MOVING TO ATL!!

Hey there!

My brother and I are planning a move to Atlanta (early summer) and I am totally overwhelmed! There are soooo many housing options and parts of town. Any tips on what areas are decent? Not very picky but I do like getting my money's worth! LoL

All we need is:
2 bedroom/ 2 bath
Accepts small dogs
Patio/balcony
No more than $700/month

Any suggestions??

No help here....sorry.

Hi Amarci,

What part of the city will you be working in? That's a major consideration because the traffic is from hell. I promise you, you could hang yourself on the interstate. Do you have a car or need public transporation? Kids that need a school system that not in danger of losing it's accreditation? All those factors play heavily into the decision.

Everyone's definition of decent is different, but I'd say you're not likely to find a decent apartment with 2 bedrooms in the Atlanta metro area for $700 a month. I moved here 12 years ago and back then I rented a 2 bedroom for $850 on a special. For $700 you're more likely to have your money's worth of complaints about crime, maintenance, noise and a host of other things.

They all have patios and balconies and will all accept pets with a pet deposit. Usually between $200-300. Most have pools and fitness centers as well.

Renny wrote:Hi Amarci,

What part of the city will you be working in? That's a major consideration because the traffic is from hell. I promise you, you could hang yourself on the interstate. Do you have a car or need public transporation? Kids that need a school system that not in danger of losing it's accreditation? All those factors play heavily into the decision.

Everyone's definition of decent is different, but I'd say you're not likely to find a decent apartment with 2 bedrooms in the Atlanta metro area for $700 a month. I moved here 12 years ago and back then I rented a 2 bedroom for $850 on a special. For $700 you're more likely to have your money's worth of complaints about crime, maintenance, noise and a host of other things.

They all have patios and balconies and will all accept pets with a pet deposit. Usually between $200-300. Most have pools and fitness centers as well.

bbbwwahahaha@ "you could hang yourself on the interstate". Yeah, the traffic is horrendous here. But if you prepare yourself mentally before you even get here and just know that you're going to have to deal with it in some form or fashion, you'll be fine. If nothing else, you learn patience....I did. I live in the burbs and prefer here much better than city living. Just depends on your taste.

agree 100% @For $700 you're more likely to have your money's worth of complaints about crime, maintenance, noise and a host of other things.

The best thing to do is begin perusing various websites of the different suburbs of Atlanta and go from there. These sites http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/ AND http://www.apartments-in-atlanta.com/atlanta-suburbs.htm may be of help in narrowing down where you'd like to live. Since you have time on your side, do you plan to make a few weekend visits to get a "feel" of various areas? If so, doing this would help in narrowing down a locale that is geared towards your lifestyle - that's what I did. Aside from that, in my humble opinion, Atlanta is a great place to live. I've had a great experience

Amari,
Have you been to ATL for any extended period of time? I ask that because visiting a place for a weekend is really not enough to get a good feel. I agree with Renny about the grief from working in one area and living in another. It really gets old. If you can find a job or maybe you can transfer your job and then live in the same area (provided it is safe, convenient, etc.) that is IMHO, the ideal thing. One thing about the ATL metro area is most areas are very self-sustaining. So, at least you can grocery shop, bank, etc. without having to venture out much for the day-to-day stuff. Your lifestyle and interests will play a major role in your selection. But, let me mention one area. I lived in Sandy Springs for 4.5 yrs. and it was great and convenient. It is a northern burb. I lived off Hwy 400, exit 5 (the last exit before there is massive traffic going north). 3 marta (light rail) stations by me, Perimeter Mall (popular mall), lots of nice eateries, banks, WF (my fav!), and everything I need. I really liked the fact that I could take surface streets to get downtown and not get caught in the traffic on the interstates. Also, I lived very close to the major interstates/hwy (400, 285/85/75). For me, there were no negatives to living in that area. Just my 2 cents worth for you to ponder and investigate.

I have cousins who live in Douglasville, Tucker, and Jonesboro. Douglasville is a nice area, but working downtown, it is a heck of a commute and events like plays, concerts, sporting events are all downtown ATL--thus not convenient. Tucker, closer in and near 85, so not bad. Based on my experience and exposure, Jonesboro and the other areas in that southern quadrant are a traffic nightmare unless you work in the area. Also, I noticed a disparity in the restaurants and shopping I preferred--meaning they tended to be downtown or more north. Just my observations.

On another note, I know of a number of people who leaved in Cobb County (Marietta in particular). However, if you will not have your own transportation, it would not be convenient.

Natural said it. I live on the southeast side in Stockbridge. I commute away from the city so I'm always going in the opposite direction of traffic. Oh joy. I shop in my piece of suburbia, but if I want good Chinese or real pizza or some good Jamaican, I have to push it into the city. If I want to go to Whole Foods (which I don't often want to), I have to go into the city. It's not a long drive, but I also lived in NY for years and I just hate congestion. Might be my age. Fortunately for me some of my work meetings are downtown and I get to lunch and shop downtown and satisfy those cravings.

Curls offered you some great resources. The chamber has a newcommers package that they'll send to you and most of the counties have their own Chambers and Newcommers packages as well. I got them years ago and they helped me make my decision on where to move. I started out in Roswell. Loved it, but when it came time to buy a home I had to go south to be able to eat.

Renny you r 2 funny. Eating is good, isn't it LOL.

naturalnolagirl1900 wrote:Renny you r 2 funny. Eating is good, isn't it LOL.

Girl, everybody in my house likes to do it.

Renny wrote:Hi Amarci,

What part of the city will you be working in? That's a major consideration because the traffic is from hell. I promise you, you could hang yourself on the interstate. Do you have a car or need public transporation? Kids that need a school system that not in danger of losing it's accreditation? All those factors play heavily into the decision.

Everyone's definition of decent is different, but I'd say you're not likely to find a decent apartment with 2 bedrooms in the Atlanta metro area for $700 a month. I moved here 12 years ago and back then I rented a 2 bedroom for $850 on a special. For $700 you're more likely to have your money's worth of complaints about crime, maintenance, noise and a host of other things.

They all have patios and balconies and will all accept pets with a pet deposit. Usually between $200-300. Most have pools and fitness centers as well.

Thanks for your input! I have no kids, and I'll be working from home. The last time i visited the interstate was not bad (it was on a weekend though). I couldn't image having to commute daily to and for work, I'D GO CRAZY! lol

@naturalnolagirl1900

Thanks for your comment! I've stayed in Atlanta for about 2 1/2 months but it was with family. I have looked at some apartments online in Sandy Springs. It seems like a nice area

Working from home, oh, you can move anywhere. Sandy Springs is nice, pricey though. Come on down to Stockbridge and you can join my hair meetup. ) Well you can join it anyway.

Sandy springs is a fabulous area i love it