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Thanks for the thoughtful response. Peachtree City looks pretty perfect for us but I hear the commute to Buckhead might be a nightmare up to an hour each way. Does anyone know if this is accurate or not?
Thanks again!
The commute from Peachtree city to downtown or even Midtown is one of the easiest in Metro Atlanta for the distance, but Buckhead is another 8 to 10 miles and pretty much out of reach, unfortunately. But people still do it. The attraction of living in Peachtree city is just that strong to some.
Sorry, didn't mean to offend, but I am just thinking that a $2500/month rental house is going to be a rather different product than a $300k house for purchase.
Also, do note that property taxes are much, much lower here than in your current neck of the woods... Probably well less than half of what you'd pay in the Detroit area, so that might make you more comfortable with a slightly higher budget for a purchase. As someone else said previously, a small increase can make for a pretty significant improvement in neighborhood or school district.
It does sound like renting for starters might be the best choice for you, until you have been here for a while, have decided that you like it, and have an idea of the areas that would work for you.
Peachtree City is very nice, but I, personally, would not want a Peachtree City - Midtown commute, much less PTC-Buckhead. I am sure that some do it, because as Newsboy pointed out, living in PTC really appeals to many folks, but yes, I am fairly sure that PTC-Buckhead would average over an hour in each direction.
Do NOT do PTC to Buckhead. Buckhead (and some spots to the north) are major employment centers. While I was driving south on 85 towards midtown in the morning I noticed traffic was typically worse on 85 NB with everyone getting to 400 for Buckhead. Same is true in the afternoon. I could fly by on 85 NB while everyone SB was jammed. There's no such thing as a reverse commute between Buckhead and downtown Atlanta. It's bad every direction. You're looking at at least half an hour from Buckhead to I 20 in the afternoon and usually more.
My husband is being relocated to Atlanta and I'm a bit overwhelmed trying to figure out where to live.
A bit of background, we currently live in a 100 year old craftsman in a Detroit suburb (Royal Oak). We're in our early 30s.
We have two children: boy 11 & infant girl. My son plays every sport under the sun. He's in public school but we're open to private.
I work from home as a web designer and my husband will primarily work at home with an office in Buckhead as well. Ideally he'd like a 30 min or less commute when he does go into the office. He also travels a lot so reasonable proximity to the airport would be swell.
We can afford up to $300k purchase price and up to $2500/rent with three bedrooms. We have two dogs and two cars and lead a pretty active lifestyle. Annual income $200k+ We're open to urban or suburban but our focus is on access to sports teams for our son, parks, pools and other wholesome whatnots.
It may sound absurd but I'm heavily tattooed (ahem heavily) and we probably look like the poster couple for hipster parents but our interests are actually quite family oriented and I could care less about bars or any scene. That being said, I'd like to find a neighborhood where we won't feel out of place. (I had a family offer to pray for me at a restaurant in North Carolina so I'm a little terrified of the south)
Hopefully that's enough info, thanks!
I have been to Royal Oak and absolutely love it (although I have never been during the winter!).
Unfortunately in my opinion you probably won't get absolutely everything on your list with the parameters you mentioned - there will have to be some compromise one way or another.
First off - schools.
I would not put my child in public school in Georgia. Many, many millions of people in the state feel very differently however as a veteran public school teacher of 10+ years I can sincerely say that I have my reasons, both personal and professional. With that said some of the schools in Gwinnett, Cobb and north Fulton counties are decent suburban schools. DeKalb county and Atlanta Public Schools on the whole lag far behind the others. The City of Decatur runs its own school system and is somewhat better than the DeKalb schools. Typically the further away you get from the city the better the schools wil be. I am broadly generalizing here but you get my point.
Not that you are looking for something exactly like Royal Oak but the places I can think of that would be similar would likely be out of your price range for a 3 bedroom purchase or rental. I am thinking of places like Decatur, Virginia Highland, Ansley Park, etc. If you are willing to take on a full-blown fixer-upper then you may find something in one of those areas.
Parks in Gwinnett county are second to none. There are many, many sports opportunities for kids throughout the northern suburbs, somewhat less as you approach the city (however not non-existant).
On the whole I don't think your tattoos will be much of a problem for most with the exception of some of the very affluent northern suburbs (Alpharetta, John's Creek, Hamilton Mill, Suwanee, north and east Cobb) where you will likely get a lot more stares and possibly some cold treatment.
The real problem is going to be your husband's commute. It will be difficult to get to Buckhead during drive times within 30 minutes from most of Gwinnett and Cobb counties.
My best suggestions that would be a good compromise between your parameters would be:
- Sandy Springs in north Fulton county although it may be quite difficult to find any 3 bedroom within your price range. You would likely want to consider private school in this area.
- Somewhere in north DeKalb county - Dunwoody, Chamblee, Doraville, the "Spaghetti Junction" area (intersection of I-85 and I-285 on the northeast side of town) - in particular the Northcrest and Northwoods neighborhoods, Embry Hills, Henderson Mill, or Tucker. All of those places should offer a sub-30 minute commute to the Buckhead area. Dunwoody may be out of your price range on the whole, Chamblee and Doraville will be very diverse racially and socioeconomically. Tucker is the furthest however it has a neat little downtown area and a pretty nice sense of "community". You would likely want to consider private school in these areas.
- You will have to go pretty deep in to Gwinnett or Cobb county to get the better schools, parks, etc. that you need, thus sacrificing your husband's commute.
There's no "grand slam" answer here however there are lots of great parts (both inside and outside the perimeter) of town that you would probably love to live in.
Also - Peachtree City would absolutely be WAY too far for a commute to Buckhead. It could easily be 1.5 hours each way during rush times. I also think your tattoos could potentially be a bit of a problem there.
Also - Peachtree City would absolutely be WAY too far for a commute to Buckhead. It could easily be 1.5 hours each way during rush times. I also think your tattoos could potentially be a bit of a problem there.
Good grief, nobody in Peachtree City is gonna care if the lady has tattoos! But since everybody who has contributed to this thread agrees that PTC is not an option, your jab is moot.
I'll let others tackle the irony of a public school teacher dismissing public education in the ENTIRE state of Georgja. Isn't that like admitting you suck at your job? And Decatur schools are only "somewhat" better than DeKalb? Give us a break. There's a reason why Decatur is such an expensive place to live: EXCELLENT schools.
One more thing. i9 Sports might be of interest too since youth sports matters in your decision. This site covers a variety of sports across Metro Atlanta. Incidentally, the zip code for the Central Gwinnett Post office is 30045.
It may sound absurd but I'm heavily tattooed (ahem heavily) and we probably look like the poster couple for hipster parents but our interests are actually quite family oriented and I could care less about bars or any scene. That being said, I'd like to find a neighborhood where we won't feel out of place. (I had a family offer to pray for me at a restaurant in North Carolina so I'm a little terrified of the south)
Hopefully that's enough info, thanks!
you won't have a problem in atlanta. i would locate inside 285 (ITP) and near a subway line since buckhead has a MARTA station. traffic is awful here and if there's any way to use the limited subway system we do have, go for it.
i would look along the east line from around king-memorial station out to avondale station, and along the south line from west end station to college park station. there are a lot of historic craftsman homes that are getting bought up pretty quickly in those areas and the prices are only going up. outside of the perimeter you will only find historic homes immediately around the historic downtowns of the suburbs and most of those are hard to come by.
My husband is being relocated to Atlanta and I'm a bit overwhelmed trying to figure out where to live.
A bit of background, we currently live in a 100 year old craftsman in a Detroit suburb (Royal Oak). We're in our early 30s.
We have two children: boy 11 & infant girl. My son plays every sport under the sun. He's in public school but we're open to private.
I work from home as a web designer and my husband will primarily work at home with an office in Buckhead as well. Ideally he'd like a 30 min or less commute when he does go into the office. He also travels a lot so reasonable proximity to the airport would be swell.
We can afford up to $300k purchase price and up to $2500/rent with three bedrooms. We have two dogs and two cars and lead a pretty active lifestyle. Annual income $200k+ We're open to urban or suburban but our focus is on access to sports teams for our son, parks, pools and other wholesome whatnots.
It may sound absurd but I'm heavily tattooed (ahem heavily) and we probably look like the poster couple for hipster parents but our interests are actually quite family oriented and I could care less about bars or any scene. That being said, I'd like to find a neighborhood where we won't feel out of place. (I had a family offer to pray for me at a restaurant in North Carolina so I'm a little terrified of the south)
Hopefully that's enough info, thanks!
The suburbs will be a good fit for your kids on your budget, but I am guessing an hour commute--and being heavily tattooed you are may stand out, but nothing to be afraid of, I think. If you want less of a commute, and good schools, you will have to rent intown. Kids' sports Intown, are OK (we moved from Gwinnett, and soccer was much better in Gwinnett, fwiw--but we like our public pool much more). Intown, Candler Park-Lake Claire would be a good fit (good schools, parks, lots of kids, nicer public pool, now super-gentrified-but it still retains a bit of alternative-ness from what it once was). Not much for rent that would fit kids and dogs at $2500--I see something at 3K on zillow in nearby Inman park that might work. So if you look around intown at the better elementary schools, and maybe raise your budget a little, you can keep your commute under 30 minutes.
Edit: if you do opt for the long commute--you could check out the Parkview High school zone in Gwinnett--preferably Camp Creek elementary. Nice soccer complex, good racially-ethnically diverse school (though that does not carry on to all of the neigborhoods). Don't know how the commute compares to other suburbs--but it is on the most western edge of Gwinnett.
Good grief, nobody in Peachtree City is gonna care if the lady has tattoos! But since everybody who has contributed to this thread agrees that PTC is not an option, your jab is moot.
I'll let others tackle the irony of a public school teacher dismissing public education in the ENTIRE state of Georgja. Isn't that like admitting you suck at your job? And Decatur schools are only "somewhat" better than DeKalb? Give us a break. There's a reason why Decatur is such an expensive place to live: EXCELLENT schools.
My comment about tattoos potentially being a bit of a problem in PTC was not meant as a "jab". I didn't mean that people would be outright mean and ugly to a heavily tattooed person, I merely meant that depending on her comfort level with stares and occasional cold shoulders that there would likely be better places in town that would be a better fit.
If you truly believe that my dismissal of public education in our state means I "suck" at my job then there is likely little I can say to defend myself. I have taught in four different school systems and worked peripherially with many others. I have seen the very best and worst that they have to offer. My feelings are my own - no one else's and I'm not trying to change anyone's mind, simply offering my perspective as a former teacher to a prospective new resident.
My personal opinion is that most anyone coming from Michigan public schools will be disappointed in what Georgia has to offer.
I don't wish to derail the thread - public vs. private school is an enormously personal issue in Georgia. There are so very many superb and affordable private options in the city and suburbs - you owe it to yourself (and your kids!) to explore all your options.
For a daily 30 minute drive to Buckhead with easier access to the airport, staying within the 285 perimeter or just outside of it makes sense. The Atlanta public schools had a cheating scandal awhile ago, although all those involved are long gone now. Whether the culture has changed for the better, time will tell. Some DeKalb schools might also not have a good rep, but if you all are going private, no worries.
Have to say though, it was refreshing to read OP not asking about safety or biodiversity as if they were moving into some belgian condo style environment. Don't worry about your ink or public offerings of prayer either, it's a well meant non-issue, especially with intown neighborhoods. Since dogs are part of the equation, looking for nearby parks (if possible) might be a good idea.
Welcome to the jungle! (jk)
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