Alpharetta vs Marietta (Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Roswell: crime, technology jobs, neighborhoods)

[My dream city]

Hello,
going to move this fall,but not sure Marietta or Alpharetta is best to grow family? Please help! Also looking for nice, kids friendly neighborhood and less crime rate.

[lorilove]

Both are excellent locations.

Tell us your housing budget, where you will be working (because life can be miserable if you don't take your commute into consideration) and age of children and from there we can give more specific advice.

[NB9540]

Agree with above response, and also - are you asking about Marietta, or are you asking about the East Cobb part of Marietta ...??

Budget and commute are two huge factors to consider.

[Soccernerd]

Marietta Public Schools aren’t nearly as highly regarded as the Fulton County Schools that’s serve the City of Alpharetta.

The area of Cobb County known as East Cobb is unincorporated with a Marietta mailing address.

[SharenaLoggins]

I would recommend Alpharetta over Marietta. You could even add in Roswell, Old Milton and Sandy Springs.

You definitely want to take your commute into consideration. Traffic is horrible traveling South on 400 into the city.

[evannole]

It depends on what you're looking for, and where your job is located. I wouldn't live in Alpharetta on a bet, unless I had a very local commute or worked from home, but we do like going to Avalon for shopping and entertainment.

True Marietta has a much more true city/small town atmosphere, which makes sense since it was actually incorporated before Atlanta. Alpharetta is developing a new "downtown" area with shops and restaurants, and by all appearances it will be very nice, but probably lacking any historical charm, if that's at all important to you; Marietta, meanwhile, has had a real downtown and town square for 150+ years, and it's extremely vibrant, popular with families and singles, and people from all walks of life, having been rejuvenated over the last decade after 20-30 years of neglect. There are multiple excellent restaurants, including one that was named one of the top ten new restaurants in America by Bon Appétit magazine last year.

Schools in Alpharetta are better, though Marietta's have improved substantially as the downtown area has revitalized and families have moved back in. East Cobb schools are on par with what you'd find in Alpharetta.

As previously mentioned, traffic is challenging in the northern suburbs, and probably more so in and around Alpharetta than anywhere else if your commute takes you towards, into or through Atlanta proper. Georgia 400 is a very, very congested and difficult highway. Marietta is served by I-75, which is also very crowded, but commutes between Marietta and Atlanta aren't as difficult as those between Alpharetta and Atlanta, partly because of distance; Marietta is a good deal closer to Atlanta and to the I-285 Perimeter highway. Moreover, toll lanes paralleling I-75 just opened a week ago and will provide a good option for those willing to pay the tolls that will vary with the levels of traffic. They've been free for their first two weeks, and between them and the HOV lane on I-75 through the city, I have been able to consistently commute between Marietta and the airport in 35 minutes or less in each direction. (I recently bought an electric car, and as such can drive in the HOV lane without a passenger. There are no HOV lanes on Georgia 400, either inside or outside the Perimeter.) Georgia 400 is also undergoing a major reconstruction of its interchange at I-285 at the moment; the project just got underway and is likely to make the traffic in the area worse for several years before it makes it better. There is a plan to extend MARTA bus rapid transit into North Fulton and Alpharetta along planned toll lanes but it will likely be 5-10 years or more before that comes to fruition.

As others have said, figure out where you will be working, and people can probably provide more insightful advice. There are a lot of technology jobs in Alpharetta itself, and if that's your field, it might be a great fit, but if you're going to work in the city, I would probably look elsewhere. If you prefer a suburban experience like Alpharetta but want to live closer to the city, Sandy Springs could also be a good choice.

[NorthAtlanta]

Having lived in both the cities I would say Alpharetta is more developed, has more entertainment/dining/shopping options and has better schools. Marietta has a small town feeling over all. East cobb has some good schools but I would rank schools in Alpharetta higher than Schools in Marietta. The only thing going against Alpharetta is the commute into the city..

[aries4118]

East Cobb.

[PTC Dad]

Both are great areas, but I'm partial to East Cobb. The Walton, Pope, & Lassiter districts are some of the best in the state. Also, Marietta has a great downtown, and with all the development around Suntrust Park, Cobb has a lot of economic development still to come.

However, I would let your commute be the deciding factor. If you're working in and around North Fulton, definitely consider Alpharetta, Milton, or John's Creek.

[Clayton white guy]

The City of Roswell is another great place in North Fulton, nicer than Alpharetta in my opinion: fabulous Downtown (with great restaurants and shops) simply not found in Downtown Alpharetta, still really great schools, just a tad (Roswell is adjacent to Alpharetta to the south) closer to the City of Atlanta and the Perimeter Center business district, wonderful river front parks, and, while most of Roswell is "typical" suburban construction, there are some charming historic neighborhoods around its downtown (perhaps a little like Downtown Marietta/ City of Marietta), To me, the question would be City of Marietta v/s East Cobb (basically with a Marietta or Roswell address anyway) or Roswell.