What do you think of Duluth? (Atlanta, Lawrenceville: apartment complexes, condos, townhouses)

[ATLTJL]

When I first moved to Atlanta, I just thought of Duluth as where Gwinnett Place Mall was. That wasn't a BAD thing back then!

But then I learned that Duluth had some very expensive homes. Areas like St. Ives, St. Marlo, etc. all had Duluth mailing addresses and identified as being part of the area. None of these places were ever technically within the Duluth city limits, just served by the Duluth zip code and when residents were asked where they lived, they would say Duluth. I think that gave the area a good name.

When Johns Creek incorporated as a city, that took a good portion of the nicer housing stock away from identifying with Duluth. If you ask a St. Ives resident where they live now, I'm sure they will say Johns Creek, which is actually technically accurate. St. Marlo isn't incorporated, but I think it identifies more with Johns Creek or South Forsyth more than Duluth nowadays.

So my question is a vague one....what do you think of Duluth? What's it like and who lives there? And if you've lived in the area for a few years, has that opinion changed over time?

[berkeleylake]

I'd probably live there if I needed to be really close to my job. Overall, I would call Duluth a mixed bag in terms of desirability, some great neighborhoods, plenty of convenient shopping and awesome parks. Some of it is quite nice in areas near 141, while other areas going towards 85 are rough and seemingly run-down.

Duluth has changed quite a bit over the past 2 decades or so as the builders continue to go out and put up lots of condos, townhouses, huge apartment complexes and more strip malls.

I tend to think of the commercial Duluth area as being Asian with all the Korean signs you see near Gwinnett Place Mall area. Over time, unfortunately, that Gwinnett Place area has not aged well and I believe Mall of GA and Discovery Mills have somewhat cannibalized indoor and numerous strip shopping malls in Gwinnett. The developers simply overbuilt and we have scads of empty commercial space all of metro ATL.

And then some parts of Duluth remind me of Johns Creek. Families with school-aged kids are who I tend to think live there and quite a diverse population all along the 141/Peachtree Parkway corridor.

I personally prefer some residential areas of nearby Norcross, Johns Creek or Suwannee over those of Duluth. But since these areas sort of melt together a lot as connected suburbs, it is hard sometimes to know which area is what when driving around. And lastly, the parks in Gwinnett are hard to beat about anywhere in metro Atlanta in my book.

[sedimenjerry]

Parts of it are nice as far as suburbia goes. Especially towards the river or towards Suwanee.

The area near Gwinnett Place has gone way downhill. I don't remember the last time I as at that mall. Sugarloaf Mills and Mall of GA are much better.

I don't know much about the city center. Like much of metro atlanta, there's difference between city of Duluth and its attached zip codes.

[flamadiddle]

I still think of Duluth as the area along Pleasant Hill / Gwinnett Mall. I live in St. Marlo and although I have a Duluth address, I usually tell people that I live in the Johns Creek area. It's a bit strange living in Forsyth county, but having a Duluth mailing address.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by berkeleylake

I'd probably live there if I needed to be really close to my job. Overall, I would call Duluth a mixed bag in terms of desirability, some great neighborhoods, plenty of convenient shopping and awesome parks. Some of it is quite nice in areas near 141, while other areas going towards 85 are rough and seemingly run-down.

Duluth has changed quite a bit over the past 2 decades or so as the builders continue to go out and put up lots of condos, townhouses, huge apartment complexes and more strip malls.

I tend to think of the commercial Duluth area as being Asian with all the Korean signs you see near Gwinnett Place Mall area. Over time, unfortunately, that Gwinnett Place area has not aged well and I believe Mall of GA and Discovery Mills have somewhat cannibalized indoor and numerous strip shopping malls in Gwinnett. The developers simply overbuilt and we have scads of empty commercial space all of metro ATL.

And then some parts of Duluth remind me of Johns Creek. Families with school-aged kids are who I tend to think live there and quite a diverse population all along the 141/Peachtree Parkway corridor.

I personally prefer some residential areas of nearby Norcross, Johns Creek or Suwannee over those of Duluth. But since these areas sort of melt together a lot as connected suburbs, it is hard sometimes to know which area is what when driving around. And lastly, the parks in Gwinnett are hard to beat about anywhere in metro Atlanta in my book.

Living in St Marlo, I fully agree with this.

[ATLTJL]

What do you say in St. Marlo when describing where you live?

Because even though you aren't in Duluth, you aren't in Johns Creek either. A friend of mine who lives near there says Suwanee...but I guess you could say Cumming just as easily? I don't know...

[flamadiddle]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

What do you say in St. Marlo when describing where you live?

Because even though you aren't in Duluth, you aren't in Johns Creek either. A friend of mine who lives near there says Suwanee...but I guess you could say Cumming just as easily? I don't know...

That's why I say I live in the Johns Creek "area". To me, the John's Creek area is closer than what I (and many others) perceive as Duluth. I also sometimes say "near Suwanee". However, I never say that I live in or near Cumming because to me that's up near Hwy 20 or the courthouse.

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

What do you say in St. Marlo when describing where you live?

Because even though you aren't in Duluth, you aren't in Johns Creek either. A friend of mine who lives near there says Suwanee...but I guess you could say Cumming just as easily? I don't know...

I have the same conundrum with Lawrenceville and Snellville. Lawrenceville zip code (30044) but much closer to Snellville. All the shopping we do on Scenic Highway is towards Snellville. The neighborhood behind us is in the Snellville zip (30078) but it's off a different road so that kinda acts as a boundary. But Snellville is about 5 minutes closer. At least we're in the same county. I've been up to St Marlo a few times and it's right there where Forsyth and Fulton come together next to the river with Gwinnett on the other side.

[PKCorey]

Police galore !

[mrpanda]

I have different answer depending on who I am speaking to.

I live in the north side of Atlanta if my out of state friend asks
I live in South Forsyth
I live in the Lambert High School cluster.
I live in the Johns Creek area
I live in the border of South Forsyth and johns Creek off of McGinnis Ferry Road.
I live in St Marlo

With 900 homes in St Marlo, St Marlo is like a mini-city in itself in Johns Creek.

Personal opinion, St Marlo is best subdivision in all of Forsyth County.

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

What do you say in St. Marlo when describing where you live?

Because even though you aren't in Duluth, you aren't in Johns Creek either. A friend of mine who lives near there says Suwanee...but I guess you could say Cumming just as easily? I don't know...