Pedestrian friendly area of Alpharetta (Sandy Springs, Roswell: homes, neighborhoods, buying)

[Trixie4]

We are hoping to relocate to Alpharetta in late December if my husband lands a position he is currently interviewing for. We do have a minivan but I would like to rely more on my feet for shopping, trips to the park, Starbucks and errands in general. I lived in Ireland as a teen and attended college in Arlington, VA - both times I was without a car and was in excellent shape and overall health. After moving to Boca Raton, FL I had no choice but to rely heavily on a car and my health and fitness took a drastic downhill tumble. Are there any neighborhoods in Alpharetta that would offer close proximity to a Whole Foods and neighborhood parks? I am absolutely determined to set an example to my children that reliance on a car is not always a good thing.

[Mattie]

Not easily done in Alpharetta. More easily done in Roswell, where there are numerous neighborhoods off of Woodstock Rd that would put you within walking distance of Canton Street (restaurants, boutiques, coffee shops and a year round produce market). Roswell Area Park (wonderful) is on that street. The closest Whole Foods would be Harry's on Upper Hembree Rd, but you would have to drive to it.

The bulk of the stores and restaurants in Alpharetta are clustered around retail areas such as GA 9. There aren't many homes in the vicinity at all. You might like the Crabapple area of Milton/Alpharetta. It isn't finished yet, but the intention is that it will be a live/shop/dine development. It is also within walking distance of the elementary/middle /high school cluster.

[Trixie4]

Thanks so much for responding and I shall check out Roswell.

[vkvidal]

We just moved to Alpharetta 2 months ago.... you def need a car ! We have driven into Roswell and its very quaint and we love the downtown part with all the shops and restaurants. We are actually considering buying in Roswell over Alpharetta. Good Luck !

[Atldrew]

Yea Alpharetta and pedestrian friendly doesn't go together. Even in Roswell you'll need a car for just about everything. The only time people walk around here is when they're exercising. Maybe Sandy Springs or Dunwoody would be a better fit for you, but even that might be a stretch for you.

[SW30303]

Roswell gets another vote here. Not in all areas, of course, but more options than Alpharetta to be pedestrian friendly.

If you insist on Alpharetta instead of Roswell, you could get a place near some of the public parks, but I don't know enough about the area to give you specific neighborhoods.

[StAubin]

You can do roswell without a car. Just live near canton street.

[arjay57]

Downtown Alpharetta is charming.

[BringBackCobain]

Check out Vickery Village in Forsyth County. It's a newly constructed community that was planned to be walkable, just north of Alpharetta.