A few years ago, Mike Hernandez had a choice. An architect and renovator, Hernandez had turned his Tucker home into the ultimate bachelor's pad, morphing his formal dining room into a more useful entertainment center to complement his single life.

But when Mike met and married Melinda Vorster, the two realized they'd need more space. They began looking for a new home in a neighborhood where they could settle down and start a family. "We knew that we didn't want to get in over our heads in debt since this was our first home," Mike Hernandez says. "And we also wanted to stay within the Perimeter, if possible."

They checked out at least 50 homes, from Peachtree-Dunwoody Road all the way to Northlake Mall. Finally, they found a $225,000 house on a three-quarter acre lot in a neighborhood - inside the Perimeter - called Huntley Hills. "We knew it was too good to pass up," Hernandez says.

Despite the fact that their son, Ethan, is only 6 weeks old, the Hernandezes - like many new families in Huntley Hills - were attracted to the area because of its stellar schools. Huntley Hills Montessori Elementary is located nearby, and Chamblee High School, well known for its outstanding test scores, is only a few miles away.

The Hernandezes represent a growing number of young couples and families who have discovered the neighborhood located off Peachtree-Industrial Boulevard in Chamblee. Residents feel the combination of great location and "neighborly" neighbors makes Huntley Hills one of Atlanta's best kept secrets. "It's amazing, actually," Melinda Hernandez notes as she juggles young Ethan and his afternoon bottle. "We're about three minutes from the highway, and you'd never know it from the way things look and feel here."

Indeed, a quick glance around the Chamblee home and one would be hard-pressed to accept that the Hernandez residence actually sits inside the Perimeter. With a private and spacious back yard that lies along a creek bordered by acres of untouched natural land, it's practically inconceivable that the home is within 15 minutes of four major highways: Interstates 20, 75 and 85, as well as Ga. 400.

Huntley Hills' quaintness - the neighborhood boasts a women's prayer group, a Girl Scout troop, and National Wildlife Habitat certification - makes it seem like a small town. Mike Hernandez cites close friendships with neighbors. In fact, on a recent afternoon, several of them unexpectedly stopped by to chat, bringing random gifts for Ethan.

The biggest local controversy is impending construction of a nearby Wal-Mart. Although some residents welcome the retail giant, others are annoyed by a potential surge in traffic.

The Hernandezes, though, nestled inside their cozy home, seem miles away from any controversy. Mike Hernandez says the design was actually a compromise between him and his wife. "If it were up to me entirely, it would be a pretty slick contemporary look," he says. "She wanted a more warm, traditional look, though." The result seems to have paid off; wood tones and hardwood floors complement stainless steel hardware, lighting, and artwork.

He takes pride in the remodeling work he's put into the house. After all, it's the first home Ethan will ever know. And as president of the neighborhood's Renovators Club, Hernandez says he gets to meet a lot of his neighbors simply by sharing his appreciation for renovation with them. "Though you would think it would be the younger ... couples, it's really across the board," Hernandez says. "There are folks that have lived here 35 years, trying to take on new projects."

The neighborhood first began to thrive after World War II and has retained most of its middle-class flavor. Many long-term residents have held onto their homes "Many of the older residents in the neighborhood are original homeowners," he says. "As those owners begin to move in with relatives or into nursing homes, their homes are available for an affordable price, where a young couple could move in and renovate it or remodel it into whatever they want it to be."

The Hernandezes say they probably won't be leaving anytime soon. "We weren't actually looking to stay in Huntley Hills for more than a few years, just until we could renovate the place and try to make a nice profit from it," Mike Hernandez admits. "But once we got into actually building the plans we had originally laid out, we realized that we really liked it here and didn't want to leave."

Fact Box

HOME PRICES
Averaging $207,488 in 2004, down from $214,168 in 2002; a 3 percent decrease.
Average rental: $1,350 for a three- bedroom, California-contemporary split-level.

SCHOOLS
Huntley Hills Elementary
Chamblee Middle School
Chamblee High School

DIVERSITY
White: 91 percent
African-American: 4 percent
Asian: 5 percent

CULTURAL AMENITIES
Dunwoody Village Shopping Center: Includes wine shops and a gourmet chocolatier. 5509 Chamblee Dunwoody Road.
Huntley Hills Park: Playgrounds; “butterfly garden” maintained by volunteers. Admiral and Longview drives.
Huntley Hills Swim and Tennis Club: 2040 Plantation Lane.
Spruill Center for the Arts: An art gallery and education center offering classes including pottery, stained glass and candle-making. 4681 Ashford Dunwoody Road.

ORAL PLEASURES
La Botaña Tex-Mex Restaurant: More affectionately called “the Bot” you can always find a Huntley Hills neighbor there. 2071 Savoy Drive.
Faded Rose Tea Garden and Restaurant: A home-turned-restaurant popular with neighborhood mothers and known for Sunday brunch. 2201 American Industrial Way.