The commute from Douglas is getting significantly worse as the years go by, thanks to everyone and their mother, best friend, and cousin moving out here! When I purchased my house in '04, the news stations rarely mentioned I-20 westbound past Six Flags Drive. Now, you hear them mention the traffic near the Lee Road, Fairburn Road, and Chapel Hill Road exits on a frequent basis.
We do have 2 Park and Ride routes operated by XpressGA out here: one to Midtown Atlanta and another to Downtown Atlanta.
Xpress GA - Route 460
Xpress GA - Route 461
The nearest MARTA stop is the Hamilton Holmes station...and on a good traffic day (on the weekend or mid-day) that's about 25 minutes away.
I think Douglasville is okay...it's this sleepy Atlanta suburb. Everything out here is generally family oriented with a slight rural twist. Crime isn't really a huge problem out here. We have the typical big box stores, with a number of smaller independent shops.
Schools aren't the greatest in my opinion, but they aren't the worst. The one school cluster I highly suggest you avoid is one that feeds into Stewart Middle. As a Douglasville taxpayer, I think the school could be doing a lot better than it is presently.
Bottom line, Douglas County is great if you want to raise your kids in a semi-rural environment that is relatively close to Atlanta. If you want diversity (and I don't mean black/white diversity) then this isn't the place for you. You'll go stir crazy once the novelty of the low cost of living wears off in about...1-2 years.
I apologize for my response being a bit fragmented...I'm tired
