Alpharetta or Roswell? (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: houses, neighborhoods, good schools)

[dean320]

My wife and I will be relocating with our 8 month old to Atlanta. I will be working in Sandy Springs and we have narrowed down the areas we plan to look for a house in down to Alpharetta or Roswell. Our criteria is good schools and reasonable commute to Sandy Springs. From a ton of reading I have done here, both of those areas seem to meet our needs.

Our price range for a house is under $300K and we want 4 bedrooms. There are plenty of houses in our range in both areas, but the ones in Alpharetta all seem to be much newer.

Any input as to which area would be better or worse than the other?

[sweettea1]

I'd choose Roswell only because there are more back ways to to Sandy Springs go during rush hour. But depending on where your neighborhood is located you could actually spend more time in the car from Roswell if you're further away from the highway. For example, one neighborhood we looked at was 1.5 miles down Holcomb Bridge. I went there one morning and it took me 45 minutes just to get to the highway ramp. So I quickly crossed that one off my list. Do you have the opportunity to do a 'test run' during rush hour from different neighborhoods? I've been hearing that GA 400 is getting better with the recent widening but I don't know if that's true every day.

[Go Blue 99]

Yep I agree, I would stay away from the Holcomb bridge/e. crossville part of Roswell. My buddy lives there and it regularly takes him 30 min just to get to 400 (4-5 miles).

Anyone know how bad the traffic is going down Roswell Rd instead of 400?

[dean320]

I should be able to have some trial runs. Sounds like the closer I can get to 400 the better in Roswell. Does that hold true in Alpharetta also?

[Go Blue 99]

Yes, there is a lot of surface road traffic in alpharetta as well (especially when school is in). Be careful- some of the houses you'll find in alpharetta are 5-7 miles in off 400.

[dean320]

Where I live now, 5-7 miles off the highway is no big deal. What is the ideal distance to shoot for? As close as possible?

[sweettea1]

Either that or somewhere where you can take back roads. Where is your office going to be?

[Prichard]

Personally, I like Roswell better than Alpharetta. Alpharetta, to me, is just a bunch of cookie cutter neighborhoods, albeit some are quite nice. Roswell has a real town feel to it, and hasn't been as clear-cut as Alpharetta has of all of its mature trees. That's just my personal preference - has nothing to do with getting from one place to another, well because that's not my problem.

[dens]

I just went through the same analysis and I live in Midtown...I was looking somewhere in Roswell which was 5 miles on Holcomb Bridge in Roswell on the west side of 400 and I heard horror stories of traffic...I elected to go up two exits to exit 9, Haynes Bridge and only 1.5 miles in...not sure if I bought myself more or less time..I did like the feel of Roswell more but Alpharetta will do.

[dean320]

My office is about a half mile east off exit 5b of 400.