Researching North of Atlanta for Possible Family Move (Gainesville, Lawrenceville: rent, condo)

[alovely1]

1. Budget. $600K and up to buy/renting is an option as well
2. House/Condo/Townhome? Buy a house, rent a house
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home). Commute to Northeast Georgia Medical Center--Gainesville
Estimate work hours 7:00 am to 4:00pm
4. Children(public school vs. private). High schooler, looking for well rounded activities, challenging academic curriculum
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two. No preference
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? No preference
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. Diversity, great grocers, variety of eating spots, recreation/fitness opportunites


Please let me know what you think. Any opinions about Buford, Suwanee, Lawrenceville, Braselton, Gainesville, Johns Creek? Thank you!

[sedimenjerry]

Easy. Buford area and other parts of northern Gwinnett. Buford City has its own school system. Highly touted academics, great athletics, small class sizes. Gwinnett County schools are also very good but have larger schools and class sizes. Right now, North Gwinnett HS is probably the best in Gwinnett County Public Schools but you can't go wrong with Lanier (a little closer to Gainesville), Peachtree Ridge, Collins Hill, Mountain View or Mill Creek (probably the closest along with Buford and Lanier).

Commute won't be bad. Basically a shot up 985 which never has traffic delays unless there's a wreck. If you choose a place far enough south you'll have to drive on 85 but against the flow of rush hour traffic.

Budget gets you in anywhere AND can give you a really nice house in any of those areas.
If you want a more exurban experience with some land, Mill Creek still has some of the more undeveloped parts of Gwinnett. But it also has suburban areas. For more built up (but still very suburban) head to Peachtree Ridge HS, North Gwinnett HS, Buford and Collins Hill HS. Lanier is a mix as is Mountain View.

Suwanee is very diverse (the whole county really). Large Asian population, particularly Korean. Plenty of H Marts. Lots of stores with Korean names. Down the road from Peachtree Ridge is a small strip mall where I think every store is Korean. Also a significant Hispanic population in the area. And it's Georgia so you can expect black and white anywhere.

Gwinnett County has a well regarded parks system. Some small, some quite large. You also have Lake Lanier right there at the top of the county. Mountains not too far away.

[OhioNative]

I commute from the North Gwinnett cluster up to Gainesville and have for the past 15 years. Takes about 30 - 35 minutes. Great schools and a central location convenient to a lot of shopping, including the Mall of Georgia.