Unfortunately the only way to sort of avoid the crime is to suck it and pay more in rent. I live in the Atlanta area as well and had to move to a more expensive area because of the crime that was going on in my old complex. I would have to agree that there is more crime going here than other major cities. I wouldn't dare walk around downtown Atlanta unless I had a huge group of people. This is just my opinion though. I base in being stalked on Marta, which I took every day to get to school and having someone break into my apartment as well.

Go to the police department website and check crime statistics. You will never find a neighborhood without crime. Even in the rich neighborhoods where people become complacent thinking they live in a good area; criminals know this and target them because the neighborhoods leave themselves vulnerable.