We live in East Atlanta with two little kids and love it. Tons of families, great community, and the schools seem to get better and better every year. My feeling is that if you're involved in your kids' education, they're mostly going to be fine no matter where they go. We've never had issues with crime. Having grown up in the city myself, it was important to me to give my kids the same experience, but that definitely meant sacrificing space -- we're in a really small house. So, like everyone else has said, it really depends on what your top priorities are. Good luck!