Alpharetta Questions (Cumming, Forsyth: 2014, renting, home)

[ATLTJL]

Born 2 Roll is right.

Even though I downplayed the river that separates Johns Creek from Gwinnett county, the fact is, there is a river there. And there are only 3 bridges over that river that you will have to take during rush hour. They are all bottlenecks and the breakdown goes like this:

1) State Bridge - the bridge itself isn't an issue, but the road gets backed up, especially where it intersects with Medlock Bridge. Expect to wait at least 3 cycles of that light changing before you get to pass through it during the morning commute.

2) Abbots Bridge - the least traveled road, but it's only a wimpy 2 lane bridge over the river. Don't even think about it, it's a disaster. One fool trying to turn left can tie up traffic for a long time.

3) McGinnis Ferry - this road was always a disaster, but the bridge was recently expanded from 2 lanes to 4. I'm honestly not completely positive how much that helped traffic, but I do know McGinnis Ferry does get a lot of volume during commuting hours.

No matter how you cut it, getting from one side of the river to the other during commuting hours is frustrating. And you'd be doing exactly what everybody else has done....try to take advantage of the more affordable housing in Gwinnett, while commuting to a job center in Fulton.

[tdr74]

Thanks for the info. Yeah, it kind of sounds silly to even consider Suwanee with this info. Everyone we've talked to up here has recommended Alpharetta as well before we knew where our job would be. It also seems like it would be a better place to live if I ever decided to change jobs b/c of it's closer proximity to other parts of the Metro. Johns Creek actually sounds like a great area to focus on possibly. When you type in Johns Creek to look for homes Duluth, Alpharetta and Suwanee all pop up too, so I see how new it actually is. My wife can always visit the Town Center in Suwanee during the day when traffic isn't so bad.

[Mattie]

Since you are looking for a family friendly town, and working in Alpharetta, it makes the most sense to begin your search there. Here is just a sample of the events put on by the town:
City of Alpharetta Website || Special Events
They have festivals all year long, and a very extensive rec program too.

I live in Milton, and love it, but it is a relatively new city, and doesn't have anywhere near the festivities Alpharetta hosts.
Alpharetta is also planning a new town square, although I don't know what will be included beyond a library.

[jaybird45]

I live in Johns Creek and work in Alpharetta. If you are on the road before the school buses take over you will be at work in 10 to 15 minutes depending on where in JC you live and where in Alpharetta you work. Suwanee has a nice town center but Alpharetta is building Avalon which will be an upscale type shopping center with a town center feel. Johns Creek does not have a town center but I believe that it will within the next few years, as the economy improves. Johns Creek has some of the best schools in the Atlanta area with 3 of the top 10 high schools in the Atlanta area in the city and a fourth (Alpharetta HS) only a few minutes from the JC border. One downside to JC is the traffic but if you live in Suwanee and work in Alpahretta you will have to go through the traffic in JC anyway. Shopping is great in JC. We have 2 Krogers and 2 Publix within 7 minutes of my house. Whole Foods is in JC and Trader Joes is a few minutes away in Norcross. We also have HMart which is a Asian Market.

[OhioNative]

Originally Posted by tdr74

When you type in Johns Creek to look for homes Duluth, Alpharetta and Suwanee all pop up too, so I see how new it actually is.

Yeah, Johns Creek does not have its own zip code so most houses that you search for will actually have a Duluth address. Johns Creek shares five different ZIP Codes with adjoining cities: 30022 and 30005 (Alpharetta); 30097 (Duluth), 30024 (Suwanee); and 30076 (Roswell).

[tandons2374]

Beware of one thing though. if u r moving in Fulton be prepared for the tough competition that your kids are going to face. In one of middle school there is an entrance test for every club !!! I know 4 people who have sold from Fulton & moved to Forsyth because of this reason

[tdr74]

Oh thank you tandons2374! That sounds crazy. So is Johns Creek in Fulton or Forsyth or maybe both?

[flyonpa]

The City of Johns Creek is in Fulton, But Un-Inc Forsyth, (over near JC) share a lot of common attributes, Just over the County Line (also taxes in Forsyth are lower) .

Where In Alpharetta (Cross Streets / What's it near) is his job?

Many part of Forsyth might also be appropriate also.

[tdr74]

It's near the intersection of Old Milton Pkwy and 400. What do you think would be ideal?

[Mattie]

Originally Posted by tandons2374

Beware of one thing though. if u r moving in Fulton be prepared for the tough competition that your kids are going to face. In one of middle school there is an entrance test for every club !!! I know 4 people who have sold from Fulton & moved to Forsyth because of this reason

What? I never heard of this. Good students are given every opportunity in North Fulton. Name the school, or I call bull.