Need some help please! (working in Chamblee - where to live?) (Atlanta: 2015, to rent)

[trips_2]

Hello! We are a family of 7 (and two dogs) deciding on a move to Atlanta! My husband is considering taking a new job in Chamblee and we are looking to see where we would potentially want to live!
Ideally looking for :
Great schools! Currently our kids attend Catholic schools but from first look this may not be possible.
Neighborhood with lots of kids! *our kids are between 6 and 11)
Sports ....they play lacrosse, baseball, basketball and step dancing.
most likely will rent (budget up to 3500$)

where should I start my search?? Schools are the most important thing to us! Elementary and Middle to start but high school is very close behind!

thank you!!!!

[lastminutemom]

Helpful Tip,
For all of those about to move or thinking about moving to the Atlanta metro area, in order for us to better assist you and for you to get more responses please provide us with as much of the following information as possible in your initial post please:

1. Budget
2. House/Condo/Townhome?
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home)
4. Children(public school vs. private)
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not?
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood.

Also, given that you have school age kids, if you think you will eventually buy, I think you need to figure out where you would buy at the same time you figure out where to rent, so your kids won't move twice....

[ElleKaye]

I'm not sure about your budget, but I'd consider Dunwoody or Brookhaven. Alpharetta would not be the worst idea ever, but your husband's commute to Chamblee may be so screwed. If that's not an issue, then you may as well consider East Cobb as well.

Are you planning to keep your children in parochial school or go with the local public school system?

[ATLTJL]

Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Peachtree Corners.....really, with your budget, you have tons of options. Most people come in and want the same thing and have $1000 to spend. With your budget, you can go wherever you want most likely.

If you're renting, I'd look at the Sarah Smith school district in Buckhead, even though Sutton middle isn't the best. But I wouldn't stay there for high school. By then, though, your husband could be working somewhere different, so cross that bridge when you get to it.

If you want the total family suburbia, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Peachtree Corners, Roswell, Alpharettta, etc.

[trips_2]

thank you that is helpful!
I would love to keep them in parochial school but from the schools I've looked into it is not really feasible. Even lowering the budget for housing it would still be double what we are paying currently. (around $5000 per kid)

I'd like to look for an area and plan on being in that area through high school. (going into the 2014-2015 school year we will have 2 in elementary and 3 in middle school)

[KingJohn]

Peachtree city has plenty of catholic/christian schools. It is a very nice aera, school system is good, low crime, etc.

But also check out Alpheretta, though they have fewer catholic/christian schools.

[lastminutemom]

Peachtree City would be a ridiculous commute to Chamblee.

What are you looking for in a public school?

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by trips_2

Hello! We are a family of 7 (and two dogs) deciding on a move to Atlanta! My husband is considering taking a new job in Chamblee and we are looking to see where we would potentially want to live!
Ideally looking for :
Great schools! Currently our kids attend Catholic schools but from first look this may not be possible.
Neighborhood with lots of kids! *our kids are between 6 and 11)
Sports ....they play lacrosse, baseball, basketball and step dancing.
most likely will rent (budget up to 3500$)

where should I start my search?? Schools are the most important thing to us! Elementary and Middle to start but high school is very close behind!

thank you!!!!

Originally Posted by trips_2

thank you that is helpful!
I would love to keep them in parochial school but from the schools I've looked into it is not really feasible. Even lowering the budget for housing it would still be double what we are paying currently. (around $5000 per kid)

I'd like to look for an area and plan on being in that area through high school. (going into the 2014-2015 school year we will have 2 in elementary and 3 in middle school)

If you are going to working in Chamblee and want to live in an area of great schools relatively nearby, some of the best options that immediately come to mind are in the Simpson Elementary School/Pinckneyville Middle School/Norcross High School attendance zone in the Peachtree Corners area of Gwinnett County where the schools are some of the highest-rated in the state and get a great amount of community support.

Norcross High School in particular gets a great amount of community support by way of the Norcross High School Foundation for Excellence which is a robust fundraising arm for the school's academic and non-football and non-basketball athletic programs.
Norcross High School Foundation for Excellence - Home

The Simpson Elementary School/Pinckneyville Middle School/Norcross High School attendance zone in the Peachtree Corners area of Gwinnett County is also only about a 20-30 minute rush hour commute away from the Chamblee area where your husband will be working (by way of an almost straight-shot on Georgia Highway 141 Peachtree Parkway/Peachtree Industrial Boulevard).

Because of the very high-quality of the schools and the very-short 20-30 minute rush hour commute (by Metro Atlanta's sometimes ridiculously-lengthy rush hour commuting standards), the Simpson Elementary School/Pinckneyville Middle School/Norcross High School attendance zone in the Peachtree Corners area of Gwinnett County is an excellent place for you to start your search.

Some other areas of great schools for you to checkout in the vicinity relatively near where your husband will be working in Northeast Metro Atlanta are:

...Chattahoochee High School attendance zone in North Fulton County...a well-rounded school with excellent academics and a great amount of community support;

...The Johns Creek High School attendance zone in North Fulton County;

...The Northview High School attendance zone in North Fulton County (...Northview is one of the most intensely academically-challenging schools in the entire Southeastern U.S. ...extremely academically-challenging schools in this attendance zone, Northview will get your children ready for an Ivy League-caliber postsecondary education if they commit to the workload).

The Duluth High School, Peachtree Ridge High School and North Gwinnett High School attendance zones in Gwinnett County are also very-good places for you to search for a home.

...Though it should be noted that the rush hour commutes between the Chattahoochee HS, Johns Creek HS, Northview HS, Duluth HS, Peachtree Ridge HS and North Gwinnett HS attendance zones areas will be longer because they are all further away from where your husband will be working in Chamblee than the Norcross High School attendance zone.

If the longer rush hour commutes up and down GA 141 don't scare you, the highly-rated South Forsyth and Lambert high school attendance zones in South Forsyth County are also excellent places to look for a home in an area of excellent schools.

Good luck on your search!

[AtlJan]

I immediately thought Norcross for you all, as well. Also check out the Heard's Ferry Elementary, Ridgeview Middle School, Riverwood High pathway in Sandy Springs. Also Sarah Smith/Sutton/North Atlanta would be a very good choice.

[trips_2]

Thank you for the information! It is all very helpful to start the search! We originally are from NJ so our opinion of traffic and commutes is a little different then most people who might be moving there!

I'm not really sure what to look for in a public school! Other than not overwhelming large and rated highly. Neither my husband nor myself attended public school so its just a change to both of us!