Moving to Atlanta...where should we look? (Sandy Springs, Washington: spring break, condos)

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Jereld

Thank you for the information lastminutemom. We have pretty solid expectations when it comes to the burbs...we know it is going to be a LOT different. Moving to the "burbs" for people in Manhattan usually means one of the other boroughs or Jersey City, none of which are really the burbs.

We are planning on coming down there for a weekend, so this is really my initial research.

I think one of the things that I am really looking forward to is driving again, and having a car. So when it comes to walkability, I am OK with a small downtown or main street that I have to drive to, but then me and my wife can walk to shopping/dinner.

Thanks again!

LOL! Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it...

[Jereld]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

lastminutemom and shunketsu make some excellent points.

Moving from the (one and only) Financial District of Manhattan to the Atlanta suburbs (or exurbs with the kind of land that you are looking for) has the potential to be a massive culture shock for you and your family.

lastminutemom makes an excellent point that the Atlanta suburbs are VERY different from any New York suburb.

Public transportation is sparse to non-existent (no commuter rail and very little bus service despite the worsening peak-hour traffic jams on Metro Atlanta's wholly inadequate road network) and the politics and culture of the Atlanta suburbs and exurbs are much different than anything that you might find in New York City and nearby environs.

If you can come down and make some repeated visits to the Atlanta area and suburbs and exurbs and really get to know the area over an extended period before moving here, that might help cut down on some of the culture shock that you and your family likely will experience moving from the extremely densely-developed and ultra-urban Financial District of Manhattan to the semi-rural, very low-density, ultra spread-out and very Southern Atlanta outer suburbs and exurbs.

Another concern is moving your stepdaughter to a totally different school and environment just before her Junior year of high school.

Many (if not most) places in Atlanta's very expansive Northern suburbs and exurbs are used to seeing new residents move in from the Northeast and other parts of the country....But there are also many outer-suburban and exurban pockets where some of the locals may not necessarily always be so welcoming to outsiders.

And even if an outsider is fully or mostly embraced by the locals in some of the farther-flung outer-suburban and exurban areas, it will potentially still be a significant culture shock between a very urban, very cosmopolitan and very Northeastern Lower Manhattan and a comparatively very rural, very Southern and even somewhat semi-Appalachian environment in Atlanta's northern outer suburbs and exurbs.

I know that you are tired of the high cost-of-living in Manhattan and the cold winters in the Northeast, but if there is any way that you could hold off on moving to Georgia until after your stepdaughter graduates from high school in New York, then that might be best so that your stepdaughter will not have to adjust to life in a totally different environment during her last two years of high school.

If you are willing to forgo the large land lot with a scenic view, you could likely easily find something affordable in an area of excellent high schools closer to your Buckhead in job in Northside suburban areas like East Cobb, North Fulton, Gwinnett or maybe even South Forsyth.

But if you absolutely must have something on a large lot with a scenic view of hills and mountains, some affordable communities with that type of real estate in Atlanta's very hilly-to-mountainous northern outer suburbs and exurbs that come to mind are:

> Lake Arrowhead (golf-swim-tennis community with manned security gate) in Northwestern Cherokee County...

> Bent Tree Community (golf-swim-tennis community with manned security gate)/Grandview Lake area in Jasper in Pickens County...

> Big Canoe (golf-swim-tennis community with manned security gate) in Pickens and Dawson counties...

(...Bent Tree and Big Canoe are only a few miles from Amicalola Falls State Park which is the site of the tallest waterfall in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.)

> Achasta in the Dahlonega area in Lumpkin County.

You could also look along Lake Lanier in Northern Gwinnett, Eastern Forsyth and Western Hall counties.

Excellent information Born 2 Roll, thank you!

There are obviously a few things that make a move out of NYC challenging, including the culture shock and the timing for my step-daughter. I won't go into the details, but will just say that my step-daughter does not factor into the equation as much as you might think. You make excellent points, but I think our situation will work.

The bigger shock is going to be the culture shock going from NYC to Atlanta. We have prepared ourselves for that shock. We spend quite a bit of time in other areas visiting family, such as the burbs of Detroit, so we have a general idea of what to expect. One of the things that we are really looking forward to is driving again. Not a fan of traffic obviously, but lack of public transit shouldn't be a big deal for us.

Of course nothing really prepares you for a move. We have a few things propping up our courage when it comes to moving.

1) We travel a LOT. Whether it be for business or pleasure, we are usually traveling several times per month. Having a home base that offers some peace and quiet will be a welcome change to the hustle and bustle that we come home to now.

2) We are planning on also purchasing a vacation home, and we will probably spend some extended time there (2-3 months/year). We are hoping that change of pace will temper some of the culture shock.

3) We will probably not be staying in Atlanta for a long time. We are expecting to be on the move again in around 5 years. If we absolutely LOVE Atlanta then we might change plans, but who knows.

4) All of the places that we are considering moving to are a big change from NYC (Hawaii, LA, Florida, Detroit, Singapore, Philippines), so we will have culture shock no matter where we go.

On top of that, there is the financial burden of living in NYC that is constantly nagging at me. For example, the condos that we are looking at in NYC range from 1.3M - 1.8M...I honestly can't afford that. Sure we could move to a different neighborhood in NYC, but we are still talking about a ton of money.

Regarding the areas that you mentioned, thank you for that! That is the kind of information I am looking for. I am probably going to be doing a ton of research on those areas all night now ;-). I can definitely give up the large lot in favor of a smaller lot if needed, and I can give up sweep views for a smaller sloped lot if the home sweeps me off my feet. I guess it is just gonna come down to the price and the house! Commute to work is a concern, but I have some flexibility. I will probably only go into the office 1 or 2 days per week (if that), and I will go in early or late so that I can avoid rush hour.

We will be making a trip down to Atlanta in a few months, and your recommendations will really help us focus our search while we are there.

I really appreciate the feedback! Thanks again!

[Jereld]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

LOL! Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it...

LOL! I don't miss the payment, that's for sure!

Seriously though, taking the subway, paying for taxis or ubers....I am over that. I have been doing it for years, and I always look forward to traveling somewhere where I can rent a car and drive. Sitting in traffic stinks, but I have been there and done that, I will take traffic over the subway every day of the week.

[No2Monsanto]

You guys sound like Virginia Highlands/Morningside people. Use the site www.atlhomesearch.com and click on "neighborhoods"; it will give you a description of each area. It will cover just about all in town properties, which will give you the most walkability, but hills are hit or miss.

[robertjhajek]

Inman park
Decatur

[tbarron784]

I have a townhouse that is walking distance to Mall Of Ga, movies, restaurants etc. it's in the suburbs in a city called Buford. I'm a NYer too and living like I do in a GA suburb is not the norm. I live a 5 min drive from 85 north, 985 and Lake Lanier. Gas Starter fireplace. 2 hour drive to North Carolina Smokey Mountains. I'm looking to move to Florida. Check out my townhome and let me know if you have any interest. http://youtu.be/5LZ9bOUur7M

[roxyrn]

How about Connecticut? Good schools, an hour train to Manhattan and you can be by Long Island Sound or closer to hills in Danbury area. It would certainly be less of a culture shock for a high school junior.

When you come to Atlanta to check things out, I would suggest looking in north Fulton (Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell schools) where you are closer to the north Georgia mountains, but also have Canton Street area of Roswell or Avalon in Alpharetta for shopping, dining at some very good restaurants. Milton is also very pretty and reminds me of Westchester County horse country (think Bedford, North Salem) or the Connecticut towns such as Ridgfield and Wilton.

[Jereld]

Originally Posted by No2Monsanto

You guys sound like Virginia Highlands/Morningside people. Use the site Atlanta Home Search | Metro Atlanta GA Homes for Sale | NEST ATLANTA and click on "neighborhoods"; it will give you a description of each area. It will cover just about all in town properties, which will give you the most walkability, but hills are hit or miss.

Thanks No...that neighborhood search will be really helpful!

[Jereld]

Originally Posted by tbarron784

I have a townhouse that is walking distance to Mall Of Ga, movies, restaurants etc. it's in the suburbs in a city called Buford. I'm a NYer too and living like I do in a GA suburb is not the norm. I live a 5 min drive from 85 north, 985 and Lake Lanier. Gas Starter fireplace. 2 hour drive to North Carolina Smokey Mountains. I'm looking to move to Florida. Check out my townhome and let me know if you have any interest. http://youtu.be/5LZ9bOUur7M

Thanks Tbarron! Nice townhouse you have there. Just curious, what is making you leave Atlanta for Florida? We have also been considering Florida, either Miami or some place a little quieter North of Miami along the coast, and I am curious what is prompting you to make the move? Not really my business, but if you feel like sharing...

[Jereld]

Originally Posted by roxyrn

How about Connecticut? Good schools, an hour train to Manhattan and you can be by Long Island Sound or closer to hills in Danbury area. It would certainly be less of a culture shock for a high school junior.

When you come to Atlanta to check things out, I would suggest looking in north Fulton (Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell schools) where you are closer to the north Georgia mountains, but also have Canton Street area of Roswell or Avalon in Alpharetta for shopping, dining at some very good restaurants. Milton is also very pretty and reminds me of Westchester County horse country (think Bedford, North Salem) or the Connecticut towns such as Ridgfield and Wilton.

Thanks roxyrn!

We considered Connecticut, but we really want to escape the winters, so we have since ruled it out. I know there are some really pretty areas there (I travel there often), but we are really set on somewhere with warmer weather.