Finding housing as a Georgia Tech student can be overwhelming. With so many decisions to make like whether or not you want to live off campus, if you want to have roommates, etcetera, the process quickly can become confusing.
At Whistler, we understand how difficult finding a place to live in Midtown can be. We also understand how important location is to your overall living experience!
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Although we are confident that Whistler’s prime location in East Midtown just steps from Tech Square will suit all of your needs, we have written this article so you’ll have a thorough overview of all of the areas Georgia Tech students typically live in. After reading this article, you’ll be able to evaluate all of your options and decide which area is best for you.
Where to Live Near Georgia Tech: Comparing Atlanta Neighborhoods Near Georgia Tech
- There’s nothing like living with your best friends in the perfect location.
The most popular areas to live off-campus near Georgia Tech are:
Option 1: On-Campus
- On-campus housing is limited to Georgia Tech-owned residence halls and Greek Housing.
Coming to college, many students automatically assume they will live on-campus during their time in school. For Georgia Tech students, living on-campus all four years is not super common.
This is largely due to how limited on-campus housing is at Georgia Tech.
There are two options for living on campus: Georgia Tech-owned residence halls and Greek housing. Outside of the fact that not every student will want to live in a residence hall or Greek house all four years, spots in an apartment-style residence hall or Greek house can be fairly limited.
Read Next: Where to Live near Georgia Tech If You Do Not Want to Live On-Campus
On-Campus Residence Halls and Dorms
Residence Halls are Georgia Tech owned housing in the form of either dorms or apartments. These buildings are all located on campus, and are mainly situated on east campus by Bobby Dodd Stadium and on west campus by the West Village Dining Commons. Depending on your major and what buildings you want to live near, students decide which side of campus would best fit their lifestyle before choosing their dorm or apartment.
Dorm-style residence halls are designed specifically for freshmen to have a smooth transition from living at home to living at college. While it is not required that all freshmen live in dorms, it is highly recommended that freshmen opt into the First-Year Experience Program.
As a part of the First-Year Experience Program, students will live with other freshmen in dorms and be a part of the meal plan through Georgia Tech Dining. These dorms are equipped with everything a first-year student might need: fully furnished rooms, community or suite-style bath, laundry rooms located in or near your building, lounge spaces to encourage interaction between students, and RA’s (resident assistants) to help facilitate a smooth freshman year. For the 2023-2024 academic year, first-year students can apply beginning January 17, 2023.
For older students beyond their first year, Georgia Tech offers apartment-style residence halls for both undergraduate and graduate level students. These apartments are available on a first come, first serve basis and are leased directly from Georgia Tech to students. Rising second-year residents can apply beginning January 31, 2023. All other GT housing residents can apply beginning on February 13, 2023, while all other current GT students can apply beginning February 20, 2023.
Unlike dorms, these apartments have private bedrooms and a shared living room and kitchen. Floor plans range from 4×2 to 6×3 and amenities vary depending on the specific building you opt to live in.
Georgia Tech Greek Houses
The other form of on-campus housing available to students is living in Greek housing, which are houses run and overseen by different fraternity and sorority organizations on campus.
Depending on which sorority or fraternity you are in will affect where your house will actually be located. All houses are on campus, and are generally toward east campus. These houses will feature shared bedrooms and community baths, and are often furnished.
Many second- and third-year students opt to live in their respective Greek houses due to the lower rental rates and location on campus. However, it is important to note that only 24% of students are involved with Greek life at Georgia Tech. Within this 24%, not every fraternity or sorority has a house, and even if they do, only a fraction of their members will actually be able to live in the house.
Option 2: East Midtown
- East Midtown is just off of Tech Square where you can find restaurants and outdoor seating.
East Midtown is just off of Tech Square where you can find restaurants and outdoor seating.For students that are looking to live in between the unique food, drink, entertainment and vibrant nightlife scene of Atlanta, East Midtown is the perfect place to live. Not only will living in the best of what Atlanta has to offer, you’ll be steps away from Tech Square and east campus.
East Midtown is the area east of campus and beyond, across Fifth Street Bridge and I-75/I-85. Here you will find both student apartments and traditional apartments available to students.
Read Next: Top 7 Apartments Near Georgia Tech
Student Housing Apartments in Midtown
Student housing apartments are specifically designed to meet college students’ needs. These apartments come fully furnished with private bedrooms, either individual or shared bathrooms, shared living and kitchen spaces, a full suite of amenities, and on an individual lease basis.
Read Next: 5 Benefits of Signing an Individual Lease
Most of the student apartments in East Midtown are located on Spring Street. In addition to the six apartment complexes that are less than a seven-minute walk from Tech Square, you can find a Publix shopping center, restaurants like Amici and Twisted Kitchen, and dessert spots such as Tiff’s Treats and Insomnia Cookies. Spring Street is a prime location for student living in East Midtown.
Read Next: Which Student Apartments Are Closest to Georgia Tech?
Having an individual lease and trendy community amenities like yoga and spin studios, outdoor pool decks, and on-site coffee shops, are some of the biggest reasons students opt into living in student apartments. To learn more about the advantages of living in purpose-built student housing, read our article on Student Apartments vs. Traditional Apartments.
Traditional Apartments in Midtown
The other housing option for students in East Midtown is leasing at a traditional apartment complex. These are located all throughout Midtown so it is hard to pinpoint an exact location.
Because these apartments are not specifically designed for students, you may find that these are located further from campus, may not come fully furnished, and feature less amenities. On top of this, these apartments will usually offer traditional leases, which can complicate the roommate and subleasing process.
Read Next: Traditional Apartments vs. Student Housing Apartments: Which is Right For Me?
Option 3: Home Park
Another popular area for Georgia Tech students to live is in Home Park, a neighborhood north of campus, situated between Atlantic Station and campus.
Home Park offers traditional houses near campus available for students to rent in the form of a traditional lease. While rental rates may be slightly lower, many of these houses come unfurnished, the location is further from campus, and there are hardly any amenities available to students.
Read Next: What Types of Housing Available for Georgia Tech Students?
Because of the lack of student amenities and distance from campus, Home Park is not typically a route that many underclassmen take. Instead, the area mostly consists of graduate students and upperclassmen.
Option 4: West Midtown
Past the west end of campus, West Midtown features new student apartments and traditional apartments off of Northside Drive and Marietta Street. This area is full of restaurants and other apartment complexes that are slightly further apart than those on Spring Street. Because of this, it is more common for students to drive to restaurants and activities in West Midtown, instead of walking to locations like students typically do in East Midtown.
Although these apartments are near west campus locations like the Campus Recreational Center and Stamps, they are quite far from main campus and east campus. Because of the further distance from east campus, the price tag on student apartments in West Midtown is slightly lower.
Just like the student apartments and traditional apartments in East Midtown, it’s important to identify the pros and cons of living in a student apartment versus a traditional apartment before deciding where to sign a lease.
For further reference regarding the neighborhoods around Georgia Tech, we have created the map below of approximate borders of each area.
We hope this article has given you an overview of the different areas Georgia Tech students live. If you would like to learn more about the pricing and features of each type of housing, read our article on the different types of housing available to Georgia Tech students.
If you have any further questions or would like to learn more about Whistler, please visit our website or contact our leasing staff. We are more than happy to help you in your search for housing.
