Another where to live question - near Cumming (Atlanta, Savannah: renting, condo)

[jgoff]

We are considering a move from nearby Savannah to Atlanta, and will be visiting within the next few weeks to check it out. Neither one of us has a bonafide job offer yet, but we're both hoping for offers soon and would like to start looking at houses when we go for final interviews.

Here's what we're looking for:

1. Budget - $1500
2. House/Condo/Townhome? House or townhouse - in that order
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home)? I will commute to Cumming; dh will work from home, but will also need to travel in and around Atlanta. I'd like to keep the commute to Cumming less than 30 minutes (if possible), and convenient to major highways for dh.
4. Children(public school vs. private)? We have a 6 month old; we'll be renting for now so schools aren't a major concern right now
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two? A mix would be great, but leaning towards suburbia
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? Not important
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood?

We are a couple in our 30's with a young child, so safety and family friendly neighbords are most important. Would love something near a park and/or dog park. I'd also like a neighborhood with real restaurants and stores (not chains). A cute, walkable downtown area would be bonus. Hubby plays hockey, so if there's an ice rink around, that would be awesome...but it's not a priority.

Any ideas on where we should focus our search? Thanks a lot for your help!

[TakeAhike]

The Duluth area is one option.

Ice Rink/Hockey/Satellite Blvd>>>>>
Address & Contact

[flyonpa]

New ice rink just open outside cumming The ICE Hockey Rink, Learn to Skate, Ice Hockey, Ice Skating, Soccer, Lacrosse, Figure Skating, Open Public Skating, Learn to Play Hockey, Private Ice Skating Lessons, Sticktime, Party Rooms

[FromGA]

Alpharetta - great parks, OK downtown, good schools. North Point mall.

Suwanee - I love the Town Center -- with library, parks, dining, amphitheater. Discover Mills mall.

Johns Creek - no downtown and very spread out. JC parks are good, but it may not be close to where you live. Top schools. Located between Suwanee/Duluth and Alpharetta. OK if you dont mind driving to your destinations.

[edetore]

Duluth would be a bit sticky of a commute to Cumming, I would recommend looking at Buford, Suwanee, or Sugar Hill. Those three are a happy middle ground between Cumming and both Duluth (where your hubby could get some ice time and watch the Gwinnett Gladiators play) and the city.

All three are nice suburban areas (I live in Buford) that are convenient to anything you may need and have plenty of family fun available.

One thing to note...if you will be relying on Buford Drive/20 to commute to Cumming I would try to stick to the side of the Mall of Georgia closest to Cumming as there is no direct highway acess between the two areas (and you can't hop onto 400 from Buford) and the seasonal mall traffic could litterally tack an hour onto your commute time just trying to get past the shoppers.