Moving To Atlanta (Roswell, Marietta, Lawrenceville: for sale, real estate, apartment)

[Ghanley]

I moved here 16 years ago from Rochester NY, have been teaching at one of the best high schools in Georgia (the best in Gwinnett County), and will be running back to Rochester this summer with my husband and boys(ages 6 & 4). The schools here are ridiculously large, overcrowded, obsessed with athletics, and going downhill. But... it is all relative. It may be better here than NYC and NJ. But don't kid yourself into thinking this is agreat place for education!

[sprtsluvr8]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

Atlanta city public schools are not only bad, they're just outright dangerous in some cases. We're talking those TV movie specials you see where students carry guns and knives and every-other word is "MF", etc etc. Every single parent I know that lives in the city has pulled their kids out of the public school system and put them in private schools. If you're going to live "in" the city, a private school is the only way to go (unless you actually want your child trained as a gang banger).

I'm just wondering how many times this person has walked through the hallways of an Atlanta city school? I venture to say ZERO times, because the drama and violence described is inaccurate. A student caught carrying any weapon to school would be front page news anywhere in the U.S. or at least front page local news. It is also ground for automatic expulsion...I wonder if this person maybe saw 'one of those movie specials' and got it confused with schools in a system that he/she has no knowledge about, so he/she decided it must be like that in a big city school system like Atlanta.

If so many parents have pulled their kids out of public school in Atlanta there must be a huge drop in enrollment. I wonder how the system is staying afloat? It's great that all of those parents have money to send their kids to private schools...most parent's don't have that option.

Some of the best schools in the state are located in the city of Atlanta. To name a few: Sarah Smith Elementary in Buckhead, Morningside Elementary in Midtown, Centennial Place Elementary (the math/science/technology magnet), Inman Middle in Virginia Highland, Grady High in Midtown, North Atlanta High...all very good schools. I would definitely avoid putting faith in forumers that bad-mouth entire school systems or areas of town. Obviously it's not valid information.

[jjordan]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

I'll have to agree with the above statements about Acworth and Woodstock... they're still pretty nice. I live just south of Acworth in West Cobb County. McEachern High School is one of the top rated schools in the area, however, some partents here are saying it is going downhill a bit (still good though, just not AS good).

Atlanta city public schools are not only bad, they're just outright dangerous in some cases. We're talking those TV movie specials you see where students carry guns and knives and every-other word is "MF", etc etc. Every single parent I know that lives in the city has pulled their kids out of the public school system and put them in private schools. If you're going to live "in" the city, a private school is the only way to go (unless you actually want your child trained as a gang banger).

Unless you really LOVE traffic, avoid anyplace in Gwinnett County (NE suburban county). It seems that just about every Northern transplant for whatever reason relocated to Gwinnett, and as a result, in the last 15 years, traffic has increased something like 250% in that area. Likewise, if you go due North to the "Alpharetta" area, and work downtown, you'll be forced to drive in the "GA 400" road which is equally crowded.

Westward is the last area to experience growth in towns like Powder Springs, Hiram, and Dallas, but they are now growing at a fairly steady clip. Still, home prices in those areas are relatively low compared to the other areas in the city, North and NE of the city. Crime is growing everywhere in Atlanta, and Atlanta has been ranked in some studies as per capita the 4th most dangerous city in America, but the burbs generally are better - those stats are for the inner city within I285 (the beltway).

Good luck with your move.

LOL!!!!!
atlantagreg30127
Location: West Cobb County, GA (Atlanta metro)

[xxman777]

I think I have to disagree with both the extremes here. I don’t think the Atlanta public schools are similar to a made for TV movie about inner city school violence but they aren’t all fun and games either. There has been a dramatic decline in enrollment and many parents have chosen to send their kids to private school. I have been told this by many community leaders and residents. As a result APS decided to close several schools to adjust to the decrease in enrollment. Now that we are seeing an increase in population again in some in-town neighborhoods the local schools are getting overcrowded and APS is having a tough time figuring out what to do.

I went to an “inner city” school in Denver with a better local reputation then the Atlanta public schools. I have friends who went to excellent schools including Harvard, MIT, Brown, Yale, Princeton and Stanford. I also have friends who ended up dead, in jail or as drug addicts. I certainly didn’t see guns in school on a daily basis but I did see them. I knew kids who got expelled for having them (and it never made the news), but the schools can’t catch all of them. Among other incidents, when I was in seventh grade a classmate decided to walk into the lunchroom and let two rounds off into the ceiling before he was tackled by custodians. The kid was expelled but allowed to return the next year. The incident never made the news (we watched it closely to see if it would). The news in Denver didn’t seem to be as sensational as it is in Atlanta, but you would still expect them to pick up this story.

I’m not saying the schools are awful, Grady, North Atlanta High and their feeders are generally very good schools, ranked highly within the state but there are certainly problems as well. Personally I would not hesitate to send my kids to the better APS schools because I believe the diversity that comes along with an inner city school is essential to a child’s education.

[Derrick_TheRiskTaker]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

Atlanta city public schools are not only bad, they're just outright dangerous in some cases. We're talking those TV movie specials you see where students carry guns and knives and every-other word is "MF", etc etc. Every single parent I know that lives in the city has pulled their kids out of the public school system and put them in private schools. If you're going to live "in" the city, a private school is the only way to go (unless you actually want your child trained as a gang banger).

WOW: seems like AtlantaGreg have been to every Alt public school, or knows a parent from every Atl public school to justify his claim that Atlanta [city] public schools are bad and "outright dangerous."

[sprtsluvr8]

I'm sure the news stations would want to pick up a newsworthy story like the one mentioned above, but if the story didn't get out then the school wouldn't make a point to have it advertised. Some incidents don't make the news and school officials aren't able to catch every student who breaks the rules. But I also know that these incidents aren't unique to inner city schools, and violence is not uncommon in schools outside of Atlanta. It's a popular activity to bad-mouth inner city schools, and much of the talk is due to misconceptions. By the way, many City of Atlanta schools are not anywhere near the inner city and would identify much more with suburban schools. The bottom line is that violence is an issue in schools everywhere and each school takes measures to try and control things of this nature.

I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be dangerous to walk the halls of an Atlanta City School in any area. But maybe I've just been exposed to more of the world and I don't find myself being afraid of things that a more sheltered person would find scary. Danger is relative to the person/people involved...

[Morning Person]

My husband and I (early 50's) are both professionals who are planning to relocate to the Atlanta Metro area. He is retiring and I intend to continue working in a school system (although not the classroom). We enjoy entertaining, theater, shopping, spas, and outdoor recreation. We are trying to make a choice between Canton and Marietta. Which would you suggest and why?

[clawson26]

Originally Posted by Morning Person

My husband and I (early 50's) are both professionals who are planning to relocate to the Atlanta Metro area. He is retiring and I intend to continue working in a school system (although not the classroom). We enjoy entertaining, theater, shopping, spas, and outdoor recreation. We are trying to make a choice between Canton and Marietta. Which would you suggest and why?

We live in Canton/Holly Springs and really like it. Marietta was too close to Atlanta for us and we wanted to be further out. Also we found our money went a lot further here than in Marietta. It is a lot less crowded in the Canton/Holly Springs area and the cost of living is much less but you still have easy access to everything you need. I think especially if your husband is retired and you will be working near a local school, the commute wouldn't be such an issue. We don't have to drive into Atlanta unless we want to so we just time it so that we avoid the worst traffic. Also we like the outdoors so from here we can head north only a few minutes and be in the mountains. Feel free to PM me if I can answer any other questions.

[movingtoga]

Hello everyone,

We are a young couple who are looking to move to the Atlanta area. One of us will be woking off of Power Ferrys Road. We are looking for a great safe area with great schools. We are looking for that great community feel (bridgemill). We have heard great things about the Canton/Holly Springs/Woodstock/Alpharetta areas. How is the commute time? We were hoping for some local feed back. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[rippedoff0421]

help please, how do you start a thread?