Buford vs. Hamilton Mill vs. Suwanee/SugarHill (Atlanta, Lawrenceville: apartments, rental)

[cololady]

Hi everyone. I am looking for the differences between Buford and Hamilton Mill. I know that HM housing is more expensive and was wondering why? Buford is closer to Atl and seems just as nice. What is the main difference? What about class in each - middle or upper? I do know that Buford (Mall of GA area) is not to far from all the bail bonds places on Buford Dr in Lawrenceville. So that has me a bit worried. Also, I am trying to learn more about Sugar Hill and Suwanee. Basically, I am looking for the area that is more upper-middle class but still affordable? Any info would be appreciated!

[OhioNative]

Hamilton Mill is not a city, but rather a large subdivision, relatively upscale. It is only one exit above Buford/Mall of GA. The Bailbonds places on the Lawrenceville side of GA 20 are due to the county jail being over there. It's actually not very close to the Mall of GA area. Buford itself is a very large area with all range of housing prices; everything from crack houses in downtown Buford to million dollar homes.

[William Wagner]

Suwanee was just rated in the top 50 places to live in the country. It is a great growing quiant town with lots of appeal. I see you are concerned with schools and in Ga. you have to check each school district out because there are so many schools and some are a lot better than others. Buford and Suwanee are close to private schools if you can not find a school that you like. As far as the communities go they both are good and quiant with small town atmosphere. Suwanee is the newer area but Buford is revitalizing also. Punch in Suwanee or Buford and read the community pages about there annual events and they should have school info on the city web page also. Both are close to Lake Lanier and to the Mall of Ga. Both have good access to Interstates 75 & 85 to get to Atlanta and the surrounding areas. Quit worrying about methlabs, crackhouses, and landfills. When you go to buy make sure you hire a professional realtor in your search. Remember if you are a buyer you usually pay no commisions for a realtors services, it is paid by the seller or builder. Voice your concerns about your worries. They should be able to direct you in the right direction....Bill

[futrMrsJ]

Thx Bill - I just wanted to hear from some of the natives...this was my first time hearing these particular negatives about Buford and they are a bit much but when the time comes, I'll definitely heed your advice.

Iesha

[OhioNative]

Originally Posted by William Wagner

Quit worrying about methlabs, crackhouses, and landfills.

IMO, you do need to worry about "meth labs..." etc. There is a small, poverty stricken area in downtown Buford with prostitution, crack, meth, etc. There is also a landfill in the area around Little Mill Rd. There are plenty of other very nice areas of Buford. You need to be aware of where these areas are and avoid them. I agree with using a realtor who can steer you away from these areas.

[futrMrsJ]

With regard to schools in the Mill Creek Cluster - can you tell me what's near the areas you guys advise against? I have the cluster map available but I have no idea the location of downtown buford and the detail isn't so great to see Little Mill rd.

.........The best elem. school I see in this cluster is Duncan Creek @ #50 in the state. The others aren't bad performers but I'm also interested in the % of students who receive free lunch. I see some nice homes in the Duncan Creek s/d and the listings state they're near Hamilton Mill subdivision which from what I've read on the forums is a nice area too. Does anyone know the demographics of the Duncan creek school district/ surrounding neighborhoods?

[OhioNative]

The area near Hamilton Mill is a nice area, and Mill Creek Cluster is a mix of great schools. One thing that you will find about the Atlanta suburbs is that there tend to be a mix of bad and good areas within a geographic location of the same name. For example, there is an area of downtown Duluth where there is a predominantly Hispanic population, with some run down trailers and apartments. A couple of miles up Buford Hwy and a turn down Old Peachtree, and you have million dollar homes in Sugarloaf Country Club. As I previously posted, there is a small area in downtown Buford where they have some problems - look on a map of Gwinnett County and look for the area around downtown - there are some rough areas in that location that were featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution a couple of years ago - these are fairly isolated areas, as there are some very nice shops and restaurants in another part of downtown Buford. In contrast, over behind Mall of Georgia, there are some million dollar subdivisions. There also is a landfill between Little Mill and Sycamore Rd. - I would stay away from that area, but there are some subdivisions over there that I'm sure some people are happy with. You are not going to find an area in Atlanta that is 100% good within a geographic area, but there are plenty of very nice areas and great schools. In Suwanee, one side of the freeway has some rundown houses and a larger number of rental properties. The other side is nicer, with the nicest area being on the other side of Peachtree Industrial. These factors are not necessarily a "negative," but just some info to help you do your homework in choosing a place to live. I choose to live in Suwanee, so I obviously have a positive outlook on the area as a whole.

[annielennox]

Also if you care about lists, Mill Creek High School was just named in Newsweek's Top High Schools in the nation. It's in the top 5%.

[es515]

Originally Posted by annielennox

Also if you care about lists, Mill Creek High School was just named in Newsweek's Top High Schools in the nation. It's in the top 5%.

You really can't go wrong with Suwanee, Buford or Hamilton Mill area.
I live in Dacula which actually is neck and neck with the area of Hamilton Mill. Very clean, safe, nice area. Subdivisions in every price range from 100-s-the millions. Beautiful area, and very kid friendly. Great school system, either way. Hamilton Mill is an upscale exclusive area about 5 minutes from the Mall of GA. This is all a big cluster and runs together. Dacula, Hamilton Mill, Buford. Buford has the Mall of GA and alot of restaurants and shopping. Hamilton Mill and Dacula areas are growing by leaps and bounds with shopping, retail and restaurants. I've been here for 3 years in Dacula and I shop in Buford all the time, I have yet to see any drug houses or meth labs or anything of the such. This area is 95% suburban and the areas that are not you probably won't go around or see. Some parts of old Historic Buford is a little run down. But unless you shop at Dollar General or the back wood thrift stores, you won't have a problem. Overall a very good choice to live. Sugar Hill is also very nice. Suwanee is exit 111 a little closer in towards Atlanta and a very beautiful area to live. I would not chose anything pass exit 104 going back towards Atlanta. Not Duluth, Norcross, Lilburn unless you have a lot of time to sift through the good and bad areas.

[ousmc]

Anyone know the zip code for the Hamilton Mill Subdivision?