Smoke Rise ? (Atlanta, Alpharetta, Tucker: for sale, apartment, houses)

[tigerprint456]

Hi, I have noticed a lot of houses for sale in Smoke Rise, GA. Is this area safe? Also, with the amount of houses for sale is this area experiencing white flight?

[jeoff]

Originally Posted by tigerprint456

Hi, I have noticed a lot of houses for sale in Smoke Rise, GA. Is this area safe? Also, with the amount of houses for sale is this area experiencing white flight?

Should be pretty safe. I think it pretty much already experienced its white-flight. Folks selling now may actually be selling due to prices rising, not falling

[cwkimbro]

Smoke rise is a nice community. It was Dekalb County's "rural estate" zoning area. It is extremely safe and extremely quiet. The area is an affluent area, but not quite as affluent as it was when it was first being built. I see it rebounding with the recession-era behind us.

Because jobs have grown due-north out of town, these areas haven't quite appreciated as much as older affluent communities with easy access to Perimeter and Alpharetta (ie. East Cobb County).

What is excellent about Smokerise is the relatively traffic-free access to US78 right where it becomes a small freeway spur. This improves access towards the city, while living in an area preserving a resemblance of a rural/semi-mountain-ish character.

The area is built on some fairly large hills that makes it difficult to build a high amount of public services on, so the zoning in this area is about as thin as it gets this close to the city. The area is known for very large, hilly, and leafy lots because of this. The roads also only go in certain directions and take a few funny twists.

On the ground, you won't find white flight. You will a fairly diverse community that has been that way for some time. The area is full of many empty nesters, but that is slowly changing.

What I will warn is the public schools are not particularly great and many living in these neighborhoods use private schools. The area borders some heavy apartment areas to the north near the center of Tucker and along Mountain Industrial Blvd. With all of the empty nesters in Smoke rise the elementary school borders have expanded over time to include more kids from these apartment areas.

On a good note, Tucker is on an upswing. The Retail amenities are coming back to life. Stores are renovating and a really large development at Mountain Industrial and High Howell has been proposed to be built on top of some aging warehouses. That will likely have a bit positive long-term impact on the area.

If you want to be in this area, but want great public schools, look just inside Gwinnett County from this location. Parkview and Brookwood high school clusters area excellent public schools. However, you will not find lots quite this large. Density picks back up to a traditional Atlanta suburb.

[JPD]

There are probably a lot of houses for sale because a lot of the people living there are getting pretty old. I went to Smoke Rise elementary for a couple years in the '80s, and the parents of many of my classmates still live there. These are likely a large chunk of the folks who are selling.

[Iconographer]

I'd say the two biggest issues are schools and lack of good retail options nearby.

[Pemgin]

I heard the mega project at Hugh Howell/Mountain Industrial was voted down. Shame.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by Pemgin

I heard the mega project at Hugh Howell/Mountain Industrial was voted down. Shame.

big bummer....

I've been traveling too much to keep dibs on things. Thanks for letting me know.

[Pemgin]

Originally Posted by cwkimbro

big bummer....

I've been traveling too much to keep dibs on things. Thanks for letting me know.

Sure thing. I found the press release.

https://tuckerga.gov/tucker-city-cou...d-use-project/

[bryantm3]

smoke rise was built in the mid-late 70s, and it's all residential meaning you're going to have to drive a couple of miles to reach anything besides a gas station. it's not really white flight, it's just that the original residents are a lot older now, and being alone in a house with a huge lot, no sidewalks, and far away from any sort of convenience is really not a good fit like it was when they were in their 30s and 40s. it wasn't designed for aging in place. my guess is that from here on out you'll see a lot of younger families moving in that aren't rolling in dough and can't afford to live in new construction. worst case scenario is that nobody buys the houses and you have a lot of places grown up in weeds, but i don't see it becoming like a dangerous area or anything.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

smoke rise was built in the mid-late 70s, and it's all residential meaning you're going to have to drive a couple of miles to reach anything besides a gas station. it's not really white flight, it's just that the original residents are a lot older now, and being alone in a house with a huge lot, no sidewalks, and far away from any sort of convenience is really not a good fit like it was when they were in their 30s and 40s. it wasn't designed for aging in place. my guess is that from here on out you'll see a lot of younger families moving in that aren't rolling in dough and can't afford to live in new construction. worst case scenario is that nobody buys the houses and you have a lot of places grown up in weeds, but i don't see it becoming like a dangerous area or anything.

???

The area has extremely convenient traffic free access right into the center of Tucker, extremely convenient access into Stone Mountain's Town Center, and it is really easy to access day-to-day shopping needs just inside Gwinnett @ Rockbridge and Five Forks.

As for the dough not being able to afford new construction.... you do realize that many properties in this area go for $400k-$1million range?

There are a few cheaper neighborhoods bordering Mountain Industrial, but the typical price point easily has people being able to afford new construction.