Moving to Atlanta soon....PLEASE HELP! (Marietta, Smyrna: houses, transfer, neighborhood)

[jforeman242]

Hi-

I just found out there is a good chance I may be getting transferred from the outer Pittsburgh area to the Atlanta area very soon. My work will be in the wetern part of Atlanta....specifically just west of I-285 and north of the Fulton County Airport - Brownfield. I have read and heard horror stories about the traffic in Atlanta. I currently have a long commute where I am now and really would like to avoid one in Atlanta once we move. Can anyone please recommend places to live near this area? What we are looking for is a home in the $150,000 - $250,000 area, in a newer suburb in this area. We are a younger married couple (36 & 27) with no children, and two dogs. We would like to be close to some action (shopping, dining, etc.). Decent schools are important as well since we will soon be working on having children. Please tell me what you think....Thanks!

[DeEtte]

I'm afraid you will be in traffic if you are anywhere near the Brown Field Airport. To get the things you want " Safe, Newer, Near Shops and Dining and Good Schools" you will have to drive some combination of I-20, 285 and 75.

The closest areas I would recommend are ...

-Smyrna/Vinings - this is just a outside 285 and is really growing - in the last few years it has become very popular and new shops and restaurants are going up everyday - schools are hit or miss, so do your research on GreatSchools.com - for something nice you will most likely be at or a little above the top end of your price range

-Marietta- Family Oriented Area north on 75 outside 285 - most schools have great ratings, has a historic area of shops, galleries and dining. Some areas of Marietta are more expensive than others usually based on how the schools are in that part - for something nice you will most likely be at or a little above the top end of your price range

Feel Free to contact me with questions - good luck!

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by DeEtte

I'm afraid you will be in traffic if you are anywhere near the Brown Field Airport. To get the things you want " Safe, Newer, Near Shops and Dining and Good Schools" you will have to drive some combination of I-20, 285 and 75.

The closest areas I would recommend are ...

-Smyrna/Vinings - this is just a outside 285 and is really growing - in the last few years it has become very popular and new shops and restaurants are going up everyday - schools are hit or miss, so do your research on GreatSchools.com - for something nice you will most likely be at or a little above the top end of your price range

-Marietta- Family Oriented Area north on 75 outside 285 - most schools have great ratings, has a historic area of shops, galleries and dining. Some areas of Marietta are more expensive than others usually based on how the schools are in that part - for something nice you will most likely be at or a little above the top end of your price range

Feel Free to contact me with questions - good luck!

I agree. West or South Cobb would fit the bill, but I'm not sure if that would fit your criteria for "action" but shopping, dining, and parks/sports are all around. I would add Mableton and Austell to the mix, although parts of Austell closer to Six Flags and Fulton Ind Blvd can be a bit dicey. As for schools, you'll probably do better overall in West Cobb. Schools in Austell aren't great.

[rcsteiner]

That airport is not too far south from our house here in northern Mableton, and I would recommend that you take a look at the areas of Mableton that are located north of Veterans Memorial Highway and south of the East/West Connector (Cooper Lake Road, Nickajack Road, Buckner Road) as well as almost anyplace just north of there in southern Smyrna.

It may be a good idea to find a realtor with expertise in the area, but you can learn a lot by searching on the web as well.

The southeastern part of Cobb County is hillier than many parts of Atlanta and is filled with trees like most of the Atlanta metro is, and it's also relatively safe except for a few areas (mainly some of the areas adjacent to Veterans Memorial Highway), and our neighborhood is zoned for Nickajack Elementary, Griffin Middle School, an Campbell High, and is considered to be anywere from okay to fairly good as far as the public schools are concerned.

[PghDiva]

I am from Pittsburgh, but lived in Atlanta a few years and just moved a few months ago. You definitely will have to drive at least 20-30 minutes to get/see "action". Everything will be in Atlanta... Austell or Mableton are nice areas if you really want some land with the house. Just stay away from the Fulton Industrial area!!! That's the prostitute, drug infested area. On the other side... If you want a decent area and some "versatility" you have the Cascade area nearby... golf course, shopping, about 15-20 from downtown Atlanta. The houses are are nice size, the police (county) dept. is nearby... I like the Cascade area. Your price range for a house... you may find one in that area with the forclosures and all. The houses usually costs a little over $200,000. I wish you luck on your search.

[ATL4U]

Hi, unfortunately not my area of expertise at all down there.

But here's a cool map home search interface that you can use to zoom in on a map area, see all the listings, move it around and see what you have in any given area.

First drag the map UP so you can see down south where you want to see, then click on a green dot until you are far enough in to have homes appear.

Enjoy and good luck to you guys,

Rob