Athens, GA

[acole1177]

I'd say it's relatively bike friendly! If you live within 2 miles or so of campus I wouldn't see any issue using it to get to campus. Public transportation is also great here and it's free with your UGA id. 

[bloomingmonkey]

Can someone tell me more about finding housing in Athens? Areas better for grad students or specific complexes you like? I don't know what areas five points or normaltown refers to
I'm looking for a 1 bedroom and don't mind driving to school, but close proximity is a plus. How much should I be paying? I've seen tons of things in the high 600's but I don't know if that's cheap, average, or still too high for the city
 

[Sbrail2]

On 3/20/2016 at 5:17 PM, bloomingmonkey said:

Can someone tell me more about finding housing in Athens? Areas better for grad students or specific complexes you like? I don't know what areas five points or normaltown refers to
I'm looking for a 1 bedroom and don't mind driving to school, but close proximity is a plus. How much should I be paying? I've seen tons of things in the high 600's but I don't know if that's cheap, average, or still too high for the city
 

I'd also like to know this, I'm heading there as a PhD student over the summer.

[lnz1221]

3 hours ago, Sbrail2 said:

I'd also like to know this, I'm heading there as a PhD student over the summer.

I'm an undergrad here. Normaltown is a lot more chill and "hipster" and typically older people (grad students, young families). But a little far from campus (a couple miles). 5 points is also a good area; very close to (walkable to) campus and downtown. It is probably more undergrads than grads/families, but it is a good mix. I have lived in three different 4 bedroom apts in my time here and my rent ranged from $325 - $500 per room. For one bedrooms, they will be about $500 for the cheapest and $700 - $800 for nicer places.

[Sbrail2]

22 hours ago, lnz1221 said:

I'm an undergrad here. Normaltown is a lot more chill and "hipster" and typically older people (grad students, young families). But a little far from campus (a couple miles). 5 points is also a good area; very close to (walkable to) campus and downtown. It is probably more undergrads than grads/families, but it is a good mix. I have lived in three different 4 bedroom apts in my time here and my rent ranged from $325 - $500 per room. For one bedrooms, they will be about $500 for the cheapest and $700 - $800 for nicer places.

Thanks for the info, very helpful! Any tips on things to do for people who don't really go to bars or anything?

[lnz1221]

On 4/7/2016 at 0:04 PM, Sbrail2 said:

Thanks for the info, very helpful! Any tips on things to do for people who don't really go to bars or anything?

Eh, well the bar scene is the most popular thing to do. There are plenty of "older" bars though, you just have to find the right ones. Downtown also always has tons of concerts and festivals; the music scene is pretty big here. Tons of great local restaurants throughout the town too. There are also always plenty of sporting events to go to, which are pretty fun even if you're not super into sports. Other than that, I'll admit there's not too much to do; the town pretty much revolves around the university.

[twinkletoes]

On 4/7/2016 at 0:04 PM, Sbrail2 said:

Thanks for the info, very helpful! Any tips on things to do for people who don't really go to bars or anything?

Drinking and watching sports are not your only options. If you enjoy the outdoors, there are a lot of great opportunities to hike, bike, camp, etc. in and near by Athens.  In first few months after I moved here, it seemed like every weekend I was going someplace new.

Non-exhaustive list of possible places to explore:

In Athens: Sandy Creek Park, Sandy Creek Nature Center, Memorial Park, Oconee Forest Park, Georgia State Botanical Gardens

Within a 30-40 min drive from Athens: Watson Mill Bridge State Park, Ft Yargo State Park, Hard Labor Creek State Park, Victoria Bryant State Park, Oconee National Forest

And then you have the Chattahoochee National Forest to the north with tons of other opportunities...

[BBSPhdGrl]

Reviving this thread once again

 Heading from Florida to Athens Fall 2017 for the Behavioral and Brain Science PhD program and looking for housing advice. I've seen many mention Five Points and Normaltown areas, do you have any specific property management companies, or Townhouse/Apt communities you can recommend? Safety is my number one concern because I will be living alone until Christmas. Looking for 2BR preferred, budget friendly. It would be great to find a place where at least some of the utilities were included but that may be a tall order.  Thanks!

[catsnbikes]

Hello anyone! I am coming to Athens this weekend to visit (recently accepted to a PhD in Social Work). Is there anything I must see/do? A part of town to tour? I love local book shops and coffee shops. Also planning to hit up the bike shops around town. 

 

Thank you in advance!

[gdala]

On 3/22/2017 at 7:30 AM, catsnbikes said:

Hello anyone! I am coming to Athens this weekend to visit (recently accepted to a PhD in Social Work). Is there anything I must see/do? A part of town to tour? I love local book shops and coffee shops. Also planning to hit up the bike shops around town. 

 

Thank you in advance!

My favorite bookstore is downtown on Jackson St. I think it's called Jackson Street Books, or something of the sort.  It's one of those secondhand bookstores with books stacked everywhere and a little bit of everything. There's another local bookstore a little north of downtown on Prince, but they sell new books and I don't find it quite as exciting.  The local coffee chain is Jittery Joe's and you'll see those everywhere, but to get a different experience, you can check out Two Story on South Lumpkin St.  Also, Walker's is downtown and it's a coffee shop/bar, and it's one of my favorite places to go downtown. The downtown area is very small (just a few blocks) but there are a ton of bars and restaurants and some vintage stores, and the Georgia Theater where concerts are held.  There are several good parks to go to if you like outdoor things. Memorial Park has a trail and mini zoo; and the botanical gardens have a few trails. There's really not much else in Athens aside from some shopping centers and a small mall.

[piti]

Hi, I am an international PhD student and have been admitted to UGA Plant Biology program starting this August. I am planning to come to Athens in the end of July. I have read all the comments in this topic, found it very helpful to get to know Athens a little bit from the distance. I have spend already couple of days online on house hunting and unfortunately couldn't find much apart from big apartment complexes (which are advised against from what I read here). Also, I read to stay close to Lumpkin street and Milledge Ave, however, I have difficulties in finding any options, even further away. I am a little confused - many people here say that finding great affordable housing in Athens is easy, for me it seems to be quite the opposite. Most 1 BR/1 BTH apartments I see are for $650-$900, while people before me said about prices closer to $500. Am I missing something? Did the prices rise over the years or/and are most places already rented? Should I rent something asap as it will be difficult to find housing in the end of July or would it be better for me to find sth to stay temporarily and look around when being on place? I heard that many smaller complexes are difficult to find online.

I will appreciate any help. Thanks!

Edited May 29, 2017 by piti

[lilchow]

Just got accepted to the MS Statistics program. How are the pet-friendly housing options (I have a chihuahua). I can't live on campus because its not pet friendly  

[DidoofCarthage]

On 2/15/2018 at 2:52 PM, lilchow said:

Just got accepted to the MS Statistics program. How are the pet-friendly housing options (I have a chihuahua). I can't live on campus because its not pet friendly  

I'm sure you've figured this out since the school year has already begun, but it depends on the apartment building. If they allow pets, most just require an additional fee. Welcome to Athens, hope you're enjoying it!

[Modulus]

I will be moving to Athens to start my PhD in Clinical Psychology this Fall.

Updates on this city?

I am interested especially in quality of life/safety for lesbian and/or bisexual women, vegan food offerings, places to play pinball, and HOUSING LEADS. 

[theservantwaits]

Hey @Modulus - first, congratulations! 

I think you'll really like it there. A friend recently visited the school and told me about the vibe. I asked if I could share their email about it. Here you go:

 

hey, Athens was great! I could definitely see myself living there. it's certainly a big school, and the school does dominate the town. but I saw plenty of ways to have a life outside of school, and it seems like it's fairly easy to avoid the swarms of undergrads / bros. I got some key tips.

 

downtown is mostly divided by the "khaki divide". this was a KEY thing to learn. pretty much everything west of Lumpkin St is where locals, grad students, and easy-going adults hang out. if you're east of that, expect to be swarmed by undergrads. I walked around, and I found this to be pretty consistent. 

 

I tried to talk to a bunch of locals, and they were super friendly. they were open-minded and seemingly liberal. there were a ton of creatives and people with funky hair and tattoos. it seemed like the kind of place where anyone was welcome.

 

my point: it seems like a place where anyone could find their people. at least that was my impression. 

[ephemeral]

Hi all, wondering if there is a direct public bus connection between UGA and the international airport at Atlanta?

[keylanpie]

There are a couple of cheaper but inconvenient options (MegaBus and Greyhound both go to Atlanta, but not the airport), but most people use Groome shuttles. They pick up every hour, and drop you off at either their office in the west side of Athens or at the on-campus stop, the Georgia Center. 

https://groometransportation.com/athens/