Marietta or Conyers (Atlanta, Covington, Lithonia: apartments, foreclosed, rent)

[buteeful]

We are looking to move in November to one of the two cities. I know it is a matter of opinion but please help us with the better choice and why.

Thank you for your time.

[btrfly414]

Originally Posted by buteeful

We are looking to move in November to one of the two cities. I know it is a matter of opinion but please help us with the better choice and why.

Thank you for your time.

I currently live in Conyers and have for 8.5 years. To begin I have absolutely loved this city. Like most cities within 30 minutes of Atlanta there has been tremendous growth. In the last 7 years there have been numerous housing developments with those built in the last two years unfinished and an eyesore. In an effort to keep tax dollars from the Stonecrest Mall (Lithonia, GA) a lot of greenspace has gone the way of strip malls.

Let's first start with housing. Very affordable and can get a nice home with a large lot. If you stay away from the new housing developments you can find wonderful neighborhoods with lots of trees and great neighbors. Newer housing developments, like most in this economic climate, have unfortunately been beseiged by many unkept foreclosed homes.

A lot of people in the community are surprisingly born and bred Conyers. At the least they went to high school here and stayed to raise a family. Conyers is very family oriented and a number of moms stay at home. When you are out you are bound to see a teacher, your child's friend parent, or the local guy from CiCi's pizza. There has been an influx of people moving from the north but that is probably everywhere. As for diversity, wow has Conyers come a long way. It has become more diverse since I have been here. There are pockets in Conyers that people seem to just live together without any indication of a problem. We live in an established neighborhood and have many different types of families moving in, whites, asians, blacks and hispanics.

There are several sections of this small city. You have farmland and homes with a lot of acreage in south and far north Rockdale County (going into Gwinnett), north Rockdale County (near Wally World) and east Rockdale (near Covington) has quite a few apartments, duplexes and townhomes and unfortunately more than enough crime. Crime is all over the city/county these areas just have a bit more. West Rockdale has pockets of farmland and established communities. Finally there is a charming town called Ole Town Conyers that has seen better days. Quite a few businesses have gone out of business but it is still a great place to catch a dinner, go for a walk, or have lunch.

The school system is OK. The better schools are those with parent involvement. The better elementary schools are located in South Rockdale, Barksdale, Lorraine and Honey Creek. I'm not necessarily going exclusively by test scores but by personal and friends' experiences. The middle schools leave a lot to be desired but two come recommended Davis and Edwards. There are three high schools with Heritage been highly recommended. We are trying to move because of the school system. However we have a very involved school superintendent that is trying to change the system. He is calling for more parental involvement.

Sorry so long. Just wanted to give you as much info as possible about Conyers. I do not know much about Marietta and just posted a question about the city a few days ago.

[neil0311]

Conyers and Marietta are two VERY different areas on different sides of the Atlanta area. I would ask the following questions to help narrow it down:

Why are these your two choices? Where will you be working? Do you have kids that you will put in public schools? Are you looking to buy or rent and what's your budget? Do you want an area further out or closer in?

[netdragon]

I'm confused... You're moving to Conyers or Marietta? That's like saying "I'm moving to Chicago or Boston... Which do you recommend?" They are very very far apart and the places you would be working at are completely different. I personally think Marietta is a better area, but I don't understand how you can compare two cities in completely different parts of the metro.

[buteeful]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions.

The main thing I want is a decent school system b/c we will be having children within the next year. We do not have jobs yet but are looking to be w/n 30 miles north of Atlanta and find employment somewhere in between. I do have a constant source of income (not including my husbands) I can afford 700 to 720 a month on an apartment, but within 4 years we are looking to purchase a house. I have done some research on apartments and found apartments in Marietta and Conyers that were rated kinda high (price, amentities, surrounding areas, crime, etc) and based on the rating we are willing to move to that area. We are open for suggestions as long as it is w/n 30 miles of north of Atlanta.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by buteeful

The main thing I want is a decent school system b/c we will be having children within the next year. We do not have jobs yet but are looking to be w/n 30 miles north of Atlanta and find employment somewhere in between.

Then as long as you can fit it in your budget, you want Cobb County. The schools are better hands down and it's closer to Atlanta and the employment centers in Cobb and Fulton Counties. Conyers is really out in right field and not near to much of anything except some high crime areas in southeast Dekalb.

[cmtiger]

I vote for Marietta, esp. if schools are a concern. Even the City of Marietta schools are on an upswing. Conyers schools, on the other hand, have been having more and more problems as the years pass.

[matt8325]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Then as long as you can fit it in your budget, you want Cobb County. The schools are better hands down and it's closer to Atlanta and the employment centers in Cobb and Fulton Counties. Conyers is really out in right field and not near to much of anything except some high crime areas in southeast Dekalb.

Conyers is out in right field ? It's closer to Atlanta than much of Gwinnett is. Conyers is 27 miles from Atlanta, Marietta is 19 miles from Atlanta. Only 8 miles difference.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by matt8325

Conyers is out in right field ? It's closer to Atlanta than much of Gwinnett is. Conyers is 27 miles from Atlanta, Marietta is 19 miles from Atlanta. Only 8 miles difference.

No offense intended to anyone. Not sure why the OP chose Marietta and Conyers, but let's face facts, Conyers is not Marietta, and vice versa. Some people prefer Conyers and some prefer Marietta. I am a bit surprised that Conyers is that close to Atlanta. My perception from driving out there was that it's further.

In any case, there is more employment and business in Cobb and north Fulton. Not much in Rockdale or southeast Dekalb. I don't know much about the schools in Rockdale, but they did make AYP as a district.