Relocating for a job in Alpharetta off Winward Pkwy (Atlanta: best neighborhoods, apartment)

[ljkiv]

I obvioulsy don't want to live too far due to traffic concerns....
what are the best and worse about the surrounding areas?
Looking online- I want to be close to Atl but no so close that it will take an hour to drive 11 miles.. I'm open to persuasion.

Where do you recommend to live and where can I go to find information about: best neighborhoods (property value between $350-$425), schools , safety, property values, taxes and commute times

(I'm guessing that the following are ok)
alpharetta - but seems like it is expensive compared to cumming
deluth
cuming
roswell

any others?

[runnergrl]

Best location... to be close to work would most definitely be north part of Alpharetta which would be north fulton school district...that would emcompass the windward area...on the west side of 400 the crabapple area is nice too.

South forsyth is a pretty strong area too because of schools...yet a bit cheaper in property taxes because it is south forsyth. We have some friends that live in the Polo club area of Cumming west side of 400(south forsyth) and they have been happy with the schools.

When we lived there...both my husband and I commuted from Cumming down to windward...and it took about 20 minutes from exit 13 off hwy 400....BUT that was about 6 plus yrs ago and I know the volume is heavier because there is more development.

The less you have to depend on the hwy the better.

[rvbrad]

I'm in the same boat as you - relocation for work on Windward Pkwy. Maybe the same outfit???

Here's what I've found:

Forsyth county has the lowest property taxes and most affordable housing within a 15mi radius of Windward. Search RE by zip code. South Forsyth is 30041. Schools are very good. However, it is further away from the airport, Atlanta, etc. City address could be Cumming or Alpharetta.

N. Fulton county has the highest property taxes but as well has the highest rated schools... technically. Windward is in zip 30005. Mountain Park and Crabapple are 30004. Homes are also more expensive. But, the access to Atlanta is better, there is more shopping, more healthcare providers, and simply more affluent communities. John's Creek is newly incorporated and just south of Alpharetta. The zip, 30022, can include city addresses that include Alpharetta, Duluth, and Roswell.

Roswell gets you further towards Atlanta, zips are 30075 and 30076, and is split between Cobb and Fulton counties. East Cobb is very residential but has GA's highest regarded public school system - 2nd and 3rd would easily include N Fulton and then S Forsyth or parts of DeKalb (Dunwoody/City of Decatur). Of all the cities, Roswell is likely the least safe statistically speaking. But, none of this area is dangerous or full of criminal activity until you get to low end apartment buildings - these only exist in Roswell.

Commute wise, I'd say John's Creek or S. Forsyth-Alpharetta as you can avoid GA400. There are many homes to choose from in 30022 and 30041 within your price range.

[jrsygrl77]

I work off Windward Parkway and lived in Roswell before recently moving up to Cumming off exit 13. Cumming is definitely the easier commute, I leave by 8 in the morning and get to work in 15 minutes. The entrance to 400 can be a little backed up on 141 but once you merge onto the highway it's fine. I've been doing it for a few months now with no problems. When I lived off 92 in Roswell, it took forever to get to 400. 92 gets incredibly backed up and sometimes it could take me close to an hour to go home when I got off 400 at Mansell and cut through to 92. Going down to the Holcomb Bridge exit was even worse. You can take back roads but they are 2 lane roads that do not move very well (which does not save time).

I highly recommend staying around Old Milton/State Bridge Rd. or the Windward area, or going up to exit 13 in Cumming to get more home for the money and lower taxes. I've honestly never had any major issues with 400 over the last 1 1/2 years that I've commuted on it, unless there's an accident or something. If that happens, you can detour through some back roads. If you need to drive south of Haynes Bridge it gets pretty crowded, but you won't need to go that far.

[ffej]

Old Milton, east of 400, gets very congested. It sounds like Windard would be a perfect fit, especially since you mentioned schools. Ther are plenty of nice homes in Windward in your price range. Based on what I found while recently buying is that you want a brick with basement if possible.

Good luck!

[Great Joy]

Originally Posted by runnergrl

Best location... to be close to work would most definitely be north part of Alpharetta which would be north fulton school district...that would emcompass the windward area...on the west side of 400 the crabapple area is nice too.

South forsyth is a pretty strong area too because of schools...yet a bit cheaper in property taxes because it is south forsyth. We have some friends that live in the Polo club area of Cumming west side of 400(south forsyth) and they have been happy with the schools.

When we lived there...both my husband and I commuted from Cumming down to windward...and it took about 20 minutes from exit 13 off hwy 400....BUT that was about 6 plus yrs ago and I know the volume is heavier because there is more development.

The less you have to depend on the hwy the better.

Good post Regarding traffic on 400 and other surrounding roads, it has actually improved because lanes were added to 400 as well as new roads have been added so it is much better than it used to be. Some roads are still being worked on so it should continue to get better too.

[Great Joy]

Originally Posted by rvbrad

I'm in the same boat as you - relocation for work on Windward Pkwy. Maybe the same outfit???

Here's what I've found:

Forsyth county has the lowest property taxes and most affordable housing within a 15mi radius of Windward. Search RE by zip code. South Forsyth is 30041. Schools are very good. However, it is further away from the airport, Atlanta, etc. City address could be Cumming or Alpharetta.

N. Fulton county has the highest property taxes but as well has the highest rated schools... technically. Windward is in zip 30005. Mountain Park and Crabapple are 30004. Homes are also more expensive. But, the access to Atlanta is better, there is more shopping, more healthcare providers, and simply more affluent communities. John's Creek is newly incorporated and just south of Alpharetta. The zip, 30022, can include city addresses that include Alpharetta, Duluth, and Roswell.

Roswell gets you further towards Atlanta, zips are 30075 and 30076, and is split between Cobb and Fulton counties. East Cobb is very residential but has GA's highest regarded public school system - 2nd and 3rd would easily include N Fulton and then S Forsyth or parts of DeKalb (Dunwoody/City of Decatur). Of all the cities, Roswell is likely the least safe statistically speaking. But, none of this area is dangerous or full of criminal activity until you get to low end apartment buildings - these only exist in Roswell.

Commute wise, I'd say John's Creek or S. Forsyth-Alpharetta as you can avoid GA400. There are many homes to choose from in 30022 and 30041 within your price range.

This post as well as the others posted so far are good posts too. This one specifically is very helpful to people moving here. To kindly help clarify info about South Forsyth: another zip code is 30024 with a city address of Suwanee. This area is just north of Alpharetta and Johns Creek. After a job transfer, we purposely moved back into this area because we loved the great people, schools, neighborhoods, etc so much when we lived here before. There are also quite a few very nice neighborhoods to choose from within your price range in this area too. Best wishes!