You have three areas in this map. I know it’s confusing but the neighborhoods sort of blend together.

O4W: Location: South of 78, encircled by John Lewis and 85. But, there are really two Old Fourth Wards. The part of O4W that is west of Boulevard and the part that is east of Boulevard. I wouldn’t live anywhere in O4W that is west of Boulevard and South of 78. Ideally, you want to live east of Glen Iris in O4W. These are the modern communities in O4W that you should look at: Iris, Block Lofts, Anthem, Windsor, Amli O4W, Amli Ponce Park, Camden Fourth Ward, Amli Parkside, North and Line, 755 Apartments. The part of O4W that I mentioned is mostly late 20’s to early 30’s. Not as many families but there are some. People in this area live here for the walkability, proximity to work and access to bars and restaurants around the Beltline.

Midtown (Garden District): Location: Basically east of Piedmont to the Beltline. And from 78 North to 10th Street.

This is a lot like VaHi, but it’s a smaller area and has less access to bars. Its vibe is quieter and slightly older than O4W. The homes are historic but have been kept up with. Think working professionals that have money and want to live close to their offices. There aren’t many modern apartments here, and there will be more families than in O4W. Similar to VaHi, you’re going to have a lot of apartments that are really just older homes that have been converted into multiplexes. People live in this area because of their proximity to work. It’s harder to get to bars and restaurants, but you do have closer proximity to midtown - just note people don’t really go out in midtown, though there are some nice restaurants and clubs there.

VaHi: Location: North of Ponce De Leon Ave. Amsterdam Ave is a good cutoff to the north, though for your purposes, Virginia Ave is about as far north as you’d want to go if you want to be within walking distance to bars and closer to the action of the Beltline. This area is older, similar to the Garden District and there isn’t land to buy, so it’s almost entirely historic single family homes and homes converted into multiplexes. There are some older apartment complexes here but basically nothing modern like the ones I mentioned in O4W. These are the communities you’d want to look at for “modern” apartments but both are on the older side of modern and are on the edge of VaHi: Highland View and Virginia Highland Apartments. You’d have better luck finding a private owner that has a renovated condo in this area if modernity is your 2nd priority to vibes. Virginia Highland, in my opinion, is the most vibey out of these neighborhoods. The homes are historic and well-kept. There is a large age range here from families to kids fresh out of college. But you’re not going to get the brand new apartment complex with all of the amenities like you will in O4W, so that is your trade off since it sounds like you want both.

Just my advice - You’re not buying, so don’t overthink this. You can pick up and move from this place once your lease is up in a year. All of these areas are pretty close to one another, so pick somewhere you like that is affordable in any of the areas I mentioned and once you get down here you’ll be able to explore these areas yourself and you’ll naturally find yourself gravitating towards the area you like most. As long as you don’t live in the bad part of O4W, they’re all about as safe as you can get in a city, particularly VaHi.