Smyrna/Mableton (homes, school, subdivision)

[lundahl]

I'm actually on Dixon Lake Road, which is run down compared to the rest of Camp Highland, but I feel like we got a great deal in a good area. Should be great for resale value in 10-15 years, and we're hoping that at least 1 of the other 4 houses on the street get sold and fixed up.

It's awesome that we are within walking distance to the Silver Comet Trail, and the Publix/Sprouts shopping areas.

[hilltop180]

Originally Posted by kgpremed13

In what ways are they "night and day"?

Smyrna has a lot more civic, retail, and restaurant investment mainly because they are incorporated. Smyrna has the Smyrna downtown/village with nice restaurants. Smyrna has a much higher rated school system. There is definitely a lot of potential in Mableton but it's 20 years behind Smyrna. Still if you want a bargain; it's probably not going to be found in Smyrna unless you are out past Windy Hill towards Austel Road.

[JoeP]

That's still not a "night and day" comparison. They are adjacent to each other. It's not like Smyrna's amenities are not Mableton's amenities. It's silly.

[lorilove]

Originally Posted by hilltop180

Smyrna has a lot more civic, retail, and restaurant investment mainly because they are incorporated. Smyrna has the Smyrna downtown/village with nice restaurants. Smyrna has a much higher rated school system. There is definitely a lot of potential in Mableton but it's 20 years behind Smyrna. Still if you want a bargain; it's probably not going to be found in Smyrna unless you are out past Windy Hill towards Austel Road.

I have to correct one comment - Mableton and Smyrna have the same school system. We also have the same school system as East Cobb. The difference in the actuals schools in each area has more to do with the income and education of the population in the surrounding areas.

[David1502]

Originally Posted by Mike285

I am still trying to figure out where are the great amenities in Smyrna proper. Mableton has a concert hall, Smyrna doesn't. Smyrna has a small nice library but so does Mableton. Smyrna has a Publix and Krogers , but so does Mableton. If I wanted to buy a nice suit or clothes in Smyrna where can I go? Aren't all Smyrna supposedly great restaurants really in Vinings or un incorporated Cobb County? Some Smyrna residents can walk to the Silver comet trail but so can some Mableton residents.

The difference is that parts of Smyrna are considerably closer to Vinings, the Cumberland/Galleria area, Buckhead and Perimeter Center than Mableton is. There is a large neighborhood called Vinings Glenn off of Cooper Lake Rd. which has a Mableton address, but is actually within the Smyrna City Limits, so there wouldn't be any real advantage there. However, the Smyrna neighborhoods along Atlanta Rd. do offer the advantage of being closer to area attractions than Mableton, yet the home prices are considerably less expensive than Vinings and Sandy Springs. Smyrna also has excellent police and fire protection - there is one uniformed police officer for every 400 residents. This is higher than the unincorporated county area.


Smyrna residents can get to area attractions quickly whether its the airport, SunTrust Park/The Battery, or restaurants and shopping at Perimeter or Lenox and Buckhead.

[lorilove]

I see two primary difference between Smyrna & Mableton

1) Smyrna is further along than Mableton in redevelopment and growth in income levels and housing costs. But that is simply a matter of time. When I first moved to Smyrna it was in the early stages and benefiting much from the overflow from Vinings and as Smyrna has built out - the love has overflowed to Mableton.


2) As an incorporated city, there is local representation and the ability to directly interact with your City Councilman. If this is important to you, Smyrna is the better choice. When it comes to development, building permits, government services etc you have much more of an impact with the Smyrna City Council vs. Cobb County

[hilltop180]

Don't get me wrong, I live in Mableton. It's not a bad place to live. Still, there is no decent bar/grill type restaurant or eateries in Mabelton. The closest thing we have is O'Charley's on E/W connector. A lot of the restaurants have been pushing for more upscale restaurants but there has yet to be any real investment. One big detractor is that it's hard for small businesses to get pay the rent in the nicer shopping centers in Mableton(Mableton Walk and Providence Pavillion). The River Line complex was originally scaled to be similar to Ponce Market; however they scaled back and now it's only going to have a coffee shop. The great thing about being over here is yes we are close to Midtown/Ponce and Krog market and that's where we take our dollars to go spend on going out to eat. I moved here in 2008 and the improvements have ramped up in the last year; still progress has been pretty slow over here.

[uniquestar06]

I live in Smyrna and looked into Mableton a lot before deciding. To me they are not the same. You will get more bang for your buck, but the overall feel and atmosphere of Mableton is very different than Smyrna. I love being a 8 minute uber away from Suntrust park and being able to walk to Smyrna Market Village. Every month it seems a new restaurant is popping up. Some say Mableton will be next in development, but i'm not sure. It could happen, but I don't know how soon. I do know I have been in my house less than a year and its already gone up in value and nothing stays on the market in my neighborhood for very long. We could have gotten a much bigger house in Mableton, but we decided on a smaller home with better property value and city amenities. I feel we made the best choice for us. We do not have kids but felt more comfortable with the Smyrna elementary schools than Mableton.

[hilltop180]

Originally Posted by uniquestar06

I live in Smyrna and looked into Mableton a lot before deciding. To me they are not the same. You will get more bang for your buck, but the overall feel and atmosphere of Mableton is very different than Smyrna. I love being a 8 minute uber away from Suntrust park and being able to walk to Smyrna Market Village. Every month it seems a new restaurant is popping up. Some say Mableton will be next in development, but i'm not sure. It could happen, but I don't know how soon. I do know I have been in my house less than a year and its already gone up in value and nothing stays on the market in my neighborhood for very long. We could have gotten a much bigger house in Mableton, but we decided on a smaller home with better property value and city amenities. I feel we made the best choice for us. We do not have kids but felt more comfortable with the Smyrna elementary schools than Mableton.

The big draw for me was the potential when I bought in 2008. There was a big push when they built the Providence shopping and subdivision back in 2004-05 to push the area towards being the next Smyrna. Still I accept Mableton for what it is - a nice quiet, diverse community, that is close to town. I have a lot of friends that packed up and moved to North Fulton and East Cobb as soon as their kids hit grade school. It seems to be a the common slogan here - "nice area if you don't have kids."

[uniquestar06]

@hilltop180 I agree. That's the exact neighborhood we considered in Mableton. I really liked Providence but once we got of the gate it wasn't what we wanted. I do have a friend that lives there now and she enjoys it quite a bit. Her child does not go to school in Mableton though.