Any communities fit this description in Johns Creek, Alpharetta or Suwanee (Atlanta: for rent, skateparks)
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Any communities fit this description in Johns Creek, Alpharetta or Suwanee
MrPanda, and anyone willing to respond. My family (me & hubby(30's) & 3 boys; 5.5, 3.5, 1.5) are currently in the Potomac, MD; an area outside D.C. that is diverse and has great schools, but is very $$$. We currently own a home in East Atl; Dekalb County, and a condo (too small) in City of Decatur, but we're looking for a great public school district in a diverse area with low crime. We've had our intown home back door kicked in twice (2007) and I'm not looking forward to that again. I'm not sure why everyone is flocking to City of Decatur schools. The rankings on Schooldigger.com are not good at all!
Our intown friends roll their eyes, but we're looking at Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Suwanee. Hubby will be traveling, so commute times will not be an issue. He's willing to travel weekly to Hartsfield for good schools and safety. I'm currently at home, but work in healthcare, so eventually I'd like to work at a local hospital and/or clinic.
Wanting to rent first, is $1800-$2100/mth doable for at least 2000 sq ft? Eventually (1yr-1.5yrs) we'd like to purchase a home around $300K-$350K in the same area.
We stay very active with three boys so access to hiking/walking, swimming, playgrounds & youth soccer would be great. We also belong to Lifetime Fitness and would love to continue our membership. Has anyone experienced either Alpharetta or JC's LFTime? How do they compare? Our 5.5 is a very good skateboarder, so a sk8park is a must. Anyone familiar with the local skateparks?
We also love festivals and any activities for young kids.
I frequent farmer's markets, Whole Foods and love Asian cuisine. I've ventured to Hmart a few times from intown and would love to be near one. This (Potomac, MD) area is roughly 20% Chinese and would like a similar demographic (all asian groups including Indian are o.k.).
Hubby is leaving the decision up to me, but I think I like Johns Creek from what I've read. Are there any areas with a Forsyth (least expensive tax rate) zip code with access to great schools in our price range? I saw not too long ago that MrPanda suggested Blackstone & Riverwalk areas, but are there any others? What are HOA fees like?
Here are some of the schools I'm interested:
Parsons Elementary
Findley Oaks
Crabapple Crossing (Alpharetta)
State Bridge Crossing (Alpharetta)
Dolvin elementary (although parents aren't too happy on greatschools.net)
Also, what are daycare/preschools like?
Btw, MrPanda, I sent you a direct message, but feel free to respond here as I've asked the same questions.
I plan to take a few trips in Jan, Mar & June, as we would like to relocate by July 1.
Thanks in advance. I miss Atlata's warmer weather & people!
Bearwithme
Hubby is leaving the decision up to me, but I think I like Johns Creek from what I've read. Are there any areas with a Forsyth (least expensive tax rate) zip code with access to great schools in our price range? I saw not too long ago that MrPanda suggested Blackstone & Riverwalk areas, but are there any others? What are HOA fees like?
Here are some of the schools I'm interested:
Parsons Elementary
Findley Oaks
Crabapple Crossing (Alpharetta)
State Bridge Crossing (Alpharetta)
Dolvin elementary (although parents aren't too happy on greatschools.net)
FYI - Mc Ginnis Ferry Rd is the dividing line between Fulton and Forsyth. One side (south) is Fulton, the other is Forsyth. All schools you mentioned are in Fulton county. Blackstone and Riverwalk are in Fulton county.
Also, Chattahoochee River is the dividing line for Gwinnett county. East of Chattahoochee is Gwinnett county.
Your price ranges for renting and buying sound appropriate for the area.
edit: Since you are already familiar with Atlanta metro, and know the + and - of this area, Johns Creek would be the perfect fit for you. There is Whole Foods, HMart within 2 miles of each other. Lifetime Fitness is pretty popular in JC. For your price range (which again, is appropriate for the area), there is probably not a huge difference in taxes between Fulton and Forsyth, and so I would choose Fulton.
Most of the requirements that you have listed seem to describe the actual city of Suwanee, which lies within Gwinnett county. Check out the Level Creek, Suwanee and Riverside Elementary areas for your price range. Miles of walking trails on the Suwanee Creek Greenway and Ivy Creek Greenway, Playtown Suwanee playground, George Pierce Park (home of Atlanta United Soccer), Suwanee Creek Park, Sims Lake Park, as well as Suwanee Town Center Park which is surrounded by shops and restaurants and has a farmer's market every weekend in the summer, as well as tons of festivals and free concerts. Large Asian population with an H Mart, as well as a Fresh Market. Easy access to I-85.
If you are looking at South Forsyth, you can definitely rent/buy in your price range in neighborhoods like Aberdeen and Three Chimneys (newer and a bit more expensive) with Sharon Elementary. Many neighborhoods, in fact, in that price range in Sharon. Also, can look at Daves Creek (neighborhoods in your range up and down Windermere Parkway).
Anyway, lots of good schools and neighborhoods in your price ranges in any of the south forsyth school clusters with Lambert or S. Forsyth High.
It is funny as you sound just like me, Buffalo, and MomDog a year ago. HELP!! "We're moving to Atlanta and where is the best place to live? "
Momdog, Buffalo, and I all reside in S. Forsyth within the last 6 months. We're in the Lambert High school cluster although, I am in the Johns Creek Elementary cluster while Momdog and Buffalo is in Sharon. I think Sharon elementary ranked something like #2 in the state among 1097 elementary schools. MomDog and Buffalo sure don't mess around when it comes to elementary schools
It seems like diversity similar to Potomac, MD is important to you. I think either Johns Creek or S. Forsyth is a good fit. I know that Potomac is a pretty affluent area as one my close college friends grew up there. For a city in Georgia with a population greater than 40,000, Johns Creek is the wealthiest city in the state of Georgia. Currently Johns Creek has the highest percentage of Asians than other cities in Georgia. Johns Creek's Asian population grew to 23% from 13% within the past four years and Asian families are most concentrated in the Northview High School cluster which is the northeastern part of Johns Creek. I predict before 2020, 36 - 40% of Johns Creek's population will be Asians with the largest ethnic group being Korean and Indians. Northview HS will also become Georgia's 1st Asian majority high school within the next 7 years. All three high Schools in Johns Creek (Northview, Chattahoochee, and Johns Creek) are among the top 3% of the best high schools in the state of Georgia which makes the city even more desirable.
We decided to buy right on the McGinnis Ferry border in the S. Forsyth side mostly due to the lower property taxes, but easy access to Johns Creek. Johns Creek Elementary is also starting to get more and more diverse, as I am noticing a lot of families in the Northview HS cluster moving to S. Forsyth (again, my guess is due to lower property taxes).
OMG, Lifetime in Johns Creek is awesome and I swim and run 5 days a week. It is a good thing you already have membership as they recently raised their single membership price to $69. I think they started at $49 when they first opened in 2007.
I really like it here and I have to admit that my lifestyle is a huge upgrade from the one I had in Chicago. My only regret is that i didn't sell my property in Chicago before moving down here (my property taxes in IL are like $8400/year for a $340,000 townhome in a below average school district. You can own a $1,000,000 home in St. Marlo Country Club and still pay less than $8400 in property taxes. That reason alone makes Georgia a much better state to live in than IL.
MrPanda, and anyone willing to respond. My family (me & hubby(30's) & 3 boys; 5.5, 3.5, 1.5) are currently in the Potomac, MD; an area outside D.C. that is diverse and has great schools, but is very $$$. We currently own a home in East Atl; Dekalb County, and a condo (too small) in City of Decatur, but we're looking for a great public school district in a diverse area with low crime. We've had our intown home back door kicked in twice (2007) and I'm not looking forward to that again. I'm not sure why everyone is flocking to City of Decatur schools. The rankings on Schooldigger.com are not good at all!
Our intown friends roll their eyes, but we're looking at Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Suwanee. Hubby will be traveling, so commute times will not be an issue. He's willing to travel weekly to Hartsfield for good schools and safety. I'm currently at home, but work in healthcare, so eventually I'd like to work at a local hospital and/or clinic.
Wanting to rent first, is $1800-$2100/mth doable for at least 2000 sq ft? Eventually (1yr-1.5yrs) we'd like to purchase a home around $300K-$350K in the same area.
We stay very active with three boys so access to hiking/walking, swimming, playgrounds & youth soccer would be great. We also belong to Lifetime Fitness and would love to continue our membership. Has anyone experienced either Alpharetta or JC's LFTime? How do they compare? Our 5.5 is a very good skateboarder, so a sk8park is a must. Anyone familiar with the local skateparks?
We also love festivals and any activities for young kids.
I frequent farmer's markets, Whole Foods and love Asian cuisine. I've ventured to Hmart a few times from intown and would love to be near one. This (Potomac, MD) area is roughly 20% Chinese and would like a similar demographic (all asian groups including Indian are o.k.).
Hubby is leaving the decision up to me, but I think I like Johns Creek from what I've read. Are there any areas with a Forsyth (least expensive tax rate) zip code with access to great schools in our price range? I saw not too long ago that MrPanda suggested Blackstone & Riverwalk areas, but are there any others? What are HOA fees like?
Here are some of the schools I'm interested:
Parsons Elementary
Findley Oaks
Crabapple Crossing (Alpharetta)
State Bridge Crossing (Alpharetta)
Dolvin elementary (although parents aren't too happy on greatschools.net)
Also, what are daycare/preschools like?
Btw, MrPanda, I sent you a direct message, but feel free to respond here as I've asked the same questions.
I plan to take a few trips in Jan, Mar & June, as we would like to relocate by July 1.
Thanks in advance. I miss Atlata's warmer weather & people!
Bearwithme
The Crabapple area of Alpharetta will get you into Crabapple Crossing, Northwestern Middle, and Milton HS....some of the best in the state. Some neighborhoods to look at in your price range include Waterside, Brierfield, Crabapple Crossroads, and Crabapple Chase. As far as diversity is concerned, you won't find many black folks in this area....but if Asians are your cup of tea you will find lots of Indians and some Chiness...they tend to move into the lower end homes in a great school district. Waterside is probably at least 50% Indian/Asian. If you really want an Asian experience then you should look more toward the Suwanee and Norcross areas. You can tell your friends that, not only has your back door not been kicked in, but you go to Whole Foods a couple of miles away and leave your door unlocked.....your children can play in their neighborhoods without fear of harm, etc...now who has the last laugh? I'm also betting that most of your intown, liberal, diversity seeking friends will be moving out the same way as soon as they have kindergarten age chillins'. You will also be close to Wills Park, with a huge children's playground (built by community volunteers!), with tennis courts, bike trails, frisbee golf, and equestrian center. Both Crabapple and Alpharetta often have festivals....all in all a pretty nice, safe place to raise a family.
Thank you EVERYONE for your wealth of input. I decided to concentrate on the schools near Johns Creek/Alpharetta side as we frequent Target, Whole Foods & Lifetime Fitness. From what I gather it sounds like McGinnis Ferry Rd is a nightmare at various times of the day, which would make me & hubby very frustrated. I also believe the schools on this side (west) would be a better fit than the Suwanee area. I'd rather go east for occasional entertainment rather than west for daily necessities. Who knows I could be wrong. This is solely based on what I've read. Seeing it may be another story. Your thoughts?
So, here's my list in order:
Top 4:
1) State Bridge Crossing elementary
2) Wilson Creek elementary
3) Findley Oaks elementary
4) Shakerag elementary
Looking at the school rankings, you're probably wondering why a chose certain schools over higher ranking ones. The answer is: diversity. It's important for our children to attend a school that has at least 7% Black/African American, 15% Asian & 5% Hispanic populations. Just wish the hispanic pop, for #2-#4 had more. Academics are not only important, but interacting with others of varied ethnicities is also a priority. We as parents also want this interaction. It's wonderful that we even have the option!
So, I'll be concentrating our housing (rental) searches primarily surrounding the schools in my top 4 list. This I'm sure, may change once I visit the schools, but the numbers initially look great to us. Those who know the area is our budget realistic? $1800-2100 for SFH.
Just to be sure, can anyone verify the High schools along with my top 4 list of elementary schools? If you know middle schools, that would also be great!
Keep the ideas coming. Looking forward to my visit after the Xmas holidays! Hubby just started sorting through some of boxes we hadn't even opened. This move is starting to seem real. Never thought I'd be this excited. Having children changes everything.
Oh, my ITP friends are already trying to change our minds suggesting Springdale Park, Morningside & City of Decatur schools. Sure, I'd consider it, but can I get at least 2000 sq ft w/garage & yard for our budget... without the thought of someone potentially coming in while hubby is away? My guard will still be up, but I think we'd have a better peace of mind. No thanks.
I have an idea. We'll keep the condo in City of Decatur so if we want to move back in town, we have the option after the kids are off to school/out of the house!
Looking at the school rankings, you're probably wondering why a chose certain schools over higher ranking ones. The answer is: diversity. It's important for our children to attend a school that has at least 7% Black/African American, 15% Asian & 5% Hispanic populations. Just wish the hispanic pop, for #2-#4 had more. Academics are not only important, but interacting with others of varied ethnicities is also a priority. We as parents also want this interaction. It's wonderful that we even have the option!
So, I'll be concentrating our housing (rental) searches primarily surrounding the schools in my top 4 list. This I'm sure, may change once I visit the schools, but the numbers initially look great to us. Those who know the area is our budget realistic? $1800-2100 for SFH.
Just to be sure, can anyone verify the High schools along with my top 4 list of elementary schools? If you know middle schools, that would also be great!
Keep the ideas coming. Looking forward to my visit after the Xmas holidays! Hubby just started sorting through some of boxes we hadn't even opened. This move is starting to seem real. Never thought I'd be this excited. Having children changes everything.
Oh, my ITP friends are already trying to change our minds suggesting Springdale Park, Morningside & City of Decatur schools. Sure, I'd consider it, but can I get at least 2000 sq ft w/garage & yard for our budget... without the thought of someone potentially coming in while hubby is away? My guard will still be up, but I think we'd have a better peace of mind. No thanks.
I have an idea. We'll keep the condo in City of Decatur so if we want to move back in town, we have the option after the kids are off to school/out of the house!
Cheers!
C'mon you're making this stuff up.....you would intentionally send your children to a lesser school just because it has a "7% black student population"..........why not 14% to more accurately reflect the real black population in this country.....or 40% to more accurately reflect Georgia's population?
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I'm also betting that most of your intown, liberal, diversity seeking friends will be moving out the same way as soon as they have kindergarten age chillins'. You will also be close to Wills Park, with a huge children's playground (built by community volunteers!), with tennis courts, bike trails, frisbee golf, and equestrian center. Both Crabapple and Alpharetta often have festivals....all in all a pretty nice, safe place to raise a family.
.....why not 14% to more accurately reflect the real black population in this country.....or 40% to more accurately reflect Georgia's population? 
