Moving to Atlanta in June. Need help to find residence (Sandy Springs: renting, condo)

[Arundhati_s]

Hello All,

We are moving to Atlanta in June(most probably last week). We are South Asian married couple with 2 kids aged 6 and 3.5. My husband is going to commute to work everyday at downtown(near 303 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta). I am stay at home mom. My elder son would need very good, strong public school. Please suggest good residential suburbs/areas which would fit our requirements. Additional details are as follows :


1. Renting or buying? - Renting. 2 Bed + 2 bath would be good
1A. Budget - 1200-1600 p.m.
2. House/Condo/Townhome? - preferable house or townhome in gated community.
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home) - husband's commute to downtown(near 303 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta) everyday.
3a. Work location (if not working from home). -
4. Children(public school vs. private) - Public school. Well rated strong public school is must.
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two - Any. Walkable play areas safe neighborhoods where kids can play outside safely.
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? - Preferably yes but not a must as both of us have cars.
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. - I was looking at Marrietta, east cobb near Tritt elementary but I am not so sure, how feasible it will be for my husband to commute to downtown everyday.
8. Airport access, important or not? - Not much.

Please suggest.

Thanks & Regards
Arundhati

[afdinatl]

Check out the Duluth / John's Creek area In Gwinnett County. It has the largest Asian community in Georgia. Your husband can either drive to work on 85, take the express bus straight into downtown or take the marta train from Doraville into downtown

[Arundhati_s]

Thanks for quick response.

I will check it out Duluth/Johns creek. Priority is for excellent schools and feasibility to reach downtown. We will be more than happy to be in mixed culture environment. Proximity to Asian community is not a must.

[AnsleyPark]

I live in the Johns Creek area. The drive downtown in the morning rush hours is generally about 45 minutes to an hour. Home in the evening is the same and sometimes worse. Drove me nuts the first 3 or 4 months commuting, but I got used to it and learned how to use my drive time productively. Besides, I really enjoy living in the area. It's a good family area and I think you will feel very comfortable with the extraordinary diversity you will fine here. Not sure I'd want to live out here in my 20s or 30s, but it is pretty nice for me now that I'm in my AARP years!

[Arundhati_s]

How will be the commute from east Cobb to downtown be better or worse?

[BeyondInfinity]

Originally Posted by Arundhati_s

Hello All,

We are moving to Atlanta in June(most probably last week). We are South Asian married couple with 2 kids aged 6 and 3.5. My husband is going to commute to work everyday at downtown(near 303 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta). I am stay at home mom. My elder son would need very good, strong public school. Please suggest good residential suburbs/areas which would fit our requirements. Additional details are as follows :


1. Renting or buying? - Renting. 2 Bed + 2 bath would be good
1A. Budget - 1200-1600 p.m.
2. House/Condo/Townhome? - preferable house or townhome in gated community.
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home) - husband's commute to downtown(near 303 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta) everyday.
3a. Work location (if not working from home). -
4. Children(public school vs. private) - Public school. Well rated strong public school is must.
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two - Any. Walkable play areas safe neighborhoods where kids can play outside safely.
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? - Preferably yes but not a must as both of us have cars.
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. - I was looking at Marrietta, east cobb near Tritt elementary but I am not so sure, how feasible it will be for my husband to commute to downtown everyday.
8. Airport access, important or not? - Not much.

Please suggest.

Thanks & Regards
Arundhati

I believe you should add the city of Decatur to your list (http://www.decaturga.com/). It is by far the closest suburb to the city of Atlanta with access to MARTA (Rail and bus service - MARTA > Schedules & Maps). The schools in the city of Decatur are top notch too (https://www.facebook.com/pages/City-...20877327995514)!

Also, check out Sandy Springs (City of Sandy Springs - Home) and Dunwoody (City of Dunwoody, Georgia). The two cities have great schools and access to MARTA (Rail and Bus) as well.

[maybetoday]

Originally Posted by BeyondInfinity

I believe you should add the city of Decatur to your list (City of Decatur : Home). It is by far the closest suburb to the city of Atlanta with access to MARTA (Rail and bus service - MARTA > Schedules & Maps). The schools in the city of Decatur are top notch too (https://www.facebook.com/pages/City-...20877327995514)!

Also, check out Sandy Springs (City of Sandy Springs - Home) and Dunwoody (City of Dunwoody, Georgia). The two cities have great schools and access to MARTA (Rail and Bus) as well.

I am also looking. Do all areas of dunwoody have good schools? Isn't part of it in dekalb county?

[BeyondInfinity]

Originally Posted by maybetoday

I am also looking. Do all areas of dunwoody have good schools? Isn't part of it in dekalb county?

I would say that the majority of schools are great (Dunwoody Schools - Dunwoody Georgia School Ratings - Public and Private).

(Dunwoody Schools - Find a School in Dunwoody, Georgia - SchoolDigger.com).

Yes, it is apart of DeKalb County.

(http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/www.php/schools-and-centers)

[westau]

Originally Posted by Arundhati_s

How will be the commute from east Cobb to downtown be better or worse?

About the same, maybe a little better depending on exactly where in East Cobb.

[Arundhati_s]

Thanks Westau

If we decide to stay in east cobb, I am basically looking at tritt, timber ridge , mount bethel school areas. Do you know, any localities nearby these schools which will be better commute to downtown.

I will reach local realtor anyways when I get there. Any help in this regard is greatly appreciated.

Just curiosity, what is so special about the decatur schools. Do they follow different curriculum ?

Thanks