I know decatur has a small community garden, not sure where else. I would try posting in the community garden forum and see if anyone can help you with that question. You really want to be as close to work as possible, unless you're 100% sure on using the marta. Traffic can be pretty bad here. I am not sure where you would look for 1/2 an acre. I am in the Lawrenceville area (with marta areas near by) and while I don't have 1/2 an acre I know lots that do around me. I think I would want to be close to Atlanta though if I had a job there, Lawrencevilles close, but not super close. Maybe norcross has what you're looking for? I think they are closer?

The Decatur area is really quite nice. My suggestion is to look near the Avondale Marta station. Avondale is a nice, quiet suburb and it won't take you long to get downtown. Some lots are fairly large. I think the price is decent there - intown living can be expensive. I live in an area of town which is considered still by some "on the wrong side of the tracks". If you can deal with that, the area is kind of cool. I even have a friend who rents out large lots for gardening on is 6 acre inter-city urban farm. This is in Ormewood Park, between Grant Park and East Atlanta Village. It's worth it driving around to see what you think - and checking out houses for prices etc. online.

girlgroupgirl

Are you looking to buy or rent?

I'm with GGG (same area, diff't neighborhood), I live ~ 1.5 miles away from her as the crow flies, and while some (uninformed) people dub our respective neighborhoods as the "wrong side of town", the reality is, our respective crime rates are the same or lower than anything you'll find out in Suburbia, anywhere OTP (Outside the perimeter, aka I-285).

Boulevard Heights, my neighborhood in the 30312 zip code, has one of the lowest crime rates in southeast Atlanta. We are on the southeastern border of Grant Park, and the southwestern border of Ormewood Park, with our N/S/E/W borders being Confederate/Pershing/Avondale/Boulevard (here's a map - note the RR Track on the northern border, see www.beltline.org for more info on this future transit project).

In Boulevard Heights, there is a large 1/2 acre community garden with every veggie under the sun planted, everyone is encouraged to take a row and plant each year, we have a couple of people that keep the land tilled and prepped every year, and we all get together and plant regularly. Volunteers are always welcome. From this neighborhood, a commute to downtown would take 5 minutes by vehicle, with no need to get on the interstate or sit in traffic while commuting to work, and there are multiple in-town routes you can use to get there.

It's nearly impossible to find 1/2-acre lots anywhere in town at a "reasonable" price. We personally have a 1/6th acre lot, and so far we've planted just 1/4 of the southern side of our house and we produce enough veggies to keep ourselves fed, and have some to share with friends and neighbors. We get plenty of sun; but I have immediate neighbors who can't say the same. We have lots of room for more plantings, but ... it's a matter of time and setting up the beds...and trying to find the time to work them!!

There are several houses for sale in our area, and a few for rent as well. Very tight knit community, strong crime watch. We love it here, and look forward to it improving in leaps and bounds like it has over the past 3-5 years.

in my humble opinion, the key to living in Atlanta is to live as close as possible to where you work. I will never understand people who work in town and live in places like Alpharetta, Lawrenceville and Kennesaw; I think it is psychotic to sit in traffic gridlock for 1-2 hours per day (each way), it is a complete and total waste of life in my opinion. I would rather spend that additional 10-20 hours per week working over my smaller garden lot than sitting in traffic totally aggravated wanting to shoot somebody only to have a larger lot - no amount of property is worth your sanity. There are several people I work with who do this crazy commute on a day to day basis (I work 5 minutes away from the house, my commute takes 15 minutes on a bad day). I'll never understand them. They're miserable.

For more info about in-town southeastern neighborhoods, please visit the SAND website here: http://www.sandatlanta.org/core/item/page.aspx?s=37654.0.111.37651

I recommend attending a SAND meeting, held the first Thursday of every month, the location is given at that website. I would recommend living in any of the SAND neighborhoods, I'm very entrenched in local community organizations and couldn't say enough positive things about the area and, more importantly, the people in it.

Other neighborhoods you might consider (ones I'd recommend) which are near a MARTA train line and/or in-town are: Candler Park, Grant Park, Inman Park, Cabbagetown. Without knowing more about you or your personality, I wouldn't know where you fit best. For example, Cabbbagetown is full of artists and more granola folks...whereas Candler Park and Inman Park have a wide variety from run-of-the-mill families to your alternative crowd. Where do you fit in?

If it's possible, feel free to shoot me an email through Gardenweb if you want any add'l info or want someone to show you around. There is so much history and development going on here, and not a lot of people know exactly what is going on, so they judge a book by its cover and blow us off; last person I recommended to check out our neighborhood took a wrong turn down Englewood Ave and saw a huge Section-8 "project" that is in the process of being torn down, and he freaked out...thinking we lived in a warzone :) The reality is, there is medium-density housing going in, and a 27-acre park being built across the street (Boulevard Crossing Park Anyway, I'm typing a book. Like I said, I can't say enough about the area! We're great people. It's a great community.

I recommend you come down and try to see as many different areas as you can, to compare. The Atlanta metro area has something to offer for everyone. From the Very Urban, to the Suburban, to the rural - if you don't mind the commute. One thing you might want to decide is whether you want to be "inside the perimeter" or out. The Perimeter is HWY 285 and it rings the city. Inside the perimeter is a more Urban climate. If you're into the hip and happening, it's the place to be. But you will likely sacrafice land for location. Outside the perimeter is more the land of the minivan and soccer mom. But that is where you'll get more land for your dollar. There are definitely a lot of trees on the older properties, but there are plenty of totally cleared subdivisions where you might wish for some trees. And there are some that live way out in the country, and have farms and still commute in. Personally, I agree with the others who posted here when they say, don't live too far from your job, or you'll hate the traffic issues. But come down, and take a look around. Decide what's important to you and look at what each area has to offer in your price range. You're sure to find something to suit your taste here. Best of Luck! :)
BTW, I live in Roswell, near Alpharetta, in case you wondered.

Wow! Awesome replies! Thanks so much! I haven't gotten to Atlanta yet, but once I do, I'll be sure to check out these areas. I also found an Atlanta community garden website, so I'll check those out--I'm sure they talk about the ones mentioned here.

I've found some nice looking places in Roswell and Alpharetta. So now with this info, I'll expand my search. I really would like to live closer to work, so hopefully, I can find a good balance.

It's a bit ovewhelming for a small town person like me, but exciting as well.

Forgot to answer satellitehead's question. I'm looking to buy, not rent.

I live in Lawrenceville and my suggestion is to rent first until you get familiar with the metro area and then buy. I always do this when I move someplace new and unfamiliar. Many times I have found myself saying that I'm glad I didn't buy right away because what I thought was OK when I first got there didn't turn out to be so OK after I got familiar with the area.

BTW, people live in places like Lawrenceville and commute downtown because they can get a house for $200K that they would pay $450K for ITP (inside the perimeter). As one of the previous posters said ITP is for the more hip crowd and OTP is more family land.

I live in Lawrenceville and commute 1 hour to work and 1 hour home. Lawrenceville is a nice little town and I like it. I am not willing to pay double for something equivalent so I can cut my commute from 1 hour to 30 minutes.

Do you or will you have kids? Many of the people who work downtown and commute from the suburbs do so because of the schools, recreation and sport opportunities for their kids.

If my husband and I worked downtown, had grown or no kids, then I'd choose to live inside the perimeter. However, since we do have kids, when we moved we looked at school districts as our number one requirement, location second.

I agree with the advice to rent first, buy later.

I hope you enjoy Atlanta and find a wonderful place to live.

It drives me slightly bonkers to see this rumour of "Better schools outside the city" perpetuated - well, this, and the rumour that "Buckhead is the place to be" - these are two things I end up having to erase from everyone's brains when they start looking to buy in or around Atlanta (or simply prove to them otherwise, but I shouldn't need to do either; neither are nearly true).

Sure, there is more land outside the city, so, sure, from a numbers aspect, you're going to find a higher quantity of well-ranked schools outside the city, but considering there is 4x more land outside the city...

Heck, I could say that Gwinnett (popular place to live outside the perimeter) has terrible schools, because one of their high schools is possibly about to lose its accreditation, but that doesn't mean ALL Gwinnett schools, or even the majority of their schools, are terrible. Just like outside the perimeter, inside the perimeter has some bad schools. Many of those schools are in bad areas. It happens, but it's not a reflection of every school, and anyone can pick any number of areas in the city that have a good [public] elementary, middle and high school all in or around a single district.

:)

Just within 5 miles from the capitol building/downtown, the following PUBLIC and CHARTER (where noted) elementary and middle schools come with some of the highest ratings you'll find in and around the Atlanta area:

Fernbank Elementary School
Capitol View Elementary School
Lin Elementary School
East Lake Elementary School

Inman Middle School
KIPP South Fulton Academy School (charter)
Renfroe Middle School
Parks Middle School
KIPP West Atlanta Young Scholars (charter)

Riverwood High School
Early College High School at Carver
Thomas County Central High School
Grady High School
Druid Hills High School

Granted, this list is very short, I didn't have time to dig up additional ones using the "advanced search" feature at the GreatSchools.net website for the area. (that site is a pretty good resource, btw, has realistic numbers and comments from other parents)

This doesn't include several of the amazing charter schools that have popped up in the southeast area of Atlanta over the past 1-3 years. I only listed the schools above because I have read stories about them, heard wonderful things, or have friends with kids that attend these schools.

I feel a little insulted when anyone says we don't have good schools in the city or when people say that we have "worse crime" in the city. WRT crime, I always encourage people to dig up crime stat maps, it's scary all of the murder and violent crime that happens outside the perimeter, just as much (if not more) than inside the perimeter. The big difference is...people outside the perimeter don't have as strong of a sense of community and don't seem to talk to each other about crime, so many people have no clue what is going on in their own backyard (scary trend in suburbia these days!)

... and the traffic is just as brutal as the crime!

Anyway, I'll leave it at that. Not trying to start an argument or light anyone's butt on fire :) Just want to make it clear - I disagree - we do have great schools in the city. I'm sure they'd be even better if people would quit perpetuating this belief that it's not possible to have quality inner-city schools.... ;)

You can rest assured, when our kids are old enough to go to school in the next couple of years, we're going to stay firmly planted right where we are in southeast Atlanta.

I prefer my little slice of heaven which is now called Milton (formerly Alpharetta). All lots are at least one acre in size if not more and the whole area has a relaxing feel to it. There are a lot of equestrian properties as well as a lot of gardening and some of the best nurseries in Atlanta. Scottsdale Farms, Perennial Grace, Blossom and Bloom to name a few of the larger ones. The commute to Buckhead is not that bad if you leave a little earlier in the morning and afternoon. If you want your space then this is the place to be!

Satellitehead beat me to it. I don't wish to start any arguments either, but for the sake of information, I also think its important to mention all the really great schools that are within the perimeter.

In addition to the list above, the City of Decatur runs its own school system that is very highly regarded and has excellent ratings. As GGG mentions, Decatur is also a very nice place to live. It has a real downtown and a nice community feel. Many of the lots there are very open so would be good for veggie gardening. (I know I sound like an advert, but I don't live there!).

Also, I don't agree with the comment that outside the perimeter is "family land" while inside is for the hip urbanites. There are lots and lots of families within the perimeter. There are plenty of sports and other recreational opportunities for kids here. And I'm definitely not very hip!

SH, i wanted to comment on your comment that "It's nearly impossible to find 1/2-acre lots anywhere in town at a "reasonable" price." While this is true if you want to buy a reasonably renovated house, if a buyer is willing to buy a house that needs work, one can buy a large lot intown for a reasonable price.

We have 2 small kids and live in the Druid Hills area (between Decatur and Emory). We bought here last year as our oldest child is almost pre-K age, and we chose to move into Fernbank elementary district (good school, close to Emory where we both work). We bought a 1950s split level in terrible shape, on a 2/3 acre lot for a very reasonable price. We have a lot of sun, so could have a big veggie area (which I hope to start). Yes, we have spent $ and a vast amount of time renovating the place (much of it ourselves), but we have enjoyed it (mostly!) and it has given us the house interior of our choice (within our budget). So buying a fixer-upper or a house that needs some amount of work would be a way to get a larger lot in town. We drive to work in 5 mins or walk in 20 mins.

Although Druid Hills is mostly very tree-covered, there are some lots that are surprisingly open. In general, Decatur is more open and sunny. If schools are not a concern for you, there are areas just north of Decatur (Medlock Park area) that fall outside the city but have very open, good-sized lots and are more affordable.

It just comes down to whether you want to pay more to be closer in to the city, and the answer to that is very personal.

If you don't want to rent for a while, it would be a good idea to spend a few weekends down here just driving round looking at various neighborhoods to get a feel for the different areas and the prices in each.

SH -- you mentioned "when our kids are old enough"....are you speaking in the future, or are congrats in order?!

mayland, we're going to start trying in the next couple of months, our doc says, "all signals are go!", we "shouldn't have any problems", so we're keeping a positive train of thought - "soon" and not "maybe if". sorry for the ambiguity, hope it wasn't misleading.

granted, it's a few years before our kid(s) will start school, but we've already researched and started planning so we can get involved, try to ensure that these opportunities we're seeking out are still around (or are even better) when they're ready to start. i've seen amazing things happen in our area (schools and community transformation) in the ~5 years since my wife and i met, and it's getting better and better week by week. it's proof that, as a community, a small number of individuals can stand up and potentially make anything happen with some effort and support. we are fortunate to have a lot of parents nearby that are willing to work towards building something amazing, tons of neighborhood parent organizations (groups) to join and collaborate, amazing eclectic bunch of people!

i'm really active in the nearby community with volunteer work and public safety. i strive to ensure things continue in the positive direction they are headed, and there are plenty of others right there with me. i've recently started diverting my attention towards schools nearby, trying to decide on which direction we're going, what opportunities exist now, what preparations to make to ensure our kids go where we want, etc. there are a lot of choices within 2 square miles of our house...some are up-and-coming, some are well-rooted. my neighbor is a music teacher and has a young boy that has started school recently, so that helps a lot for insider info, nobody seems to know schools better than a teacher that is also a parent :)

on the community topic...i have a lot of friends who've moved up here from FL and down from NY, and they've moved a little of everywhere, inside and out. AAMOF, my best friend lives OTP, less than a mile southwest of the Holcomb Bridge exit on 400 (Exit 7?) in a "nice" neighborhood (subdivision), and we regularly engage in discussions about what living out there is like. he is a very social person, but none of his neighbors really care to befriend anyone. they never have block parties. they never have neighborhood cleanup days. they never organize any kind of community building events. they don't have any parent clubs, organizations that he's aware of, and they've been seeking this out nearby for the last 3 years they've been up there, but ... it just doesn't seem to exist. there aren't any parks within walking distance of his house. because of heavy traffic, it's not safe for kids to venture outside of the neighborhood. because nobody really knows or talks to anyone, a burglar could come in with a moving truck and clean out someone's neighbor, and they'd never be the wiser.

i personally feel spoiled rotten... we have the zoo just a couple blocks away, a huge park (Grant Park) next to it, they're talking about cutting our main throughfare down to 2-lanes (Boulevard) which should make walking even safer than it already is, work is slated to begin on another 27-acre park a couple blocks south/west of us that will have sports activities, a skateboard park, basketball courts, dog park, large open area for events, walking trails, etc., we get together as a neighborhood all the time, i know and talk to every neighbor 4-5 houses in any direction from us. we have at least 3-4 community building events per year. we regularly have cookouts or get together for drinks with our immediate neighbors, and i know if i ever need anything - whether it's lugging furniture up stairs, working on digging beds in the yard, or rebuilding part of the house, i can call a neighbor and they will help. i let all of my neighbors freely pick our veggies when they're ripe, and we have a community garden with the same policy. it's a night-and-day difference...

i'm not saying their case is "everywhere OTP", because there are plenty of places OTP that are more like what we have here in southeast Atlanta. nor am i saying that our case is "everywhere ITP", because we bad/non-community-oriented areas ITP also. i have other friends OTP in Roswell and Sandy Springs with a strong community similar to ours, and they love it - i'd definitely live near them. after living in the city, in our neighborhood - which is far from urban-looking or urban-feeling, and if you couldn't see the skyline through the park, you wouldn't know any better - i just can't fathom the OTP lifestyle some of my other friends have bought into, and, from a purely numbers perspective, i'd say 4/5 of my OTP friends see the same (absence of) community i just described near Holcomb Bridge, whereas 2/3 of my friends from all over ITP have a community somewhere in between ours and theirs, and the remaining 1/3 ITP have the same type of community environment i do now. almost all of us are late-20- and 30-somethings with a few 40-somethings in the mix, very social, very family-oriented, very community-oriented, good 'ol grass-roots kind of people that just ... care, you know? i like to think we're the "norm" of what you'll find in inner-city neighborhoods (although i don't really like the term "inner-city" because it seems to have acquired a negative connotation over the years)

so, i'm rambling :) there was a point to the last four paragraphs, and that point was to tie back to what so many others have said above, and tie back to my original post:

it's different everywhere, ITP and OTP. within a square mile, you can go from bad community to amazingly good community. as everyone has said, rent first in an area that appeals to you, then drive around and check things out in the months to follow

over the 6-12 months of renting, visit local communities that "look" like areas you'd be happy with.

drive around during rush hour, and decide if the stores and shops locally are easy enough to get to.

try to find community organizations (ask a realtor, any realtor worth a damn knows about neighborhood email lists, etc.) use those to interface with the people that live in the area you want to move to. i think you'll be amazed at how many people will talk to you, Atlanta/Greater Atlanta is overall a pretty friendly place.

if you find a dwelling you're interested in, go to the local police precinct with the property address and find out what zone# and beat# the house is in, then request some crime stats for the area over the past 12 months, or hit the crime stats map interface at www.atlantapd.org (it appears down right now), or ask to sit down and with a beat officer for that zone over a cup of coffee and talk to him/her about the area and what you can expect for crime, local activities, surplusses and deficits. nobody knows better than a cop. you may ask one or two, some of our men and women with APD are overworked and a bit jaded - you may inquire who is most knowledgeable, friendly.

if you have kids, talk to nearby parents and neighbors, or hit the internet and try to find parent groups - hit your local YMCA or boys and girls club to find parenting groups in that area to get advice of other parents. you could also visit any of the better local schools and try to find parent organizations that way.

more than anything, keep your ears peeled for "absolutes". when you hear people speaking in "absolutes" about anything, especially blanket statements about crime/people/schools in an area, take it with a grain of salt. i say this because there are a LOT of misconceptions that have become totally outdated in the last 5-10 years, but people continue to hold on and purvey this info as "fact" to newbies and visitors.

this is all assuming, of course, that you plan to stay in the Atlanta area for a decade or two....if you don't, all of this is overkill. even if you aren't planning to stay, hopefully all of this info will be of use to someone out there :)

ps - mayland - i love Decatur. we'd have moved there, but my work is in Midtown, my wife works nearby next to Coca-Cola HQ, and traffic to get from Decatur to both areas in the morning was too much. the Grant Park area was our compomise...but i couldn't be happier with the outcome. i still dream of Decatur, and i swear it's not just because you have a Taqueria Del Sol nearby ;)

Oh yes, I dream of "real" Decatur too. One of those sweet bungalows with a porch, a short stroll from the city square. I think Decatur has the same sense of community that you have in Grant Park. Druid Hills has to some extent, but less so.

We are about 30 mins walk from Decatur town, we're just round the corner from Fernbank school/science center (the "ranch" side of druid hills!). I would have preferred Decatur to live in, but we visited both schools and somehow Fernbank felt more at home to us, and its close enough to work that we can walk, which is really nice.

I don't think Oakhurst has been mentioned but its another intown neighborhood that I've heard good things about.

SH -- good luck with the babes!

satellitehead (and others with kids to be or kids that aren't old enough for schools) - if you shop at Publix, stop by customer service and get the support card for your local school. That way, when you shop, you can still be supporting (Publix donates money) to the school where your kids will likely attend. Just have the cashier scan your "school card" when you shop and a small portion of the sale will be donated. That infusion of cash is very important to schools and some of them get thousands of dollars this way. Grandparents or anyone can do it.

I think it is a VERY important consideration to live near where you know you will be working (if you do know). Saving time and money on commuting will give you so much more enjoyment. I know there are plenty of good schools inside the perimeter as has been discussed. Now if you have some other reason (like you want to buy 10 acres) for living elsewhere, then obviously you need to take that into consideration. But think about your daily life and what is important.

Buy or rent house where is near to the water source such as lake, pond, river, and spring... if you really do gardern stuff.

Alpharetta is nice place to live too.

Yeah, I definitely plan on renting first. We'll probably get a 1bd downtown for 6 months or so both for transitional reasons and to check out the area before buying. We have a 1 year old, so schools will be important.

I think the north side of town is sounding better and better all the time, although we'll check out the west side as well.

Here is my two cents... Live close to your job, time wasted in a commute is gone forever. I think a lot of people move to outer suburbs to be able to affort the biggest house they can, but you need to think a quality of life too. A one hour commute each way, is a lot of time not to be with family.

We chose to live less than a 10 minute drive from my husbands job, that's a pretty rare thing. We are also just a few minutes from a Marta train station, we don't use it much, but try to when we can.

We live in Dunwoody/Sandy Springs and I have a 3/4 acre yard. Our house is "old", from 1979, doesn't have high ceilings and some of the other requirements in the newer homes around Atl, but It's a house and What how we choose to live in it is what makes it a home.

In the next 10 years I will be buying acreage a little further north, my dh anticipates being able to work in Forsyth when the kids are out of school. My dream is to have a small farm with lots of animals.

-Harriet

lzygrdner--I hear ya. I'm definitely not looking for the big house, high ceilings, etc. And a 1hr commute each way is something I doubt I'd ever consider.

I think the first thing I'll do if this transfer happens is tell the realtor to show me stuff as close to the North Springs or other far north station as possible. It looks like the train will get me to work in 30min or less.

Also, correction on my last post--I meant to say we'll look at the east side, not the west side.

in that case, remember that we have both an E-W train and a N-S train. there are some pretty nice neighborhoods along the rail in all four directions.