Need advice on Laurel Brooke (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: 2014, house, neighborhoods)

[Kcgvgirl]

We are relocating to GA from the Midwest in May. We are looking at homes is Laurel Brooke because we feel we can get more for our money then in Roswell/Marietta/Alpharetta area. My office will be in Buckhead and my husband will be in Norcross. We want a neighborhood with lots of young families with kids and amenities with great schools. Any opinions on Laurel Brooke or Mountain Road Elementary?

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Kcgvgirl

We are relocating to GA from the Midwest in May. We are looking at homes is Laurel Brooke because we feel we can get more for our money then in Roswell/Marietta/Alpharetta area. My office will be in Buckhead and my husband will be in Norcross. We want a neighborhood with lots of young families with kids and amenities with great schools. Any opinions on Laurel Brooke or Mountain Road Elementary?

I hear that Mountain Road is a great elementary school.

And the Sequoyah High cluster is very good overall.

[flamadiddle]

I would rather be waterboarded every day vs. making that commute. Study Atlanta traffic patterns, that commute will suck the life out of you.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by flamadiddle

I would rather be waterboarded every day vs. making that commute. Study Atlanta traffic patterns, that commute will suck the life out of you.

To the OP--this is good advice. Even though Mountain Road and the Sequoyah High Cluster are good, based on your job locations, I recommend the Centennial High Cluster (East Roswell, South Alpharetta, South Johns Creek).

Elementary Schools:

Northwood
River Eves
Hillside
Esther Jackson
Barnwell


Excellent schools, lots of great homes and neighborhoods, convenient location, and a better commute for the both of you.


http://www.fultonschools.org/en/divi...NTENNIALHS.pdf

http://www.fultonschools.org/en/divi...SS_ES_1415.pdf

http://www.fultonschools.org/en/divi...lan%20(ES).pdf


I hope this helps some. Good Luck!

[Born 2 Roll]

If the OP will be working in Buckhead and the OP's husband will be working in Norcross, one other place that the OP and her husband could checkout (and probably should checkout given the increasing blight of metro Atlanta rush hour commuting) is the Simpson Elementary School and Pinckneyville Middle School attendance zones of the Norcross High School cluster in the Peachtree Corners area of Gwinnett County.

The OP and her husband should definitely checkout the Peachtree Corners area because the schools are excellent and it is located extremely close and immediately near where her husband will be working in the Norcross area.

Being in Peachtree Corners would also give the OP a straight shot into Buckhead down Georgia Highway 141 which is a highway that one would probably much rather deal with than having to contend with Georgia Highway 400 everyday which is a roadway that can be really bad on most days and is only going to get worse.

(...Traffic on GA 400 is widely expected to get worse in coming years because the improving economy will increase growth in an already fast-growing area along the GA 400 corridor and because there is a major multi-year reconstruction project planned for the GA 400/I-285 junction which will most certainly make the roadway's already infamous traffic congestion even worse.)

The OP is certainly correct in her assessment that her and her family will enjoy a very nice suburban lifestyle with more house for less money in the Laurel Brooke area of Southeastern Cherokee County than she might get in Roswell, Marietta, Alpharetta and/or some other closer-in areas of affluence.

But for what the OP doesn't pay in housing costs she will definitely pay in commuting costs (increased time spent sitting in horrible traffic on GA 400, etc) on many days.

The very legitimate and very real concerns about the traffic on often very severely congested road like GA 400 (and other roads like GA 140) are a major reason that the OP should most likely start her search for housing in areas like the Simpson Elementary/Pinckneyville Middle/Norcross High cluster of Peachtree Corners and the Centennial High School cluster of North Fulton before keying in on further out areas with longer commutes like Southeastern Cherokee County.

[Kcgvgirl]

Thank you all for your responses. I should also add that we have family in Roswell/Marietta so we need to stay close so they can help with the kids. What kind of commute are we looking at? Over an hour? It's only aboout 23 miles.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Kcgvgirl

Thank you all for your responses. I should also add that we have family in Roswell/Marietta so we need to stay close so they can help with the kids. What kind of commute are we looking at? Over an hour? It's only aboout 23 miles.

Then also recommend looking in the Roswell High Cluster, in addition to the Centennial High Cluster and the Simpson Elem/Norcross High Cluster.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Kcgvgirl

Thank you all for your responses. I should also add that we have family in Roswell/Marietta so we need to stay close so they can help with the kids. What kind of commute are we looking at? Over an hour? It's only aboout 23 miles.

The commute between the Laurel Brooke neighborhood and Buckhead will probably be about 50 minutes or so each way or most weekdays during rush hour.

Though because GA 400 is a roadway that is prone to frequent slowdowns (and outright stoppages) during peak hours, there will be many days when the rush hour commute will be longer, particularly if there is some kind of major traffic incident or inclement weather of any kind.

The commute between the Laurel Brooke neighborhood and the Norcross area will be about 45 minutes or so each way every weekday during rush hour.

Laurel Brooke and Southeastern Cherokee County is a great area. If you and your family like it then you should definitely go for it, but you should also know what kind of rush hour commute to expect.

[Tarzanman]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

If the OP will be working in Buckhead and the OP's husband will be working in Norcross, one other place that the OP and her husband could checkout (and probably should checkout given the increasing blight of metro Atlanta rush hour commuting) is the Simpson Elementary School and Pinckneyville Middle School attendance zones of the Norcross High School cluster in the Peachtree Corners area of Gwinnett County.

The OP and her husband should definitely checkout the Peachtree Corners area because the schools are excellent and it is located extremely close and immediately near where her husband will be working in the Norcross area.

I disagree with this. Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, and parts of Doraville and Brookhaven sit between Norcross and Buckhead. It would make much more sense to live ITP in Doraville/Chamblee/Druid Hills/Atlanta and have a reverse commute every morning than to live in Norcross and be right in the middle of rush hour traffic.

Being in Peachtree Corners would also give the OP a straight shot into Buckhead down Georgia Highway 141 which is a highway that one would probably much rather deal with than having to contend with Georgia Highway 400 everyday which is a roadway that can be really bad on most days and is only going to get worse.

Yuu're kidding, right? 141 isn't a straight shot to anything. You need to take 285 to get anywhere from 141 and 141 is bumper-to bumper every morning and moves more slowly than GA400, especially since 141 has traffic lights on all but a small ~3 mile stretch.

(...Traffic on GA 400 is widely expected to get worse in coming years because the improving economy will increase growth in an already fast-growing area along the GA 400 corridor and because there is a major multi-year reconstruction project planned for the GA 400/I-285 junction which will most certainly make the roadway's already infamous traffic congestion even worse.)

Yes, but at least GA400 is a true highway, which has been widened on some portions and can flow pretty well even when other roads get backed up. When 285 backs up 141 is an absolute nightmare because almost no one can get off or get through.

The OP is certainly correct in her assessment that her and her family will enjoy a very nice suburban lifestyle with more house for less money in the Laurel Brooke area of Southeastern Cherokee County than she might get in Roswell, Marietta, Alpharetta and/or some other closer-in areas of affluence.

But for what the OP doesn't pay in housing costs she will definitely pay in commuting costs (increased time spent sitting in horrible traffic on GA 400, etc) on many days.

The very legitimate and very real concerns about the traffic on often very severely congested road like GA 400 (and other roads like GA 140) are a major reason that the OP should most likely start her search for housing in areas like the Simpson Elementary/Pinckneyville Middle/Norcross High cluster of Peachtree Corners and the Centennial High School cluster of North Fulton before keying in on further out areas with longer commutes like Southeastern Cherokee County.

I agree that Cherokee Co is a non-starter for working in Norcross and Buckhead unless you WANT to spend 100+ minutes in your care every day.

[ikearns1]

We actually love in laurel Brooke and I commute to perimeter everyday. I have flex hours so in office from 730 to 4 and it takes me 35 min each way..