<p>how far is emory from the city? and how easy is it to get to the good fun parts of Atlanta from Emory?</p>
<p>i've never been to Atlanta, so could someone please provide some info on if it is a good fun college town? </p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>I wouldn’t consider Atlanta, to be a “fun college town”. IMO, I think it has a large amounts of shady, sketchy, high crime filled areas that you don’t want to wander into. Emory is roughly 15 minutes outside the heart of Atlanta, and is located in Druid Hills, one of the safest areas in the city. Regardless of being located in a safe town, Emory has its share of crime. Two Emory students were robbed at gunpoint my first semester, 5 minutes outside of Emory’s campus. Compared to other major U.S. cities, Atlanta is NOWHERE NEAR as safe. My primary concern when choosing Emory, was the high crime in the city. If you go like 10-20 minutes from campus, you hit really really sketchy areas (ie Little Five Points, South Atlanta-avoid at ALL costs, Atlanta Underground). I personally have never been to little five points, South Atlanta, or Atlanta Underground, but people who are from Atlanta have told me to avoid it, unless I feel like getting shot/stabbed. Regardless or these areas, there are SOME, not very many areas, that I would consider safe. The areas around CNN, and the Atlanta Aquarium are okay, and not that bad, just don’t go there at night.</p>
<p>Posters on this forum, may try to convince you that it is a VERY safe area, but if it is so safe, why were 2 Emory students robbed 5 minutes outside of our campus at 8 - 9 P.M.? Emory campus on the other hand is extremely safe, there is A STRONG PRESENCE of Emory Police on campus, which deters a lot of possible crime.</p>
<p>I apologize in advance but that was one of the most absurd accounts of Atlanta I’ve read. Like any major city, Atlanta has crime. Emory especially, however, very rarely has crime since it is in an affluent neighborhood. The reports mentioned are extremely uncommon and not once in my 4 years at Emory have I felt unsafe (even walking alone at night on and off campus). </p>
<p>The areas that “Colleges” refers to as particularly sketchy (though never visited by the poster personally) are not dangerous. Little Five points is one of the best things in the Emory area because it is such a unique place. While Underground ATL is not a great location/attraction, there’s really no reason to go there and you certainly won’t get stabbed or shot as so many people who have a fear of downtown/city areas may think. </p>
<p>What is also important to know about Atlanta is that the downtown area is almost irrelevant for most students (outside of internships). Atlanta is made up of distinct neighborhoods that all have a different flavor. Decatur, Little Five Points, the Virginia Highlands, etc. are all great spots and located 5 min outside of campus.</p>
<p>Like I said posters on this forum will disagree with me. I don’t think that crime concerning Emory students are “extremely uncommon.” My friends who are graduating seniors have told me that in the past, (roughly once a year), they have been notified of crimes around the Emory area involving Emory Students. This includes sexual assault, as well as armed robbery.</p>
<p>I have plenty of friends who grew up in Atlanta (Druid Hills, Midtown area) and they have told me that Little Five Points scares the **** out of them, because of the high number of drug dealers there. At least Admani, realizes that Atlanta Underground is shady. South Atlanta is notorious for gang violence. </p>
<p>Again like I said, Emory students rarely go to lots of areas of Atlanta, because they have no need to. They generally tend to stick to the Druid Hills area and the areas around CNN/Atlanta aquarium. </p>
<p>I have also noticed that many Atlanta natives, tend to become extremely defensive, when it comes to “outsiders” simply pointing out that Atlanta has one of the highest metro crime rates in the country. However, even those Atlanta natives(my friends who grew up in the city) still say that Little Five Points, South Atlanta, and Atlanta Underground should be avoided.</p>
<p>I however do feel really safe walking around campus late at night, however I never walk around off campus at night. (I am not stupid enough to do that).</p>
<p>Amandi is correct, the original poster’s comments are a little off-base. Yes, there are dangerous parts of Atlanta. I would never walk around alone downtown or underground atlanta at night. But I have no problem telling anyone to walk around alone on campus, through decatur, virginia highlands, buckhead, toco hills, and the area surrounding campus. I take MARTA to the airport through some of the worst parts of the city alone and have never had a problem. According to Creative Loafing, there has been an increase in crime in Little 5 Points, so I would probably not go there alone at night. But there’s a police station in the middle of it, so as long as I was with friends (or during the day), I’d have no problem.</p>
<p>I’m from an upper-middle class suburb originally - never had to worry about muggings or crime when I was little - and I had no trouble adapting to Atlanta’s neighborhoods. Sure, you have to be smart about it, but if you just mind where you are, you are as safe in atlanta as any major city. You’ll figure out really quickly the places that you should and should not go (as I mentioned above). Crime happens everywhere; you can either take precautions and keep an eye on your surroundings or you can miss all these amazing neighborhoods that atlanta has to offer. Really a great city, as I’ve said before on here.</p>
<p>And the Druid Hills area of Atlanta is one of the city’s safest. It’s ridiculous that you wouldn’t walk off-campus at night.</p>
<p>thanks for the great insights guys.</p>
<p>can someone give me info on the MARTA. is it safe and convenient? expensive?</p>
<p>Marta is cheap/smells like ****/and may be dangerous at night (you get a lot of werido’s on Marta). I only used Marta once, after my first experience, I decided to just use shuttles that run from Emory to the Airport, its a little bit more expensive, but a lot more safer. Taxi’s to the airport from Emory are too too expensive, they are 40 bucks one way.</p>
<p>I often ride MARTA by myself, and I’ve never had a problem with it or felt unsafe at all. I think Atlanta is a great city! There are so many awesome neighborhoods to explore, and people are incredibly friendly in general. Like any large city, there are obviously bad areas, but I’ve never encountered one during my time at Emory. The area around campus in particular is very nice and safe.</p>
<p>Little Five Points… crime-ridden? Wow, way to stereotype. It’s a perfectly fine area and a very fun place to visit :)</p>
<p>Like I said in another post, I lived midtown the majority of my life and I’d have to say just be careful… though I’ve never been put in a situation like that. The only “problems” were that some of the homeless can get harass you a bit, but that’s only happened once, and in none of the places that were listed as dangerous by the first poster.</p>
<p>Yeah, the area around Emory is very tame, lol</p>
<p>You’ll meet some characters on marta, thats for sure. </p>
<p>Using the trains at night could be a little intimidating, but during the day it’s full of people going to work/the airport… no big deal. I’ve taken night trains from the airport without any problem, but I would probably suggest not going alone at night if you’re not accustomed to it. Marta’s fine, it’s just not convenient at all for Emory. It’s a $10 cab fare from campus to the nearest station (Decatur or Lindbergh). Compared to NYC, SF, etc. it’s a piece of crap to be honest. Only good for the airport in my opinion, unless you happen to live near a station (most students dont). Avoid the busses at all cost. They’re safe, but unpredictable and slow. So so slow.</p>
<p>Common sense stuff like not showing off cash, expensive jewelry, etc goes a long way. I always make sure that I can see/hold on to my luggage, coats, etc. at all times just to be careful. People do get pickpocketed sometimes, but that’s typical of public transit.</p>
<p>I would simply say it is a fun college town if you are willing to take advantage of it and display a large degree of caution (which can be derived from what I consider common sense). I actually think places such as downtown and mid-town are fun, along with many other random areas of town which aren’t as affluent (given I can’t really afford the affluent areas) as the areas mentioned here. There are also so many colleges in Atlanta that have amazing scenes of their own such as Georgia Tech, which I go to very often. Great campus to go and chill at if you can. Would venture to say that they have far more to offer in terms of recreation (not necessarily referring to the sports scene. Things such as their Student center and “Gym” are amazing) than Emory.</p>
<p>Little Five Points = The Vortex. Om nom nom.</p>
<p>Haven’t been yet and I really want to go.</p>
<p>LMAO!</p>
<p>The underground is really not dangerous. It’s a sort of mall-like location anyway, so you most likely won’t be there alone. I’ve been there plenty of times and have never once had a problem, nor have I heard of any reports of problems from people that I know. I’m guessing some of you just aren’t comfortable in urban locations or are basing your reservations off of anecdotal evidence of those who are not used to these areas. If it really makes you feel that unsafe–which it honestly shouldn’t–then just go to a mall. IMO, the underground sucks anyway, and you won’t be missing out on anything if you opt to go to Lenox instead. If you really want to go, then just go. I seriously doubt anything will happen to you, and you won’t get shot or stabbed.</p>
<p>MARTA really isn’t that bad either. I took it for a year straight from the hours of 11pm-12am and never ran into trouble. You won’t be using it if you go to Emory, though.</p>
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<p>The bold portion is pretty much why they’re scared of such urban areas. I don’t think I’ve met a native of Atlanta, who wasn’t from such affluent areas, that feared those locations.</p>
<p>Colleges is commenting on Marta but has only taken it once and is scared of little 5…</p>
<p>There are dangerous areas in every city. I can’t think of a reason why any Emory student would want or need to go to any dangerous area of Atlanta. There are plenty of great “neighborhoods” within 10 minutes of Emory to keep students occupied (bars/clubs/restaurants/shops). </p>
<p>I personally do not consider 0-1 minor crimes per year shocking or ridiculous, especially considering the drunken/stupid antics of some students.</p>
<p>I used to live in Atlanta and never really had a problem with Marta, albeit I took it during the day with my parents, but hey I was in elementary school and lived in the suburbs so take my words with a grain of salt.</p>