Advise on Buckhead.... (Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Roswell: environment, property taxes, luxury)

[Cami]

I am interested in finding out more information on the Buckhead area. How about diversity in this area? School system? What exactly the make up of the area and shopping, dining etc?

Thanks

[xxman777]

Lets see, its a most of the residents are white upper class (pockets of lower income but mostly upper class) but because its a major office/shopping district you will run into people off all kinds of backgrounds. Schools are Atlanta Public Schools but generally very good ones. Lots of parents choose to send their kids to private but I think that is more because there is a lot of money in Buckhead then because the public schools are really bad. As far as shopping you have Lenox Mall and Phipps Plaza which are both major up scale malls. In addition to those two there are many other shops ranging from big box to small boutiques. You pretty much have whatever you want. As far as dining you have loads of upscale restaurants. You have some everyday dining as well but most of the dining is very upscale.

The worst thing about the area is the traffic. Peachtree is a nightmare and getting around during rush hour or on Saturday (especially during the holidays) is pointless.

What else do you want to know?

[Cami]

Originally Posted by xxman777

Lets see, its a most of the residents are white upper class (pockets of lower income but mostly upper class) but because its a major office/shopping district you will run into people off all kinds of backgrounds. Schools are Atlanta Public Schools but generally very good ones. Lots of parents choose to send their kids to private but I think that is more because there is a lot of money in Buckhead then because the public schools are really bad. As far as shopping you have Lenox Mall and Phipps Plaza which are both major up scale malls. In addition to those two there are many other shops ranging from big box to small boutiques. You pretty much have whatever you want. As far as dining you have loads of upscale restaurants. You have some everyday dining as well but most of the dining is very upscale.

The worst thing about the area is the traffic. Peachtree is a nightmare and getting around during rush hour or on Saturday (especially during the holidays) is pointless.

What else do you want to know?

What would be the price range on the homes there. Let's say 4,500 sq ft. I been reading something about, some of the homes being 3 sided brick. What exactly does that mean? Are the people there friendly? And the job market, for IT - my husband and myself I am an Interior Designer?

Alpharetta, How would you rate this area in comparison to the same above questions?

Thank you

[jeweloflight]

Originally Posted by Cami

What would be the price range on the homes there. Let's say 4,500 sq ft. I been reading something about, some of the homes being 3 sided brick. What exactly does that mean? Are the people there friendly? And the job market, for IT - my husband and myself I am an Interior Designer?

Alpharetta, How would you rate this area in comparison to the same above questions?

Thank you

Buckhead is the most exclusive, expensive area in town. The shopping is endless, so are the restaurants, and you are a hop, skip, and a jump away from Midtown, Brookhaven, Downtown, Virgina Highlands, Vinings and many other neighborhoods. The schools are good, but like the previous poster said, it's all the about the stay-at-home moms and the luxury SUV's, so that means private schools. Yes, traffic is terrible during rush hour, so count on that. Buckhead is not that diverse, but I would say more progressive than Alpharetta, because Buckhead is neighboring the heavily gay populated Midtown, Lesbian friendly Virgina Highlands, and Downtown; and those have a mix of people.

Alpharetta is about 25-30 minutes north of Atlanta. It is predominately white, so not very diverse. It is usually accessed from Georgia 400, and the traffic isn't a whole lot better than Buckhead. They have their share of private schools there too, but good public ones as well.

For 4,500 sq ft of living space in Buckhead, if you want new, about $750k-1 million dollars. If it's older, or a fixer, maybe a little less. In Alpharetta for that amount of space, you might be able to start at $500k and up if it's new.

[Cami]

Originally Posted by jeweloflight

Buckhead is the most exclusive, expensive area in town. The shopping is endless, so are the restaurants, and you are a hop, skip, and a jump away from Midtown, Brookhaven, Downtown, Virgina Highlands, Vinings and many other neighborhoods. The schools are good, but like the previous poster said, it's all the about the stay-at-home moms and the luxury SUV's, so that means private schools. Yes, traffic is terrible during rush hour, so count on that. Buckhead is not that diverse, but I would say more progressive than Alpharetta, because Buckhead is neighboring the heavily gay populated Midtown, Lesbian friendly Virgina Highlands, and Downtown; and those have a mix of people.

Alpharetta is about 25-30 minutes north of Atlanta. It is predominately white, so not very diverse. It is usually accessed from Georgia 400, and the traffic isn't a whole lot better than Buckhead. They have their share of private schools there too, but good public ones as well.

For 4,500 sq ft of living space in Buckhead, if you want new, about $750k-1 million dollars. If it's older, or a fixer, maybe a little less. In Alpharetta for that amount of space, you might be able to start at $500k and up if it's new.

What about Roswell, how would you rate this area in comparison to the above two areas. Is Vinings in Smyrna? How would you rate this area, Virginia Highlands and Vinings.

Thanks for all of your imput.

[stvincent]

Originally Posted by Cami

What about Roswell, how would you rate this area in comparison to the above two areas. Is Vinings in Smyrna? How would you rate this area, Virginia Highlands and Vinings.

Thanks for all of your imput.

You seem to be looking for an upscale community to live in...Roswell is not going to be able to grant you the exclusivity you may be looking for. It is a moslty middle class city with new upper class pockets on the western fringes. The public schools are great but the schools in John Creek, Alpharetta, and Milton are better. If your are looking for more of a middle class environment, Roswell is a good choice. It puts you close to affluent commnitites like Sandy Springs and Alpharetta without the higher prices. The average home in Roswell ranges between $250,000 and $450,000.

I noticed that a previous poster said that a new 4500 square foot home in Buckhead could be purchased for $750,000. I am sorry to dissapoint you but Buckhead is much more expensive than that. Those prices are more on par with suburban Alpharetta or East Cobb. 4500 sq. ft. in Buckhead is going to START at around 1.3 million and go up from there. I dont remember the last time I saw a sign for new homes being built in Buckhead for under a million dollars. And dont expect any acreage for that amount of money either. Huge million dollar homes on small lots are all the rage in Buckhead right now for some reason. The homes with a half an acre to an acre of land will put you in the two to three million dollar range.

Most Buckhead parents send their kids to private schools(Westminster, Pace, Lovett, Woodward, and Galloway). Be mindful of that if you plan on fitting into the social fabric.

[jeweloflight]

Originally Posted by Cami

What about Roswell, how would you rate this area in comparison to the above two areas. Is Vinings in Smyrna? How would you rate this area, Virginia Highlands and Vinings.

Thanks for all of your imput.

I just went to Coldwell Banker on the internet. There are homes in Buckhead for under 1.3 million for sure, but maybe my starting price for new should have been more in the $800k-900k range. Virgina Highlands is not far from Buckhead at all, and has some beautiful, new and historic homes. It's a heavily lesbian populated community, and has some nice unique restaurants and boutiques. It's very diverse as you can imagine. The only issue I have with Virgina Highlands is it's lack of quick accesability to the interstate.

Yes, Vinings is in Smyrna, it's actually where I live. It is pricey as well for home purchases, although the apartments are more attainable. It's a young professionals, and family community with new construction constant (like most of Atlanta). It is about 10 minutes from Downtown and 15-20 from Buckhead depending on where in Buckhead you're going, and of course, the traffic. A new home in Vinings will start at around $700k and up. Vinings is a small community and the most upscale part of Smyrna, but I'm not sure as much money resides in Vinings as in Buckhead, although it's a lovely community still the same. I don't know much about Roswell for living, just the location itself, and that parts of it are very nice, I've been there several times for work-related business.

[stvincent]

Originally Posted by jeweloflight

Yes, Vinings is in Smyrna, it's actually where I live. Vinings is a small community and the most upscale part of Smyrna, but I'm not sure as much money resides in Vinings as in Buckhead, although it's a lovely community still the same. .

No part of Vinings is in Smyrna. The entire community lies within a small portion of unincorporated Cobb County with Atlanta, GA 30339 as the city, state, and zip portion of our addresses. Smyrna(zips 30080 and 30082) has been trying to expand the Vinings community by building every new subdivision with Vinings somewhere in the title but that does not make these new upscale parts of Smyrna apart of the Vinings community. Mableton has stated to do the same thing. The Vinings community is zoned to schools in Smyrna and the main road, Paces Ferry, does enter into Smyrna, but Vinings is everthing inside I-285 south of Cumberland Blvd. within Cobb County. You can visit www.city-data.com/city/Vinings-Georgia.html for a boundry map.

As for affordabilty, the apartments in Vinings are very cheap. Some offer one bedrooms in the 500s to 600s range. The townhomes and condos range from the 200s(for those on Mt. Wilkinson) to the 900s+ Most along Paces Mill and Paces Ferry are priced in the 300s to 900s range. Older homes, which make up most of Vinings, are priced from the 500s to the millions. Newer homes start around 700K and go up from there as the previos poster mentioned.

If you are looking to live in Buckhead for the affluence but can't afford the million dollar price tag, Vinings is a great alternative. Many homes are still priced in the 600s to 800s range and the community is imediately adjacent to Buckhead. Also the Buckhead private schools are a stone's throw away. Lovett sits on the Vinings/Buckhead border and Pace and Westminster are both less than 10 minutes away from any part of Vinings. These are arguably the best schools in the Metro area. Also your zip code, 30339, would give you an Atlanta address without having to pay the higher Atlanta property taxes. I live in Vinings and my kids attend Lovett. If you would be interested in Vinings as an alternative to Buckhead, I would be more than happy to assist you. Just PM me!

[Figment 07]

trying to expand the Vinings community by building every new subdivision with Vinings somewhere in the title but that does not make these new upscale parts of Smyrna apart of the Vinings community.

I wondered if someone would save me the effort of pointing out yet again that once upon a time in Georgia, Smyrna and Vinings were understood to be two separate places... and they still are. The creative name games that developers play have confused many newcomers, that is for sure.

[john1963]

i would pick vinings, virgina highland is way too close to cracktown...burglar bars on windows etc..
Maybe you could rent an apt. in buckhead to start out, and research the area.