Relocating to the Atlanta Area (Peachtree City, College Park: low crime, houses, best schools) - Georgia (GA) - City-Data Forum

gajsc · 02-13-2007, 07:19 PM

Hello, My 8 years old son and I are planning on relocating to the Atlanta area in the next 5 months. I do not want to be too far from the city because of the activities. I am looking for somewhere close and around the Atlanta area with a good school system, affordable housing, low crime rate, close to lots of activities, and family friendly. If there is such a place. Thank you.

ptcgirl · 02-13-2007, 07:26 PM

Peachtree City is south of the city of Atlanta. It has the best schools in the area (Fayette County Schools), an extremely low crime rate, a large amount of recreational opportunities, and is a wonderful area to raise a family. The housing is not as affordable as some parts of GA, but in comparison with the Atlanta area and particularly with the rest of the country, prices here are not unreasonable (especially for what you get in return). PTC is about a 40 min drive from downtown ATL and 30 min from the airport. Good Luck!

lastminutemom · 02-13-2007, 07:29 PM

Where will you be working? That is key if you want to ever see your child -- commuting is horrible here and can really take a chunk of your day.

jjordan · 02-13-2007, 07:42 PM

What is your price range? A Fayette County commute probably wouldn't be too horrible (depending on where you're working) but it's not really an "affordable" county.

gajsc · 02-14-2007, 09:23 AM

I am a single mom, recently divorced, limited income, retired military, paralegal profession. I cannot afford anything over 150K. I was told that the Oak Grove Area in Dekalb County is pretty affordable and has a good school system, is that right? I want to make sure that both my son and I will be able to have a quality of life. Thanks

gajsc · 02-14-2007, 09:25 AM

Affordability is not an option, I must stay within my price range no more than 150K for say a 3 bed room home? is that possible?

Tamanti87 · 02-20-2007, 08:39 PM

We too are being relocated from the Northeast to Atlanta. My husband will be working in College Park. They tell us PTC is the place to go. Having never been to GA at all, except to drive both ways through Rte 95 going to and from FL, I am completely overwhelmed with the unknown. How does PTC compare to Fayetteville? I have been searching online at the houses and it looks like you may get more house for your money in Fayetteville. However, I also have to think about the schools. My youngest will be entering his Freshman Year of High School when we arrive.
I have to be honest I am really afraid of culture shock.....being born and bread up here in the Northeast people have told us that they won't like us down there. I am hoping that those people don't know what they are talking about. Any helpful info and/or advice would be greatly appreciated.

sprtsluvr8 · 02-20-2007, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tamanti87

We too are being relocated from the Northeast to Atlanta. My husband will be working in College Park. They tell us PTC is the place to go. Having never been to GA at all, except to drive both ways through Rte 95 going to and from FL, I am completely overwhelmed with the unknown. How does PTC compare to Fayetteville? I have been searching online at the houses and it looks like you may get more house for your money in Fayetteville. However, I also have to think about the schools. My youngest will be entering his Freshman Year of High School when we arrive.
I have to be honest I am really afraid of culture shock.....being born and bread up here in the Northeast people have told us that they won't like us down there. I am hoping that those people don't know what they are talking about. Any helpful info and/or advice would be greatly appreciated.

There is no need to think that people in the south won't like you...if you're likeable people will like you. Don't listen to anyone trying to scare you with stereotypical images of 'southern hillbillies' or 'yankee haters', unless you're moving to Deliverance, GA

People are just like anywhere else you've lived or visited. You'll find a mixture of people from all areas of the U.S., some with values exactly like yours and some different, and I can't imagine very many people even taking notice of you're being from the Northeast. It's pretty common...and most people here are fairly enlightened to the rest of the world.

Tamanti87 · 02-21-2007, 08:41 PM

Hey sprtsluvr8 Thanks for the positive reinforcement. I don't understand why there has to be stereotypes. We are friendly so it sounds like we'll be OK. What part of Atlanta are you from? Are you familiar with either Peachtree City or Fayetteville? What are they like? What is the difference between the two, if any? Thanks for your help and friendliness.

jjordan · 02-21-2007, 08:56 PM

I grew up in PTC and I'll say it's your standard upscale suburban community except for one thing: golf cart paths! Over 80 miles of them, in fact. It's sort of a novelty but people in PTC love them! Schools are statistically great (I say that because I feel people rely WAY too much on schools "scores"). Anyway, Fayetteville is pretty much the same. It has more shopping and more housing choice. It's also a little less expensive. Getting to College Park shouldn't be too much of a problem from either locale but I'd say it would probably be easier from PTC just because the interstate is closer. From Fayetteville you'd probably have to take SR 85 (horrible traffic) to I-75. I can provide some more info if you need it.