Alpharetta: pros, cons, and median income that high? (Roswell, Forsyth: homes, live in)

[GF72]

here are the stats for the zip codes that are considered "Alpharetta" note that these are actually spread across multiple cities:

30004 - Milton/Alpharetta
Population - 57,435
Median Household Income - $89,596
Average Household Income - $99,412
Per Capita Income - $35,926
Crime Index - 87

30005 - Alpharetta/Johns Creek
Population - 31,743
Median Household Income - $117,343
Average Household Income - $128,363
Per Capita Income - $41,809
Crime Index - 102

30022 - Johns Creek/Alpharetta
Population - 66,688
Median Household Income - $113,985
Average Household Income - $132,096
Per Capita Income - $43,774
Crime Index - 115

30097 - Johns Creek/Duluth
Population - 35,730
Median Household Income - $117,755
Average Household Income - $136,896
Per Capita Income - $42,249
Crime Index - 138

United States
Median Household Income - $48,451
Average Household Income - $65,527
Per Capita Income - $25,267
Crime Index - 100 (150 for urban areas, 50 for rural areas)

The Alpharetta area is part of the "northern suburbs" of Atlanta which is considered the desirable part of the metro area. Other areas in the "northern suburbs" of Atlanta include Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Roswell, East Cobb, Suwanee, South Forsyth, Berkeley Lake, Buckhead, Brookhaven, and North Druid Hills. These are all desirable areas as well. Some of these are far north (like South Forsyth) and some are very close to Atlanta, like North Druid Hills, Brookhaven, and Buckhead (Buckhead is actually within Atlanta city limits, but 90% of the land area consists of houses and estates).

All of the school districts in East Cobb, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Roswell, and Milton are the best schools in Georgia and are top-notch and among the best in the country. The other areas are hit or miss.... some are pretty good but some aren't. The areas closest to the city tend to rely more on private schooling.

The zip codes for the other suburbs on the northside, that are not Alpharetta area:

30076 - Roswell
Population - 46,602
Median Household Income - $82,372
Average Household Income - $94,006
Per Capita Income - $32,941
Crime Index - 77

30075 - Roswell/East Cobb
Population - 54,324
Median Household Income - $106,378
Average Household Income - $115,088
Per Capita Income - $38,659
Crime Index - 69

30068 - East Cobb
Population - 34,069
Median Household Income - $109,128
Average Household Income - $130,339
Per Capita Income - $46,741
Crime Index - 64

30062 - East Cobb
Population - 70,478
Median Household Income - $96,181
Average Household Income - $98,881
Per Capita Income - $33,765
Crime Index - 80

30092 - Berkeley Lake/Norcross
Population - 37,770
Median Household Income - $71,958
Average Household Income - $108,132
Per Capita Income - $41,383
Crime Index - 119

30024 - Suwanee/South Forsyth
Population - 56,128
Median Household Income - $103,297
Average Household Income - $114,867
Per Capita Income - $36,655
Crime Index - 49

30338 - Dunwoody
Population - 31,556
Median Household Income - $98,709
Average Household Income - $127,169
Per Capita Income - $56,399
Crime Index - 224

30350 - Sandy Springs
Population - 37,280
Median Household Income - $64,519
Average Household Income - $91,674
Per Capita Income - $41,389
Crime Index - 95

30328 - Sandy Springs
Population - 30,045
Median Household Income - $80,262
Average Household Income - $113,526
Per Capita Income - $49,144
Crime Index - 128

30327 - Sandy Springs/Buckhead
Population - 26,250
Median Household Income - $145,129
Average Household Income - $209,354
Per Capita Income - $80,256
Crime Index - 438

30342 - Sandy Springs/Buckhead
Population - 30,528
Median Household Income - $78,409
Average Household Income - $104,682
Per Capita Income - $44,111
Crime Index - 243

30305 - Buckhead
Population - 25,583
Median Household Income - $82,440
Average Household Income - $132,420
Per Capita Income - $67,144
Crime Index - 513

30319 - Brookhaven/Buckhead
Population - 41,320
Median Household Income - $74,689
Average Household Income - $107,132
Per Capita Income - $47,071
Crime Index - 119

30345 - North Druid Hills
Population - 21,323
Median Household Income - $75,898
Average Household Income - $96,895
Per Capita Income - $38,784
Crime Index - 254


I included all three income statistics because that gives the best impression of an area. In case you don't know, median income splits the population into halves and is the income value that occurs right in the middle. Average income is obviously the average income, and per capita income is similar to average income except instead of dividing by households it is divided by the whole population, including children and people with no income.

So if you want to look at the pure wealth of an area, look at per capita income. But you have to look at all three to figure out what an area is really like. For example, if the average income is much higher than the median income, it means one of two things. Either there is a group of extremely wealthy people somewhere in the area, which tilts the average upwards, or there are more singles and less families in the area, which tilts the median downwards.

For example, the city of Sandy Springs is 50% singles and 50% families (far more singles than average), which explains why the median incomes are so "low" but the per capita income is so high. Same is true for places like Buckhead and Dunwoody.

One of the best areas for families is zip code 30068, which is in lower East Cobb and is about twice as close to Atlanta as Alpharetta. This area has extremely low crime and most of the zip code is zoned to Walton High School, which is the #1 school district in the state of Georgia and ranked #109 out of all 27,000 high schools in the United States. However people have caught on to this and it's one of the hottest zip codes in Atlanta, for the past several years median new home price has been above $900,000 in the zip code so it's pretty expensive for a new house, but older houses are much more affordable.

Another great area is zip code 30075, which is the western part of Roswell and includes some of East Cobb. This is a very low crime area with great schools. The East Cobb portion is Pope High school which is one of the best schools Georgia, and the Roswell portion is Roswell High which is also one of the best high schools in Georgia. The Roswell High district is great because the school district is just as good as the East Cobb and Alpharetta schools (which get more attention) but the area is more affordable.

If you look at a map you'll see these zip codes form a large, continuous block north of Atlanta. The population of this whole area is 734,852. Most upper-middle class and upper-class people in Atlanta live in this area. So as you can see there are other areas besides Alpharetta you should also consider. Of course you can't really go wrong with Alpharetta either, especially Johns Creek, which has the #2 and #3 school districts in the state.

If you're wondering why the Alpharetta area consists of three cities (Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton) it's because most of this area was unincorporated (not part of any city) until recently, when the unincorporated area east of Alpharetta became the city of Johns Creek and north of Alpharetta became the city of Milton. Before, these areas all used Alpharetta as their mailing address, but now that is changing since they are their own cities. Which confuses a lot of people, especially since most of the wealthy country clubs that people always associated with Alpharetta are now actually in the city of Johns Creek.

If you look at a map you will see the Chattahoochee river runs through this area. There are no bad school districts north of the river, in fact they are all the best schools. South of the river it's hit or miss, you have to do some research.

As for shopping, North Point Mall and the surrounding area is the shopping hub of the Alpharetta area (it's in the city of Alpharetta). This is basically suburban chain-store shopping, though it's dressed up more to keep up with the upper-middle class nature of the area.

The more serious shopping is closer to the city. The Perimeter Mall area (sandwiched between Sandy Springs and Dunwoody) and especially the Lenox/Phipps area of Buckhead, which is the the capital of shopping for Atlanta.

I'm not sure what you mean by less diversity (less hispanics? coming from FL that's what I'll assume). This whole area is mostly white. There aren't too many blacks or hispanics (10% on average give or take) but this is slowly changing, after all Atlanta is a major metropolis. There are a lot of (wealthy) Asians in certain parts, especially Alpharetta and Johns Creek. Johns Creek is like 25% Asian.

Anyway hope all this information helps.

[DeaconJ]

The northern suburbs are not the only desireable area in Atlanta. Other areas area considered desireable by just as many residents. I consider those congested and overbuilt sprawled-out suburbs as undesireable, and find desireable qualities in many other in-town and suburban neighborhoods.

Mind numbing traffic is not a desireable trait...and it certainly exists in Alpharetta. Wealth and household income doesn't necessarily make the area desireable either...I could care less about those things.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by GF72

here are the stats for the zip codes that are considered "Alpharetta" note that these are actually spread across multiple cities:

30004 - Milton/Alpharetta
Population - 57,435
Median Household Income - $89,596
Average Household Income - $99,412
Per Capita Income - $35,926
Crime Index - 87

30005 - Alpharetta/Johns Creek
Population - 31,743
Median Household Income - $117,343
Average Household Income - $128,363
Per Capita Income - $41,809
Crime Index - 102

30022 - Johns Creek/Alpharetta
Population - 66,688
Median Household Income - $113,985
Average Household Income - $132,096
Per Capita Income - $43,774
Crime Index - 115

30097 - Johns Creek/Duluth
Population - 35,730
Median Household Income - $117,755
Average Household Income - $136,896
Per Capita Income - $42,249
Crime Index - 138

United States
Median Household Income - $48,451
Average Household Income - $65,527
Per Capita Income - $25,267
Crime Index - 100 (150 for urban areas, 50 for rural areas)

The Alpharetta area is part of the "northern suburbs" of Atlanta which is considered the desirable part of the metro area. Other areas in the "northern suburbs" of Atlanta include Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Roswell, East Cobb, Suwanee, South Forsyth, Berkeley Lake, Buckhead, Brookhaven, and North Druid Hills. These are all desirable areas as well. Some of these are far north (like South Forsyth) and some are very close to Atlanta, like North Druid Hills, Brookhaven, and Buckhead (Buckhead is actually within Atlanta city limits, but 90% of the land area consists of houses and estates).

All of the school districts in East Cobb, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Roswell, and Milton are the best schools in Georgia and are top-notch and among the best in the country. The other areas are hit or miss.... some are pretty good but some aren't. The areas closest to the city tend to rely more on private schooling.

The zip codes for the other suburbs on the northside, that are not Alpharetta area:

30076 - Roswell
Population - 46,602
Median Household Income - $82,372
Average Household Income - $94,006
Per Capita Income - $32,941
Crime Index - 77

30075 - Roswell/East Cobb
Population - 54,324
Median Household Income - $106,378
Average Household Income - $115,088
Per Capita Income - $38,659
Crime Index - 69

30068 - East Cobb
Population - 34,069
Median Household Income - $109,128
Average Household Income - $130,339
Per Capita Income - $46,741
Crime Index - 64

30062 - East Cobb
Population - 70,478
Median Household Income - $96,181
Average Household Income - $98,881
Per Capita Income - $33,765
Crime Index - 80

30092 - Berkeley Lake/Norcross
Population - 37,770
Median Household Income - $71,958
Average Household Income - $108,132
Per Capita Income - $41,383
Crime Index - 119

30024 - Suwanee/South Forsyth
Population - 56,128
Median Household Income - $103,297
Average Household Income - $114,867
Per Capita Income - $36,655
Crime Index - 49

30338 - Dunwoody
Population - 31,556
Median Household Income - $98,709
Average Household Income - $127,169
Per Capita Income - $56,399
Crime Index - 224

30350 - Sandy Springs
Population - 37,280
Median Household Income - $64,519
Average Household Income - $91,674
Per Capita Income - $41,389
Crime Index - 95

30328 - Sandy Springs
Population - 30,045
Median Household Income - $80,262
Average Household Income - $113,526
Per Capita Income - $49,144
Crime Index - 128

30327 - Sandy Springs/Buckhead
Population - 26,250
Median Household Income - $145,129
Average Household Income - $209,354
Per Capita Income - $80,256
Crime Index - 438

30342 - Sandy Springs/Buckhead
Population - 30,528
Median Household Income - $78,409
Average Household Income - $104,682
Per Capita Income - $44,111
Crime Index - 243

30305 - Buckhead
Population - 25,583
Median Household Income - $82,440
Average Household Income - $132,420
Per Capita Income - $67,144
Crime Index - 513

30319 - Brookhaven/Buckhead
Population - 41,320
Median Household Income - $74,689
Average Household Income - $107,132
Per Capita Income - $47,071
Crime Index - 119

30345 - North Druid Hills
Population - 21,323
Median Household Income - $75,898
Average Household Income - $96,895
Per Capita Income - $38,784
Crime Index - 254


I included all three income statistics because that gives the best impression of an area. In case you don't know, median income splits the population into halves and is the income value that occurs right in the middle. Average income is obviously the average income, and per capita income is similar to average income except instead of dividing by households it is divided by the whole population, including children and people with no income.

So if you want to look at the pure wealth of an area, look at per capita income. But you have to look at all three to figure out what an area is really like. For example, if the average income is much higher than the median income, it means one of two things. Either there is a group of extremely wealthy people somewhere in the area, which tilts the average upwards, or there are more singles and less families in the area, which tilts the median downwards.

For example, the city of Sandy Springs is 50% singles and 50% families (far more singles than average), which explains why the median incomes are so "low" but the per capita income is so high. Same is true for places like Buckhead and Dunwoody.

One of the best areas for families is zip code 30068, which is in lower East Cobb and is about twice as close to Atlanta as Alpharetta. This area has extremely low crime and most of the zip code is zoned to Walton High School, which is the #1 school district in the state of Georgia and ranked #109 out of all 27,000 high schools in the United States. However people have caught on to this and it's one of the hottest zip codes in Atlanta, for the past several years median new home price has been above $900,000 in the zip code so it's pretty expensive for a new house, but older houses are much more affordable.

Another great area is zip code 30075, which is the western part of Roswell and includes some of East Cobb. This is a very low crime area with great schools. The East Cobb portion is Pope High school which is one of the best schools Georgia, and the Roswell portion is Roswell High which is also one of the best high schools in Georgia. The Roswell High district is great because the school district is just as good as the East Cobb and Alpharetta schools (which get more attention) but the area is more affordable.

If you look at a map you'll see these zip codes form a large, continuous block north of Atlanta. The population of this whole area is 734,852. Most upper-middle class and upper-class people in Atlanta live in this area. So as you can see there are other areas besides Alpharetta you should also consider. Of course you can't really go wrong with Alpharetta either, especially Johns Creek, which has the #2 and #3 school districts in the state.

If you're wondering why the Alpharetta area consists of three cities (Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton) it's because most of this area was unincorporated (not part of any city) until recently, when the unincorporated area east of Alpharetta became the city of Johns Creek and north of Alpharetta became the city of Milton. Before, these areas all used Alpharetta as their mailing address, but now that is changing since they are their own cities. Which confuses a lot of people, especially since most of the wealthy country clubs that people always associated with Alpharetta are now actually in the city of Johns Creek.

If you look at a map you will see the Chattahoochee river runs through this area. There are no bad school districts north of the river, in fact they are all the best schools. South of the river it's hit or miss, you have to do some research.

As for shopping, North Point Mall and the surrounding area is the shopping hub of the Alpharetta area (it's in the city of Alpharetta). This is basically suburban chain-store shopping, though it's dressed up more to keep up with the upper-middle class nature of the area.

The more serious shopping is closer to the city. The Perimeter Mall area (sandwiched between Sandy Springs and Dunwoody) and especially the Lenox/Phipps area of Buckhead, which is the the capital of shopping for Atlanta.

I'm not sure what you mean by less diversity (less hispanics? coming from FL that's what I'll assume). This whole area is mostly white. There aren't too many blacks or hispanics (10% on average give or take) but this is slowly changing, after all Atlanta is a major metropolis. There are a lot of (wealthy) Asians in certain parts, especially Alpharetta and Johns Creek. Johns Creek is like 25% Asian.

Anyway hope all this information helps.

A significant part of the 30075 zip code is also in the Lassiter High School District in East Cobb.


I also think the Roswell High District has a lot to offer!

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

The northern suburbs are not the only desireable area in Atlanta. Other areas area considered desireable by just as many residents. I consider those congested and overbuilt sprawled-out suburbs as undesireable, and find desireable qualities in many other in-town and suburban neighborhoods.

Mind numbing traffic is not a desireable trait...and it certainly exists in Alpharetta. Wealth and household income doesn't necessarily make the area desireable either...I could care less about those things.

You are so right, DeaconJ...but don't waste your brain cells talking about this...if you look on previous posts, you will always notice he/she has a very narrow view of what is best.

He/she has a classic case of "siana" syndrome.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by aries4118

You are so right, DeaconJ...but don't waste your brain cells talking about this...if you look on previous posts, you will always notice he/she has a very narrow view of what is best.

He/she has a classic case of "siana" syndrome.

I won't...I don't usually let these discussions affect me anyway. It can seem all heated and important but as soon as I close the window it evaporates. But you're right, there is no use discussing something like this when the other person KNOWS his opinion is the right one.

[gshdwey]

The thread is about Alpharetta pros, cons, medium income. GF72 provided lot of in-depth details about schools, crime, income of that area, which many people like me doesn't know. I think GF72 post might help to lot of people, who are not very familiar with this area

[mmenomen]

Thanks, GF72, I am familiar with all those areas, but only to a certain extent. Pretty good stuff for comparison sakes. Where did you get the stats from if I may ask? I would like to look up some Crime Index rates by zip codes and I googled with no luck. I used to know about 2 or 3 websites that offered crime rates searchable by zip codes, but those websites are long gone.

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by GF72

Another great area is zip code 30075, which is the western part of Roswell and includes some of East Cobb. This is a very low crime area with great schools. The East Cobb portion is Pope High school which is one of the best schools Georgia, and the Roswell portion is Roswell High which is also one of the best high schools in Georgia. The Roswell High district is great because the school district is just as good as the East Cobb and Alpharetta schools (which get more attention) but the area is more affordable.

I live in 30075, East Cobb, Lassiter HS zone. No doubt a portion of 30075 is zoned for Pope, as GF asserted.

[staywarm2]

Originally Posted by BornInFL

Thx so much everyone, I really appreciate the comments. Any areas/small towns close to Johns Creek/Alpharetta/Roswell that are within driving distance each day where I could build a house? Maybe Cumming or Gainesville where its less populated, I could build a few houses and where there arent so many empty houses and foreclosures?

Gainesville is rather far from Alpharetta. Cumming had massive building going on before all this crisis hit. I haven't been up there in a while, but it has really grown in the last 5 yrs. or so. Not a good time to be building houses. The whole ATL area is overbuilt. We have 6 homes for sale in my Alpharetta neighborhood and they are just sitting there. All are beautiful. Nothing selling.

Yes, the income is quite high in Alpharetta. I think $88,000 is lower than the income really is. Shopping is great and it is sooo convenient. Great schools. Be sure to get involved right away in your kid's school, sports, etc. so you make friends. Lovely here, but not all that friendly. Most of the Hispanics you'll see here work in fast food restaurants. Lots of Asians, but they speak good English and are polite. Nothing like Orlando. Alpharetta feels like a city separate from ATL. Cumming is far and if you need to commute to DT ATL, it's a bear. Same for Gainesville.

Roswell is becoming more and more Hispanic, especially close to GA 400 on the west side. Lots of Mexican stores, etc.

Good luck.

[rvbrad]

Originally Posted by GF72

here are the stats for the zip codes that are considered "Alpharetta" note that these are actually spread across multiple cities:

30004 - Milton/Alpharetta
Population - 57,435
Median Household Income - $89,596
Average Household Income - $99,412
Per Capita Income - $35,926
Crime Index - 87

30005 - Alpharetta/Johns Creek
Population - 31,743
Median Household Income - $117,343
Average Household Income - $128,363
Per Capita Income - $41,809
Crime Index - 102

30022 - Johns Creek/Alpharetta
Population - 66,688
Median Household Income - $113,985
Average Household Income - $132,096
Per Capita Income - $43,774
Crime Index - 115

30097 - Johns Creek/Duluth
Population - 35,730
Median Household Income - $117,755
Average Household Income - $136,896
Per Capita Income - $42,249
Crime Index - 138

United States
Median Household Income - $48,451
Average Household Income - $65,527
Per Capita Income - $25,267
Crime Index - 100 (150 for urban areas, 50 for rural areas)

The Alpharetta area is part of the "northern suburbs" of Atlanta which is considered the desirable part of the metro area. Other areas in the "northern suburbs" of Atlanta include Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Roswell, East Cobb, Suwanee, South Forsyth, Berkeley Lake, Buckhead, Brookhaven, and North Druid Hills. These are all desirable areas as well. Some of these are far north (like South Forsyth) and some are very close to Atlanta, like North Druid Hills, Brookhaven, and Buckhead (Buckhead is actually within Atlanta city limits, but 90% of the land area consists of houses and estates).

All of the school districts in East Cobb, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Roswell, and Milton are the best schools in Georgia and are top-notch and among the best in the country. The other areas are hit or miss.... some are pretty good but some aren't. The areas closest to the city tend to rely more on private schooling.

The zip codes for the other suburbs on the northside, that are not Alpharetta area:

30076 - Roswell
Population - 46,602
Median Household Income - $82,372
Average Household Income - $94,006
Per Capita Income - $32,941
Crime Index - 77

30075 - Roswell/East Cobb
Population - 54,324
Median Household Income - $106,378
Average Household Income - $115,088
Per Capita Income - $38,659
Crime Index - 69

30068 - East Cobb
Population - 34,069
Median Household Income - $109,128
Average Household Income - $130,339
Per Capita Income - $46,741
Crime Index - 64

30062 - East Cobb
Population - 70,478
Median Household Income - $96,181
Average Household Income - $98,881
Per Capita Income - $33,765
Crime Index - 80

30092 - Berkeley Lake/Norcross
Population - 37,770
Median Household Income - $71,958
Average Household Income - $108,132
Per Capita Income - $41,383
Crime Index - 119

30024 - Suwanee/South Forsyth
Population - 56,128
Median Household Income - $103,297
Average Household Income - $114,867
Per Capita Income - $36,655
Crime Index - 49

30338 - Dunwoody
Population - 31,556
Median Household Income - $98,709
Average Household Income - $127,169
Per Capita Income - $56,399
Crime Index - 224

30350 - Sandy Springs
Population - 37,280
Median Household Income - $64,519
Average Household Income - $91,674
Per Capita Income - $41,389
Crime Index - 95

30328 - Sandy Springs
Population - 30,045
Median Household Income - $80,262
Average Household Income - $113,526
Per Capita Income - $49,144
Crime Index - 128

30327 - Sandy Springs/Buckhead
Population - 26,250
Median Household Income - $145,129
Average Household Income - $209,354
Per Capita Income - $80,256
Crime Index - 438

30342 - Sandy Springs/Buckhead
Population - 30,528
Median Household Income - $78,409
Average Household Income - $104,682
Per Capita Income - $44,111
Crime Index - 243

30305 - Buckhead
Population - 25,583
Median Household Income - $82,440
Average Household Income - $132,420
Per Capita Income - $67,144
Crime Index - 513

30319 - Brookhaven/Buckhead
Population - 41,320
Median Household Income - $74,689
Average Household Income - $107,132
Per Capita Income - $47,071
Crime Index - 119

30345 - North Druid Hills
Population - 21,323
Median Household Income - $75,898
Average Household Income - $96,895
Per Capita Income - $38,784
Crime Index - 254


I included all three income statistics because that gives the best impression of an area. In case you don't know, median income splits the population into halves and is the income value that occurs right in the middle. Average income is obviously the average income, and per capita income is similar to average income except instead of dividing by households it is divided by the whole population, including children and people with no income.

So if you want to look at the pure wealth of an area, look at per capita income. But you have to look at all three to figure out what an area is really like. For example, if the average income is much higher than the median income, it means one of two things. Either there is a group of extremely wealthy people somewhere in the area, which tilts the average upwards, or there are more singles and less families in the area, which tilts the median downwards.

For example, the city of Sandy Springs is 50% singles and 50% families (far more singles than average), which explains why the median incomes are so "low" but the per capita income is so high. Same is true for places like Buckhead and Dunwoody.

One of the best areas for families is zip code 30068, which is in lower East Cobb and is about twice as close to Atlanta as Alpharetta. This area has extremely low crime and most of the zip code is zoned to Walton High School, which is the #1 school district in the state of Georgia and ranked #109 out of all 27,000 high schools in the United States. However people have caught on to this and it's one of the hottest zip codes in Atlanta, for the past several years median new home price has been above $900,000 in the zip code so it's pretty expensive for a new house, but older houses are much more affordable.

Another great area is zip code 30075, which is the western part of Roswell and includes some of East Cobb. This is a very low crime area with great schools. The East Cobb portion is Pope High school which is one of the best schools Georgia, and the Roswell portion is Roswell High which is also one of the best high schools in Georgia. The Roswell High district is great because the school district is just as good as the East Cobb and Alpharetta schools (which get more attention) but the area is more affordable.

If you look at a map you'll see these zip codes form a large, continuous block north of Atlanta. The population of this whole area is 734,852. Most upper-middle class and upper-class people in Atlanta live in this area. So as you can see there are other areas besides Alpharetta you should also consider. Of course you can't really go wrong with Alpharetta either, especially Johns Creek, which has the #2 and #3 school districts in the state.

If you're wondering why the Alpharetta area consists of three cities (Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton) it's because most of this area was unincorporated (not part of any city) until recently, when the unincorporated area east of Alpharetta became the city of Johns Creek and north of Alpharetta became the city of Milton. Before, these areas all used Alpharetta as their mailing address, but now that is changing since they are their own cities. Which confuses a lot of people, especially since most of the wealthy country clubs that people always associated with Alpharetta are now actually in the city of Johns Creek.

If you look at a map you will see the Chattahoochee river runs through this area. There are no bad school districts north of the river, in fact they are all the best schools. South of the river it's hit or miss, you have to do some research.

As for shopping, North Point Mall and the surrounding area is the shopping hub of the Alpharetta area (it's in the city of Alpharetta). This is basically suburban chain-store shopping, though it's dressed up more to keep up with the upper-middle class nature of the area.

The more serious shopping is closer to the city. The Perimeter Mall area (sandwiched between Sandy Springs and Dunwoody) and especially the Lenox/Phipps area of Buckhead, which is the the capital of shopping for Atlanta.

I'm not sure what you mean by less diversity (less hispanics? coming from FL that's what I'll assume). This whole area is mostly white. There aren't too many blacks or hispanics (10% on average give or take) but this is slowly changing, after all Atlanta is a major metropolis. There are a lot of (wealthy) Asians in certain parts, especially Alpharetta and Johns Creek. Johns Creek is like 25% Asian.

Anyway hope all this information helps.

Great post. Kudos.