALONE; COMMUNITY VIBE.

8. NEAR AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT OR AMTRAK. BONUS IF AIRPORT OR STATION IS ACCESSIBLE BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT.

9. ACCESSIBLE TO A UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION OR WORKSHOPS -- A HUGE PLUS

10. ACCESS TO ETHNIC AND GOURMET FOOD MARKETS IF NOT WALKING DISTANCE TO THEM.

11. NEED INFO ON REPUTABLE RENTAL AGENTS.

[MonicaB.]

Please don't come to Atlanta to find a job in education as there aren't any! All of the counties have cut funds to schools and the unemployment rate here in Georgia is one of the highest in the country, around 10.7%. I am a teacher too and I am lucky to have a job in a private school, but the situation here is very unstable and more and more teachers are being laid off both from the public and the private sectors. They are even thinking to reduce the school week to 4 days....something that will certainly drag down the already deplorable state of education. I have read that in Virginia unemployment is only around 5% and I thought about moving there to have better opportunities! :-)
If you want to have a clear understanding on what's going on in education and what are the states that are cutting funds, read this very informative file that has data state by state. It looks like all of the unemployed teachers will have to move to Minnesota, Texas or Wyoming.......Good luck!

http://www.cbpp.org/files/3-13-08sfp.pdf

[ATLHRLGUY]

Originally Posted by atlhrlguy

also i would suggest starting a new thread with the answers given to questions by myself and other members, b/c it seems people are getting more responses other than from just myself when they start their own thread about moving, instead of posting here.

:d

[ATLHRLGUY]

hazfora you really can't go wrong with VA-highlands or decatur(downtown). I'd feel you would have better choices for renting in decatur, but that's just my opinion not for sure. zip for VA-Highlands is 30306 and for decatur 30030. Click for a Zip Code Boundary Map.

[kad1974]

Hi, my family and I are moving to the Atlanta area from CT. We don't want to spend more than $290,000 and my husbands office is in Norcross unless he is traveling. He will go to Norcross 2 days a week. We have 2 children 7 & 13. We are most interested in Safe Schools, Low crime, Clean, Family Friendly areas. We are really upset about the schooling here in CT and how these kids don't treat each other with respect, my son has been bullied for 4 years. This is a big move and as a worried mom, I can use all the help possible.
Thank you for your help.
The areas given to me from his office are:
Cummings, Suwanne(?) and we are open to any thoughts! His other office is in Buckhead but, heard it may be a little to "keeping up with the jones". Any comment would be helpful, good or indifferent.

[FreshATLstart]

Greetings, I'm new to the forum. My boyfriend, myself and my sister (none of us have children) will be relocating from NY to ATL in the near future. It all depends on his applications for ATL PD, Corrections, MARTA. Having lived in Queens, NY all my life I'm looking forward to the change. My one & only apprehension is available employment opportunities for myself and my sister. Presently, I'm a legal secretary in a corporate law firm in Manhattan (12yrs.) and my sister is a Speech Teacher (BA Speech language) in Jamaica, Queens (10+yrs). Any advice/knowledge to impart/resources regarding your experience with the transition process and employment opportunites will be greatly appreciated.

1. Budget--- [$125,000]+
2. House/Condo/Townhome?---Townhome
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home)---Legal Secty. & Speech teacher/Commute
3a. Work location --- preferably city area
4. Children(public school vs. private)----- N/A
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two--- Mix
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not?--- Important
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood.---Mixed/doesn't matter
8. Airport access ---- nice, but not too relevant
9. Gender/Age group preferences ---- N/A
10. Pedestrian, cyclist friendly? ----- Yes

[astareski]

I will be moving to Jonesboro May 3rd and i'm looking for the application for Delta airlines at the Hartsfield-Jackson airport....can anyone help me????

[Unhappy in Georgia]

I cannot be more in agreement with the advise to research an "exit-strategy" when moving to Georgia. We are working diligently on our escape!!!