Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Georgia > Atlanta
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 07-02-2019, 10:54 AM
 
5 posts, read 2,817 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

Hi there. We have been in the Athens area for about a year. It's been perfect for us, a lot to do and not far from mountains or Atlanta. Lots of music and festivals, which Is what we love.
Shane's work area changed and now is Macon/Milledgeville/Thomaston. We do not have children and do not need public transportation. I have researched and see that these areas south of Atlanta dont rate well for fun or safety.
Would like to live somewhere midway of these areas (at least not more than a 1.5 hour drive to each) and also drivable to Atlanta for concerts and comedy shows, etc.
We are renting now but it looks like buying and selling when we relocate again in a few years would be best after seeing rental prices compared to price of homes south of Atlanta to Macon. The demographics of the neighborhood are not important just feeling safe in my home and neighborhood. Also I do have an English bulldog if that factors into your decision/advice. I work from home but plan to see what might be around, I am a nurse and know there are a lot of nursing opportunities around Atlanta as opposed to the Athens area where we are now. Driving an hour to work is fine with me if needed.
Thanks so much for any advice or opinions on the best area to live now that our idyllic area of GA. Is changing.
Oh and we are in our 40s but still do the same things for fun that we did in our late 20s....if that helps- just trying to give any info that may be helpful.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-02-2019, 11:16 AM
 
8,302 posts, read 5,653,638 times
Reputation: 7542
Your best bet would be McDonough.

But just a fair warning. I'm not sure what your interests and goals are, but McDonough's very much a family-oriented, blue collar bedroom community (if you are expecting an Alpharetta or Kennesaw-type environment, you will be disappointed). Frankly, from a social and access to jobs perspective, McDonough isn't much better than Macon other than the fact that it's growing more rapidly and has more transplants.

To add, as someone who does a commute from Newnan to Columbus for the same reasons, your plan to spend time in Atlanta sounds good in theory, but after making that drive to/from Macon everyday to/from McDonough, you're going to be too wore out to drive into Atlanta to take advantage of much of the action. There are going to be many evenings/weekends where you just want to recover from your virtual daily road trip and not travel far from home.

That said, where the perks come in is the feeling that everything around you is new (Macon is an older, more established city), that you can tell people you live in "Atlanta," and the fact that you'll be relatively close to other professional employment opportunities if you intend to job hop.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-02-2019, 11:22 AM
 
5 posts, read 2,817 times
Reputation: 10
Hi citidata18- thank you, that's very helpful. We don't do much during the week, we just like to have fun on the weekend, so no worries about him commuting to Macon then having to be ready to head to Atlanta. I had looked at McDonough area but something made me question it so I really appreciate your input.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-02-2019, 11:30 AM
 
8,302 posts, read 5,653,638 times
Reputation: 7542
Quote:
Originally Posted by AllisonShane View Post
Hi citidata18- thank you, that's very helpful. We don't do much during the week, we just like to have fun on the weekend, so no worries about him commuting to Macon then having to be ready to head to Atlanta. I had looked at McDonough area but something made me question it so I really appreciate your input.
No problem.

McDonough is fine from a safety standpoint but, I wouldn't describe it as "fun" for childless couples or singles. It's pretty much a run-of-the-mill suburb.

But if you're ok with having to go to Atlanta all of the time for "fun" stuff like festivals, concerts, etc., I think you'll like McDonough.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-02-2019, 12:02 PM
 
Location: Georgia
3,987 posts, read 2,098,678 times
Reputation: 3106
Quote:
Originally Posted by citidata18 View Post
Your best bet would be McDonough.

But just a fair warning. I'm not sure what your interests and goals are, but McDonough's very much a family-oriented, blue collar bedroom community (if you are expecting an Alpharetta or Kennesaw-type environment, you will be disappointed). Frankly, from a social and access to jobs perspective, McDonough isn't much better than Macon other than the fact that it's growing more rapidly and has more transplants.

To add, as someone who does a commute from Newnan to Columbus for the same reasons, your plan to spend time in Atlanta sounds good in theory, but after making that drive to/from Macon everyday to/from McDonough, you're going to be too wore out to drive into Atlanta to take advantage of much of the action. There are going to be many evenings/weekends where you just want to recover from your virtual daily road trip and not travel far from home.

That said, where the perks come in is the feeling that everything around you is new (Macon is an older, more established city), that you can tell people you live in "Atlanta," and the fact that you'll be relatively close to other professional employment opportunities if you intend to job hop.
I've lived in McDonough for 19 years- I like it. Bad traffic is the only negative. The city leaders really try to make it a nice place to live.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-02-2019, 12:36 PM
 
5 posts, read 2,817 times
Reputation: 10
Thanks Bryan85. We moved here from Baton Rouge originally so sitting in traffic just feels like home.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-02-2019, 07:48 PM
 
761 posts, read 900,824 times
Reputation: 949
I think Peachtree City/Starr's Mill area of Fayette County is one of the nicest places on the southside. It's about 45 minutes from Thomaston from the southend of Peachtree City, and less than 1.5 hours to Macon, but it would be ~2 hours to Milledgeville and even further to Athens. It has extremely low crime, and easy access to Atlanta and the airport, but wouldn't meet your 1.5 hours criteria to all locations.

For that reason, I think the Kellytown/Union Grove side of McDonough might be your best option.


Moderator cut: links removed, competitor site

Last edited by Yac; 07-08-2019 at 01:01 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-02-2019, 07:58 PM
 
5 posts, read 2,817 times
Reputation: 10
Hi PTC Dad,
Thanks for your input. Athens is of no consequence as we've no need to return there once we move. Milledgeville is somewhere Shane will be going at least 2x weekly.. so 2 hours is far.
Someone pointed out the crime level in McDonough, it's a 1:344 chance of being victim of a violent crime. That is super concerning.
Now I am wondering if we should just not concern ourselves with weekend fun and maybe head to Warner Robins?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-02-2019, 08:39 PM
 
446 posts, read 393,275 times
Reputation: 622
I wouldn't want to live all the way up in McDonough if I were going to be working in Macon-Milledgeville-Thomaston.

I might choose Macon. Check out its CoC and visitors/travel websites and see what you think. It's also more or less centrally located for both Milledgeville and Thomaston.

It's a college town in a sense, so probably things to do, but I don't think it's anything like Athens.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-03-2019, 10:07 AM
 
761 posts, read 900,824 times
Reputation: 949
Quote:
Originally Posted by AllisonShane View Post
Hi PTC Dad,
Thanks for your input. Athens is of no consequence as we've no need to return there once we move. Milledgeville is somewhere Shane will be going at least 2x weekly.. so 2 hours is far.
Someone pointed out the crime level in McDonough, it's a 1:344 chance of being victim of a violent crime. That is super concerning.
Now I am wondering if we should just not concern ourselves with weekend fun and maybe head to Warner Robins?
Warner Robbins is a good option.

You should also look in the Smarr area of Monroe County. Close to all three cities, and Mary Person's is a good high school, so it continues to draw a lot of middle/upper middle class families from Macon who don't want to continue to pay for private school. Also, Smarr is closer to Atlanta than Warner Robbins and near all the dinning options in North Macon.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Georgia > Atlanta

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top