I need the good the bad and the ugly about Dalton Ga (Atlanta: rentals, loans)

[cotton]

Chickamauga is just over the ridge from Dalton and a great place. Small town, great school system. Other towns close by are Calhoun, Resaca, Fort Oglethrope, Trion, Summerville, Ringgold. Might take a weekend to drive around and see them all.

[crb3291]

Chatsworth is a small town just east of Dalton. I was born and raised here. We have Ft. Mountain State Park and Carters Lake. We have to do most of our shopping in Dalton because we mostly only have grocery stores and dollar stores. It is a nice place to live but most of the jobs here, like Dalton, are in carpet mills. However, both Dalton and Chatsworth have recently started having problems with gangs in the high schools. Dalton has become more run down over the last few years but on the other hand Chatsworth is growing. The population is also growing with both whites and hispanics. There is a large hispanic population in both Dalton and Chatsworth. Like I said before I was born and raised in Chatsworth and have always loved it but now having two small children we are starting to look at moving to Polk County TN becuase of the problems in the schools. I don't know if you have children or not, but I hope this at least helps some. Good luck wherever you end up!

[Gunga07]

Check out zip code 30710. Close to Chattanooga and very close to Dalton for the work commute.

[Truth Speaker]

I absolutely would not go to Dalton unless it was a last resort. Check out our school statistics if you are really interested. Many Dalton natives are leaving because of what has taken over our once beautiful town. Drugs, gangs, drive-bys, murders, you name it, we've got it. Very little middle class left. The population has geographically changed to extreme poverty and the very rich who have made their millions from the cheap illegal labor. Do yourself a favor and go little north of here. This town is not what it used to be, nor is it the town I grew up in. Barely unrecognizeable and heartbreaking.

Georgia schools - GA elementary, middle and high school information

[goldphoenix]

Originally Posted by daltoncat71

Dalton is a great place to live and raise a family. I wouldn't live anywhere else. Don't listen to those desperate Chattanooga guys. Come & see for yourself. Stop in and eat at a Downtown restaurant in each town and see which one you like best.

Dalton's not so great. I lived there for a couple of years, wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. It is scenic, I'll give it that...but so is Kennesaw, where I live now, and it's a hundred times better. Dalton is a bit of a wasteland, and if you stop to eat in Dalton you'll find the same coporate restaurants peddling the same crappy food you'll find anywhere else. What town doesn't have an Applebee's?
That said, there's a pretty high crime rate due to all the meth, and the high school has a playground, just in case your teenagers realize the funnest thing to do there is get laid. Not a good place to raise children!

[Airchauffeur]

I must agree that Dalton is run down a bit. I can also assure you that if you make it to Carters Lake in 20 minutes take some cash for the speeding ticket. I live in Jasper and am very familiar with Hwy. 136. South of Dalton is a town called 'White, Ga.', then just south of that is Cartersville then Emerson. It is about 45 minutes away, not bad towns. The taco's are becoming more & more prevelant in cartersville though.. good luck.

[irvm]

Originally Posted by Truth Speaker

The population has geographically changed to extreme poverty and the very rich who have made their millions from the cheap illegal labor.

That's not entirely true. They made a lot of it from expensive illegal drugs.

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by JOHNNYCOUNTRY

Chattanoogas a much nicer city to live in. Daltons very run down but you can always find work there if you dont mind factory jobs.But it is the carpet capitol of the world so I guess theres some bragging rights.

Yep. We have a carpet factory here in my south Alabama town and many people have moved here from Dalton. Some say they liked Dalton, and others say they hated it.

[Carpet Dude]

I was born in Dalton, Ga and have lived here most of my life except while I was in Athens, GA during college. I have traveled all over the United States, Europe, Canada, and Mexico. I am white, and hablo poquito espanola. I harbor no animosity toward any race, creed, religion, or other defining characteristic. I have many good mexican friends who I trust and respect. I also have many black friends who I respect and trust. So, this you can take as an unbiased evaluation of Dalton, Georgia from a local who knows a lot about this town.

The Dalton City school system is well over 80% hispanic, with the majority of the whites going to county schools. Most of the blacks have disappeared out of the historically black neighborhoods where I personally grew up. Yes, you might say that I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. NORTHWEST high school is considered the best public school in the county. It also happens to be about 70% white. I am a faithful Dalton High graduate and supporter, and live near the school. I see the school buses loaded with hispanics every morning. I have yet to see a white or black child riding the school buses.

YES, we definately have a thriving gang problem in Dalton. The problem has grown so large that we have formed a local Gang Task Force (which is a joke among those of us who see the problem, and the Sheriff's and City Councils responses to the problem.) They are having shoot outs in parking lots and neighborhoods, drive by shootings, and gang related fights and violence on a weekly basis. We have special buses to take gang members with violent history back and forth to school. We even have a special school just for dangerous repeat violent juvenile offenders. Graffiti is a minor problem that is evident around Dalton. The big problem with these gangs is the trafficking of Meth in our schools and carpet factories. Crack Cocaine in the 80's and 90's was nothing compared to the Meth problem that we are experiencing today in 2008. There are dozens of small busts made every week in Dalton, yet the offenders are back on the streets within a few days.

Here in Dalton, We also have our share of ignorant redneck white trash who have given the south such a tainted reputation around the world. During my travels, I have often been asked about inbreeding, racism, and the "Dukes of Hazard" type antics we are commonly associated with. It is sad, but these types do exist in Dalton, but even more so in Chatsworth and the surrounding area in Murray County.

Anyone wishing to move to Dalton or any surrounding area should take a good look at the neighborhood before buying a home. Do this on the weekends, so that you can see the neighbors and amount of traffic. If you pick a holiday weekend, you should drive through during the day, then at night again. The lower class hispanics and white trash seem to think that it is ok to have load music playing at all hours of the night. HINT: It is not uncommon to find 3-4 families living in a single family home. The nicer neighborhoods tend to be in the northern part of Whitfield County, although you can find a few quiet communities scattered around the city.

Although the Sheriff and City Council have made vague attempts at addressing the problems associated with illegal immigrants and criminal gangs, the majority of long time Dalton Citizens are fed up with the blind eye approach that has plagued our local government for way too long.

If anyone is moving to the Dalton area with children, you might want to look into private education at Christian Heritage. Although there is tuition involved, it is well worth it!

[ElleT]

I second everything the poster above me said. I also grew up in Dalton and went away to Athens for school. I often describe Dalton as a black hole. I had to spend a few months back there after graduation while I looked for a job and it was like torture.