Going to school in Gainesville...where should I live? (Atlanta: low income, apartment)

[tinediddy]

Hello. I will be going to school in Gainesville (Brenau Univ). I need some help finding a nice area to live. I have a husband who will be working for Comcast (but not sure of location as of yet, probably Atlanta or surrounding areas I guess). We have 2 children, a 7 year old and 7 month old. I am looking for somewhere with really good schools and subdivisions with plenty of kids. Price range for a home is $150-$200k.

Can anybody tell me what water and gas/electric bills range from? We live in an apartment now so I know its way different for a house.

I am trying to get into a weekend option for the program I will be going into at Brenau so distance for me is not really a major problem. I just want a nice area to live in and raise my children. And, I don't want to live in the city.

I've heard that Suwanee is nice and mapquest says its about 30 minutes from Gainesville. Anywhere else?

Also, are there alot of home daycares out in GA? I am thinking of having a daycare in my home. Is it really hard to do out there?

Any suggestions or advice would help.

Thanks!

[tinediddy]

Why hasn't anyone replied to my thread???? Are the questions that bad??? I can see that people are viewing it but no one is saying anything:-(

[OhioNative]

I live in Suwanee and commute to Gainesville - it takes about 25 minutes. Try looking at Flowery Branch as well.

[tinediddy]

Thank you OhioNative. I appreciate someone responding to me.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by tinediddy

Why hasn't anyone replied to my thread???? Are the questions that bad??? I can see that people are viewing it but no one is saying anything:-(

Gainsville is 62 miles from my house in southern Cobb, and I have no clue about the area. I suspect that's true of many of the other posters here.

Plus, I tend to only visit City-Data in the early afternoon. You posted last night, so I'm just reading it, and I wouldn't have answered beore now even if I could. :-) Again, that may not be atypical for other posters.

Sometimes it takes a few days to get a good response, especially if not many people here have a good answer.

[tinediddy]

Thank you rcsteiner. l appreciate your honesty.

[Dick_Buttkiss]

If you are moving to Gainesville to attend Brenau you DO need help finding the right place. Some parts of Gainesville are hell holes filled with Mexican street gangs. These gangs roam in an area that is really just about 3 miles from Brenau!!!! YOU WANT TO BE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE LAKE. I can't stress this enough. Go up highway 60 (Thompson Bridge rd.) and you'll be fine. get on the north side of Thompson Bridge. Suwanne or any place similar is no place to raise a child as far as I'm concerned. I live on the north side of the lake and could get to brenau in 6-8 minutes.

[OhioNative]

Originally Posted by Dick_Buttkiss

Suwanne or any place similar is no place to raise a child as far as I'm concerned. I live on the north side of the lake and could get to brenau in 6-8 minutes.

FYI, Suwanee "or any place similar" is better by far than any area in Gainesville!!!

[MovedfromFL]

If your husband is working in the downtown ATL area, you should look south of Gainesville or else his drive will be way too long. Based on what you said, I don't think you will be happy in Gainesville. (whatever you do, avoid Gainesville city schools; there are two districts here in town: Hall County schools and Gainesville City Schools. Hall County is better, but be aware that many schools are almost 100% Mexican and very low income. Check www.GreatSchools.net for student demographic info)

Flowery Branch, Buford and other areas down that way would be good choices. I think those areas are more family oriented than Gainesville is. There is a large mall and shopping area in Buford called Mall of Georgia and Buford has Bogan park with playgrounds, walking trails, and an indoor pool and kiddie play area.

Our water bill here is about $36 per month for a family of 2 adults and two small children. I don't know about gas because we only have electric.

I don't know much about home daycares, but I think it would be a workable option for you to try. You might need additional homeowner's insurance and check your zoning and homeowner's association before you try to get started. (do they allow home based businesses?)

Suwanee has a greenway bike trail that might be nice (I've never been there). But be aware that Suwanee is in Gwinnett county, which is a lot more crowded than Hall. Gwinnett schools will be pretty diverse. (again, check the data for individual schools) Your commute to Brenau would be up 985 which wouldn't be bad at all on weekends.

Avoid Lilburn, Snellville, Stone Mountain (check the thread on here about "ghetto suburbs".

[DreamworksSKG]

How about Duluth
City of Duluth

Suwanee
Welcome to Suwanee, Georgia

Norcross
Welcome to City of Norcross

Auburn
Auburn, GA - Official Website