Gainesville question (Atlanta, Dawson, Hartwell: crime, houses, neighborhood)

[hoya123]

We are moving to Gainesville in 4 months and have been looking at homes and areas online as we aren't there and can't look in person. we have found a few homes on the west side of Lake Lanier very close to the lake for great prices but after looking online they seem to have a mix of very nice homes and trailers all around. One was in Crystal cove shores neighborhood in particular, the crime data showed that entire area being green or very safe, but news articles said that its apparently a bad place? Known for crime and as " crystal meth shores " or something? Is it that bad around there? Should that area be avoided when looking?

[flamadiddle]

It's a mixed bag up there. Do the schools matter? If so, check the school ratings and demographics to make sure they're a fit. There's a pretty large Hispanic population in Gainesville. If location isn't critical, I'd go further North to Hall county - North Hall High School.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by hoya123

We are moving to Gainesville in 4 months and have been looking at homes and areas online as we aren't there and can't look in person. we have found a few homes on the west side of Lake Lanier very close to the lake for great prices but after looking online they seem to have a mix of very nice homes and trailers all around. One was in Crystal cove shores neighborhood in particular, the crime data showed that entire area being green or very safe, but news articles said that its apparently a bad place? Known for crime and as " crystal meth shores " or something? Is it that bad around there? Should that area be avoided when looking?

Welcome to Georgia...

The answer is that the neighborhood in question is mostly a mix of the two as you alluded to....A neighborhood that consists of very nice homes with trailers mixed in between.

That combination of very nice homes with trailers mixed in-between might sound strange to newcomers from some other parts of the country. But the trailers most often were built in the area when it was a very poor far-flung outer-exurban/rural area before the area became a hot commodity in an area of rising affluence where developers wanted to bring larger detached three-bedroom and larger homes near the lake.

Crime is generally extremely low in that area and the other areas like it that may be spread throughout the state. Crime does happen in those areas occasionally, but it generally is not nothing to be concerned about like it might would be in areas closer to the urban core of the greater Atlanta region.

With that said, the best thing that you can do is continue to gather information about the area and then when the opportunity presents itself, personally go and checkout the area for yourself on multiple trips.

Also, try going in person to the Forsyth County Sheriff's Department (the police department of the county where the neighborhood is located) and talking to some of the officers who might be familiar with the area and see what they might have to say about the crime situation in the area.

Also talk to the neighbors in and around the area where you are interested in making a home purchase and see what they might have to say about the crime situation in the area. Don't just talk to the realtor and/or the home seller whose primary interest is to sell the home as soon as possible.

You can never do too much research when making an investment as big as a home purchase.

[sedimenjerry]

We're on a different lake - Hartwell. It's fairly similar here. You have a lot of lake houses ranging from cheap to over a million (I imagine Lanier can get more pricey). We're more in the middle. The lake has a lot of people from Atlanta and other places that don't quite fit the country stereotype. There are definitely some poor families living near here. We'll drive past a nice 750K house and then down the road it looks like Appalachia. The grocery store will have a Mercedes parked next to a 30 year old beater of a car that barely works. It's really not an issue. I'm sure there's meth around here somewhere but I haven't seen any signs of it. The Gainesville area is a little wealthier than here. My grandma has lived up there for the last 15 years or so and it's pretty nice. If you're looking on the west side of the lake in northern Forsyth or Dawson county you should be fine. More and more people from Atlanta are moving up in that direction (many retiring). It's not 100% methland.

[LTCM]

All lakes in the south are like that. Lot value on the lake is high, but off the water it's just normal country land. Also, still have a lot of old lakefront housing stock from when the south didn't have any money. Now you have more money from retirees and professionals building nice places.

Lanier is a little different because it has a legitimate city on its shores (Gainesvegas) and Atlanta metro has basically expanded to the southern edges. But the principal still stands.

[go falcons]

Born to Roll is right on the money once again.Always,always,always talk to sheriff's departments, police or fire departments ( especially the EMT's and Paramedics)if you want to find out whether an area has issues with crimes drugs etc. They are the ones that see it and deal with these issues the most and they usually are very honest when asked this type of question.
All counties have some issues with all drugs no matter where you were to move.Right now meth is not the one you really need to be concerned about, sadly it's heroin that is becoming more of a problem.

[OhioNative]

Around Gainesville and many North Georgia areas you also need to be aware of any nearby chicken houses or other poultry operations. If the wind shifts the smell can be rather unpleasant if you are too close. ��