Usual moving questions (Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Roswell: best suburbs, big house, landscaping)

[sick of the winter]

Hey all,

At some point in the next few years I am expecting my current company to be bought (or merged) with an Atlanta based company. So just doing some VERY preliminary research.....

A little about ourselves:

• Married, two daughters.. (ages will be between 5-12 by the time we would ever have to move)
• Professional job
• Mid- late 30's
• Wife is from Ohio, I am from Western NY ( think more Cleveland than NYC!!)
• We're not yuppies, or religious or anything like that. We do place a high value on nice friendly neighborhoods. Definitely where everyone takes pride in their homes and landscaping etc...

If we were to move we'd be looking definitely towards the suburbs..

Our home price wolud range between $500-$750K roughly....

What is considered the "best" or better areas as far as schools go..It seems every city has a "most desired" area..


I've looked at some nice homes, but they seem pretty far out.. Close to the rock towards the East. And I never know much about the surrounding areas.



Really looking for a couple towns to start looking at this point...

Thanks

[Iconographer]

Do you have an idea of where your office will be? This is fundamental.

[dblackga]

Yes, your workplace is absolutely the first item of business before you start looking anywhere.

There are nice, friendly neighborhoods all over the Atlanta metro area -- but if you are commuting two hours a day, you aren't going to be able to spend much time enjoying them. The "best" schools are generally considered the feeder schools into six highest rated high schools: Walton, Lassiter and Pope in Cobb County, and Northside, Chattahoochee and Milton in North Fulton. However, there are many other high schools that provide good quality education, as well as pubic schools that address different philosophies and interests (i.e. the Dekalb School of the Arts is one of the highest rated schools in the state; as well as the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology in Lawrenceville.) There are magnet schools all over for the arts and sciences.

But if you decide for philosophical or other reasons to choose a private school, there are a LOT of those, too, ranging from parochial schools, same-sex schools, non-denominational schools, schools such as the Atlanta International School, etc., etc. Also, if your children are heavily into sports, you will want to be located at a school or near athletic facilities to make it easier to get to practices, etc.

Buckhead tends to be the most 'desired' area in terms of high profile, homes and lifestyle; $500-$750 isn't going to go terribly far there, though. Many Buckhead parents tend to either use private schools, or transfer their kids to private schools after elementary school.

But, truly, first find out where you will be working. Then work outwards from there. There's so much areas, you won't have any problem finding something that is perfect for you and your family.

[dvduval]

I lived all over the city, and some of my personal favorites would include
Buckhead
Midtown
Virginia Highlands
Brookhaven
Sandy Springs
Roswell
I think you could do just fine with that budget for a home.

You said you are not yuppies or religious. Many of the suburbs are going to be more like that including places in Gwinnett and Marietta area (Alpharetta and East Cobb are very nice). Some of the more dangerous areas are going to be on the South side of town, say below or near I-20.

I don't know where your work will be so that does matter. I would encourage you to look at a few of the places above that are inside 285 on the North side too because they are more the "old money" type neighborhoods with nice yards and homes, and don't feel quite as religious and yuppie in my opinion (Brookhaven, Buckhead, etc)

Finally, the Northwest side has really been improving and places like Vinings and Mableton are quite nice too.

[sick of the winter]

Thanks for the replies and good starting info....

I'd only have to drive to work once a week.. Commute times are not a real concern for myself. Wife stays at home... Definitely have heard and driven through the ATL traffic, I understand it can be pretty crazy at times!!

I'll definitely look into some of those areas mentioned..... I've driven through and heard of Buckhead. From what I undertsand it seems to be the hip/trendy place to be!!... At this stage in our lives we're looking for more of a family setting (Not sure if Buckhead fits that bill?)

If there was a way to quantify "good area", which is the more appropriate direction to look? No,So,Ea,We?....And what other towns are good starting points? We definitely would be more inclined to be in a Suburb, or less densly populated area, and schools are a must..

Thanks

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by sick of the winter

Hey all,

At some point in the next few years I am expecting my current company to be bought (or merged) with an Atlanta based company. So just doing some VERY preliminary research.....

A little about ourselves:

• Married, two daughters.. (ages will be between 5-12 by the time we would ever have to move)
• Professional job
• Mid- late 30's
• Wife is from Ohio, I am from Western NY ( think more Cleveland than NYC!!)
• We're not yuppies, or religious or anything like that. We do place a high value on nice friendly neighborhoods. Definitely where everyone takes pride in their homes and landscaping etc...

If we were to move we'd be looking definitely towards the suburbs..

Since you are definitely looking to move to the suburbs, the good news for you is that you will have PLENTY of places to look as Atlanta is a predominantly-suburban metro area which tends to be politically, socially and culturally dominated by its suburbs (particularly its very-powerful Northern suburbs).

Originally Posted by sick of the winter

Our home price wolud range between $500-$750K roughly....

What is considered the "best" or better areas as far as schools go..It seems every city has a "most desired" area..

As far as schools go, the best areas are in:

...East Cobb County (an affluent area of excellent schools that is most-commonly just known as "East Cobb") in the feeder zones for Walton, Pope, Lassiter, Wheeler and Sprayberry high schools;

...North Fulton County (an affluent area of excellent schools that is often known as "North Fulton") in the feeder zones for Milton, Cambridge, Chattahoochee, Alpharetta, Northview, Johns Creek, and Roswell high schools;

...South Forsyth County (an area of rising affluence and wealth north of North Fulton County and southwest of the popular Lake Lanier recreational area) in the feeder zones for Lambert and South Forsyth high schools;

...Cherokee County (an area of rising affluence and wealth transitioning from exurban to suburban north of Cobb County out the I-575 North corridor) in the feeder zones for Woodstock, Etowah, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Creekview and River Ridge high schools;

...West Cobb County in the feeder zones for Hillgrove, Harrison, Allatoona and Kennesaw Mountain high schools;

...Gwinnett County in the feeder zones for North Gwinnett, Peachtree Ridge, Mill Creek, Brookwood, Norcross, Parkview and Duluth high schools;

...North Paulding County (just west of Cobb County) in the area with an Acworth and Dallas mailing addresses in the feeder zone for North Paulding High School;

...South Hall County in the feeder zone for Flowery Branch High School;

...Fayette County in the feeder zones for McIntosh, Starr's Mill, and Whitewater high schools;

...Coweta County in the feeder zone for Northgate and East Coweta high schools;

...Henry County in the feeder zone for Eagles Landing High School.

Originally Posted by sick of the winter

I've looked at some nice homes, but they seem pretty far out.. Close to the rock towards the East. And I never know much about the surrounding areas.

By the "the rock towards the East" sounds like you are talking about Stone Mountain, which is somewhat very-close in by Metro Atlanta standards.

The some of the public schools around Stone Mountain are also not necessarily all that great or as highly-regarded compared to the schools in the other aforementioned areas cited above.

Though, if one is working with a lower budget when looking for a house (under $200k), one can certainly do worse than some of the schools in some of the immediate areas around Stone Mountain (particularly in the feeder zones for Shiloh High School in Gwinnett County, and in the feeder zones for Tucker and Stephenson high schools in DeKalb County, two high schools that get a good amount of community support in an otherwise dysfunctional DeKalb County Schools system).

Originally Posted by sick of the winter

Really looking for a couple towns to start looking at this point....

With schools being a major concern and with your budget of $500-750k, the best places for you to start looking are likely in East Cobb and North Fulton counties.

Originally Posted by sick of the winter

Thanks for the replies and good starting info....

I'd only have to drive to work once a week.. Commute times are not a real concern for myself. Wife stays at home... Definitely have heard and driven through the ATL traffic, I understand it can be pretty crazy at times!!

I'll definitely look into some of those areas mentioned..... I've driven through and heard of Buckhead. From what I undertsand it seems to be the hip/trendy place to be!!... At this stage in our lives we're looking for more of a family setting (Not sure if Buckhead fits that bill?)

If there was a way to quantify "good area", which is the more appropriate direction to look? No,So,Ea,We?....And what other towns are good starting points? We definitely would be more inclined to be in a Suburb, or less densly populated area, and schools are a must..

Thanks

For good areas, see the aforementioned list of suburban areas and their high school feeder zones as with your budget of $500-750k and your desire to live in a less densely-populated area, the best areas will be in East Cobb, North Fulton, South Forsyth, West Cobb, Cherokee, Gwinnett, South Hall and North Paulding counties in the Northern suburbs (in an area sometimes known as the "Golden Crescent"); and in Fayette, Coweta (Northgate and East Coweta HS feeder zones), and Henry (Eagles Landing HS feeder zone) counties in the Southern suburbs (in an area sometimes known as the "Southern Crescent").

[Tarzanman]

If you're looking for a family setting and would like to get away from the 'keeping up with the Jones' vibe of east cobb co then I suggest a nice big house along the Chattahoochee on Riverside Dr in Fulton County.

[sick of the winter]

Great info, Thanks!

I'll do some thorough research on all the places mentioned..... I may even become a Braves fan if we have to make the move!!!

Unfortunately the Mets management makes it hard to be a fan after 30+ years of mostly lackluster effort...

[ATLTJL]

Tons of information, and it can be overwhelming. The basic barometer is this:

Look at a map of Atlanta. The most commonly considered best suburbs are in the quadrant that is north of 285 and between 75 and 85.

That's a starting point. Of course, there are nice areas outside that quadrant and some areas within it that aren't the best. But speaking from a gross overall perspective, that's kind of the way it is.

On City-Data, there is an intown bias. That's why you will hear people talk about Buckhead and Sandy Springs (they are considered in-towny suburbs, and some areas of Buckhead actually are in the city limits). Certainly, there is NOTHING wrong with these areas...in fact, they are great. The problem is, neither has public schools that most people consider high quality outside of elementary schools. That's why the wealthy Buckhead and Sandy Springs residents all send their children to fancy private high schools. Which is fine, but it's expensive!

If you're looking for sort of the all American suburban lifestyle, I would heavily favor the areas of Milton, Johns Creek, and Roswell....and perhaps Suwanee. These areas fit what you are looking for exactly, but they don't necessarily get a lot of play on this board because they are generally considered suburbs that are too far from the urban core to offer reasonable commute times. And that's true. However, they do offer very reasonable trip times into Atlanta so long as you are traveling outside of peak times. Most areas that I mentioned are accessible to downtown Atlanta in 30 minutes or so when there isn't gridlock on the highways.

[sick of the winter]