Where to live when moving to GA from Europe? (Atlanta: transplants, for sale)

[Cybewinder]

Hi everyone,

We are planning to move to Georgia in July next year. If have been browsing this forum quite some time now, but still have a hard time finding a simple answer to my question.

We want to live in an area where there is:

- Low crime (very important)
- Family oriented
- Safe feeling because of friendly community
- Not a large city
- Nice homes
- Preferably max. 1,5 hours drive from the Atlanta airport (a little more is not a big issue)

Is there someone that could tell us where we should move to?

[Cybewinder]

Oh...forgot....

Places that are currently on our possibility list are:

Buckhead
Roswell
Madison
Peachtree City
Blue Ridge
Hiawassee
Young Harris
Blairsville

[PatriciaK]

Hi ... Welcome ! We are from Europe too ... Moved here about 2 1/2 years with 4 teenager kids! The first thing I have to say is that house shopping differs from Europe ! Find a Realtor first and that agent will find the house of your dreams according to your criteria. The agent will present you houses to preview and help you all the way... When my husband came to pick a house he took 2 agents because he didn't know ... The agent we "dumped" was very upset as you can imagine ... And the funny part is that I am an agent myself now! Anyway, to come back to your move, the first thing to do, is to choose the school system! You go to school where you live ! We did our research online comparing schools, scores (look for the official state exams scores like SAT) etc ... and try to visit them to get a "feel". East Cobb is quoted as one of the best (that's Marietta and part of Roswell (zip code 30075). Kennesaw is West Cobb. Marietta, Roswell and Kennesaw are very nice place to live and all less than 1 hour drive to ATL airport ... BUT the traffic can be a BIG issue ... Buckhead is the posh place to be and expensive ... lots of nice shops and good restaurants.
Crimes ... look online. There is crime, drugs and alcohol issues everywhere ... Marietta, Kennesaw and Roswell are ok ...
There are also a lot of Clubs in and around Atlanta .... Holland Club, Belgium Club, British Club, Swedish, ... plenty of them and each nationality is covered! Some of them even have the Saturday school to teach the "home language" ...
Let me know if I can help you further ... I would love to help another European to move here !

[jpowalowski]

The Cumming/Alpharetta area might also be good to consider. It is fast growing, has some very schools and is convenient to other areas of Atlanta (about 45 minutes to airport - no traffic). I am also from Europe (Germany). There is actually a great little Germany restaurant in Cumming - Gasthaus Le Cafe. Awesome! Try it when you come!

[BuckeyeGal]

Warner Robins Area Chamber of Commerce
Home Page - City of Warner Robins
Houston County Statistics - Houston County, Georgia
[mod]link removed[mod]

Warner Robins is 90 miles south of Atlanta. Nice homes reasonably priced. Warner Robins is an Air Force community of 54K (give or take) and is named The International City. Property crimes is the most committed crime. Good schools. Is centrally located between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

[irvm]

Originally Posted by Cybewinder

Hi everyone,

We are planning to move to Georgia in July next year. If have been browsing this forum quite some time now, but still have a hard time finding a simple answer to my question.

Is there someone that could tell us where we should move to?

Well, no, actually. I think you and your family are the only ones who can decide.
Can you not visit for a couple of weeks and drive around, stopping overnight at least in places that seem attractive to you? Talk to people (and eavesdrop on conversations) in restaurants, browse the main street stores?

There is a HUGE difference, in traffic, shopping opportunities, racial makeup, education, income, etc. in the areas you list. I can't imagine most people could feel equally at home in Buckhead and Young Harris! Both are nice, but complete opposites in just about every way.

Edit: sort of like asking "Would I like London or Winchelsea best?"

[goozer]

Originally Posted by Cybewinder

Oh...forgot....

Places that are currently on our possibility list are:

Buckhead
Roswell
Madison
Peachtree City
Blue Ridge
Hiawassee
Young Harris
Blairsville

You should start by deciding whether you want to live in the immediate Atlanta metro area, or outside metro Atlanta. Places like Blue Ridge, Hiawassee, Young Harris, and Blairsville are mountain/resort towns that are COMPLETELY different from metro Atlanta. Buckhead and Roswell are close-in suburbs (Buckhead is actually in the city) and Peachtree City is a further out suburb. Madison is a historic and rural "middle Georgia" town. It will be much easier to make a decision once you narrow down the general location.

[PatriciaK]

I am sorry to say that nobody will give you the answer you are looking for. Like other members told you there are far too many factors to take into consideration.
And the first one is to decide about the schools and only you can do that by surfing online. I have given you the website of Cobb county quoted as one of the best in the state. Once you have decided about the schools, that will narrow your search tremendously and you can start looking for a location where the commute to your work is feasible (traffic).
All cities in Georgia are more bigger than what you have in Europe ... there is no comparison unless you end up in the mountains!
Crime ... there is crime everywhere and there are some places where you won't go even with a cob walking next to you ...
Family oriented .... plenty of places like that....
From your list, think about Roswell with zip 30075... Buckhead is very nice and very expensive and has the International School of Atlanta ...

Here is my webpage, log in and you will find out more : Patricia Kalmeijer | Registration and Login (http://patriciakalmeijer.jennypruitt.com/Account/CustomerLogin.aspx?Cookies=Enabled&Referer=%2fAcco unt%2fClientSignup.aspx - broken link)

[deja-zebbie]

Cybewinder,

There are VAST differences in different parts of Georgia. Even different towns and rural areas a dozen or so miles apart can be QUITE different. And, the difference between Atlanta itself and some of the towns and rural areas in the Atlanta metro area is ASTOUNDING.

Here's what I suggest: (1) figure out what you can reasonably afford for housing and then (2) seriously try to define the lifestyle YOU want AND the lifestyle you want for your family. For example, do you want to live where there are lots of woods where you children can roam around "free"...or, do like the amenities of a city? Do you want an historic home or a NEW home? Do you see yourself going hiking in the mountains with your kids on vacation or do you REALLY desire to live IN the mountains.

Do you really want to LIVE near an ocean, or is that someplace you'd go on vacation?

Are you and/or your spouse going to be working? Do you have jobs already? If so, WHERE (area of Atlanta or elsewhere?). What would be a reasonable commute to a job for you and/or your spouse.

Also do you see youself as a "shopper" and like to hit those upscale malls as entertainment? Or, do you see shopping as a sort of necessary part of life that prevents you from doing other things you like?

Do you like the hustle and bustle of city life? Do you like suburbs? Do you want a quiet life or one filled with zipping off to various events?

Do you like to garden? Is your gardening limited to shrubs and flowers? Or, do you LIKE to garden and envision a GREAT garden and maybe raising some of your own fruits, vegetables..(believe me there are parts of Georgia where the range of what you can grow is simply amazing).

Do you like to go to out to NICE restaurants, clubs, etc. OFTEN or is that something you do on occasion?

Are you active in a church? If so, how far would you drive to go to a church of YOUR denomonation (sp?).

Have you ever had or thought about living in a rural area and having your own horses, cattle or goats, but near enough to a town for amenities? How about your own pond (like a small sized lake) for fishing trout in the winter, other fish the rest of the year?

Do you like to go to museums and galleries on special occasions or is that a MAJOR part of your social life?

Do you see yourself doing hobbies like painting, pottery, etc...and would you be looking for classes for instruction or for studio time?

Is living near a college or university important to you for cultural events and the possibility of both academic or fun community classes?

Do you like to go hear music or musical performances...how often, what kind?

The above are just a few of the types of questions I'd ask myself. Basically, IMHO -->your<-- DESIRED lifestyle would be a good place to start. Then, I'd think of costs...what is reasonable for your household. You can sort of decide on a larger geographic area and look for a more specific locale in that area for schools, type of housing, etc based on the lifestyle you want and the costs associated with it.

We all have our own ideas of how to go about finding the "perfect" place to live, but we're all individuals and we have different ways of looking at the same question. As for me, I think that the clearer you see yourself in your proposed locale, the happier you'll be if you do decide to move to Georgia and the more people on this list can help you find what it is you're looking for.

My husband and I are transplants ourselves and we LOVE it here. When we moved here I planned on going back "home" (to the West) every three months. I did that for a while and now we only go back when there is a really specific need. My husband and I have talked about what we'd do if we were were to win "the big one" in the Georgia lottery. We decided that we'd do more travelling, but that we'd still live in Georgia because we've found what -->we<--- were looking for.

All the best on your "quest".....IMHO Georgia is a GREAT state..lots of variety, friendly people and culturally interesting.

zebbie

[Ollie1946]

That is easy. Oconee County. Wakinsville is the county seat. Some of best schools in GA. Very low crime. Next door to Athens-Clarke County where I live. Around 1 hour plus to airport. Rural. Shopping in Athens. Cultural life in Athens. You won't find better in GA.

The places you mentioned in N. Ga. i.e. Hiawassee are pleasant but living there is dull. I know, I lived there for two years, actually Young Harris which is in same county [ Towns ].

Athens has a number of physicians in all specialties and two hospitals, one is a medical center. The problem in the mountain areas is a lack of medical coverage. A simple broken leg might will likely result in a 10,000 dollar ride in a helicopter to a sophisticated facility.

There is a ton for sale everywhere. Even some bargains in Oconee County which is normally more expensive. But the school system reflects it.

Madison is a very pleasant town, but there is the old money factor there and a social strata. Have friends who live there.