Considering moving to Dahlonega (Atlanta, Alpharetta: fit in, daycares, elementary schools)

[sabinemiami]

Hi,
My husband and I are considering moving to Dahlonega GA. We currently live in Miami and have 2 kids (4 years old and 6 mo old). We are anxious to move to a small place and considered living in Elijay or Blue Ridge but found the placed to be too small. I am wondering about the schools in Dahlonega - my son will be 5 in October so he would have to go to Pre-K I guess. Can anyone tell me about the pre-K and elementary schools there and the daycares available?
Also, we met with some people in Blue Ridge and found them to be quite religious and were a little turned off by it. Is Dahlonega big enough that anyone can fit in?? We have nothing against religious people, far from that, we just want to make sure that because we are not our children won't be frowed upon...

Thank you!

[atlantagreg30127]

If you found Ellijay to be too small, Dahlonega isn't much larger (it at all, really). It has a thriving tourist industry and arts scene there (for a small town) but it's still at it's heart, a small North Georgia (conservative, religious, etc.) town. Great place to visit, but if you're looking for a good big town/small city with a liberal mentality, it's probably not the place for you.

Best bet: Look at the Alpharetta area. It's a northern suburb of Atlanta with a good school system, but also gives you direct access via GA400 to the City going South, and the Dahlonega area and outlet mall area to the North of it. You will also be close to the Northpoint Mall shopping district and not real far from Lake Lanier. That way you're somewhat "in-between" the North Georgia Mountains and the City (closer to the City), and can do urban or very rural things easily. By Miami standards Alpharetta might be a little more conservative, but it's not nearly as much so compared to the towns in North Georgia, and has a larger mixture of folks moving into it all the time.

[rxlynn]

Originally Posted by sabinemiami

Hi,
My husband and I are considering moving to Dahlonega GA. We currently live in Miami and have 2 kids (4 years old and 6 mo old). We are anxious to move to a small place and considered living in Elijay or Blue Ridge but found the placed to be too small. I am wondering about the schools in Dahlonega - my son will be 5 in October so he would have to go to Pre-K I guess. Can anyone tell me about the pre-K and elementary schools there and the daycares available?
Also, we met with some people in Blue Ridge and found them to be quite religious and were a little turned off by it. Is Dahlonega big enough that anyone can fit in?? We have nothing against religious people, far from that, we just want to make sure that because we are not our children won't be frowed upon...

Thank you!

I also looked at Dahlonega last year as a possible relocation site, although my kids are a bit older. It is really small - my main issue was that, if you didn't want to shop at Wal-Mart, then there really wasn't an alternative without going all the way south to Dawsonville. There didn't really even appear to be a decent grocery store, and I was looking fairly hard because I am going to be a pharmacist and those would be an employer for me.

On the other hand, I wouldn't recommend Alpharetta either - at this point it is large, suburban, and most likely not at all what you are looking for if you want something much smaller.

Are you set on mountains, or have you considered Athens at all?? Oconee County schools are very good, and having the university nearby ensures a bit more liberal folks around. However, in general (as the other poster pointed out) anywhere in GA that is truly a smaller town is likely to have at least some amount of church influence. That's actually yet another reason why I'm going to leave metro Atlanta - we want to be somewhere where our children's friends will also be attending church.

[sabinemiami]

Thank you for your responses! Well we are looking for a small town, for sure, not a suburbs of Atlanta - we own an internet business so can be based anywhere really. I guess what matters is that there are good schools for our kids and that the fact that we, as a family, are not religious does not impact our family life in a negative way. If the fact that we do not belong to a church is an issue, then that is what would worry me. Can anyone comment about the elementary school, head start and daycare there?? Thank you!!

[ATVmanofNGA]

Originally Posted by sabinemiami

Thank you for your responses! Well we are looking for a small town, for sure, not a suburbs of Atlanta - we own an internet business so can be based anywhere really. I guess what matters is that there are good schools for our kids and that the fact that we, as a family, are not religious does not impact our family life in a negative way. If the fact that we do not belong to a church is an issue, then that is what would worry me. Can anyone comment about the elementary school, head start and daycare there?? Thank you!!

Dont usually comment but felt compeled on this one.First of all Dahlonega is quit a bit smaller than Elijay.Have you even been there.Seriously.
And religion? Honey,this is the bible belt and people are very religious in these parts. Especially in the smaller towns,say 20miles or more, north of Atlanta.Your from Miami? I hate to assume you are hispanic but these areas around here(Dahlonega/Dawsonville) are mostly white.With the exception of maybe Gainesville or Dalton.. And you are looking for a headstart? Dont think we have one of those free daycares either.But the schools are good.I just don't think you would be comfortable in this area.The closer you can stay to Atlanta, the better off you will probably be.I'd say take a drive and go visit first.