First, let me assure you I have searched the archives, but didn’t find exactly what I was looking for.
Where is a good place in/near Atlanta to live?
I will be attending graduate school at Georgia Tech starting this August. I am married and we have a 2-year-old son. My wife is Japanese, so proximity to Japanese food stores and other expat Japanese support infrastructure is a definite bonus.
I have budgeted for $900 per month for rent. Can we get a 2+ bedroom apartment/rental for that price? We have 2 vehicles, so communting isn’t much of a proble, although I think that driving the 75-85 corridor downtown would kill me (literally).
I’m in the metro Atlanta area (northwest side) and here $900 might be a bit tight for a 2 bedroom apartment. It really depends on what quality of life you’re looking for though.
6 years ago I had a 2 bedroom 2 bath for $750 (utilities not included) but it wasn’t a very nice place (old, thin walls, noisy neighbors, etc).
Unfortunately, I’m not familiar enough with the downtown/GA Tech area to be of specific help to you. Access Atlanta is a good place to start. It has information about apartments, as well as restaurants, real estate, stuff to do, generally anything to do with Atlanta.
If you find a good Asian Market (Japanese or otherwise) be sure to clue me in!
It’s gonna be tough. Here is a list of aprtments and such that are off-campus but near GT.
Another idea might be to check in Chamblee or Doraville. It’s got a large Asian population (not specifically Japanese, but they are represented), and is still inside the Perimeter.
CHRC Atlanta has quite a few listings for cheap housing, and homestore.com has a useful search function.
Good luck.
On preview, JanetReno.is.hot (shudder) is correct–Dunwoody is not a bad area and, in most cases, the commute to Tech can be as low as 15-20 minutes.
I lived in the Dunwoody/Sandy Springs area for 2.5 years before I moved last August. At the time I left, I was paying $815/month for a 1 bedroom. This was a Post apartment complex, and they tend to be expensive for what you get.
On the plus side, I lived next door to a MARTA station, so I rarely had to drive into downtown Atlanta.
You also might look at the south side, just off I-85. I don’t remember/think that there is a significant Japanese population there, but rents tend to be a little lower. You might, however, pay for that in terms of commute times.
Try this organization: http://www.promove.net
When I used them, it was a free service and they were quite helpful in finding an Apartment. There are many web-based apartment databases but make sure you find out enough about the area before you commit to anything.
There are apartment complexes in and around Georgia Tech, and if you can find someone in GT, their access to university newgroups will be helpful.
I live in Decatur and I absolutely LOVE it! It’s got a small town vibe - quiet, calm, lots of old trees - but it’s very close to downtown (5 miles? - the website says 12 minutes) and there are several public transportation options. There are also parks for the kiddie (lots of young families here), good restaurants, and it’s easy to get to midtown (more restaurants, shopping) as well as the Chamblee/Doraville area mentioned above.
I checked the homestore.com website and searched under Decatur’s zip code (30030) and found a couple of newer apartments that are in a nice area and within your budget (Avery Glen Apartments and Carriage Place).
There are a lot of older apartment communities in Decatur that aren’t listed on most apartment finder websites. They tend to be cheaper and roomier than the new complexes. I found these just by driving around the area. Will you be coming to town to check things out before hand or doing your apartment hunting long-distance?
If this sounds like a place you might be interested in, let me know if I can give you any more info.
Thanks everybody for your advice so far. Let me stress that we don’t have to be close to campus. I would imagine that my class schedule would be out of sync with working folks enough that I would be able to avoid rush hours. I currently spend a half-an-hour commuting here in the middle-of-nowhere anyway, so anything less than an hour under normal conditions is doable.
Can anyone comment on MARTA as an option? I rode the train a lot when I lived in Japan, but then in Japan I felt a whole lot safer about my fellow weirdoes…I mean passengers.
MARTA’s website is at itsmarta.com. If you’re a student, you can get a bus/rail pass for 40 bucks a month. It kinda sucks for getting around (as it doesn’t go anywhere and it runs odd hours), but if you’ll just be commuting to and from GT on it, it’s not so bad; the station is pretty convenient.
As for safety, I’ve never been on Marta (bus or train) and felt unsafe. However, my experience with it is somewhat limited, so more opinions would probably be advisable.
It depends on where you want to live. I live out Dunwoody way and rents have been dropping some, but it was around $880/month for a decent apartment, 2BR/2BA. I saw some places out in Norcross/Doraville for $700 for a 2BR, but it’d be a bit of a commute. Decatur’s also an option, lots of students out there.
MARTA. I take it in. I go to GSU, and see Tech students all the time. I’ve never felt particularly nervous, though the bums will hassle you for cash. If you want to live right ON the MARTA line, I’m talking “tunnel connecting the complex with the station,” there’s Dunwoody Place. I don’t know their rates, but it may be worth looking into. Takes me an hour to an hour and a half to get in to school, but I have to drive to the station first.
I lived in the complex on the other side of the Marta station, and we had a path up the hill with a gate into the complex.
I took MARTA in almost every weekday the entire time I lived in Atlanta, as well as home from the airport late several Friday nights and never felt unsafe at all. If you’re only going into downtown on it, it will get you there.
As for Decatur, my former boss lives there and loves it - she always said it feels very small town-ish, but it’s still incredibly convenient to everything.
Honestly, it’ll depend on the complex. We lived in one that was perfectly safe, but the complex across the street was always having cops called, shots fired, rapes, etc.
I currently live in northern Decatur. We rent a small 3 br/1 ba house with sizeable front and back yards for $950 (no utilities).
We’re a few minutes from the Avondale Marta station, the most fabulousDekalb Farmer’s Market and the Stone Mountain bike/jog path, which might also be an alternative for you, if you ride, as it terminates at GA Tech downtown.
I moved into my current house after attempting to live in Lakewood, which is a “transitional” neighborhood just south of Turner Field. After living there for a few months, my housemate and I experienced 4 breaking and entering/burglaries in one week, with a functional(?) ADT security system on the house.
Needless to say, we broke the lease and went in search of greener pastures, which Decatur certainly is.