Young family moving from FL (Atlanta, Columbus: how much, townhouse, find a job)

[FLnot4ME]

I have been reading the posts for some time and everyone's advice is really helpful! My husband and I are both in our 20's. We have a 6 year old daughter and currently live in Miami, FL. We currently own a 2 bedroom townhouse and the cost of living is killer. We were thinking of moving to GA just because it's still close to our families in Miami with a lower cost of living. What we are looking for is:
1) Single family home for less than 175,000 (at least 3 bedrooms).
2) Community that will accept young families and our Hispanic background. We barely speak Spanish ourselves..it's not a huge issue, but some places are worse than others in accepting other cultures.
3) Good school system or nearby good private schools
4) We don't want to live in the middle of nowhere, but big city living is not really for us.

Please share your thoughts! Any suggestions on areas that might suit us?

[spotrod]

Originally Posted by FLnot4ME

I have been reading the posts for some time and everyone's advice is really helpful! My husband and I are both in our 20's. We have a 6 year old daughter and currently live in Miami, FL. We currently own a 2 bedroom townhouse and the cost of living is killer. We were thinking of moving to GA just because it's still close to our families in Miami with a lower cost of living. What we are looking for is:
1) Single family home for less than 175,000 (at least 3 bedrooms).
2) Community that will accept young families and our Hispanic background. We barely speak Spanish ourselves..it's not a huge issue, but some places are worse than others in accepting other cultures.
3) Good school system or nearby good private schools
4) We don't want to live in the middle of nowhere, but big city living is not really for us.

Please share your thoughts! Any suggestions on areas that might suit us?

Well there might be quite a few areas that suit you and you probably will get quite a few replys. If your lucky enough to escape FL then your on your way. We left 1 yr ago sold our house 3 years ago in tampa and now living in dawsonville (lumpkin county). Our house costs 165k 3bd/2ba 2300 sq ft on .6 ac. It is brand new in a subdivision. Elec is 125 avg, taxes 1150, h/o is $459 per year yes you herd me right $459 per year. The houses range from $150-400+ the counties have wonderful school systems. Lumpkin, Dawson, Hall & Forsyth are all good systems. They have diversity here. My neighbor is from Puerto Rico and is a really cool guy. You just have to be neighborly. You will love it here but keep in mind once you leave FL (don;t say the 'F" word here too much) you need to understand your coming to a new place and adapt to your new surroundings. If your not ready for less crime, more $$ in your pocket, better houses, better people who actualy wave and say hi. the you may want to stay in Miami. We are about 65 miles from Atlanta but if you want to live closer check out other counties closer to ATL. PS I lived in Miami for 5 years and I hear it has gotten really bad well all of FL has gotten that way. I hope this helps.

[ready2move]

I escaped Broward county last January....Georgia is a big state with lots of what you are looking for.

Question... where will you be working...The mantra once again is live near where you work.

[backtofla]

spotrod, i didnt know all of fla has gotten bad. northern fla isnt "good" in your opinion?

[JLA]

Check out Columbus. The cost of living is low and $175,000 will get you a nice 3 bed room, 2 bath home. We have a large, growing Hispanic community. And there are plenty of things to do for a young couple with children. Some of the best public schools in GA and some outstanding private schools also. There about 190,000 to 200,000 people in the city with about 600,000 in the area. Nice museums, parks, recreation centers, and sports galore. With the diverse population here you all will blend in perfectly.

[applejuice]

I left South Florida two years ago and do not regret it one bit!

However, your question is too broad...you need to find a job first, and then find a place to live. Remember traffic is really bad here.

[DoveDiva]

to the OP...1st, find a job. From there, decide where you will live.

You may want to look into the northern metro Atlanta suburbs, like Kennesaw, Marietta, even Alpharetta. (yes, you can find a decent resale in Alpharetta for under 200K)

Those cities aren't relatively far from the primary work centers of Metro Atlanta.

Hope this helps!

[FLnot4ME]

Thanks for all your answers! I know I was being very general in my questions. We are aiming for moving next summer.. I want to finish out my 5 years at the company I currently work for and want to let my daughter finish 1st grade here at her school.
My husband is hoping to transfer to a CVS/Pharmacy. They have those up there? If not, he will have to apply elsewhere. He works as a retail store manager.
I am really looking forward to "waving and saying Hi". It sounds like a good way to live life and to raise my family.

thanks for all the posts and keep them coming. We're planning to head up there for a week in a few months and explore neighborhoods, schools, etc..

[Michelle DeRepentigny]

There are many CVSs in Atlanta and Athens, you just need to decide what kind of community you want to live in and how much traffic you can stand, lol.

[irvm]

Originally Posted by FLnot4ME

My husband is hoping to transfer to a CVS/Pharmacy. They have those up there? If not, he will have to apply elsewhere. He works as a retail store manager.

Well, if we ignore the fact that nowhere in GA is close to Miami, CVS is building pharmacies all over this area (north GA). A transfer should be possible - and easy if your husband speaks spanish, as the spanish-speaking population is growing like crazy. Just a word of advice: avoid Atlanta.