I spent about 3 years living in midtown Atlanta. I had a condo with the entire front of the place being nothing but windows and looking at
this. Not bad. Needless to say, I ended up making Atlanta my new home (though getting married might have contributed to that a bit).
As a single man, I would avoid the 'burbs. When I first got here, I was in Alpharetta. That's about as bad as it can get for a single man, and I'm saying this now that I have a home in Alpharetta. Really, all the 'burbs are great for various reasons, but for single men they aren't unless you just prefer a much quieter life.
$1k will be rough in midtown or Buckhead, though if you sacrifice a little on quality and size you could probably get a decent place. You could find some condos in midtown for maybe around $1k if you look hard. This will be in the middle of everything. There's a lot of night life, great restaurants, and it's a walking neighborhood; people are always out on the streets having a good time. It's one of the best areas I've visited in a city. There's just something about it all.
In reading Lounatik's replies, I agree. That's probably a good area to start, though I prefer the setting of midtown a lot more than Buckhead. In midtown you get a lot of the great feelings of established neighborhoods with all the pubs and restaurants to go with it. There are parks, people walking their dogs and every kind of cuisine you could really want. I used to commute from midtown to Alpharetta, and it really wasn't that bad; Norcross would be easier.
Good luck. I think you'll like Atlanta. I came from Cleveland, OH and though I enjoy Cleveland, it was a welcome change.