Dunwoody vs Roswell vs East Cobb (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: transplants, 2015, apartment complexes)

[TransplantATL]

#1 Add to TransplantATL's Reputation Report Post
Old Today, 09:28 PM
TransplantATL TransplantATL started this thread
Member

Edit Status

Join Date: Dec 2015
12 posts, read 5,604 times
Reputation: 10

Hi all,

Posted before, got some decent advice but now that we have been heavy into the home search, have a better point of reference.

Family with a 4 year old and a 1 year old. Currently work in Norcross but at the airport almost weekly and frankly, want to live somewhere with convenient access to the major employment Hubs should the job or office location change.

Right Now, we are really leaning towards the Vanderlyn area of Dunwoody. We have hunted for homes in East Cobb as well (only Walton district) and the prices seem out of whack for the houses. So, questions:

-Vanderlyn district straight through high school getting better? We do not want to do private school and we are not scared of a little diversity but we also don't want a bad education for our kids after elementary.

-specifically looking off of Dunwoody Club drive. It is not a subdivision but a nice neighborhood of new construction and renovated homes. Are the kids likely to still get a neighborhood feel without the swim and tennis?

- For those with experience, would you say Dunwoody is a much better commute to downtown, 85N, airport than East Cobb and Roswell?

-We are now also considering Roswell North elementary district due to the newer construction homes available for similar prices to older homes in Dunwoody and East Cobb . Any input here on commute or schools? Seems like the best alternative.

- We have been looking in Heards Ferry too but no luck.

-any general advice on future appreciation etc. My opinion is East Cobb will be fine as people choose to move there for the schools and Dunwoody should be OK due to the location but Roswell may not enjoy the same market appreciation as the schools are OK but not magnets for transplants and the location isn't ideal.

I know this is a novel but any advice would be appreciated!

[AtlJan]

I'd do Dunwoody bc it's closest to your work. For Dunwoody, personally, I'd want to be able to walk to Dunwoody Village or my neighborhood's swim tennis. If you do opt for the location without its own swim/tennis, some communities let you pay to be a non-resident member. Still, you'll start hankering to live in the hood. I promise.

I am not sure about the commute from Roswell to Norcross. It looks a bit far, but others can chime in. If you could get a house walkable to downtown Roswell, that would be a huge plus. Homes near downtown Roswell are very desirable and I don't think you need to worry about home values there at all. I would say in terms of schools in the three areas named, general consensus would rank them East Cobb first, then Roswell, then Dunwoody. Of course, all three are large geographic areas with different schools of varying quality.

East Cobb--I'm not feeling it for you b/c the commute would be horrific to Norcross, and yeah, you won't get as much house.

Dunwoody's schools have plenty of motivated students and all the extracurriculars, etc. It's actually pretty tricky to pick a middle/high school for preschool age kids--I'm currently batting 50% on that at my house. You really won't know what kind of students they are or where their interests lie for a while. Dunwoody also gets you in proximity to some great private options if you ever felt like you needed a change.

[wasel]

Dunwoody is the best option given all the parameters, especially the central location. Plus you will come to appreciate the access to MARTA to the airport.

Dunwoody High and the feeders are good schools. Keep in mind that the area is affluent, filled with career oriented folks who value education. They stay involved in what’s going on with their neighborhood school, trust me.

As for the swim/tennis, most all the neighborhoods extend their membership to outside residents. It’s very common.

[ATL Golfer]

I’d go Dunwoody too.

Live close to MARTA for airport.

I went to Vanderlyn and Heards Ferry. Sandy Springs is great but no MARTA and expensive housing. Austin is an excellent school as well and near MARTA.

[brown_dog_us]

Dunwoody for sure and I second looking for swim and tennis close by. Also, I do think the area is improving and gives you a great balance of close to the city but also has big lots, solid schools, safety, etc.

[stoxdiamond]

I lived in Dunwoody for 5 years and was considering buying into Vanderlyn/Austin zones for my daughter's school. The people I have spoken to have pretty much agreed that those elementary schools are fantastic but then it gets iffy ones you go from middle school onwards. It's not an issue with diversity of the student body. The complaints mostly come about mismanagement by the administration and/or questionable quality of teachers. If you can get into the magnet school program I heard it helps a lot.

[Soccernerd]

You might want to consider Wheeler High School. I believe it has a magnet program which attracts talented students from accross Cobb County. Part of the district includes many affluent East Cobb as well as apartment complexes. Apartment complexes usually have more lower-income, minority, or transient residents. Some of the schools are rated lower than in the Walton or Pope clusters for example. Houses in the high school district are somewhat lower too.

The southern end of the school's zoning boundaries extend to south all of the way to Cumberland. The location of the feeder zone will allow quicker access to 75 and the Perimeter and Atlanta's major job centers.