canton (Atlanta: relocating, estate, job)

[hjpatter]

We are currently considering relocating from South Florida to Canton. We have one son who is a Sophmore and into paintball at the tournament level. Another who will be looking for a tech school. Just want to know what kind of community this area is.

[ready2move]

As a fellow south floridian, that is one of the areas that we considering as well! We were there last weekend, and it "looks" like a real family community. Now, we just became empty nesters, so schools are not as important to us (other than the property values near the good schools) I would be interested in what the natives have to say!

[jennydowd]

hjpatter -

My husband and I relocated from NJ to Canton 18 months ago and we love it here. It is on the outer edge of the Atlanta Metro area so it is close to everything while still being quiet and less congested....for now.

People like you and me are fueling a building boom and new mega-subdivisions are popping up everywhere, despite the town not having the infrastructure to support them. So the schools are overcrowded and the main roads heading towards commuting destinations are pretty crowded during rush hour, and it will only get worse over the next decade. Then again, it's like that all over the metro area, so at least being on the edge of the growth in Canton means we are still enjoying cheap housing prices and everything is clean and new.

The culture in Canton is very diverse, with a lot of uppity yuppies in the new mega-subdivisions, a lot of immigrants of questionable legality in the center of town, a lot of long-time locals (rural folk) who resent the growth, and lots of other folks who just go with the flow. I like to consider myself in the latter category. Wonderfully though, EVERYONE is very friendly and so nice. People actually make eye contact with strangers and say "hello" on the streets. Coming from rude NJ, I find that very refreshing. LOL.

Canton has great parks, a fantastic new Community YMCA, a cute historic downtown that is slowly being revitalized, and Canton is nicely situated at the base of the mountains while still being within 45 minutes of the city of Atlanta. It really is very up and coming, and the city does a surprisingly good job of hosting family/cultural events...considering the quick growth. We have an annual RiverFest, a fantastic fireworks display for Independance Day, a "Taste of Canton" food festival, family movies outdoors in the park during the summer, and many other great events. There is a very active Arts Council and Theater in downtown as well.

Depending where you plan to live, a lot of the subdivisions have their own activities directors who plan lots of great events for the residents. It really is a great place for a family. Your one son will find many places for paintball nearby and your other son could apply to Georgia Tech, which is a great college right in Atlanta.

If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me, and good luck!

[livinginnova]

How did your proposed move work out? I am currently looking to relocate to Canton area. Any info on subdivisions would be appreciated. We are thinking of: Harmony on the Lakes, Creekside Estates, Royal Oaks. Also have a sophmore and we are looking at the Creekview HS area.

[mom23]

We recently moved from NJ to Canton, and so far we love it. We are one of only 3 families in our subdivision so far, but both of our neighbors have children in middle and highschool and love their schools. I believe they go to Creekland and Creekview. our children are younger, but so far we are happy with their schools. My daughter goes to Macedonia and next year will go to the brand new elementary school being built. Check out our neighborhood (Carmichael Farms)...we think it's great. It is located at the intersection of Union Hill rd. and E. Cherokee in the Hickory Flat section of Canton.

[ireland917]

Originally Posted by livinginnova

How did your proposed move work out? I am currently looking to relocate to Canton area. Any info on subdivisions would be appreciated. We are thinking of: Harmony on the Lakes, Creekside Estates, Royal Oaks. Also have a sophmore and we are looking at the Creekview HS area.

We moved from NJ three years ago and definitely have no regrets. The quality of life here is so much better I believe for our children. I have two boys in Creekview High School and we love it. The high school just opened this year and only 9th & 10th graders attend. It has the state of the art computer, video, etc. equipment. The school report card is also very high in SAT scores, and just overall. We are very pleased.

The whole area is beautiful, filled with horse farms and plenty of greenspace. Good luck!

[Brewboy]

I would honestly tell you to stay very clear of any homes built in Harmony on the Lakes! I work for the 2nd largest home inspection company and those builders in there are cutting corners very badly!!! Great concept, VERY BAD homes being built.

Originally Posted by livinginnova

How did your proposed move work out? I am currently looking to relocate to Canton area. Any info on subdivisions would be appreciated. We are thinking of: Harmony on the Lakes, Creekside Estates, Royal Oaks. Also have a sophmore and we are looking at the Creekview HS area.

[tracyjacobs]

I would stay away from Creekside Estates. Although the homes are beautiful and priced fairly, the city landfill is just outside the entrance. I wonder if the people purchasing those homes know that. I did not notice it at first because it looks like a huge mountain or hill. On a warm day, you can smell it. It is really unfortunate because the subdivision is very nice.

[leefowler]

I love being in Canton. I have lived here for most of my life. I noticed another person mentioned Ga tech, but that is actually a University. About thirty minutes south you have Southern Poly Tech and 20 minutes north you have Pickens tech. I don't know of to many paintball fields, but there are a few. I have some friends that play, but they drive about 30 minutes to cobb county.