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Old 02-05-2022, 02:39 PM
 
335 posts, read 286,661 times
Reputation: 477

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After spending 30 years in MN our family is finding it difficult to justify experiencing any more harsh winters.
My wife does clinical research and her job is 100% remote.
We are Asian/Caribbean family.
I have a small IT consulting company and we specialize in Cloud Computing.
My sons are 10 and 12 years old and are sports-obsessed(especially football).
Our favorite kid is 10-month-old Labrador retriever Archie.

If we move I will shut down my S-Corp in MN and open it in GA. Is it simple to move/start a small business in GA?

Even after we move I may be able to continue to find work in MN and other states. So while traffic is a concern but I and my wife expect to work from home.

Our primary reason to move is the weather. We looked for warm cities with plenty of jobs, good public education, and a reasonable cost of living. Narrowed down to Atlanta and Dallas. I spent many months looking at Dallas and I feel that I know what to expect. I am just starting our research into the Atlanta area.

Wish list:
1. Good public schools
2. Access to parks/nature as we love outdoors
3. Access to good shopping/restaurants
4. 4 Bedroom home with 1/2 acre lot and price less than $1 million

We are considering
Alpharetta
Johns Creek
Milton
Sawanee
Cumming
Marietta

This is the list I got from another friend based in MN who plans to move to Atlanta later this year.

Based on our criteria are there other cities we should consider?
The ideal time to move for us is next year because my kids will transition from elementary to middle, middle to high school. However, property prices keep on rising so are open to moving this summer/fall if we risk massive price increases.

When looking for a home which orientation should we choose?
Are there known issues with soil etc that can do foundation damage ( Dallas has this )?

Are you a transplant from the midwest?
How did it go?
Were your kids able to transition well and make friends? One of my sons is outgoing and makes friends everywhere. But my older son is an introvert.

Thanks for taking the time to answer your questions.

 
Old 02-05-2022, 04:49 PM
 
1,150 posts, read 600,321 times
Reputation: 673
Solid list. You might want to include Sandy Springs, north of 285 as well.

Here's an example of house in Sandy Springs, north of 285, which sits on just over 1 acre.

https://www.redfin.com/GA/Atlanta/47.../home/24768014

This one is just under 3/4 acre.

https://www.redfin.com/GA/Atlanta/62.../home/24813711
 
Old 02-05-2022, 04:52 PM
 
Location: Seattle, WA
9,830 posts, read 7,175,183 times
Reputation: 7767
Johns Creek and Suwanee are heavily Asian... those 2 cities and Duluth are kind of the big Asian community, probably the largest of the southeast.

Especially in Gwinnett, I believe you can definitely get a home that size, in a good school district, for less than $1 million.
 
Old 02-05-2022, 04:58 PM
 
10,333 posts, read 11,328,356 times
Reputation: 7694
Quote:
Originally Posted by hereticiam View Post
After spending 30 years in MN our family is finding it difficult to justify experiencing any more harsh winters.
My wife does clinical research and her job is 100% remote.
We are Asian/Caribbean family.
I have a small IT consulting company and we specialize in Cloud Computing.
My sons are 10 and 12 years old and are sports-obsessed(especially football).
Our favorite kid is 10-month-old Labrador retriever Archie.
Given your sons’ obsession with football and sports, you definitely have picked the right place to consider moving to in a state like Georgia, which is a high school/college prep football and college football-obsessed region of the country in the Southeastern U.S.

The Atlanta metropolitan area/region is a hotbed for high school/college prep and college sports and college recruiting, starting with football.

Metro Atlanta is located in the heart of Southeastern college football country (the SEC/Southeastern Conference, the ACC/Atlantic Coast Conference, etc., etc.), so high school/college prep football, college football and college athletic recruiting is a massive deal here in many key circles.

High school/college prep football Friday nights and college football Saturdays are a huge deal in this part of the country during the fall season (August-December).

Atlanta hosts the SEC/Southeastern Conference college football Championship Game (just simply known as the SEC Championship Game) every year one week after the Saturday after Thanksgiving in the recently constructed Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is a huge deal because the SEC Championship Game is considered to be the Super Bowl of all college football conference championship games.

Atlanta’s MB Stadium also frequently plays host to college football national postseason games (national semifinal and championship games) as well as the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl (which is in the rotation as a college football national semifinal game).

Because of the area’s status as a hotbed of college football fandom and recruiting, Atlanta is also home to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Other sports like basketball and baseball are huge in the Atlanta region as well. (Atlanta is also a growing hotbed of recruiting for college basketball.)

While sports like soccer and lacrosse are on the rise and are growing in popularity in the Atlanta area.


Quote:
Originally Posted by hereticiam View Post
If we move I will shut down my S-Corp in MN and open it in GA. Is it simple to move/start a small business in GA?
Georgia generally is known to be a very business-friendly state with a highly favorable lower-tax, lower-regulation business climate that is an extremely attractive location for business relocations, small business startups and small business operations. So moving and/or starting a small business here should be relatively simple.


Quote:
Originally Posted by hereticiam View Post
Even after we move I may be able to continue to find work in MN and other states. So while traffic is a concern but I and my wife expect to work from home.

Our primary reason to move is the weather. We looked for warm cities with plenty of jobs, good public education, and a reasonable cost of living. Narrowed down to Atlanta and Dallas. I spent many months looking at Dallas and I feel that I know what to expect. I am just starting our research into the Atlanta area.

Wish list:
1. Good public schools
2. Access to parks/nature as we love outdoors
3. Access to good shopping/restaurants
4. 4 Bedroom home with 1/2 acre lot and price less than $1 million

We are considering
Alpharetta
Johns Creek
Milton
Sawanee
Cumming
Marietta

This is the list I got from another friend based in MN who plans to move to Atlanta later this year.

Based on our criteria are there other cities we should consider?
The ideal time to move for us is next year because my kids will transition from elementary to middle, middle to high school. However, property prices keep on rising so are open to moving this summer/fall if we risk massive price increases.
The six North Atlanta suburban communities on your list are excellent choices and are the best places to target for relocation in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

You probably should also add Buford to your list for the extremely high quality of the schools in the small independent Buford City Schools system (anchored by high school/college prep sports powerhouse Buford High School), and for very high quality of amenities that can be found there, including an active historic downtown village area of numerous shops and restaurants in Downtown Buford, numerous retail shopping options at and around the Mall of Georgia, and the popular Lake Lanier outdoor recreation area.


Quote:
Originally Posted by hereticiam View Post
When looking for a home which orientation should we choose?
Are there known issues with soil etc that can do foundation damage ( Dallas has this )?
Home foundation cracking is nowhere near the problem in Georgia that it is known to be in Texas, which is notorious for home foundation cracking issues.


Quote:
Originally Posted by hereticiam View Post
Are you a transplant from the midwest?
How did it go?
Were your kids able to transition well and make friends? One of my sons is outgoing and makes friends everywhere. But my older son is an introvert.

Thanks for taking the time to answer your questions.
Atlanta is an exceedingly transplant-heavy metropolitan area, particularly through the swath of the northern suburbs that you are targeting for relocation. (Somewhere around about at least 60% of Atlanta’s metropolitan population was born and raised outside of the state)... So making friends very likely should not be very difficult in an increasingly highly diverse metro area dominated by transplants from other parts of the country and the world.
 
Old 02-05-2022, 07:56 PM
 
3,710 posts, read 3,631,604 times
Reputation: 6459
We moved from the twin cities to Atlanta 3.5 years ago. I was there for over 20 years, but once we had small kids the length of winter just became intolerable.

We love it here, and found the traffic to be closer to the twin cities level than not, and largely overblown given the size of the city.

Flat back yards and basements are harder to find, so keep this in mind. 4 season weather is great down here, unfortunately the parks, trails, and sidewalks pale in comparison to the twin cities (although one pays less in taxes).

DM me with any specific questions
 
Old 02-05-2022, 10:54 PM
 
335 posts, read 286,661 times
Reputation: 477
Thank you very much for all of your responses.

"Born 2 Roll" If we make it to your beautiful city I will have to find a way to personally thank you.
 
Old 02-06-2022, 08:01 AM
 
Location: Free State of Florida
25,237 posts, read 12,364,928 times
Reputation: 18828
Quote:
Originally Posted by primaltech View Post
Johns Creek and Suwanee are heavily Asian... those 2 cities and Duluth are kind of the big Asian community, probably the largest of the southeast.

Especially in Gwinnett, I believe you can definitely get a home that size, in a good school district, for less than $1 million.
In Suwanee, Asian means Korean. I left Suwanee 4 years ago, and our high end community was 15% Korean.
 
Old 02-06-2022, 08:27 AM
 
Location: Free State of Florida
25,237 posts, read 12,364,928 times
Reputation: 18828
IDEA: post this is the Georgia topic thread too, and not just here under Atlanta. This is more for the City of Atlanta & close-in suburbs, & you are looking further out.

I suggest the OP learn more about each county they are considering. Look at property taxes & trends, demographic make-up & trends, parks-per-capita, population density (since you want a large lot), and county/city school rankings.

After you do so, you'll place:

Forsyth County #1. Lowest property taxes, best parks/youth sports programs that are not jam packed...yet. Try for Lanier H.S. cluster, #1 or North Forsyth H.S. #2 (closest to open land w/ lowest ppacre). South Forsyth H.S. #3, Central H.S. #4 (unless you need STEM program).

Hall County #2, IF the kids can attend Buford City schools (only certain areas qualify) Buford City schools and football programs are A+. It does have a Southern culture though, & long-time locals have the inside track here.

Gwinnett County 3rd County choice (parks/youth sports are grossly overcrowded, and property taxes high & increasing rapidly...beware). When my property taxes in Gwinnett shot past $9,000/yr, I left. Traffic in Northern Gwinnett is bad too. IMHO, even Northern Gwinnett County is now in decline. If you must do Gwinnett, go up into the Dacula H.S. cluster off Hamilton Mill exit, or just East of there.

Fulton County will be at the bottom...property taxes are highest. Alpharetta is nice but large lots are VERY costly, bad traffic, & a seedy city-like environment is creeping up that way from Holcomb Bridge Rd. (drive this area to see it). Cost is too high, you wont be happy there 10 years from now. I strongly suggest you live further North of here, unless you have to work at an office in Buckhead or Atlanta. Work from home folks should pass on Alpharetta...this beautiful suburb has peaked.

If you could live in Hall County, and kids attend Buford City schools, that would be my 2nd choice to Northern Forsyth County.

Another County worth looking at is Cherokee...very fast growing, lots of land still left.

Last edited by beach43ofus; 02-06-2022 at 08:39 AM..
 
Old 02-06-2022, 08:28 AM
 
Location: NE Atlanta Metro
3,197 posts, read 5,343,875 times
Reputation: 3195
I spent much of my early life in Dallas/Fort Worth, been in the Atlanta area on & off over the past 20+ years.

I believe when it comes to COL, economy, schools, shopping, overall big city amenities the DFW Metroplex and metro Atlanta matchup well. There is little upgrade or fall off by choosing one over the other.

From my perspective..

Atlanta’s advantages:

Scenery - the natural environment in and around Atlanta is some of the most beautiful anywhere in the nation.

Weather - Atlanta can absolutely get hot and terribly humid, but the heatwaves are not as severe and precipitation is *usually* more reliable and evenly distributed throughout the summer months. Texas summers, particularly North Texas summers, are hotter, drier and seem longer due to the hottest months are later in the summer than in Atlanta.

Outdoors - Metro Atlanta’s proximity to the Blue Ridge Mountains region, the Chattahoochee River and the general lushness within the metro area itself makes it more outdoors friendly than DFW. It’s also easier to plan for awesome day trips or weekenders here without having to take a flight as the mountain region (includes GA, NC & TN) is very close and Savannah/Georgia’s Gold Coast/Hilton Head etc.. are within convenient driving distances. For Dallas the Oauchita Mountains in Oklahoma are a good 3.5 hour drive, beautiful but they pale in comparison to the North Georgia Blue Ridge. Galveston and Texas’ Gulf Coast are about a 4 hour drive. Great seafood but the water and most of the beaches suck.

Subdivisions/diverse housing stock - I prefer the layout of most of Atlanta’s subdivisions to Dallas’. A lot has to do with it may be easier for developers to create more unique settings here due to the terrain & natural vegetation. The housing stock is also more diverse as Texas has mainly brick houses with no option for basements.

Colleges - Morehouse, Spelman, Clark-ATL, Georgia Tech, Emory, Georgia State, SCAD more.. Atlanta has a thriving local college scene that adds life to the city.

Dallas’ advantages:

Suburbs - Dallas has some of the cleanest, well-planned and self-sufficient suburban areas anywhere in the nation.

K-12 Schools - the high school athletic facilities within many of the school districts rival those at D2 and D3 colleges. Texas invests a lot of money in their school districts (not just athletic facilities).

Diversity - not a huge edge over Atlanta, but DFW is more ethnically diverse. A more even balance of black, white, Asian and Hispanic.

Shopping/Food - again, not an overwhelming advantage, however Dallas has more restaurants per capita than any city in the U.S. and I believe that’s also true for retail.
 
Old 02-06-2022, 11:06 AM
 
16,632 posts, read 29,306,224 times
Reputation: 7550
Quote:
Originally Posted by beach43ofus View Post
IDEA: post this is the Georgia topic thread too, and not just here under Atlanta. This is more for the City of Atlanta & close-in suburbs, & you are looking further out.

I suggest the OP learn more about each county they are considering. Look at property taxes & trends, demographic make-up & trends, parks-per-capita, population density (since you want a large lot), and county/city school rankings.

After you do so, you'll place:

Forsyth County #1. Lowest property taxes, best parks/youth sports programs that are not jam packed...yet. Try for Lanier H.S. cluster, #1 or North Forsyth H.S. #2 (closest to open land w/ lowest ppacre). South Forsyth H.S. #3, Central H.S. #4 (unless you need STEM program).

Hall County #2, IF the kids can attend Buford City schools (only certain areas qualify) Buford City schools and football programs are A+. It does have a Southern culture though, & long-time locals have the inside track here.

Gwinnett County 3rd County choice (parks/youth sports are grossly overcrowded, and property taxes high & increasing rapidly...beware). When my property taxes in Gwinnett shot past $9,000/yr, I left. Traffic in Northern Gwinnett is bad too. IMHO, even Northern Gwinnett County is now in decline. If you must do Gwinnett, go up into the Dacula H.S. cluster off Hamilton Mill exit, or just East of there.

Fulton County will be at the bottom...property taxes are highest. Alpharetta is nice but large lots are VERY costly, bad traffic, & a seedy city-like environment is creeping up that way from Holcomb Bridge Rd. (drive this area to see it). Cost is too high, you wont be happy there 10 years from now. I strongly suggest you live further North of here, unless you have to work at an office in Buckhead or Atlanta. Work from home folks should pass on Alpharetta...this beautiful suburb has peaked.

If you could live in Hall County, and kids attend Buford City schools, that would be my 2nd choice to Northern Forsyth County.

Another County worth looking at is Cherokee...very fast growing, lots of land still left.
I would actually suggest not to post in the Georgia Forum. The Atlanta Forum is for Atlanta and the Greater Atlanta Region and Metro Area (city proper, suburbs, outer suburbs, and exurbs). The Georgia Forum is not good for anything connected to Atlanta.

Lanier High is in Gwinnett County. Lambert High is in Forsyth County.

Buford City Schools and the City of Buford are in Gwinnett County. Only a very small part is in Hall County.
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