Thinking about relocating to Peachtree City, GA from Minnesota! (Atlanta: home, safe area)

[Vivib]

Hello to all!

My husband and I are considering moving to Peachtree City from Minnesota. My husband is a pilot for Delta and we have been living in Minnesota for the past 17 years. We have 3 children (ages 13, 11 and 6). The reason for our move is that it seems Delta is shrinking their base here and are awarding barely any Captain seats (in Jan they only awarded 2, ATL awarded 40). Of course, my husband wants to be Captain and would make Captain in ATL, thus why we are thinking of moving. And also we have family in Puerto Rico, Miami and Jacksonville and want to be closer to them.
I am a stay at home mom and it seems like Peachtree is a very safe area to live in and that is extrememly important to me.
My girls are scared of moving and going into new schools and not knowing anybody or having any friends.
Is there anyone that has recently moved to Peachtree with school age kids that can share their experiences with me?
My 13 year old plays vball. Any vball clubs in the area?
My 11 year old dances. Any dance studios?
I have heard McIntosh is a great school, but when I read parents and students reviews it doesn't seem most like it? Same goes for Starrs Mill HS?
How is the commute to and from the airport?
How are the people? Have read tons of threads about most being stuck up?
Best area in Peachtree to live in?
Recommendations for a cleaning lady?
Dog groomer?
Gym?
Any info and advice I can get will be greatly appreciated.
I'm sorry, I have tons of questions, but I need help. This is a bit scary and overwhelming fo my girls and I. Just wanna make the best decision for my kids!
Thank you all in advance for all your help!

[sedimenjerry]

PTC is a great area as is most of Fayette County near PTC. Eastern Newnan in Coweta County is nice too. Easy commute to the airport. 85 is rarely delayed. McIntosh is a good school. A lot of good schools in the area will have some bad reviews. Usually by students who hate school or by parents whose kids aren't doing well (even if their kids are the ones not trying). A lot of the large high performing schools are often seen as too competitive but I assure you it's much better to be in that sort of environment than a school where students disrespect teachers and disrupt class. It's a challenging environment for the right reasons.

[Clayton white guy]

You will enjoy Peachtree City. It really is a "transplant" suburb and there are many people from Twin Cities there thanks to the Delta merger. Since Peachtree City has people from all over, I would expect that your children will have no trouble fitting in. Peachtree City is a quiet area with numerous amenities and other places that you as a stay at home mom may want to go occasionally (Ashley Park Shopping Center in nearby Newnan, or Fayette Pavillion in Fayetteville have the same suburban vibe.) I have been told that by going down 74 to interstate 85 (the southwest expressway from Downtown Atlanta that passes through the airport toward neighboring Coweta County....Fayette County has no interstate exits) is around 25-30 minutes. The schools are considered the best of any of the southside suburbs. I would recommend you also join a local church to help ease your family into the groove of things and provide invaluable support in getting acclimated. You will find one of EVERY possible denomination in the Peachtree City area. I know of a dance studio in nearby Tyrone that is somehow or another affiliated with Grace Evangelical Church in Fayetteville. That particular church that offers contemporary services is located on SR 54 between Fayetteville and Peachtree City. Good luck and God Bless

[Vivib]

Thank you both for such a quick response and great advice!
Keep 'em coming please!!

[cwkimbro]

Peachtree City in the past has been referred to as "the bubble."

Atlanta traditionally has grown north and the southside has been less developed and not as nice.

Fayette County has always been the stable exception. The county is extraordinarily conservative and they will not build a county sewer system specifically to curb growth. All organized developments needing access to sewer must be in a city in Fayette. Peachtree City went with this from the get go. They organized a fairly affluent family community with golf cart/running paths all over town. They also attracted a small level of organized suburban office parks to keep wealth in the community. The schools are on par with the nicer areas on the northside and are generally highly regarded.

It will be an extremely safe community. If anything it might feel eerily detached from the rest of the region at times. When driving there from Atlanta or the airport you actually pass by areas that are far less developed. This leads into the old phrase "the bubble." It will not have all of the amenities of the northside suburbs, but it also won't have all of the congestion and overgrowth problems to go with it.

Given its affluence and being mainly a family bedroom community, I'd be surprised if it didn't have organized activities for your kids. Dance schools are fairly common. I'm not sure about Volleyball. I know high schools will likely have volleyball teams for sure.

Newnan, that is nearby to the west has recently taken off as more of a middle of the road suburb. That will add more amenities with a short drive.

[sedimenjerry]

Driving on 74 from 85 you quickly get into almost exurban areas between Tyrone and Fairburn. Very different from the northside.

[Clayton white guy]

Do not listen to to the "Oh the southside is sooo not as good as the northside" stuff. True, Fayette is a slow growth county (but so are many neighboring parts of South Fulton, that is the entire reason for the incorporation of Chattahoochee Hills in South Fulton) Outside of Fayette County, Henry and Coweta really does have similar development to many northern suburban locals (North Cobb, Cherokee, and Forsyth Counties come to mind) Clayton County to the east has everything from working class neighborhoods near Atlanta to rural residents in its Panhandle Region with the affluent Lake Spivey district in between. Peachtree City also has easier access (thanks to the absence of the mindblowing gridlock that NO ONE can dispute in North Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett, Cherokee, Forsyth, etc) to the City of Atlanta where the best shopping, dining, and things to do are anyway. Don't listen to the (Metro Atlanta drops off at I-20) crowd. You and your family will love Peachtree City and Atlanta's glorious Southside suburbs!

[Vivib]

Thank u Clayton! We are definitely not moving to the north as I have read that, yes, there are great areas with great schools, but traffic is horrible if u commute to airport!

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by Clayton white guy

Do not listen to to the "Oh the southside is sooo not as good as the northside" stuff. True, Fayette is a slow growth county (but so are many neighboring parts of South Fulton, that is the entire reason for the incorporation of Chattahoochee Hills in South Fulton) Outside of Fayette County, Henry and Coweta really does have similar development to many northern suburban locals (North Cobb, Cherokee, and Forsyth Counties come to mind) Clayton County to the east has everything from working class neighborhoods near Atlanta to rural residents in its Panhandle Region with the affluent Lake Spivey district in between. Peachtree City also has easier access (thanks to the absence of the mindblowing gridlock that NO ONE can dispute in North Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett, Cherokee, Forsyth, etc) to the City of Atlanta where the best shopping, dining, and things to do are anyway. Don't listen to the (Metro Atlanta drops off at I-20) crowd. You and your family will love Peachtree City and Atlanta's glorious Southside suburbs!

Careful Clayton. You're writing checks the region can't cash.

You're also making this black and white, for or against only when others haven't.

No one said Atlanta drops off at I-20.

However, the primary reason it has grown slower has much to do with lack of demand and a bad relationship between business locations looking for labor quality. In thise case the congestion is following success. No one here has really given the OP bad information, so don't get so self-defensive.

Growth has not been the same. Forsyth is far more affluent, than Henry and Coweta which you just compared. They also have immediate access to jobs in Gwinnett and N. Fulton. There is a difference.

Much of what has been said puts Fayette in a positive light, not a negative light as you made it sound others were trying to do.

OP, realize the other comments made on Fayette are very real. It is a bit more separated from the region and there is a whole series of wonderful pros and some inconvenient cons that go with that. We don't care what decision you make, but we are merely just here to pass on the context of the area. Peachtree City and Newnan are common areas for airport relocations and no one disputes that.

[Clayton white guy]

Southwest Forsyth (Many with Sugar Hill, Suwanee. or Alpharetta addresses) may be more affluent, but the rest of Forsyth really seems more Henry or Coweta-ish to me in terms of recent development. I like the "your region can't cash" metaphor by the way; quite southern.