Snellville and Gwinnet County (Atlanta, Lawrenceville: 2009, house, public schools)

[waskflask]

Me and my wife are planning to move to the Snellville area summer of 2009. I'm a registered nurse and my wife is a teacher, also we have a baby on the way. What I would like to know is if Snellville is a good place to raise a kid and what area in Gwinnet County should I be living in so my child can attend Brookwood schools? I mentioned Brookwood because that is what I saw online as a good school in that area. Also I want to know what hospitals are close by so I can have a job. The prices on housing in Snellville are great compared to South Florida, where we lived our whole life. I know it is going to be a big change, but I think it is the best considering the situation the country is in now. If anyone who lives in Snellville use to live in the Broward County area, I would like to know if Snellville can be compared to Cooper City. Me and my wife like to go out and in South Florida you got the Miami scene, Ft. Lauderdale, and now the Hard Rock Casino, is there anything like that in this area? We visited Atlanta this past March and the only place close to that is Atlantic Station. I'm 30 and my wife is 25 we don't want to be bored living there and most importantly I want my kid to experience a great childhood. Thanks.

[MorelandWalker]

I grew up in Snellville and yes, the schools are quite good. As far as entertainment goes, not so much. Pretty much all low-density residential and little else. A few nightclubs and such have sprung up along 78 recently, but not much in the way of arts and culture. If you plan on commuting on 78 beware that the traffic is getting progressively worse. I drive back into town from visiting on it every now and then and there are headlights in the afternoon as far as the eye can see. I'd recommend somewhere along Five-Forks Trickum Road in the 30047 zip code, that's a Lilburn address but still in the Brookwood district I believe. My friend recently bought a house there and he likes it. That way you have easier access to the expressway part of 78 and Memorial Dr as an alternate if necessary if you need to go downtown.

Eastside Medical is a few miles from the Brookwood area near Ronald Reagan and 124, and Gwinnett Medical is about 10 or so miles north on Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road. Those are the two closest hospitals I believe. Commutes shouldn't be too bad but I dunno what Sugarloaf is like these days.

[sedimenjerry]

Well I hope I'm not too late but you made a good choice as far as schools go. Brookwood is an excellent district. I would recommend the areas that feed into Crews Middle rather than Five Forks. If you go to the website for Gwinnett County Public Schools and go to the Brookwood page, you can load a map showing the district boundaries.
I will be a senior next year at Brookwood and I have loved this area. I started at Craig Elementary in 1st grade.
As far as entertainment goes, I can't help you. There is an arena not too far from here where a minor league hockey team plays and now there is also a baseball field where a minor league baseball team plays. Both places are wonderful places to take your kids. They are much safer than going downtown, much quicker to get to, and at the arena, parking is free (I'm not sure about the baseball field). Both are fairly close to the Mall of Georgia.
You may have already moved by now but good luck!