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My wife was offered a promotion at her job here in Ocala, and with that comes a transfer to Marietta for a new facility they're utilizing on Cumberland Point Dr. I've been spending the last week or so researching, digging through this forum, checking out rental prices, and I have found ideal areas, though I'm not sure we can afford them. We have two children, 3 & 8, so good schools and safe surroundings are most important. I'd like to stay near where she will work, and I'd like to keep her commute as short and close as possible, but I'm unsure about how safe the areas of Marietta and Smyrna are. I know East Cobb is safe and has awesome schools, but not much in the way of rentals. I've seen a few houses for like $1700/mo, which we may be able to swing, but we'd like to stay closer to maybe $1300, however unrealistic that may be. Honestly, the rent prices took awhile to get over because here in Ocala we rent a 4 bedroom house, fenced in yard, safe area for $775/month lol. Big change.
Anyway, it looks like rents are close to that all over the area, so we'll just have to suck it up. As far as safety goes, I'm not really sure what to think because I've read plenty of posts on here about Marietta being safe, though the crime stat sites like neighborhood scout seem to paint a different picture. Another big thing I'm concerned about is the fact that my wife is not very street smart. In all honesty, she sticks out like a sore thumb, and I'd really rather her not end up being a mark because she wouldn't even realize it, so truly I need to find a safe area that has a more small town, suburban feel. Aside from the areas mentioned, I like what I've read about Woodstock, Sandy Plains, Roswell, Sandy Springs, and Dallas, though that may be a bit too far out there. Any of them could be with commute times, which is why I'm asking for any and all advice from you guys.
I forgot to mention that her salary will about around $40k/year, and I'm currently out of work, stay at home dad. The time frame around this potential move would be mid 2020, when my youngest daughter starts VPK, also when I'm finishing up my Bachelor's in Business Management, so I'd like to be able to get back into the workforce up there, god knows we'll need the extra income. Ideally, we'd stay put up there, and buy a house eventually. I love the close proximity to the mountains, and I've about had it with Florida tbh, so it's a welcome change if we can get all the pieces in order.
I apologize if I'm all over the place with this post, way too much partial info and questions floating around in my head lol. Thank you all for any advice.
The areas with Marietta and Smyrna street addresses are pretty vast, so it's hard to give you general information about safety. Even within the city limits, each has its safe and less safe areas. If you could give us some more specifics about the areas you're looking at (intersection of main roads should be enough), those of us who know the areas well can probably provide some insight.
More broadly speaking, though: congratulations to your wife on her offer of a promotion. Do you think she has any negotiating leverage on her salary? I would think long and hard about moving to metro Atlanta on her proposed salary of $40k a year, particularly since you aren't working at the moment and want to continue your studies, which is certainly the right move longer term but will be expensive in the short term. I hate to be blunt, but $40k a year is a bit of a stretch for a family of four in metro Atlanta, and particularly in the northern suburbs. It's not impossible but it wouldn't be easy, either. As you've seen, housing is more expensive here, and some other things are as well. Plus, unlike Florida, there's a state income tax in Georgia.
I hope I don't come across as too negative. I just wouldn't want you to jump at what seems like a good opportunity, only to be disappointed once you're here.
Best of in your search, and feel free to ask any further questions. Lots of nice people here would be glad to help with advice if they can.
Why not consider Kennesaw? Not so much small town but it's definitely a suburban feel and there's Kennesaw Mountain. All that you listed with the exception of Woodstock and maybe Dallas (don't know for certain about Dallas), might not get you what you want.
As for the commute, that could be an issue depending on the time your wife starts work. I won't lie...that express highway really does help ease traffic though.
You may want to consider Paulding County. North Paulding High School is well regarded and homes are less expensive in Paulding vs. Cobb. I'd specifically look in the Hiram or Dallas area. The commute to Marietta should be under 30 minutes from Hiram. Woodstock may be another area to look at, but the commute my be tougher from there due to the increased congestion on 575 and 75
The areas with Marietta and Smyrna street addresses are pretty vast, so it's hard to give you general information about safety. Even within the city limits, each has its safe and less safe areas. If you could give us some more specifics about the areas you're looking at (intersection of main roads should be enough), those of us who know the areas well can probably provide some insight.
More broadly speaking, though: congratulations to your wife on her offer of a promotion. Do you think she has any negotiating leverage on her salary? I would think long and hard about moving to metro Atlanta on her proposed salary of $40k a year, particularly since you aren't working at the moment and want to continue your studies, which is certainly the right move longer term but will be expensive in the short term. I hate to be blunt, but $40k a year is a bit of a stretch for a family of four in metro Atlanta, and particularly in the northern suburbs. It's not impossible but it wouldn't be easy, either. As you've seen, housing is more expensive here, and some other things are as well. Plus, unlike Florida, there's a state income tax in Georgia.
I hope I don't come across as too negative. I just wouldn't want you to jump at what seems like a good opportunity, only to be disappointed once you're here.
Best of in your search, and feel free to ask any further questions. Lots of nice people here would be glad to help with advice if they can.
You don't come off as negative at all. I appreciate your honesty. The last thing I want to do is put my family in a situation that we'll ending up sinking from, especially being so far away from family and any kind of support, so it's definitely something I'm going to give serious thought to. Luckily, this move isn't something that is right around the corner, so I'm not in a rush and many things can change between now and then. I'm just one to start planning immediately and start getting my ducks in a row as soon as I can. As far as her having negotiating leverage, I honestly don't know and I doubt she'd feel comfortable negotiating in the first place.
DreamerD mentioned Kennesaw, which I hadn't looked into yet. Currently in the process of going through listings and whatnot, and it seems like a nice area, would definitely give us a bit more wiggle room, pricewise. I'm kinda just looking all over the general area, no specifics as of yet, but are there any "no-go" zones you can think of? Seems to be my understanding that much of the Atlanta area and surrounding are almost steadily improving as far as crime goes. Of course, that's from an outsider's perspective of what he reads, so I could be way off, but it seems most of the crimes are property crimes and theft. I'm surprised it's as spread out all over the area as it is, but I definitely don't get the impression that it's a huge issue.
Another big question I failed to ask before: how high do the utilities run in say a 1500-1800 square foot home? Down here, our utility company screws us royally with rates, wondering if it's the same up there. Again, thank you all for your help thus far, and any help you provide me with going forward. I truly appreciate it.
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
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I don't know that I would move here with just 40K to live on. You didn't mention savings and reserves and other debts. Plus your moving expense. I just wonder what her salary was if the promotion only got 40K. I think a realistic rent will be 1700 for a good area that you are requesting. That makes you rent 51% of her salary. The equalivant where you are paying 775 means she would be making 18K now if you use the same ratio. If she makes more you might want to stay put.
My pleasure. You clearly have a good head on your shoulders, planning this far in advance.
I don't really want to generalize about the safety of specific areas, but here are a few thoughts. Kennesaw is a decent suggestion and I would say most of it is pretty safe. Within the city of Marietta itself, I would largely, but not entirely, focus on areas west of Fairground Street, but the city, especially near the historic Square, is in the full swing of gentrification and so there are patches of renewed areas mixed in with patches that haven't quite turned over yet. Smyrna is similar in some respects but there's less of an historic urban core and the city is more suburban in character even though it's closer to Atlanta. I don't think of there being a whole lot of parts of Smyrna to avoid anymore.
As for utilities, electric here runs somewhere around 12 cents per kWh, in line with or perhaps a bit cheaper than in Florida, where I grew up. Your provider and rates will depend on where you live. The Georgia Public Service Commission has the rates from all the state's utility providers posted online every quarter, I think. I believe that water rates are probably slightly lower here than in Florida but couldn't say for sure. My water bill always feels like it's quite reasonable. Restaurants and other entertainment here are probably more expensive - certainly more expensive than in Ocala - and the ad valorum tax you incur when bringing a car in from out of state often comes as an unpleasant surprise to people, so be prepared for it. (It's roughly 7% of the value of the car you're bringing in - the same as if you purchased that car here for that same value.)
Keep the questions coming and I and others will chime in where we can!
I don't know that I would move here with just 40K to live on. You didn't mention savings and reserves and other debts. Plus your moving expense. I just wonder what her salary was if the promotion only got 40K. I think a realistic rent will be 1700 for a good area that you are requesting. That makes you rent 51% of her salary. The equalivant where you are paying 775 means she would be making 18K now if you use the same ratio. If she makes more you might want to stay put.
No savings, plenty of other debts tbh lol but not extreme amounts. The company would be willing to pay the moving expenses, so that's a huge plus, and currently she makes a little under $30k, so nice bump in pay but seems like it would balance out to the same given the difference of CoL. Gonna talk to the wife and see if she can ask for a little higher due to the extreme differences in prices.
If you want out of FL and want to move to metro ATL, then great, but I wouldn't do it for a salary bump up to $40K. In other words, a $40K salary for a family can be found in most US cities so I wouldn't move only for the job. There's got to be more at stake for you than that. At that salary level for a family, you benefit most from a low cost area? What type of salary might you expect when you graduate? I think that could tell a lot.
You are correct in that the city of Marietta has great parts and not so great parts, no terrible parts however. And while East Cobb is a wonderful area, you need the budget area of East Cobb.
Areas that are more budget friendly, near Marietta, still with decent schools:
Sprayberry HS area of East Cobb
Kennesaw (nice area, good highway access, tons of big box retail, home to large university)
Woodstock (good highway access, lots of young families, very busy though. Some parts are far out there. HWY 92 is crazy in a bad way)
Don't move. If you are able to afford to rent a 4 bedroom house with a yard in a safe area and good schools on a salary of less than $40k/yr and stay afloat financially then your family is living the 1950's americana dream. Many many many people cannot make that work on double that salary here in Atlanta.
Atlanta is perhaps one of the least vicious of the big cities in the US but $40k will not give you anywhere near the quality of life that you currently enjoy. Don't believe the hype about big city sophistication. Marietta is a suburb and while it is more diverse than Ocala, you can always scratch that itch by visiting occasionally.
I'm not sure what your wife currently earns, but the scaling of her income to a mere 40k is not proportional to the increase in cost of living. A quick google says that cost of living is 40% more expensive in Marietta with rent costing twice as much.
I'm not sure what a move to Marietta would give you in return. The job market here isn't stellar,IMO
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