EAST POINT, GEORGIA

A few weeks back we were having brunch at Chefs house. Chef and his wife host a brunch at their home about 4 times a year. We always meet someone new at chefs house. This time I was talking to a guy I had just met and when he learned Stacey and I live in East Point he wanted to know more. It seems his wife was interested in maybe buying a house and moving to East Point. I gave him my digits and told him to come on down and I would show them around. Well we tried but could not connect so I told him I would do a pro/con list on East Point and get it to him and his wife. I made the list but never got in touch with them so I thought I would do a little something on sososouthern and send them the link.

Stacey always refers to EP as Mayberry. That's cause it kinda quite down her and a much smaller city then Atlanta. EP is about 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta and 20 minutes from midtown Atlanta which is where most of the fun is. Being on the southside of Atlanta the traffic is not nearly as bad as the northside.

Crime is most folks concern about the southside. We have lived her 10 years and have been the victim of one crime. Our car was stolen, wrecked and totaled. Kids, 13 years old! Our home has never been broken into, but 3 or 4 houses on our street of 20 house have been. It is always the same. Bust in grab the change jar, camera, ipod, ect and run. I do not know of much violent crime in EP.

We lived in Grant Park before we moved to EP and the panhandlers were the worst. You could not go to the gas station or a store without being ask for money. Our cars were broken into very often. In EP the package stores or gas stations/convenient stores can not sell single beers and it makes a difference. I get ask for $ sometimes, but not much.

We love to eat and although there is not a lot of "fine" dining on the southside there is some and like I said midtown is 20 minutes away. There are some great "hole in the wall" restaurants. I can get fried chicken, shrimp poboys, apple pies and tacos as good as any in Atlanta, and for a lot less $. There are a hand full 0f good bars, Brake Pad, East Point Corner Tavern and Manchester Arms which is both bar and restaurant with really good food.

Grocery stores are plentiful, but the good ones are a 10 minute drive. That would be a Kroger and Publix. The Camp Creek Market Place has about everything you need for shopping and is in EP. Click on it to see list of stores.

The city of EP is broke. They have closed half of the fire stations. Police have been cut back. The streets are a little run down, but EP is by far not the ghetto. There are some great houses and some with huge lot's and when the economy turns things will get better. Before the shit hit I was able to buy and flip 2 houses for a good profit.

Some of the best things going are the Truly Living Well Farm and another urban farm in EP which I have not yet found. But I did do a post on the TLW Farm just look back on this blog. It is great and has a lot to offer. Every Wednesday it is open for retail at 3 in the afternoon.

The Fort McPherson project is gonna be huge. I think 700 acres. Although in Atlanta it boarders EP. I am sure it will be a live/work, retail and entertainment complex.

The Ford plant in Hapeville which boarders EP has closed and was bought by the folks that did Atlantic Station. It to will be a new "small city" within a city. I think both of these projects will have a huge impact on EP. Click on them for some good info.

Marta has a station in EP, we use it for big events in town when parking will be a problem.
The Airport is nearby, noise from planes is no problem.

There is a small plant in EP that makes "treated lumber". The smell is a problem for a certain neighborhood in EP, Jefferson Park. I don't think any other neighborhoods suffer from it.

Schools? We don't have children, but lot's of our friends do and it the biggest problem they face down here. A group just got together and earned a charter to start a school. I think it will be for early ages, but they hope to grow as their children do. The Main Street Academy. Check out their website.

So for my new friend, his wife and their two children and anyone else interested I will tell you we love it here and would make the same decision to move here again.