Best Places to live in Georgia Mountains (Dahlonega, Jasper: crime, how much)

[basa9159]

We are thinking of moving to a small mountain town in Georgia. We have a 10 yr old daughter, and schools are very important as well as crime stats. We don't want the boonies, but having lived where the houses are on top of each other in Fl., we'd like some room to breath and a little topography. A friendly town with good schools, decent work, and some beautiful views.Can anyone give a top 5?

[LovinDecatur]

Hiawassee/Blue Ridge
Jasper
Dahlonega
Young Harris
Ellijay

[basa9159]

Thanks LD, Hiawasse looks stunning. Do you know anything about the job market up there?

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by basa9159

Thanks LD, Hiawasse looks stunning. Do you know anything about the job market up there?

What "job market" are you in? The small towns that you're looking for don't offer much in the way of employment other than retail/service jobs or the occasional position in a small professional office.

If you want a broader job market, you've got to get closer to a large metro area. You can do that and still get away from the "homes on top of one another" in places like Cherokee County. Did you have a particular price range in mind, and how much "breathing room" are you looking to buy for that $$$??

[basa9159]

I have been in the restaurant industry for 20 yrs. Florida was the perfect fit for me. hurricane Charley ruined all of that. Everything has been fixed in this town which means there is no more work for roofers, construction....., so no money for eating out. My husband is a handyman, which as you can guess has also gone by the wayside.

Looking mostly for land. 3+ acres to build on

We just want out of this state and go somewhere peaceful and friendly to raise our daughter. Mountainviews would be the icing on the cake

[BobKovacs]

$20k isn't going to get you 3 acres anywhere that you'd want to live- especially if you need good schools (and btw, I'm not a realtor). Also bear in mind that anyplace that you can find 3 acres for $20k is bound to be out in the middle of nowhere, so jobs will be sparse, and pay rates will be pathetically low. As a handyman, your husband needs to be someplace where there's a relatively dense amount of people around, and those people have to be the "do it for me" type and also have the money to pay him. You're really going to have a hard time to find everything you're looking for, I'm sorry to say.

[LovinDecatur]

Originally Posted by basa9159

Thanks LD, Hiawasse looks stunning. Do you know anything about the job market up there?

Hiawassee is mostly made up of retirees and second home owners; not surprisingly, health care is a growth industry up there. The area has been growing quickly...a lot of your fellow Floridians have found their way there.

[basa9159]

Do you think I could get anything around 50k? If not, what is the average price per acre in a decent school district?

And are you saying that Hiawassee isn't the place for a handyman?

Thanks for the reply, however grim.

[BobKovacs]

Well, Hiawassee would send to Towns High School (Towns County), which ranks #72 out of over 300 high schools in the state. It's a small school (total of around 350 students), and had an acheivement score of around 75- not too bad for a small-town school.

Whether Hiawassee would be a good place for a handyman business is tough to say, but I'd lean toward "no"- the population isn't very dense, there's not an abundance of high $$ homes, and I'm sure there's probably a few good ole' boys who already run handyman businesses up there and are happy to make $10/hour. If that's what hubby is looking for, maybe it'd work out- if he's looking to make decent $$, the chances aren't likely as great.

[basa9159]

Can you tell me of anyplace up there that would meet our needs?