ATL, here I come, but where? (Atlanta, Marietta: 2013, townhomes, teaching jobs)

[Loiyan]

Single female with son under 2, BUT I want to purchase in an area with good schools. I have heard so many good and bad things about several areas. I am a teacher, so its not necessary for me to be close to downtown, but I would like to be close to a Publix, Target, Walmart, resturants and maybe even a Whole Foods Market or Farmers Market. So many people have told me to avoid Dekalb county for working and living. Either the schools or bad, or if they are good, the area is too expensive. Then I started looking in Gwinnett county to live and work. NOW people are telling me that its not diverse (SBF am I) and that there have been some serious race problems in the schools, affecting both teachers and students. That the area is changing, but many of the "older" residents are "fighting" it and are NOT friendly. Is this true? Will my son have to deal with lots of racism in the schools? I have even heard that teachers have had to quit because people were so horrible and racist towards them. Problem is I don't know exactly where they are talking about in Gwinnett county. I am not trying to be all the way out in Bufurd, which seems in the middle of nowhere. I was looking at Lawrenceville, Snellville, Lilburn and hopefully Duluth. But Duluth seems pricey. What are some nice areas in those cities where I can be close to shopping, library, park and decent elementary schools in a house under $250k (4/3) or am I dreaming?? I would also like to be within 30 minutes of a mall, like Perimeter or Northpoint. What are some streets or zips I should look for in any of those cities? Or if you know of some areas in Dekalb, since they seem to have more teaching jobs, let me know. Also, I know, I am long winded, but also, what are some schools to avoid in terms of working. I was told to run away from McNair in Dekalb, but again, I wasn't told why, so much of my info is incomplete. Help!!!!!

[stvincent]

Well I can't help with everything as you did request for quite a bit of information but I can inform you on good places to move to in the metro area. Gwinnett County offers inexpensive homes and thats why is exploding with growth the way it is. I don't know who told you it wasn't diverse though. It has a very fast growing Hispanic and Asian population. There are a large number of Blacks in the county on the whole but the further north you go in the county, the more Blacks start to dissappear. The traffic in Gwinnett is horrible though, whether you are commuting into to Atlanta or not. Even going to the mall inm Duluth might take 30 minutes on any given day coming from Lilburn or Lawrenceville. The traffic in my opinion brings down the quality of living that Gwinnett offers in the way of cheap housing and decent schools.

If you would be interested in considering moving into a townhome instead of a single family home I would suggest a move to Smyrna. They have plenty of new townhomes just as big as new homes but more within your price range. The East West Connector Corridor in Smyrna is experiencing a townhome boom. This area is in the Nickajack Elem. District which is among the best in Cobb County. Plus, another perk of living in the area would be easy access to the Silver Commet Trail which would be great for your son as he grows up, the close proximity to Vinings for entertainment and dining options, and even though you won't be working in ATlanta, Smyrna is only ten miles northwest of Atlanta in case you want to go into town for shopping or to have fun. Smyrna is also about half Black, half white, majority middle class to upper middle class, and safe.

Being honest, new single family homes in good school districts within close proximity to good shopping and dining is hard to find in Atlanta. Most of the top-notch school districts have very expensive homes in them with new home prices ranging on the low end from the 400s up.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by stvincent

If you would be interested in considering moving into a townhome instead of a single family home I would suggest a move to Smyrna. They have plenty of new townhomes just as big as new homes but more within your price range. The East West Connector Corridor in Smyrna is experiencing a townhome boom. This area is in the Nickajack Elem. District which is among the best in Cobb County. Plus, another perk of living in the area would be easy access to the Silver Commet Trail which would be great for your son as he grows up, the close proximity to Vinings for entertainment and dining options, and even though you won't be working in ATlanta, Smyrna is only ten miles northwest of Atlanta in case you want to go into town for shopping or to have fun. Smyrna is also about half Black, half white, majority middle class to upper middle class, and safe.

We live in Mableton (E/W Connector and Cooper Lake Road) just south of Smyrna in SE Cobb County, and there are some rather nice older homes in the area as well for between $200-300k. Townhomes too, of course. The whole area between Veterans Memorial Highway and the E/W Connector between South Cobb to the east and Floyd Road to the west is littered with various older neightborhoods that have nice yards and zillions of trees. :-) It's nice to have multiple Publix and Krogers close by, and there's a Target and Walmart within five or so miles.

[thenunn]

Dacula is a great area, very diverse with great schools. Housing is reasonable though values have greatly increased over the past two years...due, in part, to the influx of people moving from Florida and New York. You'll find that it is convenient to shopping (only about 15 minutes from Mall of Georgia), there are 3 major Gwinnett parks in close proximity and it is convenient to downtown (30 to 40 minutes) as long as you are not going toward downtown at rush hour (traffic flows the opposite direction). Good luck with your move!

[xxman777]

Originally Posted by thenunn

Dacula is a great area, very diverse with great schools. Housing is reasonable though values have greatly increased over the past two years...due, in part, to the influx of people moving from Florida and New York. You'll find that it is convenient to shopping (only about 15 minutes from Mall of Georgia), there are 3 major Gwinnett parks in close proximity and it is convenient to downtown (30 to 40 minutes) as long as you are not going toward downtown at rush hour (traffic flows the opposite direction). Good luck with your move!

Dacula is not 30-40 minutes from rush hour. If you had no traffic you could probably get there in 45 but that is at two in the morning. Rush hour is at least 1 to 1.5 hours.

[jxu66]

Yep, Dacula to Duluth is 20 to 30 minutes in rush traffic. Certainly, much much longer to downtown.

[debbie.ivie]

Cartersville, Georgia is a great place. Target, Publix, Applebees, IHOP, Belk, Goodys, Gold's Gym, Hospital, great school system, not TOO busy, but is growing. You can definately get a house for that amount here. Bartow County (Cartersville) is one county up from Cobb County. We have one of the top ten school systems in the state of Georgia and the community is very active, always doing something. From Plays to Parades, Bands, Historical Sites, Movies on the lawn during summer, beautiful parks, Lake Allatoona, Red Top Mountain, Etowah Indian Mounds, Barnesly Gardens, Plenty of Shopping, BBQ Cookoff's, Arts and Crafts Festivals, you would just have to see it to believe it. It is a very quaint little town with wonderful shops on the square, awesome restaurants... so, please give us a visit.

[Loiyan]

I will have to take another look at Cobb county. I had considered Kennesaw before and I can't remember why I took it off my list, something about problems in Marietta with the schools. I know prices are higher there, but it is closer to the city than most parts of Gwinnett. No I won't be spending much time in the city during the week, but I would like to be able to take my son to the aquarium, zoo, or other venues on the weekends, and I don't want to have to drive an hour. The last place I visited was Duluth, and it seemed to take a LONG time to get the city, even on Sunday, and I couldn't easily find the parks and recreation sites. But I get the impression that Duluth is more diverse than lots of other areas, due to people moving from the North and Florida, which fits me. From Chicago, living in Florida for 10 years. But stvincent is right, not much available close to amenities for a low price, BUT its still cheaper than Orlando! Here, $300k barely gets a 3/2, and it won't be new. As for schools, when I say good, doesn't have to be the best, I know I am the key to my son getting a quality education, it has to be reinforced at home. I do want a school that is at least meeting goals, or I think in Georgia its making AYP. Doesn't have to be an "A" school. But I don't want a D/F school either. And I don't want to drive 15 minutes just to get milk or to fill a prescription. I know Kennesaw is less expensive than Smyrna, does anybody have info on other areas in Cobb?

[DoveDiva]

Look into West Cobb--it's becoming more diverse, and the schools are above average. Cobb County Schools is a pretty decent school district to work for as well.

[supernova]

Originally Posted by Loiyan

I will have to take another look at Cobb county. I had considered Kennesaw before and I can't remember why I took it off my list, something about problems in Marietta with the schools. I know prices are higher there, but it is closer to the city than most parts of Gwinnett. No I won't be spending much time in the city during the week, but I would like to be able to take my son to the aquarium, zoo, or other venues on the weekends, and I don't want to have to drive an hour. The last place I visited was Duluth, and it seemed to take a LONG time to get the city, even on Sunday, and I couldn't easily find the parks and recreation sites. But I get the impression that Duluth is more diverse than lots of other areas, due to people moving from the North and Florida, which fits me. From Chicago, living in Florida for 10 years. But stvincent is right, not much available close to amenities for a low price, BUT its still cheaper than Orlando! Here, $300k barely gets a 3/2, and it won't be new. As for schools, when I say good, doesn't have to be the best, I know I am the key to my son getting a quality education, it has to be reinforced at home. I do want a school that is at least meeting goals, or I think in Georgia its making AYP. Doesn't have to be an "A" school. But I don't want a D/F school either. And I don't want to drive 15 minutes just to get milk or to fill a prescription. I know Kennesaw is less expensive than Smyrna, does anybody have info on other areas in Cobb?

Most of the areas mentioned by some of the other posts are great as long as you don't have to commute regularly to the city. The problem is, becuase of the rapid growth in those areas and the fact that most of the jobs in Atlanta are in the corridor between I-75, I-85, and I-285, most people living in these areas are all heading in the same direction in the morning and evening making the commute very unpleasant.

For the price range home and other criteria you mentioned, if you want to live closer in to where the action is you will either have to buy an older home (maybe up to 50 years old) or a townhome or loft.

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