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My husband and I live in Illinois (about 40 mins from Chicago), and we do own a home. Someday we'd like to move from this horrid state. One of the states we were thinking about is Georgia...possibly near Kennesaw. I have many questions though! I have never been to Georgia, and being from Illinois, I know absolutely nothing about it! Sometime in the next few years we'd like to have kids, so schools/community is a important factor for us as well. Here's a few questions...
What's the weather like (year around)?
Roughly, what is the rate of property taxes?
Sales tax?
Income tax?
Any other taxes to worry about?
Job opportunities? (my husband is an automation/integration/computer engineer)
Good schools?
Traffic?
Gas prices?
Electric, water bill prices (estimates obviously)?
What kind of home owner problems/chores do you deal with? (for example, IL we have snow and ice in the winter months so we have to worry about that...mowing grass in late spring/summer)
Anything else you can think of! If you've been to northern Illinois, and you're able to compare IL to GA, that would be very helpful! I'm very sorry if these questions have been posted before...I've been trying to do some research as well. Thank you so much.
What's the weather like (year around)?
Roughly, what is the rate of property taxes?
Sales tax?
Income tax?
Any other taxes to worry about?
Job opportunities? (my husband is an automation/integration/computer engineer)
Good schools?
Traffic?
Gas prices?
Electric, water bill prices (estimates obviously)?
What kind of home owner problems/chores do you deal with? (for example, IL we have snow and ice in the winter months so we have to worry about that...mowing grass in late spring/summer)
I've lived around the country. Other than a short vacation to Chicago, I'm not that familiar with Illinois though. What I can tell you about Kennesaw is that it's a nice, family-friendly suburban area roughly as close to Atlanta as your current home is to Chicago. There's nothing really *special* about the area, but it's one of the better places to raise a family that I've seen. Property taxes are comparitively low. State income tax is 6 percent (which seems way too high for what you get). I'm not sure about the sales tax but it seems average. You have to pay an ad valorum tax on your car annually, which is stupid high, but other than that, you shuold be good on taxes.
Jobs are still hard to come by here, but this is a busy area with plenty of employment opportunities. Your husband shouldn't have trouble finding something suitable when the time comes. Schools range from average to good. If you do a little research, you can find very good schools to send your children to in the area. If you want top-notch schools, you'll have to go east a few miles into East Cobb. East Cobb is similar to West Cobb, but it has more traffic.
Traffic can be pretty bad at certain times of the day. I grew up in SoCal, so it never seems too horrendous to me. I'm not sure how you will feel about it. Do know though that traffic is something you will have to contend with in your day-to-day life.
The weather is mild most seasons, with a very hot and humid summer. You will probably never shovel snow here -- and if you do, it will be a once-a-decade event, but your grass and other sbrubbery will grow pretty rapidly during the spring and summer months. You will probably have to make lawn care a part of your weekly weekend routine.
Overall, transplants seem happy here. It has a lot of new shopping areas, restaraunts (chains mostly), and other features of modern suburbia. If I were looking to relocate somewhere, Kennesaw would definitely be on my list. It offers a pretty high quality of life for a fairly low price tag.
My husband and I live in Illinois (about 40 mins from Chicago), and we do own a home.
We moved from suburban Chicago to the Atlanta area in 1996. I was reluctant at first but now I am gald we moved and I don't ever want to move back.
What's the weather like (year around)?
Warmer than Chicago. Very pleasant in the spring and fall. Winters can be warm (sometimes even reaching 70) but generally tend to be 30s to 50s, with occasional dips in to the 20s and even the teens. About once every other year we get a bad snow/ice storm. Unlike Chicago, even an inch of snow or the threat of ice will shut everything down for a day or more. Schools close, businesses close, and local governments tell people to stay home. This is because they have no effective way to clear ice and snow off the streets. Coming from Chicago you will find this laughable. Summers can get very hot and humid during July and August. It can feel worse than Chicago not because it is hotter (we rarely get days over 100) but because it stays hot for more consecutive days. But it isn't as bad as Houston or New Orleans.
Roughly, what is the rate of property taxes?
Generally about 1% to 1.5% of the property's value per year. Much less than the Chicago area.
Sales tax?
6% to 7%, depending on where you are.
Income tax?
Depends on how much you make, of course, but it ranges from 0 to 7%.
Any other taxes to worry about?
There's an annual "ad valorem" tax on cars, which is due on your birthday along with tag renewal. It tends to be between $100 and $400 depending on the value of the car.
Job opportunities?
Georgia has not fared well in this last economic downturn. It has had one of the higher unemployment rates in the country. We just got back below 10%. Those who frequent this board will all tell you the same thing: make sure you have a job before you move here!
Good schools?
There are good schools here and there are bad schools. Statewide the schools rank near the bottom of the country, but there are school districts in suburban Atlanta that excel. Districts are divided up by county, with some cities (such as Atlanta itself) having their own districts. Cobb county schools are generally considered to be good to excellent, depending on what part of the county you are in. The best public schools (by national rankings) are in north Fulton County. We live in south Cherokee county (just north of Kennesaw) and are very happy with the schools here.
Traffic?
Bad, but not as bad as parts of Chicago. Trip times typically double during rush hour, but can get much longer if there is a bad accident. One thing the area lacks is alternate routes, so when it gets bad it gets real bad.
Gas prices?
Right now they are around $3.50 for regular.
Electric, water bill prices (estimates obviously)?
I don't have estimates handy. Most houses here also have natural gas heating.
What kind of home owner problems/chores do you deal with?
Bugs, bugs and more bugs. You will see lots more spiders, cockroaches, and other kinds of pests than you would in Chicago. We also have termites, so termite protection is an absolute must (usually an annual inspection and service).
What you might miss from Chicago: great museums, symphony, opera, etc. We have these things in Atlanta but they don't compare to what you can find in Chicago. Food: we do have a decent range of ethnic food, but not nearly as diverse as Chicago.
Last edited by billl; 02-12-2012 at 12:50 PM..
Reason: added information about summer climate
I'm curious- if you've never been to Georgia, how did you hone in on Kennesaw specifically?? I can understand if you came in and said "we're thinking of moving to the Atlanta suburbs", but what's driving you to Kennesaw in particular? The only thing that's unique to Kennesaw is the law that requires citizens to keep a gun in the house (which has been on the books for years, but has no means of being enforced)- other than that, it's pretty much the same as most of the other suburban Atlanta areas.
I grew up in Chicago. As an adult I lived in Naperville 3yrs prior to moving to Suwanee GA now in Buford. I've never been to Kennesaw but GA in general is a plus if you've grown tired of Chicago winters. It gets in the 30's here but no where near as frequently as in Chicago and as you may know the Northwest 'burbs of Chi tend to get a little colder than the city! I think you can appreciate the scenery...so much green on the side of the highways, the smell of GA pines, driving two lane "highways" and being drowned in color when leaves change in the fall. My DH works in IT also, he's had no lack in employment offers at all. Peruse the boards, you just may like it here.
Last edited by futrMrsJ; 02-12-2012 at 08:37 PM..
Reason: spelling
I'm curious- if you've never been to Georgia, how did you hone in on Kennesaw specifically?? I can understand if you came in and said "we're thinking of moving to the Atlanta suburbs", but what's driving you to Kennesaw in particular? The only thing that's unique to Kennesaw is the law that requires citizens to keep a gun in the house (which has been on the books for years, but has no means of being enforced)- other than that, it's pretty much the same as most of the other suburban Atlanta areas.
The reason I'm asking is because there may be a career opportunity for my husband in Georgia, specifically that town/area. The gun law would not be a problem for us. A couple reasons we'd like to move from IL is the high property taxes and the weather. I was searching for homes in the Kennesaw area online...just to see what there is compared to here. I was blown away by how much house you can get for less of the price...and the property taxes are WAY better/cheaper!
Thank you so much for all of your answers!!! They have really helped.
The only thing that's unique to Kennesaw is the law that requires citizens to keep a gun in the house ... other than that, it's pretty much the same as most of the other suburban Atlanta areas.
I think the battlefield is pretty unique to Kennesaw. A 3,000 acre public park with natural areas, historic battle sites, horse trails, and walking trails is not something you find in every suburb.
All of Cobb County has pockets of very nice areas. There are several suburban areas of the metro that were firmly middle classed and gentrified UPWARDLY to the upper middle classes and beyond in the late 1980s on until just before the recession. Parts of Roswell, much of Lithonia, almost all of Forsyth County, far southern Gwinnett County, all of Cobb County and parts of Hall County.
If you do not have a particular reason to live in one area of the metro there are many choices and while they are drying up there are still bargain houses to be had.
We have a small condo in Buckhead we bought in 1991 (TAXES AND HOA FEES WOW!!!) and a home at Norris Lake and a home in Marietta which was a second home for us and which we now rent as an investment. Ironically we have Illinois transplants as neighbors at all three properties we own in the metro and a couple from Kenosha Wisconsin right next door to our Marietta house.
ATL has MANY good areas!!! Do not limit yourself to just one if you do not have to, pick a variety and take advantage of the fact there are many great places to live in the metro and look for the biggest and best bargain on a house.
Incidentally with three properties in the metro we do NOT have many southern born neighbors at any!!!!!
The reason I'm asking is because there may be a career opportunity for my husband in Georgia, specifically that town/area. The gun law would not be a problem for us. A couple reasons we'd like to move from IL is the high property taxes and the weather. I was searching for homes in the Kennesaw area online...just to see what there is compared to here. I was blown away by how much house you can get for less of the price...and the property taxes are WAY better/cheaper!
You have a large area surrounding the City of Kennesaw that is unincorporated Cobb County, and is collectively called "West Cobb." I live in the area and think it offers good value in terms of homes, and also has good schools and many other attributes that people look for in the suburbs.
I would encourage you to broaden your search from just "Kennesaw" to also look at parts of Marietta and Acworth that fall into the "West Cobb" bucket.
My husband's job was supposed to be in Kennesaw so we looked at Kennesaw (Overlook at Marietta Country Club was quite nice), Acworth (some great areas there, too) as well as East Cobb. It takes some time and effort to really sort it all out, but you really shouldn't focus on one "town" but look at many different areas. And for fun, take a look at places such as Buckhead, Decatur, and Midtown just to see the many different lifestyles and opportunities the Atlanta area has to offer.
My best friends here are Chicago transplants!
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A couple reasons we'd like to move from IL is the high property taxes and the weather. I was searching for homes in the Kennesaw area online...just to see what there is compared to here. I was blown away by how much house you can get for less of the price...and the property taxes are WAY better/cheaper! 
