Powder Springs, 30127 - Bullard Rd (Atlanta, Marietta: tornadoes, budget, hotel)

[Kuya]

Anyone familiar with this area? I currently live in Duluth via DC, but I'm considering buying a home in Powder Springs this summer. I was surprised to see so much land, including horses, along this particular road. How is traffic, shopping, crime, etc.? I work near Dobbins Air Force base, whereas my wife's commute will be near Marietta High off Whitlock.

The rural lifestyle would be different for us, but as one friend told me --Atlanta is growing so fast that those same horses may end up as a Ford dealership selling Mustangs tomorrow...enjoy the peace and tranquility while you can.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by Kuya

The rural lifestyle would be different for us, but as one friend told me --Atlanta is growing so fast that those same horses may end up as a Ford dealership selling Mustangs tomorrow...enjoy the peace and tranquility while you can.

You hit the nail on the head with that statement perfectly.

Overall, the Bullard Road area is good. No more crime than usual for most metro areas (not "high" in other words). Powder Springs proper, as in within the town limits, has had a few downs in the last few years, with a few areas sliding downhill a bit (some gang activity, etc), but it's not nearly as bad as some other areas.

The town limits of Powder Springs is weird and has pockets where some things are within it and some where they are not. I would actually recommend avoiding being INSIDE the town limits, because basically you pay double taxes for certain things in doing so. If you're outside the town limits you have Cobb County police service, etc. That's one of the weirdest parts of living IN Powder Springs... we have our own police department (tax paid by city residents), but if you call 911, you have to talk to Cobb County, who then has to dispatch the Powder Springs police - a double stepped thing that few here are thrilled with, but you'll get to avoid if you're outside the town limits.

West Cobb and in particular north of Powder Springs, is starting to become a rapidly growing area, so yes, chances are any horse farms you still see won't be there 15 years from now (or less). When I moved to Powder Springs 14 years ago, there was 1 Super Wal-mart (Hiram)... today there are something like SEVEN Super Wal-marts within 8 miles of here. Ick. The Avenues of West Cobb development not far from that area has started a development trend over there which is slowly spreading Westward. Pick and choose how close you are to main road, and, if it's a subdivision near on on one, does it have it's own traffic light so it's a lot easier to get in and out of during rush hour? Yes, Dallas Hwy 120 can get EXTREMELY busy during the rush hours and you'll probably travel on it a lot if not daily. Get a house with a basement, too. For some reason this section of the metro gets more tornadoes and bad thunderstorms than on the East end, so while it's nothing to freak out about, basements are good.

Residents of the area are a mix of long timer rural folks mixed with lots of incoming what I call "rural yuppies" - people who don't quite fit in with the Dunwoody or East Cobb crowd, but are still yuppyish regardless. Yes, a bit on the conservative/white/Republican/Baptist sides, but there's a bit of a mix in there as well here and there. As long as you keep your lawn mowed and don't make enough noise to make the neighbors call the cops on you, folks will get along.

As mentioned earlier, you'll have the Avenues of West Cobb not far from you for more upper-end yuppyish stuff, and you're not a huge drive from the Hiram area where along Highway 278 you have a ton of stuff like Sam's Club, Circuit City/Best Buy, restaurants, and all the generic stuff. Kennesaw's shopping area is about 20-25 minutes North. The actual town of Powder Springs has a super small downtown area with not much in it, but there are a couple of antique shops, a florist, and a couple of decent restaurants in the immediate area. They're starting up a small farmers market thing in "downtown" Powder Springs on Thursdays from 4-8pm as well.

[Kuya]

Thanks, atlantagreg30127! I was hoping you would reply as you seem very knowledgeable about Powder Springs and the surrounding area. We took a drive to see what the neighborhood was like at night, and it was really no different than during the day. Initially, my wife wasn't too happy with the dark, winding roads leading into the s/d as there are few street lights. Fortunately, I took a different route leaving the s/d which took us pass an elementary school and a few residential areas with more street lighting. Eventually that road led us to Dallas Highway and as you mentioned --The Avenues of West Cobb. I think any thoughts of dark, winding roads or the boogeyman were all but forgotten at that point.

Also, good call about having a basement and tornadoes. The home has a basement (full daylight), but it's at the ground level so it may not be of much help if a tornado hits. The funny thing is that I've lived in Florida (hurricane Andrew), California (earthquake/collapse of Bay Bridge), Chicago/DC (snow, nuff said) and now I have to educate myself on tornadoes. When I moved to Duluth last July, I was thinking the weather was going to be a peace of cake, even with those 100 degree dog days of summer. I was fine --until that tornado hit downtown!

[atlantagreg30127]

Well, the idea is, your overall chances of being in the direct path of a strong tornado are slim. That being said, ask any of the victims in the recent outbreaks if those odds make them feel any better, and you may get some angry stares.

There's nothing to do but be prepared. Have your valued papers in a safe waterproof place, keep digital copies of records and photos off site (safety deposit box at bank, etc). Brick homes are a better buy in terms of storm protection - they don't stand up much better to direct hits than any other structure, but they DO greatly reduce the risk of wind debris crashing through the walls into the interior of the home. Daylight basements are basically just first floors with fancy names, but if they're underground at all - even a few feet - they help.

Lack of street lighting and sidewalks are common in the Atlanta burbs - not just this area. It's a whole other topic as to the whys. Just invest in a couple of good motion sensor security lights for your home and a monitored home security system and you should be fine. I'm not sure what kind of budget you have, but if you have kids or pets a home generator isn't a bad investment (if they're allowed in the subdivision). Outages aren't that common, but if/when they hit on those 100 degree days, you'll have to pack up and head to a hotel unless you have some way to power the A/C. Winters are easier as a decent fireplace and some heaters can do the job. Again, that's not something most folks have, but good stuff in an emergency as sometimes the burbs don't get the top attention when it comes to restoring power compared to the closer-in areas.

[PSGeorgia]

I just moved to Powder Springs off of Bullard and Lost Mountain; I love it. My subdivision is filled with older country folks with the southern hospitality. I'm outside the city limit, but 4-5 miles from downtwon, which is unusual, but I have the great tax break.