Moving to either alpharetta, johns creek or dunwoody!! Help pleaseee!! (Atlanta: apartments, lease)

[amandaw9987]

My husband and i moved to Duluth back in December 2010. He is working in Tucker, GA and the commute on 85 in the morning is horrible! Plus Duluth, is not at town we enjoy living in. Our lease runs out in December this year (2011), and we need help on where would be a good idea to move?

We have recently been looking into the dunwoody area, Alpharetta (30022), and Johns Creek. (he would be taking peachtree industrial to get to work from alpharetta and johns creek).

What is commute like to Tucker, from these areas?
What is crime like in the areas? (We'd pay more money to be safe)

We do not have any children. But the thought of living in a good school district makes me think that the areas are better.

Would you recommend any other towns that we should look into?

Any advice would be great! We have 2 months to figure this out.

It can become quite a headache.

Thanks!

[ATLTJL]

If you live in Duluth, you should already know a lot about Johns Creek and Alpharetta since they are neighboring communities. I don't really think commuting down PIB is going to do your husband any favors since it may be SLIGHTLY better than I-85, but then he's going to have to deal with way more congested surfact streets to get over to Tucker, or he'll have to deal more with I-285. My general rule for Atlanta is the less you have to deal with 285, the better off you are!

Quick question, where in Duluth do you live? It sounds to me like you may live in the unincorporated part of Gwinnett county that simply has a Duluth mailing address. If you live in the city of Duluth proper, it's a much better experience than the area of Gwinnett sometimes referred to simply as Duluth. The city itself is quite small, but the area referred to as Duluth is very large. So it my be just a move to another part of Duluth that is in order.

I would also consider Suwanee. If I were your husband, I'd rather move a few exits up I-85 than move over and have to take 285.

I think Dunwoody would probably fit the bill just fine, so long as you can afford the prices there. I don't know too much about it, but my preference would be to stay on the Fulton side and not get into Dekalb.

[Rich in Buckhead]

You DO NOT want to commute on PIB (reverse commute is OK). It is jam packed and has lots of traffic lights. I would opt for Dunwoody...pretty easy shot over to Tucker.

[cqholt]

The people in Dunwoody are too fake, smile in your face and talk about you when you leave. I leased an apartment there for over a year and the only thing I enjoyed was being close enough to walk to MARTA and work.

[RoslynHolcomb]

We live in Dunwoody and my husband works in Chamblee. The commute time is excellent as he only has to go down one exit on 285. Sometimes just to break the monotony he'll take Buford Highway, but he usually does 285 and unless there's a real problem he's home in 15 minutes flat.

From Dunwoody Tucker is only a couple of extra exits, and I do it quite often as my son plays soccer over there. Sometimes we have 5 pm practices and at other times it's at 6 pm. It's no walk in the park (and I'm a lousy driver), but it rarely takes me more than 25 minutes. I've never driven it during morning rush hour, but in the evening it's not too bad.

I've never rented an apartment around here and I can't really comment on that process. I know there are lots of developments with easy 285 access, but I've never tried the commute from there.

[SW30303]

Personally, without kids, I would rent in Dunwoody or near by with a commute like that to Tucker.

The surface streets to Tucker aren't that great either during rush hour unless you come in from inside 285 to Tucker.

I like Tucker OK, but you may not since you didn't suggest it as an option. I do think most of the apartments in Tucker are older, so that could a drawback for you. Some of Norcross is a bit more upscale than Tucker (Peachtree Corners area). You could try renting a condo somewhere if you prefer.

You could try City of Decatur or Avondale Estates for a reverse commute, but 285 in that area can get backed up as well. You could use surface streets and maybe have a reasonable commute.

What is the maximum commute time he wants to deal with one way?

[Creative Solutions]

Peachtree Corners area is definitely the place to live!

[peachstatehomegal]

Several good places already listed in here - I'm in agreement with Tucker and Peachtree Corners. A little closer in can make a world of difference in a commute!

No areas of Tucker are appealing? Or towards the Lilburn area? Or even possibly parts of Decatur?

[cqholt]

Might consider Decatur? They have the best school district and the town square is really nice. Low crime rate.