neemhakim

I am moving to Atlanta in June. I have ayoung family. I will be working at Crawford LOng Hospital in Atlanta. I have a 3 year old who will need to start preschool/KG. I would like to rent in a nice neighborhood/near work or as short a commute as possible and have some good private schools in the area. my price range is 2000$ a month. I would appreciate some advice on which areas to focus on.
Thanks

starrsville

There are a lot of condos that have recently opened along Peachtree Street in Midtown. That would be a great option for you. Druid Hills ia a great neighborhood too.

padams421

Morningside Elementary is a good school near Crawford Long inthe Morningside/Druid Hills area. I also hear good things about Fernbank Elementary. As for preschools, my kids had great preschool experiences at First Presbyterian Church's Preschool in midtown (on Peachtree Street next to High Museum of Art). There's a good Montessori program near Emory Univ. (Druid Hills neighborhood).

Lex1

You might look in or towards Decatur [from Emory] also. Druid Hills [proper] and Morningside are terrific intown neighborhoods, though $2,000 per month seems low for those areas. Your best bet may be a search through a reputable agency or real estate agent.

Midtown meets your commute criterion, though Peachtree Road is a bit busy (think NASCAR), and you'd be pressed for green space for kid's play, or colorless air not breathed before.

While Fernbank and Morningside elementary schools may be very fine, they are public institutions. There are very good private schools throughout the area stretching well north (and outside your commute criterion) to the glistening suburbs.

Welcome to Atlanta.

Mariarosa

We moved to Atlanta almost exactly one year ago, with our 1-year old son, so we had some of the same concerns. There are 2 main questions that you need to answer first, so you can pinpoint location. 1) Do you want to rent or buy and 2) do you envision yourself living in an urban setting (condo in an area with businesses) or a more 'residential' setting (a house in a residential neighborhood). If you want to be super close to work, want to rent, and prefer an urban setting, there are plenty rentals in Midtown that would fit your budget. Check out the housing section of AJC.com. If you want to buy a house in a residential neighborhood, then I concur with Decatur/Druid Hills. We bought a house in the Fernbank district after checking the test scores for all the schools in Fulton and DeKalb counties, and driving through several neighborhoods.

Regarding preschools, the places that offer full-time preschool have long waiting lists. There are many options that offer only part-time care, so they won't have to deal with all the gov regs, but that probably won't meet your criteria if you're working full-time. As soon as you have a sense of the general area that you would like to live in, place him in several waiting lists. They're taking applications NOW in January for June. June is typically when they let most kids in, as they move each class of kids to the next 'level', so it should coincide nicely with your move-in date. If you have any additional questions, let us know and welcome to Atlanta!

starrsville

My best friend taught at Fernabank for years (now retired) and my niece/nephew attended Morningside Elem. Both excellent public schools. Lots of private schools to choose from as well. My sister raised her kids in a house off Ponce and they attended private schools.

Come take a look at the area and see what the area offers.

Trivia - the string of parks running alongside Ponce de Leon as you drive out toward Decatur were designed by Frederick Law Olmstead. There's a well designed reason that section is so pretty :=-)

neemhakim

thank you for all the reply's. We want to rent. are there any residential areas or houses for rent in the midtown area?

padams421

There are lots of rentals in those areas.

Brian_in_Charlotte

Whole houses will be more difficult to find than duplexes/triplexes or condos.

Mariarosa

We briefly looked at the rental market for houses and it was pretty slim. That does not mean it can't be found, but it may require more thorough searching than what we were willing to put into it. Virginia Highlands is a very desirable neighborhood that combines a little bit of urban and a little bit of residential and it has duplex/triples/apartment rentals. Other places to check would be Poncey-Highland, Inman Park, Little Five Points, Candler Park, Ansley. Here is AJC's website: http://homes.ajchomefinder.com/Rentals/searchindex.asp I would start by looking at the following zip codes: 30306, 30307, 30308, and 30309. Good luck!

starrsville

Another thought - because there's a lot of new condos going up some condo owner offer lease/purchase options. If you don't find a rental, you may find a condo lease with an option to buy. That would give you a year to try out the area and decide whether or not to buy that condo - or something else.

signmeup

I would make a trip to Atlanta and check out the neighborhoods. I would rent your first year and decide where you want to buy. There are a lot of rentals. I would go with a house. Private and public schools are all over. Atlanta magazine recently did something on schools. Look at their site. Also, go do a search for emory housing. There are things there. And also think about having a realtor look for you-- to lease or rent a place?
True about waiting lists. Also, some churches have great programs/schools.

veryvirago

Since I see a lot of Decatur recommendations here (which I would agree with, BTW) check out http://www.hotelsbycity.net/blog/usa/georgia/decatur/

Personally, I've lived in both Midtown and Decatur. IMHO, I though Midtown was a hellhole. Very, very seedy at night, and when I say seedy, I mean crackheads and tranny hookers seedy. Waaaay too much for me. Also, don't discount the traffic. There are only two main north-south connectors in Midtown and they're a nightmare. When one is closed off for any reason (bad accident, repairs, etc.), just forget about it. You could literally walk to your destination faster.

Decatur is an awesome place to live, and you won't have a problem finding a decent house to rent in your price range. With all due respect to Brian in Charlotte, you will be able to find something. (Charlotte ???) Anyway, the school issue is crucial. Friends within the city of ATL overwhelmingly tell me that there are only three grade schools they would put their kids into, and after that it's all private schools. That's not so much of an issue in Decatur.

Good luck with your relo! I know from experience that there are a lot of moving parts to put together.

starrsville

A first time poster revives at least 5 posts in less than 20 minutes and gives the same link?

Could this be a commercial promotion?