Best cities near Alpharetta?

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

If you struggled with traffic in Chicago and are currently struggling with traffic in Orlando, then you probably will not like Atlanta traffic, which will be a challenge in the areas that are being discussed on the Northside of the Atlanta metro area.

North metro Atlanta has lots of excellent qualities, but traffic will be a challenge on most days. That is just the reality of the situation.

So true.

momof4es - If you do indeed live in the area we are assuming you do, expect things to be pretty much the same. There are more lanes and heavier volume here, but if you are used to 436, 434, Lake Mary Blvd., etc there will be no difference.

[DaBurgh]

In addition all of those back roads in-between Alpharetta and the Druid Hills area may be clogged due to the upcoming mega-project at GA 400 and I285 which will last awhile

[momof4es]

Originally Posted by JMatl

So true.

momof4es - If you do indeed live in the area we are assuming you do, expect things to be pretty much the same. There are more lanes and heavier volume here, but if you are used to 436, 434, Lake Mary Blvd., etc there will be no difference.

My husband works in Orlando, but we live about an hour away in Winter Haven. It's a fairly small town so there is hardly any traffic here.

I guess I'll have to come to terms with raising our budgeting and getting used to dealing with traffic in order to have the community we desire.

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by momof4es

My husband works in Orlando, but we live about an hour away in Winter Haven. It's a fairly small town so there is hardly any traffic here.

I guess I'll have to come to terms with raising our budgeting and getting used to dealing with traffic in order to have the community we desire.

I'm very familiar with Winter Haven. While nice, I would much rather be here.

If you aren't familiar with Orlando, I know you are with Tampa. Think Brandon or Carrollwood, only much prettier with better schools.

There are hundreds of thousands of former Floridians here that are quite happy, including myself and several others on this board.

It's an easy transition, and I don't know anyone that has regretted the move.

[momof4es]

Jmati, I lived in Tampa for 14 years before moving to Chicago. I truly loved Brandon and Carrollwood. That gives me a little more peace. We'll adjust our conservative budget and look forward to next week.

Thanks JMati, Daburgh, LovinDecatur, windycityfan, PTC Dad, and Need4Camaro! I truly appreciate all of your perspectives and input. I showed my husband all of the replies and he was surprised by how much information we have to make our decision.

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by momof4es

Jmati, I lived in Tampa for 14 years before moving to Chicago. I truly loved Brandon and Carrollwood. That gives me a little more peace. We'll adjust our conservative budget and look forward to next week.

I'm so glad that helps put your mind at ease.

It's going to be gorgeous on Monday, and the Metro is in full beautiful Spring mode. I predict you're going to fall in love.

Please update us on your impressions and experience.

[momof4es]

Originally Posted by momof4es

Thanks JMati, Daburgh, LovinDecatur, windycityfan, PTC Dad, and Need4Camaro!

Also thanks Born 2 roll and primaltech. I wanted to thank each of you. All of you guys have included great information!

[momof4es]

Originally Posted by JMatl

I'm so glad that helps put your mind at ease.

It's going to be gorgeous on Monday, and the Metro is in full beautiful Spring mode. I predict you're going to fall in love.

Please update us on your impressions and experience.

I think the kids will for sure. I've already printed out a fun itinerary.

I'll certainly let you guys know. Now off to the fun of packing for 4 kids.

[momof4es]

Thank you all so much for all of the information. We are back and planning for our move in the summer. I wasn't able to visit as many places as we would like but I did visit a few and was able to speak to a few locals. We've also contacted a realtor as my husband isn't 100% sold on renting but also wants to keep our current home in Florida and rent it out. If we purchase though we're going to stay in the $250K range.

Although I'm not exactly certain about the area we will end up choosing, I do know some areas that we probably won't choose. I enjoyed Alpharetta. It was beautiful and the people were very kind. There was actually a lot more diversity that I expected and we felt comfortable every place that we visited. I don't think we'll choose to live in Alpharetta at this time as I felt the homes were a little above what we want to spend, but we saw some okay apartments. I really liked the YMCA. Although is was tiny, the people were extremely friendly and I like that it seems like everyone knows each other.

I wasn't impressed with Roswell or Norcross, although I can't quiet articulate why. I only drove through John's Creek so I don't have an opinion yet.

One lady was adamant that we check out Cherokee as she said she lived in Alpharetta for 8 years and now that she is in Cherokee, she gets everything Alpharetta for a fraction of the cost. She also said there is a significant homeschooling community.

One of my friends here raved about Duluth and said it is a somewhere she thinks we might like.

We found several large homes in Snellville and Lawrenceville online but we've not heard too much about them. My husband is planning to drive around those neighborhoods some time this week.

One of the hardest things about searching for a place out of state is knowing which zip codes within a city will actually fit specific needs. That's actually why I want to rent for a year to get a feel for the places, but my hubby thinks renting is throwing money away. So I guess we'll see.