Windward or St. Ives? (Alpharetta, Vinings: how much, house, transfer)

[KimmyNY]

Hello!
My family is relocating to the Alpharetta area from upstate NY before the holidays. We have narrowed our home search down to two neighborhoods that are completely different...one being Windward and the other St. Ives in Johns Creek. We loved the St. Ives neighborhood because it seemed lively and very family friendly there but I'm not familiar with the area as much as Alpharetta and was wondering if the traffic on Medlock Bridge was worse then the area around Windward. Windward is our other choice but the neighborhood seems very quiet and spread out...wondering if it would be more difficult for my kids to make friends in the neighborhood outside of going to school.
So my questions are:

1. Is there any real difference between the schools in Alpharetta and Johns Creek? (Creek view vs Wilson Creek)
2. My husband will be commuting a couple times a week to Vinings. We understand how bad the traffic can be but is one of those locations the lesser of two evils?
3. Is resale better in one community vs. the other?



Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

[AnsleyPark]

I don't believe that the commute will be materially different for your husband, but I may be mistaken. St. Ive's is a wonderful community and very family oriented. I am sure you would enjoy living there!

[KimmyNY]

Is it better to take 400 or 141 to 285?

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by KimmyNY

Is it better to take 400 or 141 to 285?

From St. Ives during rush hour, 141 to 285 is about 20 - 30 minutes.

[ATLTJL]

When you say Windward, I assume you mean Lake Windward.

1. Is there any real difference between the schools in Alpharetta and Johns Creek? (Creek view vs Wilson Creek)

Until they built Johns Creek high school, Northview was pretty consistently ranked the best public high school in the state. That's St. Ives. I imagine over the next few years, schools will flip back and forth. I don't know what Lake Windward is districted for. If it's Alpharetta High, I don't think I'd put much difference between that and Northview. Johns Creek probably has a very slight edge over Alpharetta for school reputation. At least for now, and that could change any time.

2. My husband will be commuting a couple times a week to Vinings. We understand how bad the traffic can be but is one of those locations the lesser of two evils?

Lake Windward, I believe. St. Ives really puts you in a pickle because your only choices are heading down 141, which forces you to deal with more of I-285, which you definitely don't want. Or heading over to GA 400, which really isn't that close and could take a while. In contrast, Lake Windward will provide much better access to GA 400, but you'll be one exit further away. I'm imagining Lake Windward is going to provide the better access here. If it's not during commuter hours, the only real difference is would your husband rather travel a bit further on a limited access highway, or a shorter distance on a commercial highway with a few red lights along the way? The time should be quite similar.

3. Is resale better in one community vs. the other?

No idea. St. Ives has been known as a fine community for a very long time with an excellent reputation. Lake Windward has the draw of access to a beautiful community lake. As you probably know, Lake Windward is actually a collection of smaller areas, or subdivisions, so that could be what's leading to the somewhat disjointed feeling you describe there. I've never lived in either, so I can't say first hand.

Obviously, if you think you'd enjoy the lake, Lake Windward has a pretty significant edge here. If your husband is a golfer, St. Ives for the win. Though you may want to find out if whatever house you would buy has country club access and if so, if it is transferable. Last time I checked, initiation fees for St. Ives country club were very high.... and that was when country clubs were really struggling, I imagine it's even higher now. I know some neighborhoods allow homeowners to pass membership to new buyers so they can avoid these fees (it's a way to make people continue to pay dues instead of quitting the club, because it increases the resale of your home if you can tell buyers they get country club access with no initiation fee.) I don't know if St. Ives works this way or not, but your realtor should. If he/she doesn't, get a new realtor immediately.

Traffic is awful around both neighborhoods during commuter hours. During non-commuter hours, both areas are fairly easy to navigate without much hassle.

Congratulations on being able to afford to buy in one of these communities. I don't think you can lose in either one.

[ATLTJL]

From St. Ives during rush hour, 141 to 285 is about 20 - 30 minutes.

The real question here is how much time would it add to the commute being plopped on I-285 at Peachtree Industrial instead of at GA-400 if having to go all the way around to Vinings.

The answer is, totally depends what time of day we're talking about.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

The real question here is how much time would it add to the commute being plopped on I-285 at Peachtree Industrial instead of at GA-400 if having to go all the way around to Vinings.

The answer is, totally depends what time of day we're talking about.

Yes, it will certainly depend on the time of day.

[NorthAtlanta]

I would recommend Lake Windward. Commute from StIves to 400 via Old Milton adds 20 minutes easy to your commute. Schools are pretty much a draw..

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by KimmyNY

Hello!
My family is relocating to the Alpharetta area from upstate NY before the holidays. We have narrowed our home search down to two neighborhoods that are completely different...one being Windward and the other St. Ives in Johns Creek. We loved the St. Ives neighborhood because it seemed lively and very family friendly there but I'm not familiar with the area as much as Alpharetta and was wondering if the traffic on Medlock Bridge was worse then the area around Windward. Windward is our other choice but the neighborhood seems very quiet and spread out...wondering if it would be more difficult for my kids to make friends in the neighborhood outside of going to school.
So my questions are:

1. Is there any real difference between the schools in Alpharetta and Johns Creek? (Creek view vs Wilson Creek)
2. My husband will be commuting a couple times a week to Vinings. We understand how bad the traffic can be but is one of those locations the lesser of two evils?
3. Is resale better in one community vs. the other?



Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Commuting to Vinings and you want to settle in Alpharetta or Johns Creek?


There are other options closer to Vinings that offer the similar attributes as Alpharetta and Johns Creek.

[PeteATL41]

Why not East Cobb (especially Walton school cluster)?