Need Information On Ellijay, Ga (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: house, purchases, live in)

[soma5]

My Wife And I Are Looking For A Small Town To Retire In Ga. A Friend Suggested Ellijay. Does Anyone Know Anything About It? We Currently Live In Florida.

[ready2move]

We are in Fl too, all I know about Ellijay is that it is a "dry" county, meaning no alcohol sold in stores or restaurants..

[marysally]

I recently sold a house in Ellijay. Ellijay is about 1.5 hours north of Atlanta. Very scenic area in the mountains. Access to Atlanta is very good with 4 lane highway. Next town north is Blue Ridge which is more touristy than Ellijay but Ellijay is getting there with antique shops and such on the square.

[sand0408]

I also am from Florida. Last summer my husband and I bought a house in the Coosawattee River Resort in Ellijay. We will retire there. Ellijay is a lovely area. It is not a dry county. They have package stores and serve beer & wine in some of their restaurants.

[Native Georgian]

Ellijay is very nice, but heed warning if you plan to retire there - Atlanta's sprawl already has it's fingers in Ellijay. There are many Atlantans commuting to and from Ellijay already and it is becomming more and more popular out there! If you are wanting some serenity, I would move farther from Atlanta, probably across the NC or TN line.

[marysally]

I must agree with Native Georgian. I recently sold a house in Ellijay that I had originally thought I would retire to. I spent several months in Ellijay earlier this year while preparing the house to sell. On several occasions after shopping at the Lowe's in Ellijay I was struggling to get my purchases in my car. I am a small woman and I was amazed at the number of able bodied people who walked by with not an offer of help. I cannot imagine that happening in Huntsville AL where I live. The people here in Huntsville are much friendlier. I personally feel that the difference is due to the large number of Atlantans as well as Floridians that are moving in to the Ellijay area to the point that there is no longer a small town feeling.

[Prichard]

I'm one of those folks from Orlando that has land/cabin in North Georgia. We're not all bad. Fact is that most of us miss the small-town feel of where we grew up. Orlando, believe it or not, used to be a small southern town. We are quite upset about the fact that it has turned into a tourist haven and a mecca for greedy developers. I believe that you will find that most people who move to North Georgia from "Orlando" are quite concerned about preserving the small town feel.

If you look around and see who is actually taking down large tracts of land and turning them into large developments, you will find that these are Georgians who's families have lived in these areas for generations. This is so, because they know "who's who" in local politics to get the approvals to do this. Who's going to listen to someone from Orlando that buys 200 acres from a local farm family with big ideas of turning the town into a resort?

Regarding Ellijay, it's a nice little town, and I had looked there. It wasn't quite mountainous enough for me, so I looked at Blue Ridge and Morganton - even made an offer on a place in Morganton, but didn't get it. Having a small child, my wife and I ultimately decided we wanted to be in the mountains, but not be way out in the woods, and be near somewhere where we could find fun things to do with our child. Clayton is where we ended up. Be forwarned, Clayton is growing, and is not a tiney sleepy town. If it gets too big, we may someday move somewhere more remote, but for now it's perfect for us. Also, there are pleanty of Atlantians who go to Clayton for long weekends, so if you don't like Atlantians, then get a place in North Carolina.

[marysally]

I actually remember when Atlanta had a small town feel. When I was a young teenager, my older sister and I would ride the Garden Hills bus downtown to shop at Rich's and Davison's. Can you imagine letting your young daughters do that today? I have nothing against Atlantans since I actually am one. I just don't live there any more!

[Prichard]

I don't think I can remember Atlanta when it had that "small town" feel to it; but I can remember when the only tall buildings were in Downtown Atlanta. There were no large buildings in Buckhead, no "Midtown, and Sandy Springs and Dunwoody were on the outskirts of the suburbs. Roswell and Merietta were completely separate cities. Lake Lannier was just wilderness; so was Alpheretta, Duluth, all of Gwinnett county. Those are the areas that I remember as a kid anyway.

In fact, Atlanta 30 years ago reminds me of how Orlando was about 15 years ago. I suspect that in another 15 years, Orlando will look a little like Atlanta does today. One big sprawlling city gobbling up all of the little towns in its path.

[marysally]

Well I obviously remember Atlanta from longer ago than you do -- it has been 40 years since I moved away. I also remember when I was a young child that my grandparents owned a large number of acres of land on Shallowford Rd. At the time noone thought that it would ever be considered close in property. For a number of years now there has been city bus service out to where the property is.