Georgia Tech

The Georgia Tech neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, is located around the school of Georgia Tech (naturally). Because there is a university in the area, the population is rather high, as students live in smaller areas. The population is actually almost 12,5000 per square mile, as compared to downtown Atlanta, which has a population os just over 3,000 per square mile. In order to reach the Georgia Tech neighborhood from Atlanta you need to take Interstate 85 north, then take one of the several Georgia exits, including Georgia 278 or 8.

The average cost of a house is lower here than in the downtown Atlanta area, as you are able to purchase the average house in Georgia Tech for $265,000, as compared to $355,000 in Atlanta.

Mostly, the area is dedicated to Georgia Tech, so if you are attending the school, most of the classes are found around the area. Most of the grade schools are located outside of the area, as there isn't much room for other activities outside of college courses.

There is some shopping, but mostly geared towards college students, so if you want actual high end shopping, you need to head closer towards Atlanta.

Georgia Tech (or GT as some call it), is short for Georgia Technical Institute. It is famous for producing some of the nation's top engineers. It is a rather popular prestigious university that occupies a lot of the Midtown area. There are also parts of the campus that extend into other neighborhoods as well. There are plenty of local restaurants and hang out spots that cater to the students who eb and flow through this high trafficked community. If you are near the campus, you must certainly checkout Rockey Mountain Pizza, The Varsity and Jimmy John’s.

While there are some parts of the area that are nicer and newer, there are still parts of Georgia Tech that are a little rough. In recent news, there have been several muggings that have taken place that affected GT students. Most of which, happened very late at night. So, I would say the area is pretty safe during the day. If you are near GT, you should be fine as long as you travel in large groups- vs roaming the streets alone at odd times of the evening.

Georgia Tech is completely MARTA-friendly, which is a good thing if you don’t mind catching public transportation. If you are a student commuting in the area, GT has several student transportation services including the Stinger Buses, Tech Trolley, Midnight Rambler and the after hours Stingerette. One downside about this area is that traffic can get a little congested during games.

I had a conversation once with a fellow at a certain pizza joint popular with the Georgia Techies and other West-siders. Picture it: he is tall, wearing a ratty tee, and has long, tangly hair. He is behind the bar pouring drinks and wiping down the countertop.

He seems friendly enough and we get to chatting. Somehow, it comes up that he went to Tech and has some sort of engineering degree. Well, that’s neat, I tell him. I ask what he wants to do. He sniffs that he’s been working there for years and doesn’t want to do anything else. Except play music in his band. Okay, I reply, then engineering is a great thing to fall back on. He responds that he doesn’t need to fall back on anything; he’s good enough to make it. Then why the degree? I ask, predictably. He pauses and blinks at me several times before replying defensively, “Just because I can.”

And so it is with Georgia Tech, the country club of the University System of Georgia. Have you made me for a Georgia fan yet? Don’t get me wrong: Tech is an excellent school and churns out some of the brightest minds in the Southeast. It’s paying for that top-notch education that’s the issue, as Tech’s price-tag is on the higher end of the public university scale. Competition for scholarships is stiff even if you’re top of the class, and if you’re doing it “just because you can,” you better hope mum and dad’s pockets are deep.

I’m exaggerating, of course. Tech isn’t ridiculously expensive and the sprawling Midtown campus is clean and gorgeous, with large, modern edifices (oh, there’s my tuition!) and some renovated originals. The surrounding area is as metropolitan as Atlanta gets, just off the connector, on the west side. The Varsity is within walking distance of the main campus and has become an iconic landmark in the city. Sidewalks are numerous and spacious, with enough green area to walk your six-pound furball that generations of Ugas could swallow whole. Oh, what? Sorry.

As with most things in life, college is what you make of it. Some high-school students study away precious years of their youth to get into the school of their choice. And some, like our ratty-tee-wearing friend, aren’t interested in all that academic nonsense and do it just because they can. Ah, Tech… I hope UGA whips you soundly sometime soon.

Okay, sorry! I’m done.

Cheers!