Atlanta, GA

[Anthrogeek]

Bumping this thread.

Anyone with experience living around the Atlanta/Emory Area? Any suggestions or insights?

[crustaceangirl]

I've been accepted to Emory too, so I'd be interested in hearing what people say.

It seems like there's not a lot of affordable "house" housing (as opposed to grungy, undergrad-riddled apt. complexes) within walking distance of Emory, which makes me sad. I'm looking to rent a small house or an apartment in a multi-family home/duplex. My partner and I have one car, and we'd like to keep it that way. Assuming we can live close enough to campus that I can walk/bike to class, he could then take the car to wherever he ends up working. I've heard that some of the big fancy houses in the Druid Hills area (right by Emory) sometimes rent out a carriage house or apartment, so that might be good for us. I don't think I'd want to walk more than a mile and a half each way, which is pretty limited. Biking would give more range, but it sounds like Atlanta is not very bike-friendly.

I visited the campus and also got an Atlanta-dwelling friend to show me around different areas. I really liked Candler Park (it had character, and delicious Flying Biscuits). My friend lives in Virginia Highlands which was also really nice. We took a tour through Decatur, too, where a lot of the Emory grad students I met seem to live. But it seems like everyone in these places drives to Emory. Boo.

Am I being unrealistic about what I want for my living situation? Maybe my partner could just drop me off in the morning and pick me up in the evening. Or I could shoot for a MARTA bus line (which of these go to Emory?).

[indigo_black]

I'm in the same predicament. I'm going to Emory in the fall and am looking to rent an apartment or house to share or sublet for the first semester. In the second semester, my partner is moving out to join me and then we'll rent an apartment on our own.

At the recruitment weekend, I went on a tour with a current grad student who said that Decatur was a good place to live but I don't know how easy that is to reach by bus/MARTA. I'll have a car but don't want to pay that much to park on campus so was ideally wanting somewhere I could walk from. I'd walk 2-2.5 miles but, like Crustaceangirl said, that limits my choices somewhat. All the areas in walking distance are out of my price range, I think. It's frustrating that I live in the UK and can't afford or fit in another visit before I move out there, so I'm relying on the internet to find a place right now.

[bluewhenitsgray]

To use a car but avoid the parking fee, some grad students at Emory will just drive to a mall parking lot or something and catch a bus to Emory from there. It's less direct, but also saves the $600 or whatever it costs to park on campus for the year.

[farty14]

Let's hear what people have to say about neighborhoods, cost of living, night life, and other things I won't have time to do as a grad student.

[pinkfish]

I'm currently finishing up my master's degree at Emory, and I really like the area. As someone who grew up in the country, I found that it wasn't too urban for my tastes, but it still provided quick access to all the conveniences of a major city. Emory's pretty much on the edge of the city, and with just a few-mile drive in one direction, you can enjoy nature in Stone Mountain Park, and in the other direction, you can hit the restaurants and shopping centers in Midtown or Decatur.

As others have said, parking is horrid. It's best to live on one of the free shuttle routes, or else use the Park and Ride program that lets you park at one of the nearby malls and take a shuttle from there. That also saves you hundreds of dollars for the cost of a parking decal. Plus, if you live within about a mile and a half of Emory in any direction, walking to and from campus is pretty easy, because you'll be on sidewalks along mostly residential roads.

Groceries can be gotten very cheap if you shop at the Dekalb Farmer's Market (not a real farmer's market, but it has tons of cheap vegetables, meats and seafood, and bulk products). You can eat gourmet meals for next to nothing if you buy what's in season.

The Variety Playhouse is fifteen minutes away and is a great place to catch shows by mostly independent musicians. I'll be cathing They Might Be Giants and Explosions in the Sky there before I leave this summer.

Be sure to eat at Athens Pizza on Clairmont.

[polisciapp]

Could you comment on the availability of rental housing in Druid Hills (or somewhere as close). I want to live very close to campus, and I don't want to live in a complex.

[robot_librarian]

ok, here are some tips from an emory grad (with a gtech boyfriend & gstate roommate):

EMORY:

- it is incredibly difficult to live around emory without a car. this isn't to say it's impossible, i did so for 3 1/2 years, but it isn't easy or fun. there are university shuttles that will take you to the grocery store or the mall, but if you want to have any kind of social life or find off-campus employment you will need alternate transportation. there are only two MARTA routes that go by emory, and the buses come roughly every 40 minutes (but don't depend on them...they are incredibly unreliable). on sundays there is only a bus in one direction, which comes even less frequently. it is not a good area for biking, as the streets are narrow, hilly, and full of traffic. if you are planning to come without a car, be prepared to deal with this, and make friends fast. even if you do have a car, you should make every effort to live within walking distance of campus if money is a concern, because parking passes are roughly $600-$700 a year and traffic is awful. cabs in atlanta are not very well-priced either.

- the graduate housing at clairmont campus is very nice, but many people i know feel like it is TOO nice/expensive to live in as a graduate student living off loans. as someone said above, it's basically like living in a resort. if you plan to spend the majority of your time on campus or in your home, it would be a good place to live, but it is in a very inconvenient area for getting to public transportation or more interesting areas of town. the neighborhood around emory (druid hills) has lots of houses to rent, but very few one-bedroom places within walking distance. some grad students manage to find garage/carriage house apartments, but these tend to get passed along to friends and are hard to come by. if you're looking for a one-bedroom, i would try emory woods (behind the shops at the corner of n. decatur/clairmont). i lived there for awhile, and while they don't look like anything special they are a good deal, very quiet, and definitely walkable to campus. there are a few other smaller apartment buildings in a walkable distance, and several huge complexes (popular ones include highland lake, carlisle lake, gables) that would require a drive. if you will definitely have a car, you might want to look into neighborhoods like inman park, candler park, cabbagetown, or decatur which all require a drive, but have lots more options in terms of one bedroom units, generally good rents and are much more fun places to be than druid hills.

- the majority of emory students are fairly well-off, and tend to get out of the area to socialize/party/whatever. there is basically no social scene to speak of on/near campus. again, it's hard to fun without a car.

GTECH:

- tech is also not particularly close to a MARTA train stop, but it is do-able on foot or bike to avoid taking the unreliable buses (i'm not sure lines run in that area, but none of them are reliable anywhere). the area around tech is also a bit more bike-friendly in general, although you will still be dealing with narrow, trafficky streets. i don't know anyone who drives to campus, they all either live within walking distance or use a bike/MARTA.

- most of the tech students i know live(d) in either homepark (the neighborhood right around campus) or right downtown. the general consensus seems to be that the undergrad dorms were a dump, although i don't know anyone who has lived in their grad housing (perhaps for a reason? ha). housing is not too expensive in this area; i would expect probably $500-$800 a month in rent for a one bedroom.

- tech definitely has more of a near-campus social scene than emory or state, although it's still lacking a bit in options that are walkable. there are a few bars/restaurants that are decent and hire lots of students, but not much else.

STATE:

- state is right on a MARTA line, so you can pretty much live anywhere near a marta station and get to campus with no problems. i know tons of state students who live along the East line, and even though many of them have cars they choose to use MARTA. there are very few places to live right around campus, and i'm not sure what the grad housing options are like, but you shouldn't have trouble finding more affordable housing near a MARTA stop in a better area. if you do drive, i believe the parking rate is $3/day (MARTA is $2/ride or $40 monthly for students).

- there is NOTHING around state except office buildings, and places that cater to their employees. it is DEAD at night and on weekends. keep this in mind. i mean NOTHING.

IN GENERAL:

- atlanta is difficult to get around in without a car, and even with a car the traffic is bad and parking is expensive. make location or proximity to transit a priority in finding a place to live, especially if you are unfamiliar with the city.

- the major university campuses do not tend to have much to do around them. budget for cabs to go out if you don't have a car.

- atlanta DOES now have flexcar, which is a good option if you don't want to bring a car. there is a small monthly fee, and then you pay by the hour for use of their cars (great if you need to do a huge shopping trip or something).

[cmmimg]

Try the apartment complexes on Clairmont road. They would allow you to walk to Clairmont campus and take the shuttle into the main campus (maybe ten minute drive) and the shuttle comes all the time. There are several complexes along that road. Not sure what the price variation is...Highland Lake is around $900, there's also Lincoln at Decatur and one other I always see but never remember. They also place you in proximity to Toco Hills (where you can do grocery, etc. shopping)--you could walk if necessary, but it would be a hike with a bunch of bags. You don't really want to rely on cars too much anyway--traffic is terrible here.

[abcxyz]

I will be doing my grad studies at GSU. Do you think it'd be possible for me to live alone in Atlanta with about 19k a year? I am not going to drive, so I need to live near a MARTA station I guess? Can anyone give me some suggestions as to where I should live?

[robot_librarian]

for the question about GSU...

i think you could definitely do it on your own for that amount as long as you're not trying to live a super luxurious lifestyle... to be honest, after i make my student loan payments every month i'm probably living on well less that $19K!

look at the neighborhoods along the East stretch of the MARTA line...inman park, candler park, little five points, cabbagetown, even decatur. it is not too tough to find relatively inexpensive studios or one bedrooms in these neighborhoods ($500-$650 i'd say) and they are all located right on MARTA (btw a student monthly pass for MARTA is $40, just to give you an idea of budgeting.)

in particular, there is a huge new shopping complex with a kroger and target and several restaurants across the street from the Inman Park station, so if you won't have a car at all that might be the best area to look. craigslist can actually be pretty helpful for atlanta, or try the classifieds in the AJC (ajc.com) or creative loafing (creativeloafing.com).

hope that helped, let me know if you have any other questions! my roommate currently commutes to GSU from our apartment in inman park/reynoldstown and she says it's super convenient.

[abcxyz]

robot_librarian, thank you so much for the info.

[polisciapp]

So, what about Druid Hills? I'd like to live there, or somewhere close. I'm willing to have a roommate, but I don't want to spend more than $650

[PolitoJunkie]

It's definitely possible to live in Druid Hills for less than $650 in rent. I did so in one of the nicer apartment complexes for 2 years... about 5 miles from school. If you're going to live in DH, I'd say that it's better to have a car just to get away from campus and the Emory bubble from time to time. It's not hard to find housing for rent within 2/3 miles of campus, but I think in most cases probably need more than two people for something like that. I'm not positive on that however. On the plus side, in my limited experience, people with more roommates could also afford way nicer houses (bigger rooms, more bathrooms, etc.) Oh, and definitely factor in time if you're going to drive from off-campus. Generally I'd give myself 15-30 minutes (b/c of parking and traffic) during the morning and 2-7ish. Also, if you don't need to have a house but just want the quiet that one offers, there are aparment complexes close to campus that don't allow undergrads. Marta buses are pretty accessible around campus, although I can't attest to their reliability. Generally, you'll want to live in Decatur/DH.' VA Highlands. Decatur and Highlands will tend to be a bit more pricey just b/c they are more trendy. Any further way and travel time will be a bit silly. Like I said, I lived in DH and it could take me 1hr. to 45 minutes depending on the time. This should not scare you though, b/c as with anywhere you just need to time it right. But ATL can be annoying b/c there's not a lot of fast backroads to take, so be warned. As a Grad student I would not live in Highland Lake Calibur Woods or anything withing 5 minutes of those. It depends on the buildings, but those places are swarming with undergrads for the most part. And Emory Definitely plays hard. Finally, parking at school depends on which deck is closest to your school, so that can vary. Carriage houses.... I haven't heard of this, but I wouldn't count on it. Druid Hills is by not means a poor neighboorhood. The people living in those homes are upper middle-class at the very least. If I remember correctly DH has the best highschool in GA, which says alot b/c their school system sucks. But anyways, it's kind of an expensive area to own a home. I think that's it... anything else???

[polisciapp]

Thanks for that info--it is helpful. I would like to live within walking distance (i.e., within 1 mile). Can I do that on $650 per month.

When you said "2/3" miles do you mean two-to-three, or two-thirds?

[endlessdream3]

Hi,

I'm an international student, intend to join GA Tech this fall. I personally think on-campus residence would be more convenient for ease of transportation (as I wonthave any car) and to avail hall dining. I found there are 2 halls for graduate students: Graduate Living Center (GLC) or Hemphill Ave Apts (HAA). The rate is same

[PolitoJunkie]

Thanks for that info--it is helpful. I would like to live within walking distance (i.e., within 1 mile). Can I do that on $650 per month.

When you said "2/3" miles do you mean two-to-three, or two-thirds?

Within 1 mile there are definitely some homes... some of my friends lived about that close and I'm pretty sure they were within that. I think $650 should be fine for that area, it's just a matter of finding an opening. But $650 per person should be more than enough. I meant two-to-three miles. It's just that you have to go down the main road in front of school a bit, but there are some large neighborhoods nearby so you should be fine.

[polisciapp]

Thanks. Is the best way to find a place to go and look around the neighborhood?

[PolitoJunkie]

When I looked for an apartment I used Promove on Druid Hills Road. They may have some info on houses, but I couldn't say for sure. There must be some other realestate agents or something around that deal with homes. Driving around the neighborhoods is not a bad idea, the houses usually have signs. Other than that I would suggest checking the Emory Classifieds once you get your LL account.

[robot_librarian]

Thanks for that info--it is helpful. I would like to live within walking distance (i.e., within 1 mile). Can I do that on $650 per month.

When you said "2/3" miles do you mean two-to-three, or two-thirds?

look into the "emory woods" complex, which is at the intersection of north highland and clairmont (behind the shopping center), or the complex across the street from clairmont campus which i think is called "lincoln at decatur" or something similar. emory woods is older and doesn't look like much, but the apartments are quiet & a great deal, and definitely walkable to campus (about a 20-30 minute walk to main campus, or about 10 to clairmont campus where you can catch a shuttle). the other one is directly across from clairmont campus, but not too many undergrads live there even though the apartments are really just as nice as highland lake and other popular complexes for emory students.

also, just check craigslist or emory's off-campus housing website. if you can go on a visit and just walk around the area you may also be able to find something. like i said in an earlier post though, things like carriage houses tend to get passed along to friends & are rarely advertised.

[robot_librarian]

However, I heard somewhere that nearby off-campus residence may cost around $450-$500 only including utilities, and one need not any sort of transportation at all to commute to the department (5/10 mins walk). Is this true? What's the best way to apply for off-campus housing?

if you're international & can't come visit in advance, it may be best to just live on-campus for your first semester or two. however, you should be able to find a few places in the neighborhood nearby on http://atlanta.craigslist.org. in the apartment/housing section, search for "home park" or "tech" or even "atlantic station." as for roommates, i'm not sure, but your department may be able to match you with someone in a similar situation perhaps?

[robot_librarian]

also, if you are wanting to live a bit further from emory but won't have a car, i know that there is a shuttle that goes to/from downtown decatur a few times a day (there should be info on emory's transportation website), and also some sort of shuttle from the inman park marta station (my old roommate used to use this but i can't remember the specifics).

i'm saying this b/c even though it may make your commute to/from campus a bit longer, quality of life without a car would be significantly higher in decatur or inman park, where you can walk to grocery stores, restaurants, bars, etc.

[pinkfish]

I don't know if anyone's posted this yet, but for anyone looking at Emory, the off-campus housing search ( http://www.housing.emory.edu/off-campus/home.cfm ) is very helpful.

[abcxyz]

i plan to house hunt after i arrive at atlanta but i won't get there until after aug 10 and i'm afraid that most places will have been taken by others by then. has anyone done this before, looking for places after getting to atlanta? how long do you think it will be for a non-picky person to find a place?

i have been cautioned against making any commitment about places before seeing them. i see the point of that but i'm very tempted to secure a place before arriving there. this is not the first time i am moving to a new place but it is the first time i'm doing it alone so i really hope to have everything arranged beforehand. do you think it will be a good idea to commit to something temporary before getting there? is that even possible?

[clairmontreserve]

There is actually an apartment community called Clairmont Reserve that is directly across from Emory and the VA Hospital. The apartments are spacious...the fitness center is amazing and the pool area is great. They are older, but were recently renovated. Really nice. I leased my one bedroom for $900 month, but if you need a two bedroom, there have those too! I just moved in, but it seems great so far.