Dalton (Rome, Kennesaw: crime, home, job market)

[gnGracie]

My husband and I checked out the Dalton area a couple weeks ago and would like some information from locals. We originally went to north Georgia to check out Rome because we kept reading how nice it is, but we were completely unimpressed with Rome (it seemed rather dirty and rundown). Dalton, on the other hand, impressed us with its cleanliness and we liked the overall area. I would like to know how the schools are in that area (elementary through college), and jobs. Also, what about taxes (local, state, property, etc.) I'm a Realtor and my husband will soon be a school teacher, so we want to know about the job market and pay in that area. We like that it seems a bit like a small town, but there's still plenty of shopping (gotta have my 24 hour Wal Mart) and it's close to plenty of big cities. Our kids are soon to be in middle school and high school, so schools are important to us. Anyway, thanks for any information.

Brandy

[daltonguy281]

If your husband dont speak spanish he might as well forget it. Rome is a much better town to live in than Dalton is. Dalton is crime infested and gang ridden.

[kaps1121]

Here is some info. about Dalton's school system. Diverse, yes, out of touch, no. Dalton High school received the following honor recently. We no longer live in Dalton, but my children went all the way through middle school there. I miss the warm, open community of Dalton. It was a great place for our family.

News Ranks DHS in Top 500 Public High Schools
Moderator cut: Image edit due to possible copyright infringement. Please refer to CD Forum rules and guidelines In the latest issue of U.S.News & World Report to hit the stands (December 10), the magazine features a "best public high schools" list. The ranking formula includes several indicators such as college readiness of students and academic performance of disadvantaged students. Of the 18, 000+ U.S. high schools included in the analysis, Dalton High scored in the top three percent of schools with a ranking of 486 in the overall list, earning a "silver" award designation.

"At DHS, we have high expectations for all of our students," said Principal Debbie Freeman. "Our DHS family, employees and students, are working so very hard and it is exciting to have those efforts recognized in this way. In addition, I believe it is not just recognition of the work going on at our school but the work of the entire school district. We have improved what we are doing at all levels and it is nice to see the results beginning to materialize."
For more info, visit www.usnews.com.

[ElleT]

I lived in Dalton my whole life, minus my years away at school. It has its ups and downs. I really realized the downs when I moved back for a few months after I graduated from UGA and was looking for a job. To me, it seems like a black hole...

It has a small town feel to it, which can be a downside. Speaking from my experience in high school(you have have to remember, I've been gone, aside from a couple of summer and christmas breaks, for the past 5.5 years), if you came from a well known family with money, you were made. There can be a very clique-y feel to the town. There is a cycle, which I am determined not to be a part of, that I see happening with the people I went to school with now. They grow up in Dalton(and usually their parents did the same), move away to school, come back and marry each other and start the process over. Everything is "My dad was QB back in..." "My mom was a cheerleader...", your typical small town thing.

Personal rant over, it is not a terrible town to raise a family in. Yes, we have Hispanics. But people need to accept the fact that this is a large part of our culture. Most are hardworking families that are here doing the jobs you and I wouldn't want to do. There are areas of town you can avoid.

I find the town boring and get annoyed by the fact I have to drive to Chattanooga for decent shopping. However, the location IS ideal. Just south of Chattanooga(maybe 20-30 minutes, depends on where you are going); you can be at a large mall in Kennesaw in 45 minutes. They are trying to build up downtown and have opened a couple of cute restuarants and shops. There are maybe 2 bars besides places like Applebees and Chili's. This was the biggest shock to me after spending 5 years in Athens!

As far as schools, I'm not sure. My mom and best friend teach at an elementary school and my best friend's class is 100% hispanic. The high school, not sure. I was in advanced/AP classes all 4 years. You can certainly get a good education there. I think 12 of my graduating class went to UGA, we had a few to places like Vandy and Furman. They have the IB program, although I really don't think it is necessary. I was in it for 1 year before I quit and I was accepted to UGA no problem, along with the few people that survived all 4 years.

I guess it is what you make of it. Some people I know grew up there, went away to school, and came back to settle down. To me the town, again, seems like a black hole that you get stuck in...needless to say, after only 3 months at home I was really excited to find a job and move away again!