Cobb County vs. Fulton County (Atlanta, Marietta: sales, schools, property taxes)

[teagan]

Can someone educate me on the differences between these counties.
I am looking to move from Boston to Atlanta area and have these two counties narrowed down based on my commute to work in Windy Hill.
Trying to do some research on tax differences etc..
Any advice is appreciated

[neil0311]

I recently moved from MA, live in Cobb, and made a distinct choice to do so rather than Fulton. I had considered Alpharetta due to the proximity to my company's office but chose Marietta several reasons. Here are some of the differences (and similarities) that I found, although if I'm incorrect, I'm sure someone will correct me.

The sales tax in Cobb is 6% and it's 7% in Fulton.

Property taxes are generally less in Cobb, although it depends where you compare, because of cities and unincorporated areas. North Fulton and Atlanta are incorporated, whereas much of Cobb is not. South Fulton is essentially the only part of Fulton that is unincorporated. Tax rates can be found online at the County assesor web sites for both counties. Cobb has a great site where you can get details on any property in the county.

Cobb is more Republican and in my opinion a pretty well run county. Fulton (as a county) is dominated by Democrats that do a less than great job of managing the county at that level, although the cities in north Fulton are much more well managed at their level. The City of Atlanta is a whole other story and in my opinion is typical with urban politics and corruption. Instead of Menino, you have Franklin. The county government in Fulton is much more aligned with Atlanta politics, and the City of Atlanta is a huge percentage of the area and population of the county.

Schools in Cobb are well run and well performing in many areas. In Fulton, the county schools (not including the City of Atlanta schools) are also run decently and perform pretty well, especially in the north part of the county.

Fulton is more urban in most areas, while Cobb is more suburban in most areas. Of course some areas of both counties are more urban or suburban that others.