East Cobb (Ward Meade Farm) or Brookstone in Acworth? (Sandy Springs: transplants, houses)

[watkinsfive]

We are relocating from Houston, TX, and I am trying to decide between two homes - one in Ward Meade Farm, the other in Brookstone in Acworth. The one in Brookstone is fabulous, while the one in Ward Meade is smaller but close to my husband's work in Midtown. Any info you have on the people, schools, etc. would be great. Ward Meade goes to Sope Creek Elementary, while Brookstone in Acworth goes to Ford Elementary. I have three girls -- ages 4, 5 and 8. Thanks!!

[lastminutemom]

Which part of Houston are you coming from?

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by watkinsfive

We are relocating from Houston, TX, and I am trying to decide between two homes - one in Ward Meade Farm, the other in Brookstone in Acworth. The one in Brookstone is fabulous, while the one in Ward Meade is smaller but close to my husband's work in Midtown. Any info you have on the people, schools, etc. would be great. Ward Meade goes to Sope Creek Elementary, while Brookstone in Acworth goes to Ford Elementary. I have three girls -- ages 4, 5 and 8. Thanks!!

East Cobb is the better area for schools and prestige. Traffic in east Cobb can be bad if you take Johnson Ferry over the river.

Brookstone has nice houses and is a nice area (Acworth, near the Paulding line) but the traffic in rush hour on Stilesboro and Burnt Hickory can be murder. The high school is new (Allatoona) and has no track record to compare but you've got plenty of time on that one. We almost bought a house in Brookstone and what turned me off was the traffic and long ride just to get to Barrett Pkwy. They are widening Stilesboro, but I tend to think it will still be pretty tough in rush hour.

[cityrover]

Neil pretty much said it. Both areas are great, but i like brookstone as far as subdivisions go. However the commute benefit from living in Ward Meade Farm will make this a no brainer, at least for me.

Keep in mind that home maintenance in GA can be quite a chore (even just getting it all scheduled) due to humidity, freeze and thaw etc and the marrieta area is getting up there in age big time as far as GA home age is concerned (10+ years).

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by watkinsfive

We are relocating from Houston, TX, and I am trying to decide between two homes - one in Ward Meade Farm, the other in Brookstone in Acworth. The one in Brookstone is fabulous, while the one in Ward Meade is smaller but close to my husband's work in Midtown. Any info you have on the people, schools, etc. would be great. Ward Meade goes to Sope Creek Elementary, while Brookstone in Acworth goes to Ford Elementary. I have three girls -- ages 4, 5 and 8. Thanks!!

Well, Ward Meade Farm would offer the better commute...much, much better. Ward Meade Farm's schools are Sope Creek Elementary (great!), East Cobb Middle (good/decent!), and Wheeler High (excellent!).

Most of Brookstone feeds into Ford Elementary, Durham Middle (?...maybe Lost Mountain Middle, and Harrison High. Keep in mind...the northern one-third to one-fourth of Brookstone feeds into Pickett's Mill Elementary, Durham Middle, and Allatoona High.

Overall, I think Ward Meade Farm is the obvious choice...you have top-notch schools, easy commute, and an unbeatable Paper Mill Road Area location!

[watkinsfive]

Thanks for all of the info. The Brookstone home would go to Ford and Harrison. Not sure about the middle, but they're both good. I am a little worried about the snob factor in East Cobb, as I live in a great subdivision in Cypress, TX now with no social pressure or snobbishness whatsoever. My husband is used to an hour commute to downtown Houston, and he would leave the Brookstone home at 6:30 a.m. I have heard that it's a 45 minute commute to Midtown. Is that correct? What about if he leaves downtown at 4 p.m.? How horrendous would the commute be? What would we contrast that with for the Ward Meade Farm commute? Is that around 30 minutes? Thanks for the responses, you are most helpful!

[BobKovacs]

I'm thinking you're looking at closer to an hour from Brookstone, even at 6:30. It's a long way from the subdivision to 75, and it's mostly 4-lane roads with traffic lights. Coming home during rush hour, I'd count on 1:15-1:30.

[Ave&AudsMom]

I live near Brookstone, & my husband works near the airport (which is another 15 minutes south of midtown) & it takes him a little less than an hour to get to work (he leaves at 6am). There are many, many transplants in this area. It's nice to have neighbors from all over the country (we're all in the same boat).

I know some people that live in Brookstone & really like it, as well as raving about Ford Elementary. I know that Harrison is a wonderful high school as well.

Good luck home shopping...you should be able to find some great deals right now!

[RainyRainyDay]

Five years ago, I spent a few months having to get to a church right by Brookstone once a week at 6pm, leaving from my office on the west side of Sandy Springs. I had to leave the office by 4:45pm. I-75 was like a parking lot at that time of day. Stilesboro Road was terrible - and I gather there's been a great deal more development along Stilesboro in the last few years. At the time it was mostly a country road through fields.

I've done commuting and I've done living-near-the-job. In my opinion, a long commute is throwing away your life. The only people who don't mind it are those who've never had the opportunity to experience a non-commuting family lifestyle. It's of greater value to kids to grow up with a parent who's present at breakfast and dinner, than in a big flashy house provided by the labors of someone they rarely see.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

Five years ago, I spent a few months having to get to a church right by Brookstone once a week at 6pm, leaving from my office on the west side of Sandy Springs. I had to leave the office by 4:45pm. I-75 was like a parking lot at that time of day. Stilesboro Road was terrible - and I gather there's been a great deal more development along Stilesboro in the last few years. At the time it was mostly a country road through fields.

I've done commuting and I've done living-near-the-job. In my opinion, a long commute is throwing away your life. The only people who don't mind it are those who've never had the opportunity to experience a non-commuting family lifestyle. It's of greater value to kids to grow up with a parent who's present at breakfast and dinner, than in a big flashy house provided by the labors of someone they rarely see.

Yes!