Alpharetta,College Park or Decatur ? (Atlanta, Smyrna: fit in, low crime, house prices)

[Micah'sMom]

Hi All,
I am newly divorced and a single parent of a 6 year old, planning to move from Ann Arbor, Michigan to the Atlanta area. I am in the process of trying to find the best area for my daughter and myself. The suggestions I have been given have been Alpharetta, College Park and Decatur. What I am looking for is a diverse multi-cultural, middle class area, with a good-great school system, low crime and an area where I can buy a nice home in the range of $200-250,000. My daughter also plays tennis and competes in gymnastics so I would like an area where she can continue those activities. Thanks in advance for your opinions and help.

[bbuch]

For good schools and low crime Alpharetta is your best bet. For diversity and a multi-cultural environment, go for Decatur. The only good thing about College Park is probably the home prices.

B

[lastminutemom]

Where will your job be? Traffic is a killer here...

I think Alpharetta if your job allows it -- the activities for your daughter will be more accessible and the schools more consistent.

[jxu66]

But her price range is 200,000 to 250,000. She won't able to find anything in Alpharatta area. Same for Decatur. North Decatur around Emory U is very expensive. Sorry to say that. Most nice areas in Atlanta is not cheap.

Depend on the job location, either West Cobb (Kennesaw, Smyrna) or North gwinnett (Duluth, Suwanee and Dacula) is the best bet for diversity and good school. For that price range, look for existing home only. Most new homes cost a lot more.

[JPD]

Tucker is another option. It's near Decatur, and is in your price range. It matches all your criteria: cultural diversity, middle class, safe, good schools, etc. You could check with the Tucker Recreation Center to see where the best places for gymnastics and tennis would be.

jxu66 is right, builders simply do not build houses in the $200,000s anymore unless you go far outside of town, or buy into a new, unestablished area. Existing homes are your best bet.

[slimster]

I just bought a house in Tucker last summer for 242k. It is a 4 bedroom, 2.5 ba in a great neighborhood within walking distance of Midvale middle school. Look for something near Henderson park.

From your description, the area of the Highlands would be a good fit in terms of culture and activities. But houses in that area are along the 350-500k range, easily. There are reasonably priced townhomes in that area though. Brookhaven is also very nice.

[AKelley728]

Originally Posted by Micah'sMom

I am in the process of trying to find the best area for my daughter and myself.

As other have mentioned, the traffic in the Atlanta area is the worst in country. The best area for you and your daughter is someplace that is close to the job you are going to have, this way you're not sitting in traffic for 3+ hours a day.

[Micah'sMom]

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Thanks all for the response. I think I need to keep looking and broaden my search area's beyond the three cities suggested earlier. I am going to come down this Spring and hope to get a nice little tour and see what is what. I don't want to be in the country and want a nice suburban area to raise my daughter. Ahhh it is getting so confusing all these great cities to look in to..

[Yeahitsme]

I would suggest Cobb County or Cartersville. Both are very diverse and have good schools with gymnastic teams. Cartersville women's tennis team is one of the best in the state. House prices are still good in Cobb and Cartersville has the best prices in Metro Atlanta.

The city limits of Decatur is diverse but very expensive and the area surronding the city of Decatur is high in crime with poor schools. College Park isn't diverse, it's just about all black. The schools are improving but still not up to par. CP is high in teen gangs/crimes, along with the rest of the S. Metro area outside of Henry County.

Alphareta is not very diverse and very expensive but the schools are great.

[michaelrenee]

I'm sure you've made your decision by now, but I would like to weigh in. I moved to Atlanta as a graduate student in the early 90s. I have had the opportunity to live in a number of communities/neighborhoods within metro-Atlanta. Based on the responses you've received I wouldn't want to live in Atlanta at all. It seems these folks have not ventured too far from their suburban paradises. I currently live in College Park and I can assure you it is not a gang-ridden, crime infested community. I'm not a big fan of public schools in metro-Atlanta no matter they be located in Alpharetta, Cobb County or Henry County. I'm orignially from Cincinnati, Ohio and the public school system there is far superior. Shameless plug, my high school was named as one of the top 20 in the nation by Newsweek Magazine. That said. Please don't let biases and opinions formed by those who watch too much television and consider venturing into the city of Atlanta as a potential brush with the natives deter you from exploring ALL the diversity Atlanta has to offer. I'd much rather live in an environment where everyone one doesn't look like me, where potentially I can learn from my neighbors, form opionions based upon my own experience and Please, please do your own research and find the right home for you. Good luck!