Calhoun and Commerce, GA (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: movers, crime, new home)

[want2relocate]

My husband has job opportunities in Calhoun and Commerce, GA. We live in Memphis, TN now and it is a very dangerous place. We have a 1 yr. old and want to relocate to a safe place with things for her do like the zoo, children's museum, ect. We are ok with a decent drive to a nearby city to do stuff. What can you tell me about those cities? Crime, Cost of living, ect.

We prefer the Calhoun job because we have close friends that live in Chattanooga and Dalton. We would consider living in Dalton and commuting. What can you tell me about Dalton? My friends tell me their opinions, but they also want us to live there close to them! Are those good places to raise a family?

[Georgia]

Both Dalton and Commerce are nice places.
Small towns, with all that you need.
Commerce is close to Atlanta or 35 miles North of the Mall of Georgia.
Dalton of course is 45 minutes South of Chattaboo.

Both much better than Memphis

[georgiadawg]

I agree that both are are nice places. Dalton or Calhoun would probably get my vote over Commerce both are close to Chattanooga and also close enough to Atlanta to enjoy the sights without having to live there. You also get the mountains in the Calhoun/Dalton area. Both should have similar cost of living which fairly low compared to the rest of the country but probabaly pretty close to Memphis. Niether area has any real crime problems and having visited Memphis I can assure you that neither comes close to the issues that Memphis has. I don't know about schools. Both have access to major shopping and places to eat, etc..

[Brian]

Dalton is home to many illegal immigrants. So is Calhoun, but I would say Calhoun is more safer than Dalton.

I live in the town that is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta metropolitan area, next to Calhoun and is only 60 miles each between Chattanooga and Atlanta. I am usually in Calhoun almost everyday.

There are plenty of brand-new homes in the north side of Calhoun (Red Bud Road area) I believe about 15 minutes from the Whitfield County (Dalton) line.

For shopping/eating habits like you find in Memphis/East Memphis, you would have to drive all the way to nearby cities like Dalton, Rome (GA), Cartersville and even Marietta/Kennesaw/Acworth, Chattanooga and pretty soon Adairsville (GA). Stores that Calhoun got is a Kroger, Wal-Mart SuperCenter, Ingle, IGA, Goody's Clothing, Tractor Farm Supply, Home Depot, Fred's, Food Lion, K-Mart and several other stores and there is the outlet mall by I-75.

One thing if you like BBQ, you won't find anywhere in Dalton/Calhoun as good you can get in Memphis. I believe there is a Memphis-based Corky's BBQ restaurant in Chattanooga and another one in Duluth (GA).

[jhsrichards]

Originally Posted by want2relocate

My husband has job opportunities in Calhoun and Commerce, GA. We live in Memphis, TN now and it is a very dangerous place. We have a 1 yr. old and want to relocate to a safe place with things for her do like the zoo, children's museum, ect. We are ok with a decent drive to a nearby city to do stuff. What can you tell me about those cities? Crime, Cost of living, ect.

We prefer the Calhoun job because we have close friends that live in Chattanooga and Dalton. We would consider living in Dalton and commuting. What can you tell me about Dalton? My friends tell me their opinions, but they also want us to live there close to them! Are those good places to raise a family?

I am guessing that your husband works in retail due to the fact that both of these cities have large outlet malls. I worked in retail in Commerce and enjoyed it. Commerce is an up-and-coming area and is slowly starting to see some new businesses and residential developments. It is only about an hour from Atlanta, and in about half an hour you can be in Athens/Gainesville/Gwinnett, which all have extensive nightlife and shopping choices. I think Athens has a zoo, and I know they have the state botanical gardens (and of course UGA!). US 441 runs north-south through Commerce and provides an easy way to get to the mountains for recreational opportunities, or you can easily jump on I-85 and head north into South Carolina for lakes.

From what I hear, Memphis is one of the most dangerous cities in America, so Commerce will be like a breath of VERY fresh air for you. Commerce is a small town of 6,000 and growing, and the only time crime is a problem is when people shoplift from the outlet mall! I do not know much about Calhoun, but judging by its location, which is also about an hour from ATL, it is probably experiencing similar growth. Be warned, however, if you decide to go to Atlanta to do stuff, the I-75 drive is a traffic nightmare (although I-85 isn't much better)!

[CChattam]

Calhoun is an excellent choice. We have many wonderful neighorhoods for raising families. We are a very diverse and mulitcultural community and our shcools are amongst the schools of "excellence". We offer many churches for worship and fellowship as well as other family activities such as concerts in the park (downtown), fall festivals i.e "a taste of calhoun", county fairs and many more family affairs. Did I mention that the best movers anywhere are from Calhoun?? [url]WWW.chattammovers.com[/url]. over 75 years of moving families in and around north Georgia.

[keeshonder]

Commerce is a nice area. There are plenty of towns and neighborhoods around Commerce that have great housing. For crime, check the FBI crime statistics pages or contact the local police. The local police will get crime figures down to the neighborhood. Commerce is close to Athens, South Carolina, the mountains, Atlanta, shopping, dining, etc.