Places to Live if Working in Kennesaw (Atlanta, Marietta: house, good schools)

[vsmoove]

Guys, I'm looking at a job that is off Exit 271 on 75 in Kennesaw. What do people on the Board recommend? My budget is up to $450K and would like a decent commute (no more than 30/35 minutes), an area with good schools, decent property and diversity. Thanks in advance!

[BobKovacs]

Ummm....how about.....Kennesaw?????

Seriously, I'd look at Kennesaw, Woodstock, Holly Springs, or Canton. There are some really good schools in those areas, and you'd be able to get tons of house for $450k. Depending on where you were in those areas, the commute could be as little as 10 minutes or as much as 30-35 minutes.

The one thing you may not find is the level of "diversity" you may be looking for, but that depends on how you define "diverse". Those areas are predominantly white, but more and more minorities are moving there all the time- they'll never be majority minority (does that even make sense? lol), but they're not full of backwoods rednecks as some folks would have you think.

[JayRockTeam]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Ummm....how about.....Kennesaw?????

Lol... 'nuff said. Seems like a nice place to live if you can afford it, and apparently you can. Its hard to argue with a short commute in Atlanta, but you will have to put up with the eery silence at night.


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[vsmoove]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Ummm....how about.....Kennesaw?????

Seriously, I'd look at Kennesaw, Woodstock, Holly Springs, or Canton. There are some really good schools in those areas, and you'd be able to get tons of house for $450k. Depending on where you were in those areas, the commute could be as little as 10 minutes or as much as 30-35 minutes.

The one thing you may not find is the level of "diversity" you may be looking for, but that depends on how you define "diverse". Those areas are predominantly white, but more and more minorities are moving there all the time- they'll never be majority minority (does that even make sense? lol), but they're not full of backwoods rednecks as some folks would have you think.

I don't need to live in a majority Black community... I live in Coral Springs in Florida currently... it's definetely majority white but there are several Black families in my subdivision and I feel very comfortable... I just need a "critical mass"... to borrow a legal term... where we won't feel like 3 raisins in the snow (smile). What are the level of schools in Kennesaw? How do they compare to the surrounding communities?

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by vsmoove

I don't need to live in a majority Black community... I just need a "critical mass"... to borrow a legal term... where we won't feel like 3 raisins in the snow (smile).

Gawd, I'm so glad that you said that and not one of us. LOL. There are some very sensitive people here when it comes to comments like that I'm afraid you'll find out (but I like raisins - just don't eat the snow here though).

You'll quickly learn that in Atlanta you want to live CLOSE to where you work. Far too many move miles away and that's why we have such incredibly bad traffic.

Kennesaw will be your best bet. Now, map it out. Try your best to plan your commute so that you do NOT have to drive on Barrett Parkway between I-75 and Hwy 41 during rush hour. It's insanely congested. Basically a multi-lane car lot.

Here's a map of the worst of that area regarding traffic:

(avoid the red - learn the back roads, etc.)

As far as school ratings, see the thread at the top of the Atlanta forum which may help: http://www.city-data.com/forum/atlan...-one-keep.html

[JHoustonGriff76]

If you're working normal hours, I wouldn't rule out a place in Marietta, Smyrna, or Vinings that has quick access to 75. You'd be going against traffic and live in a location with easier access to other parts of metro Atlanta and there's a lot of revitalization and development going on in West Cobb right now.

Sometimes my job requires that I work at their Kennesaw location and it's off Chastain Rd (271), as yours is. Traffic is a breeze going 75 northbound in the mornings (at my regular location in north DeKalb Co, I work from 2pm to 10pm just to avoid the traffic) and you can look over and feel pity for the poor southbound suckers

The commute from my house in Smyrna to Chastain Rd takes between 30 and 40 minutes. I could shave a lot of time off that if I lived closer to 75. The roads to the interstate access ramps get very congested in the morning, but once on, it's only about 20 minutes to Kennesaw.

[antiquesmountainapache]

Stay off Barrett Parkway! You are very fortunate to land a professional position in Kennesaw, so why not live close to it?

[vsmoove]

Originally Posted by JHoustonGriff76

If you're working normal hours, I wouldn't rule out a place in Marietta, Smyrna, or Vinings that has quick access to 75. You'd be going against traffic and live in a location with easier access to other parts of metro Atlanta and there's a lot of revitalization and development going on in West Cobb right now.

Sometimes my job requires that I work at their Kennesaw location and it's off Chastain Rd (271), as yours is. Traffic is a breeze going 75 northbound in the mornings (at my regular location in north DeKalb Co, I work from 2pm to 10pm just to avoid the traffic) and you can look over and feel pity for the poor southbound suckers

The commute from my house in Smyrna to Chastain Rd takes between 30 and 40 minutes. I could shave a lot of time off that if I lived closer to 75. The roads to the interstate access ramps get very congested in the morning, but once on, it's only about 20 minutes to Kennesaw.

Thanks for the advice. A guy that I interviewed with up there advised that I stay east of 75 if possible... he recommended East Cobb as an area with good schools and short commute. What areas of Smyrna/Marietta are close enough to 75 to avoid the crunch?

[vsmoove]

Originally Posted by antiquesmountainapache

Stay off Barrett Parkway! You are very fortunate to land a professional position in Kennesaw, so why not live close to it?

I do want to live close... I guess I'm just trying to get a sense of my options...

[atl1221]

I live in East Cobb, 6 miles from where your job is going to be. There are good schools here and your commute would be 15 minutes. West Cobb also offers good schools, and IMO is more scenic than East Cobb. Both areas are quiet at night tho....if you want more of an active lifestyle, you may want to look @ Smyrna or Vinings.....schools are still OK and you are closer to more nightlife activity