Judd writes in with confirmation from Superintendent Phyllis Edwards that someone from the city will be on hand to discuss the potential DeVry annexation at tomorrow’s Board of Ed meeting (6:30p @ Westchester).

Though there’s no agenda item, after taking a second look I noticed the DeVry annexation application is attached to the Superindentent’s note to the Board.

Judd wonders whether the city commission will ask the school board to voice its opinion on this annexation like it did with the large-scale effect last year.  He also notes there’s a Planning Commission meeting tomorrow at 7:30p where the DeVry land-use change and adoption of a regulating master site plan will also be considered.

For all the grief I give city rankings, I sure do spend a lot of time talking about them!  You might as well just add “hypocritical bloggers” to the list of things that apparently make Decatur an un-best place to live.

According to Money Magazine’s 2009 “Best Places to Live“, Decatur isn’t even worth mentioning.  While Peachtree City ranks 8th in the entire country (?!) and Suwanee ranks 35th, Decatur can’t even manage to be acknowledged as one of Georgia’s less deserving “Other Cities.”

Truth be told, Decatur has never registered, which makes me think it’s more an issue with how Money is classifying “places” (Atlanta and “North Druid Hills” register, but Decatur doesn’t) than an actual critique against the city.

But that sort of post doesn’t a good blog make.  So, cue my artificial exasperation.

Golly-gee!  Peachtree City?!  Apparently a horribly long commute doesn’t hurt your ranking.

A little advanced warning never hurt anyone.

According to the Georgia Center for the Book, Prairie Home Companion’s Garrison Keillor will be discussing his new novel Pilgrims: A Wobegon Romance in Presser Hall at Agnes Scott College on Monday, September 28th at 7pm.  And it’s free!  First come, first serve.

If I’m not mistaken (UPDATE: and I am) this would mark Keillor’s first trip back to Atlanta after a bunch of drunk revelers at Chastain convinced him he would never return to Atlanta with PHC again.  In fact, I think I wrote a post about it back during this blog’s infancy.  Yep, here ’tis.

According to the AJC’s “Atlanta Home Sales Report”, Decatur had the 11th largest gain in combined home sales price in the metro-region from 2007 to 2008, and ranked second in new home sales price growth.

A closer look shows why “second in new home sales price growth!” shouldn’t be the headline.

New home sales price depends heavily on what’s available from one year to the next, so the median price of a new home in Decatur jumps wildly from one year to the next.  So though a 71% gain sounds great, it’s entirely dependent on available inventory.

Existing home sales is a much better indicator.  From 2007 to 2008, existing home sales declined 9% (520 vs. 474), while the median resale price actually increased a percentage point vs. 2007 (from $266,950 to $270,200).

Bottom line?  Sales are down vs. 2007, but remain at levels that were seen as recently as 2003.  Meanwhile, Decatur’s median existing home price continues to buck the national trend, while the new home price is up big, resulting in an 11th place ranking metro-wide.

“Up slightly” is the new “triple digit gain”.