Relocating to Duluth? Georgia
 

I have been interviewing and sending resumes to the Atlanta area for a while now trying to get a job there. I just received a really good job offer with a great national company, the problem is their headquarters and the job are actually in DULUTH, Georgia (25 miles from downtown)<BR><BR>I am a 27 yo single female living in Lexington KY (UK grad) and I was hoping to move to a bigger city with tons more to do. I am not interested in school systems or rural lifestyles.<BR><BR>Will I be happy in Duluth? Could I actually live in a younger area on the north side of Atlanta and commute out? I know traffic from burbs into downtown is horrible, what would the reverse commute be like? <BR><BR>What areas would you suggest near Duluth or the northside inside the perimeter?

There are Young People and Great Apartments, Condos and etc all over the Metropolitan Atlanta Area.<BR>Buckhead seems to be where a lot of young people go to party and hang out.<BR>Duluth is very close to the Mall of Georgia and Gwinette Place Mall.<BR>We have museums, theater, sporting events, a symphony, lots of Bars, Resturants. Atlanta is a Very lively city with a lot of diversity.<BR>Duluth IS one of the Northside Suburbs.<BR>Most parts of it are not 25 miles from downtown. I suggest living Outside the Perimeter.<BR>

I think the poster knows Duluth is a north suburb, she was asking about living on the north side of the CITY and commuting to the north suburb of Duluth or else living in a closer in suburb.<BR><BR>I suggest somewhere along Northside Drive. The commute out would be about 40 min each way and you are in a young and vibrant singles area, not rural like Duluth.

I do prefer to live in town and commute out to Duluth if a I take the job. I prefer to live in an area where I don't have to always jump in the car to go somewhere, perhaps places where I could walk. What about Marta? Does it run out to Duluth? could I live on the north side of the city and ride MArta to Duluth? what area inside the perimeter ont he northside are young and funky not family oriented or suburban?

Hey, Angela. Unfortunately, Marta doesn't really connect much together. It basically runs in a big cross pattern - one train north-south, the other east-west. Nothing goes anywhere near Duluth. That said, if you don't mind driving out to work, I would recommend living in Midtown or Virginia/Highlands. Those are both funky neighborhoods and would be much more fun to live in than anything further out. From Midtown you can hop on Marta to Buckhead (restaurants/bars/Lenox Mall) or the airport pretty easily. Decatur is also nice (just east of downtown) but I think it's a little more family-oriented.<BR><BR>I'm not sure how your commute would be, but it's probably worth driving a little bit further to not be stuck out in the 'burbs. The reverse should be a little better, and if you can adjust your times at all so you leave earlier (i.e. before 7) or later (after 8:30) it should be a little better. Also, get a good street guide and use side streets. The freeways are poorly designed and miserable, but you can usually stay off of them and do okay.<BR><BR>Best of luck with your decision!

Not exactly a travel question, but a commute one? Traffic outbound on I-85 in a.m. is not bad, so you could live in the city north of downtown in an urban neighborhood (Midtown, Buckhead, etc.) and drive out I-85. You'd want to be far enough north that you only had to use the freeway north of the I-75/85 split north of downtown. Commuting around Atlanta on I-285 in a.m. or p.m. in that northeast quadrant is a mess in both directions. Wouldn't Northside Drive require a drive across the northern arc of I-285? The northside of Atlanta along I-285 does contain a good number of apartments, restaurants and bars, malls, and other activities but terrible traffic. <BR><BR>No, MARTA doesn't run to Duluth--Gwinnett County. I think there are some express buses to commute in-town only.<BR><BR>As the previous poster said, Gwinnett County is a booming area with malls, single family homes, some apartments, etc. As you go in toward I-285 on I-85 you enter a very ethnically diverse area that immigrants from many countries are settling in, a variety of ethnic food stores, restaurants, rental housing. Toward the north are more expensive houses, golf courses, the river. <BR><BR>Inside I-285 are many types of neighborhoods--the international flavor extends along Bufurd Highway, expensive fill-in houses are being built to the north and south, old neighborhoods with lots of trees extend down along Druid Hills to Emory University and Decatur as well as toward Buckhead to the west. Peachtree Street leading into Buckhead remains a major artery with shopping, restaurants, and condos.

Two great areas that are suburban but not TOO surburban are Decatur (inside perimeter) and Dunwoody (outside perimeter). Both have plenty of restaurants and shopping and neither would be a bad commute out to Duluth. You are right Duluth is very family oriented and ultra suburban. You won't find much of a singles scene at all in that area.

You might try Norcross as well. It is just inside Duluth and on the county line. There are alot of apartment complexes in that area. I live in Sandy Springs and love it. I can walk all over. But that is straight north and would require traveling I-285 east to I-85 to get to Duluth which may be a nightmare. Sandy Springs is great though with lots of young single professionals.

Take a look at www.accessatlanta.com. It has information by areas that may help you in planning your relocation. Also, Gwinnett County has started providing some public transportation. Check out www.gctransit.com, then look at MARTA's web site at www.itsmarta.com. Just know that traffic can be a real bear!

Thanks! Any other info is appreciated as well.

Angela -- you're in your 20's and single. Do yourself a favor and live inside the perimeter. If you want to be able to walk places (rather than always hopping in the car), Virginia Highlands is the ticket, if you don't mind the commute. Otherwise, try Buckhead.<BR><BR>If you want to live a little closer to the Perimeter, you might try the Vinings area -- nice area with all the amenities and some nice apartment complexes, but close to the highway.<BR><BR>I used to live in Smyrna and trust me when I tell you that you won't meet many other young singles in Duluth.

I will be flying to Atlanta for the weekend to do some prelimimary looking at apartments. I wish it were a weekday so I could see more what travel times would be during rush hour but oh well.<BR><BR>After reading the responses, I plan to start at the area around Emory University and move northeast from there. I know I don't want to live all the way out to Duluth, but hopefully I can find something in between with a decent out commute. I'll report back after the wekend, but if anyone has advice between now and Friday, keep it coming!

Angela:<BR><BR>LISTEN to those people suggesting that you live INSIDE the perimeter. They know what they are talking about. All those outside places are BORING. All the action for a single person is INSIDE the perimeter, places like BUCKHEAD (good luck finding a cheap apartment), LENOX (just north of Buckhead but good loc also), Virginia Highlands (cute), Midtown (lots to do also). I lived in Sandy Springs, and its not too far away from the action, about 15 minutes to downtown, 10 minutes to buckhead, but the area close to the highways gets VERY VERY congested because there are soo many businesses there.<BR><BR>PLEASE don't make a mistake and live in Norcross/Duluth... you would make the biggest mistake of your life.<BR><BR>Ideally Buckhead is probably the place, but your really should try a mock drive in the morning during rush hour and see how long it will take you to get to work. Traffic in Atlanta is 2nd WORST in the nation, after L.A. Believe it or not. Expensive also. My 2-bedroom apartment in Sandy Springs was $1300 a month... can you imagine a place in Buckhead???<BR>