Atlanta has been the South’s largest city for a very long time, and Georgia Tech is one of the few big state universities located in the center of its urban area. This page contains some advice and tips on living in Atlanta for new and prospective graduate students. If you have more questions that are not answered here, please contact us.

If you are moving to Atlanta fresh, there are several places where Georgia Tech students tend to live, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. 

Graduate Living Center

This is Georgia Tech’s on-campus graduate housing. The building is right next to the married housing building, and both are along 10th Street, just north of Georgia Tech’s campus. You can walk to campus right across the street. Several students who have lived here have avoided buying a car, since MARTA is a close walk, and campus is so accessible. Rent is higher for having the convenience of being on-campus. Parking passes are required to keep your car here.

Home Park

An older neighborhood filled with small homes of college students, Home Park has incredible non-motorized access to the campus. Rents are the most affordable of all options, but be careful to make sure your home is in good condition. Some new apartment complexes have been built in recent years in the areas west and north of Home Park. Parking on many of the streets is free, but many require city permits because of the proximity to campus. It is a 15 minute walk to the MARTA line. One of the campus buses circles Home Park at 20 minute headways.

Atlantic Station

Built in the past decade, Atlantic Station is intended to be the new place in Atlanta to shop, eat, and be entertained. It has a mix of commercial and residential properties, and students have chosen to live in their apartments or townhouses. One can walk to campus from Atlantic Station, about to 20-25 minutes to SEB, or catch the bus that circles Home Park.

Midtown

Just across I-85 from campus, this is certainly one of the more fashionable areas in Atlanta. It has tall skyscrapers and apartment buildings, as well as low-rise properties. The majority of students in ITE live in Midtown. Rents can be relatively steep, but campus access by walking, biking, or the Tech Trolley is very simple.

Midtown Neighborhood

Past Piedmont Avenue, west of Midtown and south of Piedmont Park is the historic Midtown neighborhood. Many of the homes here could sell in the millions, but some have been repurposed to be multi-unit apartments. Rents are more affordable than living in Midtown, and there is a more suburban feel to its streetscape. It takes longer to get to campus by walking and biking, but not unmanageable. Some streets have restricted on-street parking because of the proximity to Piedmont Park.

West Midtown

The location of some of the newest apartment complexes in Atlanta, the Westside neighborhood stretches west of Georgia Tech towards the various rail yards. Parts of Westside are reasonable to walk to campus from, but at its farthest reaches, one would certainly have to bike, ride a MARTA bus, or get a campus parking permit. There isn’t a  walkable grocery store but lots of housing buildings on Marietta street. 

Buckhead

The wedge of land between I-75 and I-85 north of Atlanta is Buckhead, although its most distinguishable part, particularly its skyscrapers, are at its northern edge. There is a wide variety of housing, including multi-million dollar mansions, but apartment complexes can be found peppered throughout. One could catch a MARTA bus along Peachtree Street to get to campus.

Lindbergh

Lindbergh is a transit-oriented development community in Buckhead. It is centered around the Lindbergh MARTA rail station, which is convenient for coming down to Midtown and taking the Tech Trolley to campus. A variety of apartment complexes surround the station, all within walking distance. Rents are cheaper than living in Midtown.

Virginia Highland

A quiet and beautiful neighborhood around Emory University, there is a wide mix of old and new apartments, and low and high rents. Campus access is reasonable by MARTA bus, the Georgia Tech/Emory shuttle (free), or adventurous cycling.

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