Moving to Atlanta

[Gianluca]

Hello all, so I currently live in Connecticut but my office is in Atlanta. Also most of my family lives in Ga. The cost of living here in CT is just ridiculous these days ( gas is 3.90 ) and don't get me started on taxes. Anyways I've been talking to my wife about making the move which she is not so keen on at the moment but will do what's best for the family. Now with that said I've dl'd some realty apps on my iphone and have been casually checking out what's available and pricing. Can you guys refer me to where I should be looking. Nice residential maybe right outside of Atlanta with good school systems. The basics. Thanks to all who provide me feedback. It's much appreciated.

[EazyRoc]

Brookhaven, Chamblee, Tucker, Roswell, Alpharetta, Marietta (East Cobb). All of those areas are really nice areas to live in with Tucker probably having the best value. They are all 30 minutes or less from downtown. Any other details you might want to add ?

[ATLHawks3]

If you aren't a city type of guy I'd suggest getting a place in Gwinnett County. 

[HawkItus]

Without giving price ranges and or more of what you're looking for you can't get a good answer.  All those places Eazy mentioned are 30 minutes on none rush hour days.  Add 45 minutes to that commute if you're driving into work.   Is land important to you? Shopping? Also, most of those are north and east of the city.  You can find much better deals going south and west of the city with less traffic and more space.  

[macdaddy]

Where is your office?   That's the biggest consideration because there are places that just don't work traffic wise.   You are doing the right thing by reaching out for advice because so many people are astounded by 'how much house i can buy' in area X only to find out that a 15 mile commute takes them 3 hours round trip every day of their life.   Might as well fly from CT right?

[bird_dirt]

I loved Decatur when I was living there.  Still inside the perimeter so I never had to get on any highways going to/from work in Midtown.  30ish minute drives during rush hour vs. 1 1/2 hour drives to those places mentioned that are OTP (you couldn't pay me enough to live out there if I had to work in town).  Decent restaurants, bars and shops that we could walk to in downtown Decatur too.  Close to Stone Mountain, Chandler Park, L5P, Virginia Highlands, Ponce. East ATL village, downtown and Midtown not far, amazing international farmers market, Marta train line close by to get to the airport....No idea what schools are like there though.  My son was just a babe when we moved away.

[DrReality]

Traffic is a major factor. Have to consider it and where your work will be.

[thecampster]

You said your office is in Atlanta, can you be more specific?  Do you mean inside the perimeter, midtown, Buckhead etc or maybe by Atlanta you meant a suburb?

 

Okay so anyway, as far as outside the perimeter goes Northside is best but getting pretty crowded. West lacks a bit of infrastructure (all roads lead in loops) but is improving quickly, Southern suburbs are cheapest but are changing to rapidly crime wise.

[lethalweapon3]

As several have noted, your likely area of employment will make a big difference as far as places to look, insofar as commuting costs are important to you. I'm offering advice on the assumption your place of employment is in downtown/Midtown/Buckhead of Atlanta.

 

You'll find our metro area's most lauded school sub-districts in East Cobb County, North Fulton County, and Decatur city-proper (the latter is its own district, actually, distinct from DeKalb County).

 

DeKalb County often feels overpriced IMO from a taxation perspective, at least in relation to the quality of services the county provides, so I wouldn't encourage many places in DeKalb unless they're within the city limits of Decatur, or at least one of the newer municipalities. One Decatur neighborhood in particular, Oakhurst, has gentrified quickly, for better or worse, has a small-town feel unto itself, and is close enough to downtown/Midtown that you could commute there (short drive/train/bike) without dealing with interstate traffic. If close neighbors and a lack of big-box shopping options in the neighborhood are a turn off, though, Oakhurst probably won't work for you. Several overlapping unincorporated areas in north DeKalb are in the middle of a shape-shifting war to delineate new municipalities, so the possible impacts on property taxes seems up-in-the-air to me until all the smoke clears.

 

On the Cobb side, Vinings and Mableton are unincorporated communities with reasonably short drives to Atlanta's central business areas (including Buckhead, in Vinings' case), but the non-interstate commute options are not as simple due to the limited number of Chattahoochee river crossings. The City of Marietta has its own well-regarded school district separate from Cobb, much like Decatur in DeKalb. If you plan on spending some of your discretionary income on the Bravos and Hawks, Cobb areas near Cobb Parkway (where the baseball stadium will be built) will also offer you a non-interstate westside route into downtown Atlanta.

 

I wouldn't base your location decision on gasoline prices, as we have 3.50-to-4-buck prices here as well. That said, I would suggest finding ex-urban or suburban locations where your primary refueling options are not those also shared by folks coming right off of the interstate exits. Merely my opinion, the gouging at those metro-area locations border on absurdity. Also, there are suburban areas (like DeKalb's Brookhaven and Dunwoody, or Fulton's Sandy Springs, all recently new municipalities) where you can have park-and-ride rail transit options so your household won't be so captive to your cars for commuting.

 

~lw3

[ATLJA316]

I live in Midtown, literally 5-10 minutes from everything. I'm not on the main drag so traffic is rarely ever a factor for me. If I had to pick a place to live OTP, it would definitely not be Gwinnett - the traffic up there is just nuts, and your commute will be awful (Assuming your office is actually in Atlanta-Atlanta). If you're looking to live OTP, Mableton seems to be a very cost-effective place to live. It's West, and easily accessible to I-20 and 285. From what I've heard the schools are pretty good, lots of house for your money, and most importantly, 20 minutes or so to a Hawks game :-)

[ATLJA316]

I'd also like to Add that as many others have mentioned, Brookhaven is a fantastic place to live. I grew up there and now that they are their own city w/ their own police force - it seems to be very safe. You'll fall under DeKalb Co. schools, which aren't great, but aren't bad (I turned out OK). Brookhaven is close to the shopping and nightlife of Buckhead, but quiet enough to raise a family in peace. It's also accessible to 85 and 400. After College I lived in Lindbergh and Buckhead before I bought my house and loved both. 

[mattlanta]

I also live in Connecticut, and my brother is moving from here to Douglas, GA. Good luck with your transition!