Looking for a small town in GA (Atlanta, Dalton: real estate, rentals)

[Hiawassee Heaven]

Hiawassee, Clayton,Young Harris and Blairsville are all nice N. Ga. areas.

[GottaGo68]

I live in south Florida & hope to move to Georgia in 2008. In 1980 I lived in Conyers for about 6 months & worked there for the same amount of time. I have a sister that lives there. This time I would like to move to or around Lexington or a town I saw on this forum; Watkinsville. Could anyone give me an idea of home values in these area's. I will probably ask a realtor too.
I now work for a WalMart supercenter & will try to get a transfer to a location close by. I would also like to open a small art studio on a well traveled road. How about Hwy's 78, 129, 15 & 77? I need some well traveled roads for my metal sculpture shop in case I don't transfer to WM. I will be 70 years old in 2008.
Any idea's would be appreciated. How about Lexington? That looks like a tiny old town. I have a niece that lives close to there.
GG68

[1090man]

I wouldn't do Conyers we are victims of a July 4th drive by shooting which luckily occurred 30 minutes after we went to sleep. We could have been killed by someone.

[GottaGo68]

Originally Posted by 1090man

I wouldn't do Conyers we are victims of a July 4th drive by shooting which luckily occurred 30 minutes after we went to sleep. We could have been killed by someone.

sorry to hear that, but, I would never move to Conyers, too congested.

[GottaGo68]

Can anyone give me the scoop about Watkinsville or Lexington? Is there a Super Walmart close by & are all the roads around those towns well traveled?

[PClark]

I live in a small town in Georgia that most people have never heard of. It is called Arabi. It is one of the safest places in Georgia to live. It is located in South Georgia on Exit 92 off I-75 between Cordele and Ashburn. It is 35 minutes West of Albany traveling on Highway 300 and about an hour South of Macon and 1 1/2 hour North of Valdosta on I-75. Most people want to move to North Georgia because of Atlanta but, I would rather live in South Georgia because there isn't as much traffic and the cost of living is much lower in South Georgia than in North Georgia. If you have ever heard of Tony Graham Brown the Country singer then you might have heard of Arabi: he lived there as a child.

[resolute]

Originally Posted by DirtyDan

There are many beautiful places in N. GA and E. TN.

The people in Fannin county Georgia are very good people, as are the people in Polk county Tennessee. However, I would avoid that area due to the high rate of cancer. A chemical company (now closed) dumped toxins in the air there for decades and the area is still contaminated. In addition, the local electric cooperative uses chemicals to kill growth along the power lines. It's cheaper than paying people to trim the bushes and trees. All these chemicals make their way into the local water supply.

The Ellijay area has a high population of illegal aliens which makes crime higher and disrupts the schools.

I highly recommend you use caution.

I live in Polk County, TN (right on the border of Fannin Co, GA) and this statement must be qualified. The mining contamination is being totally remediated by Glen Springs Holdings (a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Co) - as part of an agreement with the EPA. The entire area has been reforested and except for the remnants of the old plant (which is also being removed, BTW), there is really no visbile damage. And what was not visible is also being thoroughly dealt with to the tune of hundreds of millions of $s spent, cleaning groundwater from the mine shafts, and cleaning everything. Google Glen Springs Holdings, Copper Basin Project and you can read all about it. Eventually in the near future, these former mining sites will be returned to public use with mountain bike and hiking trails running everywhere around the old mine pit sites, and tying into the national forest trails nearby.

As for the water supply for both McCaysville and Copperhill, it is surface water supplied and comes out of Lake Blue Ridge and the Toccoa River and is drawn several miles upstream from where any mining activity ever occured. It is of fine quality and has nothing to worry about. Furthermore, the water downstream in the Ocoee from the old plant and in the mining area is again back to supporting aquatic life and will be of fine drinking water quality once the Glen Springs Project is complete. The are is now nothing like it was through much of the earlier years and is making a good transition from a manufacturing/industrial based economy to a tourism based one. Property values are also going up, as the area is much like a "transitional neighborhood" in a city where things are improving after years of hard times.

AS far as Ellijay and illegals, I am sure that they have some, but certainly no more than anywhere else that I have noticed. Welcome to the U.S.A. in 2007!

[jhsrichards]

Regardless of where you are traveling, Jefferson is definitely better than Winder as far as commutes are concerned. The road from Jefferson to Athens is currently being widened to four lanes, and even now, it only takes about 25 minutes. Commute to Gwinnett from Jefferson is about 45 min, Atlanta takes about 1:15 or more. Jefferson is very easy to get around, too. There is a great big four-lane bypass running around the west side of town, and I-85 runs 5 miles north of Jefferson.

On the other hand, traffic in downtown Winder and the surrounding area is a NIGHTMARE, and just getting out of town can sometimes be a headache. Ga 316 is an expressway to Atlanta from the Winder area, but it has red lights, so expect more traffic issues and potential for wrecks than an I-85 commute from Jefferson. The distance to Athens from Winder is about the same as from Jefferson, except, as I said before, you must deal with slamming on your brakes from 80 mph to stop at red lights.

[LunaMoth]

Lexington, Georgia, is beautiful. Someone told me that there is a problem with one large landowner owning most of the old town???

Look at Guyton, Georgia (near Savannah)...charming.

[TUDDYRODRIGUEZ]

My husband and I own a home in Lawrenceville, Ga. It is in a quiet gated community. Ideal for the middle-class income. Like most gated communities, you can enjoy a pool, tennis court, sport court, and community parks. Your lawn is taken care of by the home association (front and back) at no extra cost to you. You are about 30 minutes from Atlanta, Ga. Far enough away for peace and quiet at the end of the day, but close enough for a needed drive to Atlanta. Moderator cut: tos violation I hope you find what you are looking for.