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Well, my husband just came back from his trip to Atlanta to check out the area and he loved it. We are from CT and are hoping to officially move this summer (looking at August). He checked out Marietta (East Cobb and West Cobb), Douglassville and Villa Rica (way too rural for what I am wishing to find in the south), Newnan, Fayetteville, and PTC. He said PTC "was it", he thought it was perfect.
I am an RN and it seems as though there are far more opportunities on the North side of Atlanta in terms of Hospitals (I want to work in the ICU setting), whereas on the south side there is only Piedmont Fayette and Piedmont Newnan. I personally would like to live in Marrietta (preferably East Cobb however with our budget being 350k max I don't know how feasible that is), because there are way more hospitals, and eventually I would like to go back to school for my master's (the program I want to do is only in Birmingham AL or Chattanooga TN). My husband says Marietta would be a disasterous commute for him (he won't have one set location, he does HVAC so he goes different places every day), he is under the impression it will take him 2+ hours to get home everyday. Assuming he works downtown during the day and leaves at 4 let's say, how long would it take him to get back to Marietta (lets just say East Cobb?).
He also thinks that Newnan and PTC would be easy commutes to downtown, I told him an hour or so, even though he was just there he doesn't believe me. Plus Newnan or PTC from Birmingham would be a 2.5 hour commute for me while I'm in school (two years). If you were me, what would you choose? Marietta, or Newnan/PTC area? We will rent for the first year (before my daughter starts Kindergarten, so renting in a near by area where we could afford a nice house for $1200-$1500 a month would be great).
Budget is 300-350k, good schools a must, commute of up to 1 hour is fine, easy access to grocery stores, malls, kid activities a plus, swim/tennis subdevelopment a must.
What about other areas like North DeKalb? Or are you set on these two choices? I personally would lean more towards PTC if I had to choose between those two. But I think both will have terrible commutes that you will tire of in a few years.
It sounds like you think most of your husband's assignments will be in downtown. His commute is going to be long whether you live in East Cobb or PTC. Depends on his driving and the time of day, but I can't see it being less than an hour. It has taken me from under 30 minutes to get from Kennesaw to Sandy Springs in no traffic up to two hours with traffic so it's really variable. That's just one example.
Considering where you plan to go back to school, I'd choose East Cobb. It's certain you'd get to your destination sooner from there than PTC.
Well, my husband just came back from his trip to Atlanta to check out the area and he loved it. We are from CT and are hoping to officially move this summer (looking at August). He checked out Marietta (East Cobb and West Cobb), Douglassville and Villa Rica (way too rural for what I am wishing to find in the south), Newnan, Fayetteville, and PTC. He said PTC "was it", he thought it was perfect.
I am an RN and it seems as though there are far more opportunities on the North side of Atlanta in terms of Hospitals (I want to work in the ICU setting), whereas on the south side there is only Piedmont Fayette and Piedmont Newnan.
You are correct about there likely being more nursing opportunities on the much more heavily-developed and much more heavily-populated Northside than on the less-developed and less-populated Southside.
Though, it should be noted that in addition to Piedmont Fayette and Piedmont Newnan hospitals being on the Southside, there's also Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge in Henry County, and Southside Regional Medical Center in Riverdale in Clayton County, but that is about it in terms of major hospitals on the Southside.
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Originally Posted by MAE1226
I personally would like to live in Marrietta (preferably East Cobb however with our budget being 350k max I don't know how feasible that is), because there are way more hospitals, and eventually I would like to go back to school for my master's (the program I want to do is only in Birmingham AL or Chattanooga TN).
If you would be willing to consider living in an older detached single-family home or in an attached row house-style townhome, you could likely find someplace decent for $350k and under in East Cobb, you just have to be willing to perform a very-close and detailed search of the area.
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Originally Posted by MAE1226
My husband says Marietta would be a disasterous commute for him (he won't have one set location, he does HVAC so he goes different places every day), he is under the impression it will take him 2+ hours to get home everyday. Assuming he works downtown during the day and leaves at 4 let's say, how long would it take him to get back to Marietta (lets just say East Cobb?).
If your husband were to leave Downtown everyday at 4pm, it would not necessarily take him 2+ hours to get from Downtown Atlanta to East Cobb (...though, there are certain days, like on days of wet and/or inclement weather or on days of freak severe congestion-inducing multi-car accidents, that it could take him as long as 2+ hours to get between two points like Downtown and East Cobb, but on those days it might take him that long to get home from anywhere in the Atlanta region, not just from Downtown).
On most days (but most-certainly not all) it would take your husband anywhere between 30-50 minutes to get from Downtown to East Cobb, depending on what part of East Cobb you would live in, if he left Downtown at 4pm.
Though, there would be days when the commute would be longer, particularly if there is wet and/or inclement weather or if there is some kind of freak traffic accident (like a car fire, or a bus fire, or an overturned 18-wheeler, a freeway suicide jumper, livestock loose on the freeway, multi-car pile-up, etc), but the one-way commute home would have the potential to be longer from almost anywhere in the metro region, not just from Downtown.
Like lastminutemom mentioned, if your husband won't have one set location but will be going to different places every day, why does he seem to be so fixated on a probable commute to and from Downtown Atlanta, particularly when much (if not most) of his work will likely be spread-out over the metro area and he will likely have much work on Atlanta's overdeveloped Northside?
No matter how one slices and dices it, if your husband is assigned to work the entire Atlanta metro area, he is going to be doing A LOT of driving, no matter where you live.
Though, there is likely the chance that more of his work will be on the overdeveloped Northside of Metro Atlanta, if he assigned to work the entire metro area and/or metro region.
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Originally Posted by MAE1226
He also thinks that Newnan and PTC would be easy commutes to downtown, I told him an hour or so, even though he was just there he doesn't believe me.
You are right...on most days a one-way commute between Downtown Atlanta and Newnan or Peachtree City would somewhere in the range of between 40-60 minutes, depending, of course, on where you would be living in those areas.
Though, just like on the Northside (or on the Eastside, or on the Westside), the commute between Southside suburbs like Newnan and PTC and Downtown could be longer if there is wet and/or inclement weather or there is some kind of freak traffic incident like any of those I described above.
Trust me, I know that I-85 on the Southside can be just as bad as any of the freeways on the Northside when traffic and weather conditions are bad as I've personally been stuck on I-85 South in rush hour traffic jams caused by incidents like an overturned tractor trailer on fire, a multi-car pile south of the airport, and wet weather which caused the morning rush hour to last until after 10am.
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Originally Posted by MAE1226
Plus Newnan or PTC from Birmingham would be a 2.5 hour commute for me while I'm in school (two years). If you were me, what would you choose? Marietta, or Newnan/PTC area? We will rent for the first year (before my daughter starts Kindergarten, so renting in a near by area where we could afford a nice house for $1200-$1500 a month would be great).
Budget is 300-350k, good schools a must, commute of up to 1 hour is fine, easy access to grocery stores, malls, kid activities a plus, swim/tennis subdevelopment a must.
If you could or were to enroll in the master's degree program of your liking in Chattanooga, then I would definitely choose Marietta as Chattanooga is about 40-50 miles closer to the Atlanta area than Birmingham, and the Marietta area and Northwest Metro Atlanta is even closer to Chattanooga (by way of a nearly-direct straight shot on I-75 North) than is much of the rest of Metro Atlanta.
It is a longer drive between Birmingham and any part of Metro Atlanta than it is between Chattanooga and any part of Metro Atlanta.
Commuting between Marietta/East Cobb and Chattanooga would most-likely be much more convenient for you than commuting between Birmingham and almost anywhere in Metro Atlanta.
The only issue with Northside areas like Marietta and East Cobb is the traffic to get to places like grocery stores, malls, child activities, etc is worse than on the Southside, because the Northside is much more-popular with newcomers and real estate buyers than the Southside because of the amenities on the Northside.
Also, like I mentioned earlier, because most of Metro Atlanta's development and population is located on the Northside of the region above the I-20, chances are that your husband would likely be doing much (if not most) of his work on the Northside, particularly if he is assigned to work the entire Atlanta metro region and not just one part of it.
If your husband goes different places every day, why the emphasis on downtown?
Does he have a job lined up? And if so, are they serving the entire metro area, or just a part of it?
He is in a union and they have told him to give them a few months notice and they will place him in a job in Georgia. I'm sure there are companies that serve more specific areas, but all he knows is that they serve "the metro atlanta area". I'm not sure if he will have a choice as to which company as it depends on who is hiring but his union rep located in Atlanta says that there is work everywhere. I'm not sure he would be downtown every day, or even frequently, but I am just using that as a worst case scenario as far as his commute. His hours would be 8am - 4:30pm as mine would be 7am-7:30pm.
How is the traffic from PTC into Atlanta? For instance, if I worked downtown (like Emory or Grady).
You are correct about there likely being more nursing opportunities on the much more heavily-developed and much more heavily-populated Northside than on the less-developed and less-populated Southside.
Though, it should be noted that in addition to Piedmont Fayette and Piedmont Newnan hospitals being on the Southside, there's also Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge in Henry County, and Southside Regional Medical Center in Riverdale in Clayton County, but that is about it in terms of major hospitals on the Southside.
If you would be willing to consider living in an older detached single-family home or in an attached row house-style townhome, you could likely find someplace decent for $350k and under in East Cobb, you just have to be willing to perform a very-close and detailed search of the area.
If your husband were to leave Downtown everyday at 4pm, it would not necessarily take him 2+ hours to get from Downtown Atlanta to East Cobb (...though, there are certain days, like on days of wet and/or inclement weather or on days of freak severe congestion-inducing multi-car accidents, that it could take him as long as 2+ hours to get between two points like Downtown and East Cobb, but on those days it might take him that long to get home from anywhere in the Atlanta region, not just from Downtown).
On most days (but most-certainly not all) it would take your husband anywhere between 30-50 minutes to get from Downtown to East Cobb, depending on what part of East Cobb you would live in, if he left Downtown at 4pm.
Though, there would be days when the commute would be longer, particularly if there is wet and/or inclement weather or if there is some kind of freak traffic accident (like a car fire, or a bus fire, or an overturned 18-wheeler, a freeway suicide jumper, livestock loose on the freeway, multi-car pile-up, etc), but the one-way commute home would have the potential to be longer from almost anywhere in the metro region, not just from Downtown.
Like lastminutemom mentioned, if your husband won't have one set location but will be going to different places every day, why does he seem to be so fixated on a probable commute to and from Downtown Atlanta, particularly when much (if not most) of his work will likely be spread-out over the metro area and he will likely have much work on Atlanta's overdeveloped Northside?
No matter how one slices and dices it, if your husband is assigned to work the entire Atlanta metro area, he is going to be doing A LOT of driving, no matter where you live.
Though, there is likely the chance that more of his work will be on the overdeveloped Northside of Metro Atlanta, if he assigned to work the entire metro area and/or metro region.
You are right...on most days a one-way commute between Downtown Atlanta and Newnan or Peachtree City would somewhere in the range of between 40-60 minutes, depending, of course, on where you would be living in those areas.
Though, just like on the Northside (or on the Eastside, or on the Westside), the commute between Southside suburbs like Newnan and PTC and Downtown could be longer if there is wet and/or inclement weather or there is some kind of freak traffic incident like any of those I described above.
Trust me, I know that I-85 on the Southside can be just as bad as any of the freeways on the Northside when traffic and weather conditions are bad as I've personally been stuck on I-85 South in rush hour traffic jams caused by incidents like an overturned tractor trailer on fire, a multi-car pile south of the airport, and wet weather which caused the morning rush hour to last until after 10am.
If you could or were to enroll in the master's degree program of your liking in Chattanooga, then I would definitely choose Marietta as Chattanooga is about 40-50 miles closer to the Atlanta area than Birmingham, and the Marietta area and Northwest Metro Atlanta is even closer to Chattanooga (by way of a nearly-direct straight shot on I-75 North) than is much of the rest of Metro Atlanta.
It is a longer drive between Birmingham and any part of Metro Atlanta than it is between Chattanooga and any part of Metro Atlanta.
Commuting between Marietta/East Cobb and Chattanooga would most-likely be much more convenient for you than commuting between Birmingham and almost anywhere in Metro Atlanta.
The only issue with Northside areas like Marietta and East Cobb is the traffic to get to places like grocery stores, malls, child activities, etc is worse than on the Southside, because the Northside is much more-popular with newcomers and real estate buyers than the Southside because of the amenities on the Northside.
Also, like I mentioned earlier, because most of Metro Atlanta's development and population is located on the Northside of the region above the I-20, chances are that your husband would likely be doing much (if not most) of his work on the Northside, particularly if he is assigned to work the entire Atlanta metro region and not just one part of it.
Thank you for your reply, you are always so informative and I appreciate it! My only additional question is how long would it take to get to the grocery store and things from East Cobb? He was just there on the weekend and he said the traffic was just the same as our town. I don't really plan on doing much during rushhour during the week. Also, being a nurse I have the luxury of working 3 days a week so a longer commute isn't a terrible thing for me since I won't see my kids on those days anyway, commute or not, and I will be home more days out of the week than not. If I had to choose I would really choose Newnan or PTC but I just worry about it being so far away from everything and not having as much to offer. I'm so confused.
Thank you for your reply, you are always so informative and I appreciate it! My only additional question is how long would it take to get to the grocery store and things from East Cobb? He was just there on the weekend and he said the traffic was just the same as our town. I don't really plan on doing much during rushhour during the week. Also, being a nurse I have the luxury of working 3 days a week so a longer commute isn't a terrible thing for me since I won't see my kids on those days anyway, commute or not, and I will be home more days out of the week than not. If I had to choose I would really choose Newnan or PTC but I just worry about it being so far away from everything and not having as much to offer. I'm so confused.
I am in East Cobb near the intersection of Johnson Ferry and Roswell Rd. I am 2 minutes from Kroger, 5 minutes from Whole Foods and Trader Joes, and 10 minutes from Publix. Even at rush hour I am so close to almost everything I need that the traffic is not much of an issue.
He is in a union and they have told him to give them a few months notice and they will place him in a job in Georgia. I'm sure there are companies that serve more specific areas, but all he knows is that they serve "the metro atlanta area". I'm not sure if he will have a choice as to which company as it depends on who is hiring but his union rep located in Atlanta says that there is work everywhere. I'm not sure he would be downtown every day, or even frequently, but I am just using that as a worst case scenario as far as his commute. His hours would be 8am - 4:30pm as mine would be 7am-7:30pm.
How is the traffic from PTC into Atlanta? For instance, if I worked downtown (like Emory or Grady).
How about this, instead of being fixated in on deciding whether to move to East Cobb or Peachtree City before knowing in which geographical area your husband will be working, why don't you first try and get more information on the geographical area that your husband will be working in.
I suggest this because the both of you do not want to end up committing to a home on the Southside in someplace like Peachtree City or Newnan and then finding out that your husband will be doing most of his work on the Northside each day, and that your work opportunities will also be on Northside as well.
...That's because ending up having to commute between a Southside suburb like Peachtree City or a Newnan, and Northside suburbs like Cobb or North Fulton or Gwinnett (or even worse, farther-flung Northside suburbs and exurbs like Paulding, Cherokee, Forsyth, Hall, Jackson, Barrow, Oconee, etc) would NOT be fun.
The both of you also do not want to end up with a cross-regional commute between Cobb County and Gwinnett County by way of such splendid major routes like the severely-congested I-285 Top End Perimeter, GA 92, GA 120, GA 140, etc, if you were to commit to Marietta or East Cobb and find out that your husband will be doing most of his work in Gwinnett and Northeast Metro Atlanta.
The potential to end up with a jacked-up rush hour and/or peak-hour commute and a long drive through very-heavy traffic between home and work is why the both of you should find out where your husband will be doing most of his work and then consider where to live as there are quality places to live to with good schools and great amenities scattered out all over the greater Atlanta region, not just in Newnan, PTC and East Cobb.
Getting the job first, and then coming back and asking questions on where to live would likely be the best thing that the both of you could do right now, particularly with Atlanta's development patterns signaling that much of the work that your husband will be doing is likely to be on the Northside above I-20.
That's a good point. I told my husband I am going to apply to hospitals all over, and where we live will have to depend on what hospital I work at. I want to work in the ICU so if the only ICU I get is on the north side for example then we will have to look at areas near there. I am sure there are companies on both ends for him to work at, and I think he could request this when contacting his union. Thanks for all your input!
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