Kennesaw or Marrietta? (crime, live, ferry)

[westau]

The city of Marietta generally has worse schools than the areas north and east of the city. For a combination of commute, quality of the schools, and affordability I would recommend starting to look in the areas covered by Sprayberry or Kennesaw Mountain High School.

As for the politics thing, Cobb is on the conservative side but it isn't super conservative any more so I don't think that would be an issue for you.

[mast240]

Great responses... Thank you all very much! We will most likely be looking at Kennesaw, based on cost of housing, schools, and things we have heard about the general area... One last question... I know that you can pretty much pass from kennesaw into surrounding areas without really knowing it, so would finding a house in acworth or woodstock, for example, be a huge difference? or are they pretty much the same, but just a different municipality?

[ElleKaye]

Moving to Woodstock is not going to do any favors for your commute, but I'd prefer it over Acworth. I have two friends raising families in both places and after an inordinate number of bbqs in which I've had to run to the store to pick up something, I have to say I prefer Woodstock.

Still, I'd stick with Kennesaw as a good place for children as the environment feels safe and family-oriented. I knew when I set out pumpkins filled with Halloween candy and went upstairs to print out a "take one or some, but not all" label and before I got back to the front door, 10 kids kids were running off with my treats across the lawn like spiders in different directions, that it must be a pretty fun place to grow up lol. The schools seem at least pretty good as well although I've heard more about their sports performance than academics.

[Plokivos]

Originally Posted by dblackga

I just did a quick search of the available listings on the multiple listing service with your criteria (1350-1600, 3-4 br, detached, Cobb County, in the school districts Walton, Lassiter and Pope, which are in East Cobb (the side next to Roswell). There were 7 available. However, when I took out the requirement for the top high schools, the number rocketed up to almost 100, pretty evenly divided -- half above a line drawn by Roswell Road, and half below. So I'd say that your budget is realistic -- but it might be a challenge in the top school districts.

You're in a metropolitan area -- it's hard to see where one city stops and the other starts. While it may be true that the social life of some of the smaller, rural towns of Georgia tend to revolve around church activities (and even that's not a given), no one in this area is going to care what your religious or political views are. They might get annoyed if you let your grass get too high, or don't take in your trash can in promptly, but as far as the other stuff -- who cares? Vote how you like, don't sacrifice the neighborhood black cat in religious rituals, and you'll be fine. :-)

A commute from any of those areas will be relatively easy, compared to going downtown. I've done NYC, I've done Miami, and I learned to drive a stick shift on the Santa Monica freeway during rush hour. :-) Atlanta traffic isn't fun, but it's manageable if you're smart about it.

Obviously, you guys didn't grow up here. LIVE IN KENNESAW. If you lived there, and grew up there, you'll know why.

As far as the high schools goes (in my time):

Lassiter: Bunch of drunks and no gooders.
Walton: Bunch of drunks and cocaine users
Pope: Don't even get me started.

And I know this for FACT, because I know everyone a lot of people from that school. When I went to xxx (Magna school), there were tons of kids getting arrested every weekend from those three.

Marietta High School's always been full of black kids, and Walton was full of white and asian kids. Lassiter was bunch of kids who got overdosed on Chick Fil A everyday, and Pope is just...

xxx high school had the most diversity, where everyone got along, with excellent athletic programs, where coaches proactively got good players scholarships. I regret saying that I didn't take my football scholarship to Dartmouth, because I was an idiot when I was younger. But I don't regret it.

But, live in Kennesaw. That's the place you want to be. Don't listen to this folks. My parents had grew up in Marietta, and we moved because it got so bad while back, and it hasn't improved. I have a house in Kennesaw, and that's the place to be (near KSU).

[y8tiger]

I retired from the Navy last year and gave a lot of thought to returning to area. I graduated from Sprayberry H.S. in '89 and while I always liked returning home for visits every few years, I hated seeing how it changed. There is no denying that the whole area is now a rat race. Since Dobbins is now a Reserve Base and all the other Atlanta area Military Installations closed you won't be relying on the base facilities for much. IMHO look at the areas along Hwy 92 between Cobb Pkwy and Sandy Plains Rd. That's where I would shoot for.

As for me, I retired to Huntsville, AL because it reminds me of the way Cobb County was in the 80's. I lived there for 7 months before accepting a position in Stuttgart, Germany.

[neil0311]

I live in Marietta and moved here in 2007 with my wife and 3 children. Here is my take.

Marietta is both a city and a postal address. You will have no issue getting to Dobbins from either Kennesaw or Marietta.

The area known as "East Cobb" is technically also known as Marietta for postal delivery. It's an older and more established area, with generally higher incomes, better schools, and older and smaller homes. Great area, but further from Dobbins and relies on a couple of main routes in and out of the area. Access to the interstates is indirect.

The City of Marietta has its own schools and the city ranges from ghetto to nice suburban homes. We chose to live outside the city limits due to the schools. Others love the schools.

"West Cobb" is where we live and Marietta and Kennesaw are the primary components of "West Cobb" along with Acworth. The schools are very good, but not as good as Walton HS in East Cobb from the standpoint of test scores and awards. Homes in Marietta and parts of Kennesaw are newer and less expensive than in East Cobb. In the city limits of Kennesaw, there are some older homes that are not tied to subdivisions and HOAs, which is preferable to some.

As for the gun law that passed in the early 1980s....it's not enforced or discussed. It was passed as a reaction to a town in Illinois that banned guns, at a time when the whole area wasn't developed and wasn't really considered a suburb of Atlanta. Now you have many new residents and new subdivisions, and many of the newcomers are from outside of Georgia. No one will make you buy a gun and it's not even discussed.

I went to college and lived in the Atlanta area in the early 1980s. Cobb County today is NOTHING like what it was then. Town Center Mall was built in the late 1980s, and the area saw a big boom in the 1990s and early 2000's. New schools were built and many who moved in are non-white.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by westau

For a combination of commute, quality of the schools, and affordability I would recommend starting to look in the areas covered by Sprayberry or Kennesaw Mountain High School.

As for the politics thing, Cobb is on the conservative side but it isn't super conservative any more so I don't think that would be an issue for you.

We live in the Kennesaw Mountain HS district. I would agree with these comments. "Conservative" is a relative term as well. We're atheists, and yes...some of the focus on religion is a bit much, but that's the worst that I've encountered.

Many of the people who live in our area aren't originally from GA, and you'll find a spectrum of people here. We live in a subdivision, on a cul de sac. Of the 5 homes on our street, there are two white families, two black families, and one family original from India. We all get along great as neighbors and have a common interest in the schools for our children, and for our subdivision and wider community as a whole.

[ivan-saab]

We are a family from Bulgaria, Europe with two daughters 15 years old and 6 years old. Will be moving into Kenesaw in early May. Search apartments for rent with two bedrooms in the Kenesaw Mountain High School district . Our budget is up to $900-1000 per month. Is this complex a good one - Lakeside Vista, 2100 Ellison Lakes Drive Kennesaw, GA 30152. Would you recommend us and other complexes . In addition to rent what other costs should be predictable. We still do not work. Will we be able to find a job in the area quickly ? Our English is not very good, but we continue to learn.

[ivan-saab]

Can anybody help with info ?

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by ivan-saab

We are a family from Bulgaria, Europe with two daughters 15 years old and 6 years old. Will be moving into Kenesaw in early May. Search apartments for rent with two bedrooms in the Kenesaw Mountain High School district . Our budget is up to $900-1000 per month. Is this complex a good one - Lakeside Vista, 2100 Ellison Lakes Drive Kennesaw, GA 30152. Would you recommend us and other complexes . In addition to rent what other costs should be predictable. We still do not work. Will we be able to find a job in the area quickly ? Our English is not very good, but we continue to learn.

Originally Posted by ivan-saab

Can anybody help with info ?

Far what I know, that's a decent apartment complex in a decent area.

It's okay...go for it!