Question about Gwinnett (Riverdale, Buford, Doraville: real estate, construction, high school)

[Buffaloismycity]

What is black migo gang. Im from Buffalo, but lived in Gwinnett for about 3 years from when i was 14-17. I attended Berkmar high school and my old friends told me how gang activity is becoming a problem. Just 8 years ago when I lived there it seemed like really nice place, what happened? I am from a well off family but know a lot about violent areas(the eastside of Buffalo which is way worse though I never lived there). It just surprises me how such a nice area is from what I hear having some gang activity(specifically berkmar and meadowcreek districts).

[JoeTarheel]

Gang activity is not limited to the 'hood...

[ATLTJL]

You're surprised to hear about gang activity near Meadowcreek?

I'd be surprised to hear about near Peachtree Ridge or North Gwinnett....but Meadowcreek, no.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

You're surprised to hear about gang activity near Meadowcreek?

I'd be surprised to hear about near Peachtree Ridge or North Gwinnett....but Meadowcreek, no.

I'm sorry to hear about the troubles at Meadowcreek, but that's a good example of the phenomenon we often talk about. The day when moving to the suburbs meant you would end up with a good school are gone.

[ATLTJL]

The day when moving to the suburbs meant you would end up with a good school are gone.

There's nothing magic about "the suburbs" that makes schools good, you still have to pick your area carefully.

That's like saying that if you want to walk to cool bars and have an urban experience you move intown. Then you move to Capitol View and wonder why you aren't having that experience.

There have always been good suburbs and not so good ones. I don't know if Meadowcreek was ever a good area, but it has been in decline for at least the past 15 years.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

There's nothing magic about "the suburbs" that makes schools good, you still have to pick your area carefully.

That's like saying that if you want to walk to cool bars and have an urban experience you move intown. Then you move to Capitol View and wonder why you aren't having that experience.

There have always been good suburbs and not so good ones. I don't know if Meadowcreek was ever a good area, but it has been in decline for at least the past 15 years.

There was definitely a time when almost any area of Gwinnett would have been considered "good", and when almost any suburb would have had "good" schools. It's been a few years ago, but the time did exist. There was even a time in the not-so-distant past when Jonesboro, Riverdale, and Clayton County in general was a good area.

[ATLTJL]

I lived on Graves Road, which I thnk is districted for Meadowcreek, from 1997-2000. During that time, the Circuit City closed down, the Wachovia pulled out, the Publix became a Mercado de Pueblo, and the only new businesses to come in were a Church's Fried Chicken and a coin-op laundromat. One time my roommate called Domino's to order a pizza and they refused to deliver it saying too many of their drivers had been robbed in the area.

I never had any problems there myself, but I also wasn't blind to these signals. Enormous red flags.

Back then, the notion was people keep moving north, at that time people were moving up to Pleasant Hill. Then they moved to Sugarloaf. Then they moved to Buford.

My question is, do you think this are could ever gentrify? I always thought not because Doraville is just so industrial and that is never going to change, there is way too much infrastructure in place there for it to ever happen. However, the area around spaghetti junction is a great location. You can get into town in 20 minutes and you have easy access to the burbs up north on 85. The trouble is almost every structure around there has horribly shoddy construction and it is a heavily immigrant populated area. In fact, most of the gang problems I hear of around there have to do with Mexican gangs, which as we know, are some of the worst kinds of gangs to have around.

I still can't help wondering....is there any hope for this area in the future?

[JoeTarheel]

I think any area can gentrify...there have been much worse areas that have come back from the dead, so there is always hope. It was take a few years and real estate prices there will probably have to hit a level no one ever thought possible, but when they do people will start to move back in and revive the place.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

There's nothing magic about "the suburbs" that makes schools good, you still have to pick your area carefully.

That is exactly right, ATLTJL. And things can change so rapidly -- in today's world nobody knows when the other shoe is going to drop.

I know that has had an impact on some folks who were debating about whether to live intown or move out. "Well, there's no guarantee things will be better if we move. Or we could just stay put and work on things here."

I guess it's just human nature to wonder whether you are making the best move.

[ATLTJL]

If you are already in an area, it make sense to stay put.

However, if you have children who are school aged, you can't wait. You have to move where the schools are already good, you can't just put them in a bad school and hope it turns around.

It might not, and even if it does, it generally takes many years and your kids could very well be in college by the time it happens.