Alpharetta or Johns Creek? Rental home or condo with pool accsess (Atlanta: apartments, rentals)

[bananapie]

Hi
My question is simple,we are gonna move to Atlanta.My husband is gonna work in Alpharetta.I read lots of positive things about it and Johns Creek. We cannot decide whether we should rent a condo with gym and pool access ,which is gonna be small even it is a 3 bedroom one, or we should rent a bigger house ,which i live in right now has lots of space for my little girls to run all day.Also how is the weather during summer? If it is too hot l like mid west is it wise to get a place with a pool so the kids go and swim? And lastly which one is better for education,i guess all the elementary and middle schools is good around them,but school choices depend on proximity i guess so could not decide about it too.if you guys have any other option in mind as any area just right it down i will seriously consider them and appreciate. We are mid 30s and i am stay at home mom but i will get a master degree later on meanwhile. I wanna do lots of social things and involve withe people and need good activities for kids also.

[bananapie]

Also lots of people writing how bad crime rate is atlanta is it really that bad.i looked online to crime ratios of usa,and atlanta has a high rate but where i wanna live i am hoping it is low.

[ChefRamsey]

That area has no crime. Really good schools. Ritzy area. A lot of the feeder schools for UGA, Emory and Georgia Tech are in Johns Creek/Alpharetta.

[FromGA]

Nobody that has kids, and has a decent budget will enjoy living in an apartment for an extended period of time. Especially if you have lived in a house before that.

Nothing about Johns Creek justifies downgrading to an apartment if you are used to a house already, unless you are looking to stay 6 months before moving to a house. I keep getting e-mail from an automated system about rentals in Johns Creek (Fulton county) and there is always houses for around $1500.

I like small spaces (such as apartments), but I dont think in your case it is justified.

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As for Alpharetta vs Johns Creek -- Alpharetta has some kind of semblance of a downtown, and has better access to Roswell, that has an even better downtown. And has better access to GA 400. Johns Creek is plain suburbs, with schools as the only focus point. If your husband's job is in Alpharetta, I am not sure if there is a big advantage to living in Johns Creek.

[bananapie]

Thanks very much. Yep we are gonna rent about a year then buy a home eventually .my husband thinks summers are long and swimming facilities will be good if we rent an apt. But they are small for us . İ want to rent and then buy a home close to my daughters scool so they can still go to same school.

[ATLTJL]

If you rent a house, most houses in these areas are in swim/tennis communities.

You are correct, you definitely want to have pool access for your children. However, renting an apartment or living in a swim/tennis community are not the only options.

The YMCA in Alpharetta has a pretty sweet pool: Ed Isakson – Alpharetta YMCA Pool Renovation: Alpharetta, Georgia | Hogan

You can always get a membership to Lifetime Fitness for the summer. Good pool! 6 things swimming teaches us about voiceover - Blog of Voice Talent Karen Commins

And if you don't want to do any of those things, Gwinnett county has some great aquatic centers. Fulton may have some too, but Gwinnett is known for them: Mountain Park Aquatic Center - Gwinnett Park Life | Gwinnett County Parks (this particular pic is far away from Fulton, but West Gwinnett Aquatic Center has the same pool and is much closer).

There may be other choices closer to where you end up, but swimming opportunities about in north Atlanta for those who know where to look. I live in a swim/tennis community, but I use community pools because my neighborhood pool is too crowded. Amazingly, the public pools are less crowded and nicer than my community private pool!

[FromGA]

Originally Posted by bananapie

Thanks very much. Yep we are gonna rent about a year then buy a home eventually .my husband thinks summers are long and swimming facilities will be good if we rent an apt. But they are small for us . İ want to rent and then buy a home close to my daughters scool so they can still go to same school.

Swimming facilities abound in this area. Staring with the subdivision itself. If you end up in a subdivision without a swimming pool (very few of those probably exist in Alpharetta / Johns Creek) there is either YMCA in Alpharetta, or Lifetime Fitness in both Alpharetta and Johns Creek.

[bananapie]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

If you rent a house, most houses in these areas are in swim/tennis communities.

You are correct, you definitely want to have pool access for your children. However, renting an apartment or living in a swim/tennis community are not the only options.

The YMCA in Alpharetta has a pretty sweet pool: Ed Isakson – Alpharetta YMCA Pool Renovation: Alpharetta, Georgia | Hogan

You can always get a membership to Lifetime Fitness for the summer. Good pool! 6 things swimming teaches us about voiceover - Blog of Voice Talent Karen Commins

And if you don't want to do any of those things, Gwinnett county has some great aquatic centers. Fulton may have some too, but Gwinnett is known for them: Mountain Park Aquatic Center - Gwinnett Park Life | Gwinnett County Parks (this particular pic is far away from Fulton, but West Gwinnett Aquatic Center has the same pool and is much closer).

There may be other choices closer to where you end up, but swimming opportunities about in north Atlanta for those who know where to look. I live in a swim/tennis community, but I use community pools because my neighborhood pool is too crowded. Amazingly, the public pools are less crowded and nicer than my community private pool!

Thanks very muchhhh new information is always appreciated

[bananapie]

Originally Posted by FromGA

Swimming facilities abound in this area. Staring with the subdivision itself. If you end up in a subdivision without a swimming pool (very few of those probably exist in Alpharetta / Johns Creek) there is either YMCA in Alpharetta, or Lifetime Fitness in both Alpharetta and Johns Creek.

Thanks very much we had a pool membership card last year in Illinois,where we live now,summers are too short and brutal here ...we can do it when we move to Atlanta. I always want to have a pool at my backyard it is more private ,but doing it cost so much in here ,maybe one day

[flyonpa]

One quick warning...
If you rent a home/condo with a pool, make sure the owner is paying there HOA/Condo Dues. Not dues pay'ed. no swim.....