kennesaw....Who know's alot? (Atlanta, Savannah: extended stay, transplants, real estate)

[ccapla]

Hello Georgia!! My family and I are planning on moving to Kennesaw after we sell our house in the spring. I know nothing about Kennesaw except what I've read!!! I actually know nothing about georgia..........what's it like in kennesaw, what are the best areas to live in in kennesaw, areas to avoid, child care rates, stuff for children to do, are people racist (like "this town is for white people, we don't want blacks, hispanics"...etc..) Average paying jobs, what are good paying jobs to look into there, high risk of bad weather (hurricanes, tornados)..............anything and everything, give me all you have. We're going into this basically blind, but willing to do it. It was on the Family Circle Top Ten places to move your family, and i Love the gun law!!
HELP!!!............ SLEEPLESS IN MILWAUKEE, WI

[ccapla]

I know this is close to Atlanta does the city drama drag into kennesaw ?

[atlantagreg30127]

Hmmmm... well, FIRST suggestion is to actually spend some time here before you decide to move someplace that you've just "heard about". It's always best to take some time (a few days to a week or more at least) and come down to an area. Stay in an extended stay hotel if you need to, and make SURE it's an area you want to live in.

That being said, Kennesaw is a heavily populated northeastern suburb of Atlanta. There is an actual little "downtown" area, but most of the business activity is along "Barrett Parkway" a couple miles south of there, as well as in the mall there (Town Center at Cobb). Kennesaw is known for an old quirky law that supposedly "requires" all households to own a firearm for safety. Ironically, it's also one of the safest burbs in Atlanta (go figure) but it's not enforced and it's not like they force you to have a gun (or that you need one - overall it's a safe area).

Cobb County has very limited transit, so if you're looking for bus service, there are only a couple of routes out there that run a few times a day. Atlanta's rail service (subway) does not come into Cobb County at all. It's definately a suburban SUV kind of place. It's overall kind of a white-ish Yuppie, upper-middle-income area when you look at the surface, but go to the local Costco there or any of the restaurants and it's common to hear numerous different languages spoken. More Asians and Asian-Indian people seem to be moving into the area as time goes on. As far as the sometimes feared "white vs black" thing, there ARE black people who live in Kennesaw, but they're typically the upper-income folks, so if you like to "boogie with the homies" and drive up the road blaring Rap music very loud, chances are the whites and the blacks will both call the cops on you in a New York second. Other than not putting up much with a partier crowd, folks seem to get along well there.

Traffic along the Barrett Parkway area is very VERY bad, even mid-day during lunch hours. Anyplace you live or work, you should try to learn alternate routes to avoid that stretch of road, or, plan lots of extra time as sometimes it can get completely gridlocked in that area. Other than the heavy traffic issues (which may be enough for some), Kennesaw is probably one of the more desireable areas of the metro.

Note on the Map below I highlighted in red the area to avoid regarding the worst traffic in the area. The green arrow is "downtown" Kennesaw.

[sweettea1]

Yes, why are you 'going blind?' That doesn't seem smart. Atlanta overall is a great place to live and raise a family but there are lots of areas here, all with something different (well, sort of) to offer. The biggest question is: Where will you be working? That can make your entire experience here great or terrible. Lots of info on housing, childcare, towns, leisure, etc. But do find out about jobs first and then look around...
good luck and welcome!

[questio verum]

I second atlantagreg30127's recommendation, but I can also tell you this: Were I to return to the Atlanta area, Kennesaw would be one of my first choices. At one time there were some great, interesting old neighborhoods closer in toward the downtown such as Buckhead or Decatur; but they have become cartoons of their former selves, victims of the homogenizing of America. Now urban buildup, real estate prices, crime, and traffic are driving people out of the city toward places like Kennesaw, Alpharetta, Lawrenceville, & even more distant towns like Cartersville, or even Newnan in the south. Cobb & Gwinnett counties are two of the safer areas in the Atlanta MSA. You could do a lot worse. Be warned though... the traffic is hellish. Gridlock equal to all but perhaps LA & NYC, and worse than most. About once or twice a week an 18-wheeler wipes out on the I-85 loop, backing traffic up for hours. Living in Kennesaw only gives you a reprieve from Atlanta traffic if you live and work in Kennesaw, and you don't need to travel the major roads & interstates. On the bright side though, you're just a few hours drive from some of the most beautiful scenery in the eastern US. Hilton Head/Savannah is a half-days' drive. The foothills of the Appalachians are just a couple hours. And there are ton's of interesting little communities and sites to visit on a weekend or day off. And despite the traffic, there are a few worthwhile attractions in the ATL. Hope this helps somewhat. Good Luck!

[kelabu]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

It's overall kind of a white-ish Yuppie, upper-middle-income area when you look at the surface, but go to the local Costco there or any of the restaurants and it's common to hear numerous different languages spoken. More Asians and Asian-Indian people seem to be moving into the area as time goes on. As far as the sometimes feared "white vs black" thing, there ARE black people who live in Kennesaw, but they're typically the upper-income folks, so if you like to "boogie with the homies" and drive up the road blaring Rap music very loud, chances are the whites and the blacks will both call the cops on you in a New York second. Other than not putting up much with a partier crowd, folks seem to get along well there.

he green arrow is "downtown" Kennesaw.

"Boogie with the homies"??? LOL, you're showing your age there greg! What suburbs do have a party crowd anyway?
Around the university you probably will hear some music blaring and chances are it's not the Black people.
Kennesaw is a nice place to live, but I agree with the others that your search should be centered on distance from work. It's typical suburbia to me, but with some nice scenery. It's not going to be so great if you've been sitting in the car frustrated for 2 hours by the time you get home.
Off the top of my head I don't know any major companies there...but there is WellStar Health
system and some other lab type company out there too.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by kelabu

"Boogie with the homies"??? LOL, you're showing your age there greg! What suburbs do have a party crowd anyway?
Around the university you probably will hear some music blaring and chances are it's not the Black people.
.

Oh, fine, I'm 41 - give me a break.

Some suburban areas like Vinings or Smyrna have more "partiers" than others. Kennesaw is more 30-to-40 somethings who are more established with careers, finances, have started their families, etc. And you're right in that it's the white kids who listen to the hellish hip/rap stuff who stay at home who play it loud enough to drive you nuts - the black kids drive around playing it on the car radios to rattle every window in a 2 mile radius. ARGH.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by questio verum

I second atlantagreg30127's recommendation, but I can also tell you this: Were I to return to the Atlanta area, Kennesaw would be one of my first choices. On the bright side though, you're just a few hours drive from some of the most beautiful scenery in the eastern US.

I'll add that if you live in Kennesaw, then you're only about 1.5 hours south of Chattanooga, Tennessee, which lately is becoming one of my favorite "hang outs". They've done a LOT with their downtown area up there - added to their Aquarium, other attractions near it, their waterfront park area, and there are now TONS of restaurants and bars downtown too - and you can walk around without having to step over two dozen bums on the sidewalk, too (unlike cough cough - Five Points).

[ATLienGirl]

Is there anyway you can visit first? I'm sorry, but, I would not want to go anywhere based on what people say about a place...experience is the best teacher and seeing is believing! Even though Kennesaw is nice, I wouldn't take anyone's word for it...I'd see it for myself. I would never go into something "blind", but, that's me...

[gt6974a]

Born and raised in Acworth, went to North Cobb High School (Kennesaw), Dad went to North Cobb High School. I love the area, live here now, but I honestly don't see why it was rated as one of the 'best' places to live.

If anything, IMO, it's gone down hill, at least in the mind of someone who grew up here and remember all the vast forest and farms that are now mowed down and covered up by cookie cutter, right on top of each other, homes.

I just see the area as a typical suburb found anywhere else in the country. Nice and safe but I wouldn't call it 'great'.

Acworth and Kennesaw are basically the same town. Their downtown areas are located right off of Highway 293, aka Old 41, aka main street and about 6 miles from each other along the rail.

There's plenty of blacks and hispanics here now, 15-20 years ago hardly any.

The hispanics are increasing rapidly, just look at the school percentages b/t elementary, middle, and high school. This has put a strain on the teachers having to teach non-english speaking kids aka ESOP program (I have 2 sisters and a buddie's wife who are teachers the Acworth/Kennesaw schools).

Schools on the west part of 41 generally perform better than the schools on the east side of 41, this basically equates to housing costs/income in the area.

Jobs? Not really too much 'professional' positions in the area. There's plenty of retail type stuff, but not too many offices.

Nice weather with the exception of a tornado every now and then. I was in Awtrey middle school when a tornado hit North Cobb and tore up several facilities, but that was 15 years ago.

Don't know about child care yet... but I hear it's competitive and expensive.

The gun law is still in place and not enforced, if I had to guess everyone native to Kennesaw (<50% of the population) area has several guns in their home. The other 50% are mostly Yankee transplants and don't like the idea of having a gun in their home.

I keep a 12 gauge under the bed, a .40 cal in the dresser, and a .38 in my car. All unloaded, but ammo readily available to be loaded, with the exception of the .38 (its always loaded).