Relocating to Alpharetta or Suwanee (Atlanta, Duluth: apartments, lease, townhome)

[dimp]

I am a single mom of two ages 9 and 15, looking to relocate to Suwanee GA. I am African American and I'm currently living in a predominately white community in NJ. I am relocating for work however, I need to live in an area where the schools are good, with a diverse population. My older one is a musician in the marching band and my younger one plays the Cello in the orchestra. They are very involved in activities and sports so I want a school that reflects that.

I will be in Suwanee, for work with some travel outside the area, however, I was looking at schools in Alpharetta as well. I will be renting
first so I wanted to locate the schools first before I choose a neighborhood. Any advise?

[FromGA]

Both Alpharetta (North Fulton) and Suwanee (Gwinnett county) are good places. I don't live in either, but live between the two in Johns Creek. I don't have personal experience with Gwinnett schools, so I can't comment. But the North Fulton schools are uniformly good.

Housing costs in Suwanee is probably lower than Alpharetta.
Suwanee and surroundings probably have a higher African American population than Alpharetta.
Among North Fulton schools, Alpharetta High seemed to have higher number of African American.

Do you know if you will be working in one of these two areas? May be that could be a factor.

[brook2ga]

There are several apt complexes in Suwanee. Check out the two on McGinnis Ferry Rd. The elementary school would be Burnette and the Middle School Hull. Peachtree Ridge HS. The schools are excellent and have music programs as well as sports. Take a look at the website for Gwinnett County Public Schools Gwinnett County Public Schools
If you have any questions, let me know.

[dimp]

Thank you for the feedback. I will be working in Suwanee, but I willing be driving to different locations across Atlanta about 50% of the time. Also, I want to be in an area where commuting will not be too much of a hassle.

[tamlym]

With a high schooler, you are right in wanting to focus on the high school first before signing a lease to rent an apartment (or townhome/SFR). It's already hard to attend a new HS much less to switch to another high school one year later if you end up not liking the area or find it inconvenient and moving!

Also, since 50% of work may involve driving to Atlanta, I think you should also think about if you want to live closer to 400 or 85 access (North/South). 400 proximity also gives you easier access to MARTA if you need it. Driving intown to get to the highway (east/west) is no fun here. Check the city borders as well...two people living in Suwanee can have vastly different driving experiences to get to the highway depending on where in Suwanee they live in.

Like FromGA mentioned, Johns Creek is between the two cities you mentioned and might be a compromise in terms of location (for any commuting). Same excellent schools.

Good luck!

[atlanta28]

I recommend Chattahoochee HS in Johns Creek as a great all around school, which is strong in the arts, academics and sports. Also important to note that the students come from a wide range of backgrounds and seem blended overall. My son will be attending next year, and feels very excited about his opportunities there.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2wB.../preview?pli=1

Suwanee has great schools too, but I don't have personal experience. Look into Peachtree Ridge.

[wilful]

Originally Posted by dimp

I am a single mom of two ages 9 and 15, looking to relocate to Suwanee GA. I am African American and I'm currently living in a predominately white community in NJ. I am relocating for work however, I need to live in an area where the schools are good, with a diverse population. My older one is a musician in the marching band and my younger one plays the Cello in the orchestra. They are very involved in activities and sports so I want a school that reflects that.

I will be in Suwanee, for work with some travel outside the area, however, I was looking at schools in Alpharetta as well. I will be renting
first so I wanted to locate the schools first before I choose a neighborhood. Any advise?

I am an African American semi retired senior who has been living in Suwanee since 2005 and moved here with my wife from Maryland (DC area) seeking a lower cost of living, lower taxes, better weather and proximity to ATL. We have been very happy here and I think Suwanee will more than fill the bill for you in terms of great schools for your kids and diversity. The schools are generally rated a 10 by the Great Schools website and they all have a nice mix of white, african american, korean and south asia indians. The high schools have a ton of activities for the kids and both North Gwinnett and Peachtree Ridge high schools have great marching bands. I am personally aware of a number of parents both african american and otherwise that are very happy with living and raising their families in Suwanee.

Alpharetta is also a nice town and a good place for families but I think you would find Suwanee to be more diverse and if you are going to be working in Suwanee given the hectic commuting around here it would seem to be a good argument for Suwanee rather than Alpharetta. Hope this helps, good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

[FromGA]

Originally Posted by tamlym

Like FromGA mentioned, Johns Creek is between the two cities you mentioned and might be a compromise in terms of location (for any commuting). Same excellent schools.

Good luck!

Johns Creek is not good from a commute point of view. Right between (but not near enough to) 85 or 400.

I always think GA 400 is the best location for commute, as it is in the middle of the northern metro (this would be a plus for Alpharetta). And there are enough apartments in Alpharetta with easy access to GA 400, I think.

Suwanee is generally not that close to I-85 (so a small minus for Suwanee). And it is in the northeastern segment of the metro.

This is from a pure logistics point of view, based on maps.

edit/add: There are probably many parts of Suwanee not that far off from I-85, so partly depends upon where in Suwanee you live.

[OhioNative]

Originally Posted by FromGA

edit/add: There are probably many parts of Suwanee not that far off from I-85, so partly depends upon where in Suwanee you live.

I-85 runs smack dab through the Suwanee city limits.

[dimp]

Thank you for your feedback. I see that I have some work cut of for me in terms of researching the areas. However, I just found out today that my company no longer wants me to report into the Suwanee office; so, now I will be located in the Duluth office. I am not too sure about the commute from Suwanee to Duluth. So I am going to see if I can find good high schools in that area with the same kind of diversity. I heard Norcross is OK as well, but I don't know any thing about Norcross or Duluth.....Any advise?