Cherokee or Fayette County? (Atlanta, Peachtree City: real estate, property taxes, weekend getaway)

[AVA]

Are the schools in these areas good?I've read some great things here and on a school website about these counties.I used to reasearch Gwinnett County but heard that they are having trouble with illegals and gangs in the high schools..Is this just rumors?If you do live in Cherokee or Fayette counties what is your favorite parts about the area?How is the weather and the commute to Atlanta?
Thanks

[Tdiddy0027]

I live right next to Fayette county in Coweta and I can say that Peachtree City in western Fayette is a great place. Its look is very put together and it has great shopping. It also has golf cart paths to get around the city and it has very good schools. many complain about the city being too sterile but I still really like it.

[xxman777]

The commute is going to be much better from Fayette County then Cherokee. Both counties are about the same distance from Atlanta, but there is much more traffic on the North side. Of course it depends on where you are in the county but Fayette is going to be your best bet. The drive down 575 and then 75 to the perimeter are heavily congested. 75 and 85 north out of the south side both move nicely even during rush hour.

[Tdiddy0027]

actually, there are areas of Fayette that are less than 15-20 miles from Atlanta while most of Cherokee county is more than 25 miles away. But when you consider the fact that there are more travel destinations in the northern part of Atlanta closer to Cherokee than in the southern part closer to Fayette it all balances out.

[ptcgirl]

Peachtree City is located in Fayette County. I couldn't imagine a better place to raise my family. We moved from so cal a year ago and really love it hear (although we miss the beach). Peachtree City has over 100 miles of golf cart paths (which trust me you will use constantly). They link up everything from the schools to shopping to dining to homes. It seriously rocks. Also, the people here are mostly from other areas of the country which was really important to us. Peachtree City is not a southern town (in my opinion). You won't hear southern accents here. People are extremely well educated and the median salaries and home prices are high as well. The commute to Atlanta is hectic from the West and South side of PTC, but the north side of PTC is very convenient to ATL. The schools are incredible here. You won't find better! Also, check out CNN's and Money Mag's top 10 places to live from last year. PTC was number 8. It is an incredible place to call home. Low crime, super friendly, beautiful, family oriented, upscale. Good luck and I hope this helps.

[AVA]

Originally Posted by ptcgirl

Peachtree City is located in Fayette County. I couldn't imagine a better place to raise my family. We moved from so cal a year ago and really love it hear (although we miss the beach). Peachtree City has over 100 miles of golf cart paths (which trust me you will use constantly). They link up everything from the schools to shopping to dining to homes. It seriously rocks. Also, the people here are mostly from other areas of the country which was really important to us. Peachtree City is not a southern town (in my opinion). You won't hear southern accents here. People are extremely well educated and the median salaries and home prices are high as well. The commute to Atlanta is hectic from the West and South side of PTC, but the north side of PTC is very convenient to ATL. The schools are incredible here. You won't find better! Also, check out CNN's and Money Mag's top 10 places to live from last year. PTC was number 8. It is an incredible place to call home. Low crime, super friendly, beautiful, family oriented, upscale. Good luck and I hope this helps.

This does sound wonderful!To increase my searching potential what surrounding towns are good?Is Fayetteville nice and up and coming?We would like 4 brs 2.5 baths on 1/2 an acre.Great schools are a must too.
Thanks

[ptcgirl]

Fayetteville is okay, but I wouldn't want to live there. They are VERY developed (to a fault in my opinion). The schools in Fayetteville are still Fayette County schools which are great, but not as good as PTC. Ther are some areas of Fayetteville that bump up next to PTC where you'll get more land for your $$ and less taxes. Property taxes are high here, but you get a lot for them. Newnan (town to the west in Coweta County) is also growing rapidly. There are some nicer areas there too, but there is really a basic understanding here that living outside of PTC is not as good (and for some good reasons). It really is very different from any other place I've ever seen. I strongly suggest that you visit here. Rent a golf cart for the day (Bulldog Golf Cart does this for about $30 and go exploring. Recreation is huge here and it is a fun time.

Other areas to check out are Senioa and Tyrone. Senioa is more rural (if that is interesting to you) and has awesome schools. Tyrone is more developed, less tax money and more house for the $$. The Home Source is a local real estate company here that we used and liked. Our agent was Susan Fitzgerald. She has a great MLS website fitzgeraldsellshomes.com She might be able to help you if you need home info. Our house is a couple of years old, 3100 sq ft, 4bd, 2 1/2 ba and we could probably sell it for $300k. It doesn't have a basement (which people really like here).

Oh by the way, the weather here is hot! We actually like it that way, but some don't. There is no better day for me than sitting by the pool on a hot sunny day. The winter here was so mild. It didn't snow or ice and the temp was pretty reasonable. We were able to get out all year long which is very important to our family. We like to hike around, go to parks, ride bikes, etc. PTC has so much to offer for us. Please let me know if you need more info. I know how hard it can be trying to pick a place. We could have gone just about anywhere and we chose here. It really is a good match for us.

[Tdiddy0027]

however, if you want snow and ice, you can find it in the North GA mountains particularly in towns like Clayton, Hiawassee, and Blairsville- you can also go in the fall and see the leaves change; and the best part is it's only 2 hours from Atlanta. Then if you want to go to the beach you can drive 4 hours to the GA coast and 5 hours to the gulf coast. Also, if you want to go somewhere a little bit farther away Hartsfield Jackson int'l airpiort can take you pretty much anywhere you want to go- considering it is the busiest in the world. That's another thing that's great about this area, you're never far away from a great weekend getaway or the trip of a lifetime!!

[searchusa]

Hi,

I live in So Cal, and have all my life. My husband and I are looking to move out of CA. We have three adult children, son 24, two daughters 20 & 23, our daughters will most likely move with us, but son will stay in CA. Peach Tree sounds great and I wish I had moved there 15 years ago, but I wonder if my daughters will be bored there, it sounds so geared to families with school age kids. Do most people work in Atlanta and commute; if so how long does it take. I also wonder if we would be better off tax wise to choose a different area, since schools are not a consideration for us. Any info/thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank you

[OhioNative]

Originally Posted by AVA

I used to reasearch Gwinnett County but heard that they are having trouble with illegals and gangs in the high schools..Is this just rumors?

Gwinnett is a large area with something like 750,000 residents. There are good parts and bad parts. The gang problems tend to be clustered in the southwestern corner of the county. Other areas are just fine, and actually quite affluent.