"Oh, Atlanta, I hear you calling. Im going back to you one fine day. No need to worry. There aint no hurry [...]" ("Oh, Atlanta" by Alison Krauss_) _If you live in Dunwoody, Georgia, you can easily go back to Atlanta one fine day because it is only 17 miles from the major metropolitan area.
Dunwoody is an upscale community with an upscale Perimeter Mall and an upscale Perimeter Center business district. It is filled with Fortune 500 companies, executives, attorneys, shoppers and cappuccino sippers. Everyone knows that executives don’t like anyone bossing them around because they are the bosses, so the residents voted to form a city in 2008. How neat is that? Now they can boss themselves around. With a well-groomed population of slightly more than 42,000, Dunwoody hums with the sound of expensive cars, bouncing tennis balls and swiped gold cards. It does make a nod to the great outdoors with the Dunwoody Nature Center, and there is an active arts and cultural community, including the North DeKalb Cultural Center. It hosts the Stage Door Players and offers various arts classes to the talented or the bored.
Heres the catch when talking about Dunwoody
"Oh, Atlanta, I hear you calling. Im going back to you one fine day. No need to worry. There aint no hurry [...]" ("Oh, Atlanta" by Alison Krauss_) _If you live in Dunwoody, Georgia, you can easily go back to Atlanta one fine day because it is only 17 miles from the major metropolitan area.
Dunwoody is an upscale community with an upscale Perimeter Mall and an upscale Perimeter Center business district. It is filled with Fortune 500 companies, executives, attorneys, shoppers and cappuccino sippers. Everyone knows that executives don’t like anyone bossing them around because they are the bosses, so the residents voted to form a city in 2008. How neat is that? Now they can boss themselves around. With a well-groomed population of slightly more than 42,000, Dunwoody hums with the sound of expensive cars, bouncing tennis balls and swiped gold cards. It does make a nod to the great outdoors with the Dunwoody Nature Center, and there is an active arts and cultural community, including the North DeKalb Cultural Center. It hosts the Stage Door Players and offers various arts classes to the talented or the bored.
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Moving to Dunwoody
Heres the catch when talking about Dunwoody. Atlanta calls all of Dunwoody a neighborhood. In reality, Dunwoody is a city with several neighborhoods and more than 20 subdivisions. Don’t get the wrong impression. Dunwoody is not the skinny guy on the beach that lets the big bully Atlanta kick sand in its face. People living in Dunwoody see themselves as kind of special. They live in a city that is right next to the hub of the South, but they get to decide their own destiny as a city. It’s like the best of both worlds.
If you are moving to Dunwoody, an educated guess says you are using a professional mover. Most people moving to an area with such high median house prices and rents are probably not do-it-yourself types. Either way, you need to plan well in advance of the move if you want to live close to work. Trust this advice: Do live as close to work as possible because of the traffic situation. Ideally, you can throw your laptop in a backpack or briefcase and walk to work. To find an affordable house or apartment close to the busiest commercial areas, such as the Perimeter Mall, you will need to shop around. There are plenty of luxury apartments because this is a luxury city. There are also pet-friendly apartments, so you can bring Scooby-Doo or Puss in Boots, but it will cost you a pet deposit.
The leasing policies vary, depending on the property. However, you should plan on providing proof of income because just telling the landlord you are a professional is not good enough. Income requirements may be two or three times the monthly rent amount. You also have to prove you are really, truly employed in the here and now. Of course, your credit history will be laid bare. It’s like taking a test because all the information, such as income and credit details, will be turned into a score. If you pass the test with flying colors, then you get to pay a standard deposit and move in. If you are only a B student, then you may have to pay an additional fee. If you barely pass, then call your mom and dad because one of them will have to be guarantor. If you have bad credit or other problem, then you probably need to start looking in Atlanta. Hey, life is tough, and so are landlords.
Neighborhoods
Put a map of Dunwoody on the table, close your eyes and then randomly touch a spot on the map. That's a nice neighborhood. Now do it again. That's another nice neighborhood. Okay, one more time. That's, yet again, a nice neighborhood. You get the picture. All of Dunwoody is nice, and that’s probably why it’s called upscale. Dunwoody does it by keeping inexpensive developments down and house prices and rents up. Yes, the rent is 57 percent higher than the state rate, but you get a 100-percent upscale lifestyle. That should be of some comfort. Here’s a sample of the neighborhoods in Dunwoody:
City Center:This is a wealthy neighborhood. There are expensive homes and premier apartments for rent. Chamblee Dunwoody Road cuts through the center of this area.
Dunwoody Club Drive-Mt. Vernon Road: The neighborhood is bordered by Dunwoody Club Drive on the north and Mt. Vernon Road on the south, and they converge close to Williamsburg at Dunwoody Shopping Center. This is another expensive area (of course) but not as expensive as the homes and apartments in the City Center. Even a 1 bedroom apartment is pricey (of course).
Ashford Dunwoody Road & I-285: The southern edge of this neighborhood is defined by I-285. Half of this neighborhood is houses and apartments, but the other half is the well-known Perimeter Mall. The average rent is really quite reasonable, but with a mall and interstate, it can’t be called secluded. There are affordable 1 bedroom apartments for rent.
The Perimeter-Ashford Dunwoody Road:The Perimeter neighborhood is right across the road from the Perimeter Mall, and office buildings line Ashford Dunwoody Road, which forms the west edge. Going east and deeper into the neighborhood, there are nice homes and apartment complexes. The home and apartment rentals are reasonable.
Happy Hollow: Who could possibly resist a neighborhood called Happy Hollow? It sounds like Winnie-the-Pooh should live here, but instead youll find Winnie-the-Attorney and Winnie-the-Executive. Despite its storybook name, this is a sophisticated neighborhood. It is mostly houses with some apartment buildings thrown in for good measure. There are a couple of lakes--Kingsley Lake and Leisure Lake--and a road called (what else) Happy Hollow. It makes you want to smile, doesnt it?
East of Mt. Vernon Road:The neighborhood east of Mt. Vernon Road is filled with houses and apartments. The rents are lower than all the other neighborhoods mentioned already. However, that is based on the fact that this is an upscale city on the edge of Atlanta, so keep that in mind. All things in life must be viewed in context.
Southeast Dunwoody: Naturally, the farther you get from the Perimeter Mall and the expensive houses, the lower the rent. In the southeast area of Dunwoody are very affordable places to live. This neighborhood is more typical with smaller houses and plenty of apartment complexes. It also has the lowest rents in Dunwoody.
Getting Around
Dunwoody is not an exciting city, but it doesn’t have to be since it’s so close to Atlanta. It is a very livable city, though. In the spring, summer and fall, it is common to see people eating on restaurant patios or enjoying their decks. Most of the residents are into exercising. The neighborhoods have sidewalks and people jog, bicycle and walk around their areas.
Many Dunwoody residents live and work in Dunwoody and think nothing of driving 2.2 miles to one of the glass-filled office buildings. People in Dunwoody don’t usually walk to work Some people do commute to areas outside of Dunwoody, and you need to find it in your heart to feel sorry for them. The traffic situation on all the main highways in, near and around Atlanta can only be called horrendous. On a happier note, you may hear Atlanta calling while living in Dunwoody, but no one said you have to answer.
