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Considering Gwinnett/Fulton/Dekalb are now solidly Blue and Cobb becoming that way, why would the locals tell you that?
It is important to note that left vs right is very different across the country. A blue voter in GA is still likely to be more conservative than large parts of Cali. This is backed up by both data and empirical evidence.
Many blue voters in Atlanta will still attend church for example and still consider themselves Christian.
Cobb feels further right than it actually is margin-wise because their county GOP chapter is so vocal.
The once vaunted Cobb County Republican Party (which at one point was widely considered to be the strongest Republican Party in the state of Georgia and one of the strongest county Republican parties in the entire country) seemingly has been showing signs of increasing decline in recent years.
The growing relocation of many staunchly Republican voters and donors out of Cobb County to other more exurban and rural Northwest Georgia counties and other states, growing and increasingly sharp disagreements between the more moderate and much more deeply conservative wings of the state and national Republican parties, a precipitous decline in fundraising and donations to the local chapter of the party, and the emergence of a fledgling but ascendant Democratic majority in historically famously deeply conservative super-Republican Cobb County have put the once extremely powerful Cobb County Republican Party into a visible state of retreat.
The Cobb County Republican Party’s recent challenges were reported on in a recent entry on the Georgia political website, Peach Pundit:
I'm a widowed mother of two relocating from California to Georgia. I'm in search of a diverse, family-friendly community with good schools—both public and charter options are considered. Criteria for "good" schools include decent funding, resources, extracurricular activities, and strong academic performance. My children will be entering middle school and high school.
Coming from a suburb in California, my children are the only black students in their respective grades. This wasn't a matter of choice, but rather a necessity due to my job. Now self-employed and working from home, I aim to find a community that not only prioritizes education but also embraces diversity. My rental budget is $5k, and I'm open to apartments, townhomes, or houses. It is my goal to move and find an area where I can settle down and eventually buy a house.
Staying within an hour of family in Conyers is preferable, and I'm currently exploring Duluth, Druid Hills, and Lawrenceville. Safety is paramount, and I'm keen on a community with a mix of young families and professionals—something balanced between a calm atmosphere and recreational options. Proximity to parks, shopping, and restaurants is a key consideration.
I'd love to hear opinions on Duluth, Druid Hills, and Lawrenceville. Any insights or recommendations are greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
Pay no attention to the threadjacker.
People from California are very much welcome in Georgia (particularly in metro Atlanta) and are as welcome here as people from the Northeast, the Midwest, other parts of the South, Latin America, Asia, etc, are and have been for decades.
With a rental budget of $5k per month, you will have lots of options and will be able to live in as affluent and as amenity-filled of an area as your heart may desire.
If you just absolutely have to stay within an hour of your family in Conyers, the Brookwood High School and Parkview High School clusters of the Gwinnett County Public Schools system probably should be some of the first places that you should look because of the very high ratings of the schools in those areas along with the extremely diverse populations in those areas.
Further afield, but still in Gwinnett County (which is the most diverse county in the state of Georgia and one of the most diverse suburban counties in the entire U.S.), the small independent Buford City Schools system (within the boundaries of the City of Buford proper) very likely should also be a top option because of the extremely high ratings of that school system and because of how much they spend on curriculum and facilities there.
And also in the Gwinnett County Public Schools system, but located in North Gwinnett County, the North Gwinnett High School cluster is the highest rated school cluster in the Gwinnett County Public Schools system and one of the highest rated school clusters in the state of Georgia and in the Southeastern U.S. The Mill Creek High School and the Seckinger High School clusters in extreme northeastern Gwinnett County also enjoy high ratings and are of high quality.
If you want to live in the most affluent part of the metro Atlanta suburbs with the highest rated schools and the most suburban metropolitan amenities, the Alpharetta/Johns Creek area (in the Chattahoochee HS, Alpharetta HS, Milton HS, Johns Creek HS, Cambridge HS, Roswell HS and Northview HS clusters in North Fulton County; and in the Lambert HS, South Forsyth HS and Denmark HS clusters in South Forsyth County) should be one of your top options… Though, the Alpharetta/Johns Creek area will be located a little further away from the Conyers area than might be desired during peak traffic hours.
The Union Grove High School cluster in Henry County potentially could also be an option because of the high ratings and quality of the schools there and because of the relative closeness of the area to Conyers.
Almost all of the above mentioned areas will be exceedingly more diverse and generally will have many more people of color (including many more Black residents) than where you currently live in California.
Duluth, Druid Hills and Lawrenceville are very good to decent options but maybe not your best options from a academic standpoint because the schools are not necessarily rated and regarded as highly in those areas as in the areas mentioned above.
People from California are very much welcome in Georgia (particularly in metro Atlanta) and are as welcome here as people from the Northeast, the Midwest, other parts of the South, Latin America, Asia, etc, are and have been for decades.
With a rental budget of $5k per month, you will have lots of options and will be able to live in as affluent and as amenity-filled of an area as your heart may desire.
If you just absolutely have to stay within an hour of your family in Conyers, the Brookwood High School and Parkview High School clusters of the Gwinnett County Public Schools system probably should be some of the first places that you should look because of the very high ratings of the schools in those areas along with the extremely diverse populations in those areas.
Further afield, but still in Gwinnett County (which is the most diverse county in the state of Georgia and one of the most diverse suburban counties in the entire U.S.), the small independent Buford City Schools system (within the boundaries of the City of Buford proper) very likely should also be a top option because of the extremely high ratings of that school system and because of how much they spend on curriculum and facilities there.
And also in the Gwinnett County Public Schools system, but located in North Gwinnett County, the North Gwinnett High School cluster is the highest rated school cluster in the Gwinnett County Public Schools system and one of the highest rated school clusters in the state of Georgia and in the Southeastern U.S. The Mill Creek High School and the Seckinger High School clusters in extreme northeastern Gwinnett County also enjoy high ratings and are of high quality.
If you want to live in the most affluent part of the metro Atlanta suburbs with the highest rated schools and the most suburban metropolitan amenities, the Alpharetta/Johns Creek area (in the Chattahoochee HS, Alpharetta HS, Milton HS, Johns Creek HS, Cambridge HS, Roswell HS and Northview HS clusters in North Fulton County; and in the Lambert HS, South Forsyth HS and Denmark HS clusters in South Forsyth County) should be one of your top options… Though, the Alpharetta/Johns Creek area will be located a little further away from the Conyers area than might be desired during peak traffic hours.
The Union Grove High School cluster in Henry County potentially could also be an option because of the high ratings and quality of the schools there and because of the relative closeness of the area to Conyers.
Almost all of the above mentioned areas will be exceedingly more diverse and generally will have many more people of color (including many more Black residents) than where you currently live in California.
Duluth, Druid Hills and Lawrenceville are very good to decent options but maybe not your best options from a academic standpoint because the schools are not necessarily rated and regarded as highly in those areas as in the areas mentioned above.
Schools in the Sugarloaf part of Gwinnett (containing parts of Duluth, Suwanee and Lawrenceville) are also very highly rated and extremely diverse. Archer and Grayson are also very highly rated, majority Black; and quite close to Conyers.
Agreed that Druid Hills public schools are much more average than you'd expect (but are academically fine) because so many of the homeowners in the Druid Hills cluster send their kids to Paideia. The City of Decatur (not to be confused with unincorporated Decatur) is an option if you want a Druid Hills vibe but public schools that are far better supported by the community.
North Fulton is also an excellent option if you're flexible (Conyers isn't really convenient to much as a very sedate Walmart and fast food type bedroom community)
Be aware of the residual issues stemming from Forsyth County (only 4% Black) being a sundown town until nearly 2000.
Last edited by lethalhipster9; 03-06-2024 at 06:36 PM..
Schools in the Sugarloaf part of Gwinnett (containing parts of Duluth, Suwanee and Lawrenceville) are also very highly rated and extremely diverse.
Sounds like you’re describing the Peachtree Ridge High School cluster part of the GCPS (Gwinnett County Public Schools) system and Gwinnett County.
Peachtree Ridge HS and its cluster of schools are rated extremely high and likely should under strong consideration by the OP along with the other school clusters that have been recommended.
Though one issue that also must be taken into consideration when evaluating the Peachtree Ridge HS cluster is the unusual block schedule setup at Peachtree Ridge High School where students only take about four classes each day but spend about 1.5 hours in each class instead of an hour or less under a normal class scheduling setup.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lethalhipster9
Archer and Grayson are also very highly rated, majority Black; and quite close to Conyers.
The Archer HS and Grayson HS clusters of the GCPS system are also good areas to consider with their above-average ratings.
Though with a rental budget of $5,000/month, the OP seemingly can do better than the Archer HS and Grayson HS clusters, which are good areas, particularly for working class and lower-middle class families and even some middle-middle class families, but apparently have been experiencing some challenges with demographic shifts in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic.
The Archer HS and Grayson HS clusters have good educational foundations, but the OP should extensively research the current environment in those areas to ensure that those clusters would be the best fit for her children and her family.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lethalhipster9
Agreed that Druid Hills public schools are much more average than you'd expect (but are academically fine) because so many of the homeowners in the Druid Hills cluster send their kids to Paideia. The City of Decatur (not to be confused with unincorporated Decatur) is an option if you want a Druid Hills vibe but public schools that are far better supported by the community.
With the OP’s generous budget of $5k/month for a rental dwelling, the OP definitely should have the City of Decatur proper and its extremely highly rated Decatur High School-anchored City Schools of Decatur system at the top of her list of schools to consider.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lethalhipster9
Be aware of the residual issues stemming from Forsyth County (only 4% Black) being a sundown town until nearly 2000.
That’s a good point about Forsyth County’s history as one of the most militantly anti-Black jurisdictions in the entire nation before 1990 when Forsyth County literally had a 100% white population and was a place that Black people and people-of-color did not venture into, especially after dark.
Though after the famous anti-racist demonstrations in the county in early 1987 (in which legendary talk show host Oprah Winfrey did multiple shows on location in the county), the direction of the county slowly began to change. With the county gradually increasingly becoming a relocation destination for affluent outside newcomers, and with multiple watershed events serving as inflection points that increased and diversified the influx of newcomers into the historically 100% all-white county.
(Some of the watershed events that helped to increase and diversify outside migration into Forsyth County include the aforementioned anti-racism demonstrations in 1987, the September 1990 announcement that Atlanta would host the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the 1993 opening of the then-tolled Georgia 400 extension through Buckhead, the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, the opening of the North Georgia Premium Outlets mall just north of the Forsyth/Dawson county line in Dawsonville in 1998, the Great Recession of the late 2000’s, and the COVID pandemic in 2020.)
It probably should also be noted that Black residents now make up 5% of the population in Forsyth County, which admittedly does not sound like much (especially when compared to other metro Atlanta counties like Gwinnett, Cobb, Fulton and DeKalb counties where Black residents make up 31%, 30%, 45% and 55% of the populations of those counties, respectively), but is very significant given that there were no Black residents living in Forsyth County before 1990.
But while Forsyth County has a relatively extremely low Black population when compared to other major metro Atlanta counties, Forsyth County does have exploding Asian and Latino populations, particularly in the south half of the county below GA-20 (Georgia Highway 20) that is closest to the booming hub of tech and white-collar jobs in affluent Alpharetta.
Asian residents currently make up about 20% of the population in Forsyth County, and Latino residents currently make up about 10% of the population in Forsyth County, while people-of-color as a whole made up at least 36% of the population in Forsyth County in 2022.
The growing level of diversity in Forsyth County is most evident in the Lambert HS, South Forsyth HS, Denmark HS and Forsyth Central HS clusters where POC (people-of-color) now make up growing majorities of children enrolled in the schools and residents as a whole in those areas.
(As of October 2023, POC made up 64% of the student population at Lambert HS, 58% of the student population at South Forsyth HS, 65% of the student population at Denmark HS and 51% of the student population at Forsyth Central HS.)
(As of October 2023, Black students made up about 4% of the student population at Lambert HS, less than 3% of the student population at South Forsyth HS, 8% of the student population at Denmark HS and less than 6% of the student population at Forsyth Central HS.)
I also mentioned Forsyth County because of the extremely high ratings and quality of the school system, and because even Forsyth County (particularly South Forsyth County in the aforementioned Denmark HS, Forsyth Central HS, Lambert HS and South Forsyth HS clusters) sounds like it potentially might could be an improvement relative to where the OP’s children currently live in California where they are the only Black children in their entire respective grades.
Though it should be noted and emphasized that most other major metro Atlanta counties (including Gwinnett County, Fulton County, etc.) are going to have significantly higher Black populations and significantly higher presences of Black residents than Forsyth County.
It is important to note that left vs right is very different across the country. A blue voter in GA is still likely to be more conservative than large parts of Cali. This is backed up by both data and empirical evidence.
Many blue voters in Atlanta will still attend church for example and still consider themselves Christian.
Also locally as well as nationally Democrats make up a wide variety of different groups of people, from the environmentalist hippie types common in the Northwest and Colorado, to the Midwest union worker types, to women who want access to certain rights, members of the LGBTQ+ community, members of the African-American community, etc.
Many of the Atlanta Democrats are socially conservative while economically liberal.
What I've also noticed is that the conservative/Republicans in Georgia are a lot more hospitable than the Republicans in California from my experience. Generally speaking of course, there are still the crazy MAGA types here as well. But from what I remember living in San Diego and frequently in Orange County, a lot of them were just about money or trying hard to make California something that it is not anymore.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll
The once vaunted Cobb County Republican Party (which at one point was widely considered to be the strongest Republican Party in the state of Georgia and one of the strongest county Republican parties in the entire country) seemingly has been showing signs of increasing decline in recent years.
The growing relocation of many staunchly Republican voters and donors out of Cobb County to other more exurban and rural Northwest Georgia counties and other states, growing and increasingly sharp disagreements between the more moderate and much more deeply conservative wings of the state and national Republican parties, a precipitous decline in fundraising and donations to the local chapter of the party, and the emergence of a fledgling but ascendant Democratic majority in historically famously deeply conservative super-Republican Cobb County have put the once extremely powerful Cobb County Republican Party into a visible state of retreat.
The Cobb County Republican Party’s recent challenges were reported on in a recent entry on the Georgia political website, Peach Pundit:
I grew up and live in Cobb and it has changed a lot compared to 20-30 years ago. It used to be a lot more like what Cherokee County is now. The demographics have shifted a lot since then.
I grew up and live in Cobb and it has changed a lot compared to 20-30 years ago. It used to be a lot more like what Cherokee County is now. The demographics have shifted a lot since then.
Yep. In 1980, non-Hispanic/Latino whites made up about 94% of the population in Cobb County.
The most recent census estimate numbers from 2022 show non-Hispanic/Latino whites only making up 49.6% of Cobb County’s population, while some other surveys seem to show the non-Hispanic/Latino white percentage of being as low as 48% in Cobb County.
Which if either of those below 50% figures are true would make Cobb County a ‘majority-minority’ county where racial and ethnic minorities currently make up the majority of all residents in the county.
Metro Atlanta currently has nine ‘majority-minority’ counties where racial and ethnic minorities make up the majority of all residents (Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Gwinnett, Rockdale, Newton, Henry, Douglas and Cobb counties).
When it comes to racial and ethnic diversity, Cobb County isn’t exactly Gwinnett County, where racial and ethnic minorities now make up 68% of the population.
But Cobb County is much more diverse and urbanized than it was in the past (particularly before the turn of the millennium) when much of the county’s core identity seemed to be built largely around being the predominantly white conservative outer-suburban answer to the City of Atlanta’s largely Black and progressive urbanism.
And Cherokee County is one of the main places that many of the deeply conservative white residents who used to dominate Cobb County’s legendarily conservative political scene have left Cobb County for along with Paulding and Bartow counties and other outer-exurban and rural areas in Northwest Georgia and other Southeastern states (including Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, etc.).
I'm half-Japanese but not from there (I might have just given away my identity on here being the only Japanese in all of Greater Atlanta, lol). Anyhow nothing like the true Southern Georgia-boy type, but nothing like a California dude either. Actually many people can't even tell that I'm Japanese until I mention it, and then they say they can see it in my eyes a bit. I have been told by some over there that I have Southern accent.
Hello and welcome! I have some places in mind for you to consider. One place is not necessarily better than any other, just different -- where you ultimately land may depend on what you decide to prioritize. Check out the list below*:
Brookwood High School cluster (Snellville area): - Diversity: excellent
- Family-friendliness: very good
- School academic performance: very good
- School extracurriculars: excellent
- School district-wide funding and leadership: okay
- Housing affordability**: very good
- Proximity to Conyers: good
- Safety: very good
- Proximity to parks and recreation: okay
- Proximity to shopping and restaurants: very good
Mill Creek High School cluster and Seckinger High School cluster (Buford/Hamilton Mill area): - Diversity: very good
- Family-friendliness: very good
- School academic performance: very good
- School extracurriculars: excellent
- School district-wide funding and leadership: okay
- Housing affordability**: good
- Proximity to Conyers: poor
- Safety: excellent
- Proximity to parks and recreation: very good
- Proximity to shopping and restaurants: very good
North Gwinnett High School cluster (Suwanee area): - Diversity: good
- Family-friendliness: excellent
- School academic performance: excellent
- School extracurriculars: excellent
- School district-wide funding and leadership: okay
- Housing affordability**: okay
- Proximity to Conyers: poor
- Safety: excellent
- Proximity to parks and recreation: excellent
- Proximity to shopping and restaurants: very good
Chattahoochee High School zone (Johns Creek area): - Diversity: good
- Family-friendliness: excellent
- School academic performance: excellent
- School extracurriculars: very good
- School district-wide funding and leadership: good
- Housing affordability**: poor
- Proximity to Conyers: poor
- Safety: excellent
- Proximity to parks and recreation: very good
- Proximity to shopping and restaurants: very good
* This analysis is overly simple, and partly opinion-based. One could make arguments to move certain items up one level or down one level.
** Your rental budget of $5k/month is excellent, and that can afford you a nice, large house almost anywhere. For that reason, housing affordability is relative for the purpose of this analysis. I've also taken into account prices in these places for when you buy a house down the road.
Hello and thank you so much for the detailed breakdown! Your insights into the different areas are incredibly helpful as I weigh my options. I appreciate the time and effort you put into providing this thorough information. It really gives me a better understanding of what each place has to offer. Thanks again!
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