moving from MA to GA (Atlanta, Roswell: how much, houses, buy)

[JT1]

Hello,

My husband and I may be relocating to GA from a small suburb of Boston MA. He would be working in Atlanta, around the intersection of GA-400 and I-285. I would be looking for a teaching position in a public school. We don't have any children and don't plan to (at least not as long as we live here.)

The primary reason for our move would be my husband's job, but we have long considered moving from this area. We would really like a bigger house and to be out of debt. Our 1000 sq. ft. ranch on a 1/3 of an acre is worth about 298,000 - it looks like we could get something twice the size for that in many parts of GA. We'd like to get a 4 bedroom with a little more land (1+ acres would be great!) for 275,000 or less.

We tire of the weather in this area. The horrible cold winter and humid (hot is fine) summers aren't very nice either. I have bad allergies and would love to live somewhere with better air quality. (It sounds like that may be a problem near Atlanta.)

The other big reason we'd love to move down south is that we hear time and time again about how much nicer people are down there. While we have many good friends and family (as well as a few very nice neighbors), the general atmosphere around this area is not very nice. People are rude and impatient. Life is hectic and fast paced.

We are socially liberal, though fiscally conservative. We would love to live somewhere with a small town feel. I dream of a place that fits all of those criteria.

All that being said, can anyone recommend where we might want to look for a home? Atlanta proper is out (we are not "city-folk"). I have been searching north of the city (Alpharetta, etc.) but am not sure that's the right place for us. It also sounds like traffic will be a nightmare for my husband.

We are planning a trip down there in the next few months to see what it's like and to look at some homes. We have a friend in the area we will be visiting, too. I'd like to narrow the search down beforehand if I can. Any help would be appreciated!

Thank you.

[OhioNative]

Originally Posted by JT1

We tire of the weather in this area. The horrible cold winter and humid (hot is fine) summers aren't very nice either. I have bad allergies and would love to live somewhere with better air quality. (It sounds like that may be a problem near Atlanta.)

If you have problems with allergies, Atlanta may not be the place for you. The pollen here is absolute hell! I know many people who never had allergies who developed them on moving down here. Spring in Atlanta is beautiful, but between the smog and the pollen, this is the allergy and asthma capital of the world.

[neil0311]

I relocated from Leominster, MA (for many of the reasons you cited) with my family in August and bought a nice house in Marietta in Cobb County. Where in MA did you live and are you looking for a similar lifestyle in GA?

Maybe I can help with some suggestions.

[cool_mommy]

You may want to check out the towns south of Atlanta as well. We bought a home in Newnan. You can find a four to five bedroom home in Newnan on
1.5+ acres for 275,000. If you would like more info on Newnan, feel free to contact me.

[klsulli]

Hi There. The southside, Newnan, Fayetteville, Peachtree City is an easy commute to Atlanta. It really depends where in Atlanta your husband will be working. We bought our first house in Sharpsburg, Coweta county and made an excellent choice. My husband works at the airport. 25 minutes door to door! I am also a Realtor. You can search my site: SouthernStage.com
You can search by zip, city, school, etc. all of Georgia. You do not have to register, but if you do I can see what you're looking at and you can receive updates whenever a match comes on the market. Please mention this site if you do register or if we email so I can keep track. I'd be happy to refer you to an agent in another county if you'd like to gather info before you make the trip. Thanks. Hope this helps. Regards. Karen

[Bulldawgfan]

I am thinking that if you really want the "small town feel" be prepared for an hour and a half commute at minimum. And be prepared, we have

terrible drivers and massive speeding problem in GA

Do you by chance know any State Patrol Officers? If so, bring 'em with ya... we have a shortage.

[itsallu]

Acres are nice - but after commuting home will you have the time to take care of it?
Im losing the yard battle since I had kids and commute 1.5-2 hours a day....each way. Welcome to 90mph freeways with sudden bottlenecks!


Since your husband is working in Roswell you should look north of city - look around cartersville. Theres a neat little housing area with a great park and lake across from with houses in the 250-500k range. Its near the Etowah indian burial mounds. He'll still have a heck of a commute from up there, but you'll have a small/mid size town feel to it. But if you want to see your hubby more often then you better move closer to his job or he'll be commuting a total of 2-4 hours 5 days week. The traffic here takes it toll on you after awhile....and buy him a beater car so he doesnt cry a little inside when he gets rearended. It's gonna happen here, and its gonna happen often

[neil0311]

Do you by chance know any State Patrol Officers? If so, bring 'em with ya... we have a shortage.

No shortage of rednecks though... or people who's lives revolves around college football.

[DisgustaTruth]

You may want to consider Athens.. it has a very nice vibe.. great downtown and lots of cultural activities.. and you have The University of Georgia. Athens is a socially liberal town.. which is RARE for north Georgia.. It's far enough away from Atlanta to not have to deal with the hassles of traffic etc.. but close enough (an hours drive) to go to the big city when you want to.

[rxlynn]

Originally Posted by DisgustaSucks

You may want to consider Athens.. it has a very nice vibe.. great downtown and lots of cultural activities.. and you have The University of Georgia. Athens is a socially liberal town.. which is RARE for north Georgia.. It's far enough away from Atlanta to not have to deal with the hassles of traffic etc.. but close enough (an hours drive) to go to the big city when you want to.

Do you feel that your comment in the last sentence will continue to be true over time?? I am considering relocating my family to the Athens/Watkinsville area, but I am concerned that it may not be far enough away from metro Atlanta and all the negatives that go with that, and that eventually we will just be living in metro Atlanta. Comments??