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Old 10-07-2007, 02:53 AM
 
Location: The O.C.--Soon, ATL
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Any advantages of living in either Alpharetta vs. Roswell? (Have no children so schools not an issue. )
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Old 10-07-2007, 04:02 AM
 
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I went through this same analysis about 6 months ago...like you kids are not a factor, I started really wanted Roswell because it was closer to the city. After many months of looking I settled in Alpharetta, it felt better to me...newer, safer and I am off of exit 9 so not that far up and close to shopping and all the things that are important to me.
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Old 10-07-2007, 07:53 AM
 
Location: Johns Creek, Georgia
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It will probably depend on your price range. Roswell is more expensive than Alpharetta. Starter prices in Alpharetta are in the 200s. As compared to Roswell, you'll have to go into the 300s for a wider choice.

Roswell is safe and was just named the 18th safest city in the nation by Crime Rankings magazine.

Alpharetta is currently experiencing more of a buyers market than Roswell. More inventory in Alpharetta.

If your price range is higher... 400s and up, you should have a good selections in both areas.
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Old 10-07-2007, 08:01 AM
 
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Much of the development is arguably newer and "nicer" in Alpharetta. It is a little farther than downtown, but I'd choose it over Roswell myself. I bet it does have a lower crime rate than Roswell.
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Old 10-07-2007, 10:07 AM
 
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Alpharetta has more shopping and restaurants. Alpharetta feels newer. Exit 7 off of 400 in Roswell has to be one of the busiest exits so if you lived in Alpharetta you can avoid it.
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Old 10-07-2007, 04:06 PM
 
Location: The O.C.--Soon, ATL
670 posts, read 2,110,416 times
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Thanks for the info. Is Exit 7 near the Northpoint Mall? Does either city have a downtown area (like a main street with shops and restaurants)? And if they do, is there housing in the downtown? Or is the housing usually in clusters of suburban developments and complexes? Any older craftsman type homes in either area or is it all new development? Looking to eventually buy a smaller home or townhome. Thanks for any advice.
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Old 10-07-2007, 07:38 PM
 
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Historic Roswell has a very cute 'downtown' with craftsman homes and cottages. There are several ways to get there if you don't want to sit on 400 or Holcomb Bridge Road. One way is to take Roswell road all the way to...Roswell!
Very cute with boutiques, restaurants, galleries and worth checking out.
Roswell Georgia Convention and Visitors Bureau
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Old 10-07-2007, 09:08 PM
 
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Alpharetta is definately newer than Roswell..... Alpharetta a couple exits North but it is often easier and quicker to get to. Alpharetta is kind of a large area but is very nice.
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Old 10-08-2007, 06:25 AM
 
Location: Roswell, GA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shania View Post
Thanks for the info. Is Exit 7 near the Northpoint Mall? Does either city have a downtown area (like a main street with shops and restaurants)? And if they do, is there housing in the downtown? Or is the housing usually in clusters of suburban developments and complexes? Any older craftsman type homes in either area or is it all new development? Looking to eventually buy a smaller home or townhome. Thanks for any advice.
Exit 7 is the Holcomb Bridge Road exit. It's one exit south of the Mansell Road exit, which is at the southern end of the North Point Mall area, and two exits south of Haynes Bridge Road, which is at the north end of the North Point area. It's generally regarded as the busiest, most congested, interchange in North Fulton.

As others have mentioned, Roswell has a downtown area with small shops, restaurants, etc. It's mostly boutiques and such. The City of Roswell is actually at least as old as the City of Atlanta (it was incorporated in its current form eight years before the current City of Atlanta), and has had a distinct identity for quite a long time. It hasn't quite merged entirely into the homogenized suburban sprawl. Alpharetta also has a downtown area, and is only about 20 years younger than Roswell, but its downtown seems less coherent, less walkable, less well defined than Roswell. There's also fewer residential areas remaining in the immediate vicinity of downtown Alpharetta than Roswell. Downtown Roswell also has several historic attractions (http://www.cvb.roswell.ga.us/attractions2.html - broken link), including Bulloch Hall, Barrington Hall, and The Smith Plantation House, and a couple dozen more, all centered around downtown Roswell. Alpharetta has the Mansell House and . . . did I mention the Mansell House (tellingly, Alpharetta's CVB visitor's guide (broken link) includes the major downtown Roswell attractions in its section on historic sites).

Other differences: Roswell's had commercial areas and strip shopping centers long enough for some of them to have declined -- quite a bit, in some cases. Roswell has more older, inexpensive apartments than Alpharetta does -- nothing like Chamblee/Doraville or Gwinnett County, but this has meant that it also has a larger immigrant population, particularly Hispanic immigrants, and there. Most of what's in Alpharetta, except for the stuff right along GA Hwy 9, has been built in the last couple of dozen years, and thus is newer/nicer and has never been through a period of recession or slow economic growth.

I think it'd be tougher to find the sort of older, smaller craftsman-style townhome or bungalow you're looking for in Alpharetta, while it'd be a chip shot to do it in Roswell, assuming you can afford it.
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Old 10-08-2007, 06:27 AM
 
Location: Johns Creek, Georgia
4 posts, read 15,733 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shania View Post
Thanks for the info. Is Exit 7 near the Northpoint Mall? Does either city have a downtown area (like a main street with shops and restaurants)? And if they do, is there housing in the downtown? Or is the housing usually in clusters of suburban developments and complexes? Any older craftsman type homes in either area or is it all new development? Looking to eventually buy a smaller home or townhome. Thanks for any advice.
Exit 7 is one exit before Northpoint Mall. As someone else mentioned there are many ways to get to wherever you live, and there are several routes to Northpoint Mall. I wouldn't say Alpharetta is "easier to get to" than Roswell, as Alpharetta is further north on 400 and traffic is a parking lot in the afternoon. It really all depends on where you work - - will you be working or retired? Telecommuting? Travelling for work? And, yes... most cities here have older historic downtown areas... including Roswell & Alpharetta. Gwinnett and Cobb County have also done wonderful jobs revitalizing their historic areas. Basically, wherever you would like to live, you will have a choice between older bungalow type homes (tend to be pricier) and newer suburban subdivisions. You mentioned townhomes... they are very plentiful and range from the mid to high 100's for resales into the 400s and higher for new construction. If you consider the townhome market, you could (depending on your price range and preference) purchase closer-in in Sandy Springs.
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