Suggestions please for upmarket family suburbs (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: house, employment, neighborhoods)

[Lynne1408]

We are looking to move to Atlanta and hence the homework starts prior to our 'look and see trip'

-We are in our late 30's, kids age 5 and 8

Looking for:
1. Detached house -quarter acre+. Budget approx $1mn
2. Leafy safe family suburb with great access to activities and sports for kids. Suburb to have great family vibe ie kids out playing, neighbors chatting etc. Preferably a place with a nice shopping area (character) vs strip malls.
3. Work downtown and fly every week (max 30-45. Mins commute to downtown in rush hour and airport). Will use public transport if commute too long.
4. Schools : would consider very good public otherwise private school. Need to have excellent high school in area (private or public)

I think that's it .. Looking forward to your opinions.
Thanks, Lynne

[jpatlanta]

Buckhead, Brookhaven and lower Sandy Springs (inside the 285). Nothing else really compares in quality unless you want to move in to a more central area like Inman Park which isn't really a suburb.

[yankeegirl73]

You missed deadline for private acho

[yankeegirl73]

Oops, private schools, so you will likely need to consider school district if you will be here in the fall. There are plenty of threads here that will help with that. You can also call privates and see if they are taking late applications. Keep in mind school here ends early; only about six weeks left if that.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by jpatlanta

Buckhead, Brookhaven and lower Sandy Springs (inside the 285). Nothing else really compares in quality unless you want to move in to a more central area like Inman Park which isn't really a suburb.

Certainly there are other neighborhoods that compare to these.

Ansley Park
Morningside/Lenox Park
Druid Hills
Sherwood Forest
Vinings

There are also neighborhoods in East Cobb, Dunwoody and Oak Grove that would fill the bill.

And BTW, Inman Park is often referred to as Atlanta's First Suburb.

[lastminutemom]

The private school deadline thing is going to be tricky. If you are in private school now, your headmaster/mistress might be able to make some phone calls, otherwise, like said above you need to pick an area with schools you like.

[aries4118]

Based on your criteria for top public high schools, housing price range/requirements, and commute to downtown/airport:


*1. Southern East Cobb--East (Walton High District)
*2. Southern Sandy Springs (Riverwood High School District)


You may also want to look into:

1. Ansley Park, Morningside, Southern Druid Hills (Grady High School District)
2. Buckhead (North Atlanta High School District)
3. Druid Hills (Druid Hills High School District)
4. Oak Grove/Briarlake (Lakeside High School District)
5. Brookhaven (Chamblee High School District)
6. Core Roswell (Roswell High School District)
7. East Roswell/Southern+Western Johns Creek (Centennial High School District)
8. Mid-East Cobb (Pope High District)
9. Peachtree Corners (Norcross High School District)
10. Smoke Rise (Tucker High School District)
11. Vinings (Campbell High School District)
12. Southern East Cobb--West (Wheeler High School District)
13. Northern Sandy Springs (North Springs High School District)
14. Dunwoody (Dunwoody High School District)

[jpatlanta]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Certainly there are other neighborhoods that compare to these.

Ansley Park
Morningside/Lenox Park
Druid Hills
Sherwood Forest
Vinings

There are also neighborhoods in East Cobb, Dunwoody and Oak Grove that would fill the bill.

And BTW, Inman Park is often referred to as Atlanta's First Suburb.

Yes I like all the areas in your top list but I am not sure if I would call them suburbs. Also I would not invest 1mill in a house in East Cobb nor Dunwoody or even Oak Grove. Much safer to buy IMHO into the areas in your list above and Buckhead/Historic Brookhaven where there is a much more established market and no room for new Mcmanisons all over the place.

[lastminutemom]

Originally Posted by jpatlanta

Yes I like all the areas in your top list but I am not sure if I would call them suburbs. Also I would not invest 1mill in a house in East Cobb nor Dunwoody or even Oak Grove. Much safer to buy IMHO into the areas in your list above and Buckhead/Historic Brookhaven where there is a much more established market and no room for new Mcmanisons all over the place.

I disagree with your assessment. I would worry somewhat about the impact of the school situation on Dunwoody or Oak Grove. But I believe all three areas will continue to be popular for a very long time to come.

However, I wouldn't buy a McMansion, rather I would spend that kind of money on a home in a neighborhood of similar homes. Does that make sense?

The Perimeter Center is one of the largest employment districts in metro Atlanta and is anticipated to add tens of thousands of jobs in the next decade or so.

East Cobb has good access to PC as does Dunwoody (which actually includes quite a bit of PC).

The Governor's number one transit priority, with the failure of T-SPLOST is the intersection of GA 400 and I 285.

[jpatlanta]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

I disagree with your assessment. I would worry somewhat about the impact of the school situation on Dunwoody or Oak Grove. But I believe all three areas will continue to be popular for a very long time to come.

However, I wouldn't buy a McMansion, rather I would spend that kind of money on a home in a neighborhood of similar homes. Does that make sense?

The Perimeter Center is one of the largest employment districts in metro Atlanta and is anticipated to add tens of thousands of jobs in the next decade or so.

East Cobb has good access to PC as does Dunwoody (which actually includes quite a bit of PC).

The Governor's number one transit priority, with the failure of T-SPLOST is the intersection of GA 400 and I 285.

At the 1 million dollar mark the OP mentioned I would be buying an quality older home in an area like Historic Brookhaven or near Chastain for example. I think that would be a safer buy than a 1 million home in Dunwoody for example. Location, location, location and all that. Now at 500k it would be a different story and I would be looking in Dunwoody. 750k North Brookhaven etc.

Sad that our governors main transit priority is an intersection IMHO but thats a different topic.