Our jobs are in east Alpharetta and northwest corner inside perimeter - where to live? (Atlanta: rent, house)

[jackacc]

My wife and I have job opportunities we are considering near Atlanta but don't know the area that well. Mine is in eastern Alpharetta off McFarland Parkway and my wife's is in the northwestern corner just inside the perimeter which I believe is part of the Sandy Springs area. We are going to make a trip there soon to look around but I wanted to see what people would recommend as an area to live where we would both have reasonable commutes (under 40 mins).

- Our house budget is around $400k
- Our main concerns are general safety and schools (K and 4th grade currently)
- Access to parks and green spaces would be great

So far, Sandy Springs and Dunwoody look like they would work for both of us (although home prices seem high for what you get and level, usable yards are rare). Some parts of Alpharetta, East Cobb, Marietta, and Roswell seem to work as far as commute but only the areas closer to Dunwoody and route 19.

We use Google maps to estimate commutes (from different homes we find on Zillow) during peak traffic times and there can be a huge variation in travel times from some areas. It looks like there are always backups on the main roads (19/400/285) and at the areas where you must cross the Chattahoochee river. Going north and east it doesn't seem like it would be bad for me from any of these areas, I just don't want my wife to have an hour+ commute with traffic each day.

Considering our budget, what would be the best area to be focusing on when we visit?

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

I have a buddy who lives in the area around Chamblee Dunwoody (might be Peachtree Road, it's been a year and a half since I've been there) right south of the interstate, and it seems like a nice area, not sure about schools. Would be a decent commute for your wife and you'd be going against traffic to Alpharetta.

Research the schools, though. I want to say they were going the Catholic school route. Make no mistake, your best schools are going to be out in the north suburbs. You're in the high rent district.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by jackacc

My wife and I have job opportunities we are considering near Atlanta but don't know the area that well. Mine is in eastern Alpharetta off McFarland Parkway and my wife's is in the northwestern corner just inside the perimeter which I believe is part of the Sandy Springs area. We are going to make a trip there soon to look around but I wanted to see what people would recommend as an area to live where we would both have reasonable commutes (under 40 mins).

- Our house budget is around $400k
- Our main concerns are general safety and schools (K and 4th grade currently)
- Access to parks and green spaces would be great

So far, Sandy Springs and Dunwoody look like they would work for both of us (although home prices seem high for what you get and level, usable yards are rare). Some parts of Alpharetta, East Cobb, Marietta, and Roswell seem to work as far as commute but only the areas closer to Dunwoody and route 19.

We use Google maps to estimate commutes (from different homes we find on Zillow) during peak traffic times and there can be a huge variation in travel times from some areas. It looks like there are always backups on the main roads (19/400/285) and at the areas where you must cross the Chattahoochee river. Going north and east it doesn't seem like it would be bad for me from any of these areas, I just don't want my wife to have an hour+ commute with traffic each day.

Considering our budget, what would be the best area to be focusing on when we visit?

Wherever you choose to live in Atlanta's booming Northside suburbs, you will want to keep your wife off of such severely congested routes like Georgia 400 (U.S. Route 19) southbound, Interstate 75 southbound, Interstate 285 (a.k.a. the Top End Perimeter) westbound, and Interstate 285 (the Top End Perimeter) westbound during morning rush hours while commuting to her job off of the I-285 Top End Perimeter in western Sandy Springs.

There is a major construction project in progress along the I-285 Top End Perimeter and Georgia 400 that is expected to go on for several years, and you will want to keep your wife off of those routes (which were ALREADY congestion and delay-prone BEFORE construction started) while that project continues over the next several years.

With your budget and your understandable desire to live in a safe area with good schools, look in eastern Cobb County (in the area commonly known as "East Cobb") in the clusters of Cobb County School District schools anchored by Walton, Wheeler, Pope and Lassiter high schools... An area where the public schools are some of the most highly-regarded in the entire Southeastern U.S.

… This area (the aforementioned top-notch school clusters in "East Cobb) will provide your wife with a relatively very short commute to work (by metro Atlanta standards) from an area of some of the best and most highest regarded public schools in the Southeast.

Your commutes to and from work (which will be mostly on winding surface roads through East Cobb and North Fulton counties) will be longer than your wife's commutes, but your commutes will at least be mostly bearable on most days, especially once you figure out how to maneuver and navigate to and from work on suburban North Atlanta's winding surface road network.

[brown_dog_us]

I'd look along 400 as far South as you can afford. Driving North to your job will be a reverse commute. Roswell seems like a good starting point.

East Cobb is another Solid area, but it can be tough just to get to the hwy from there.

[samiwas1]

I would look around Roswell and northern Sandy Springs. You'll have a reverse commute up to Alpharetta, and your wife will have a short commute to Sandy Springs ITP. Pretty sure the schools in that area are good. Might even look over in East Cobb.

[Go Blue 99]

How close is your McFarland job to 400?

[jackacc]

The McFarland job looks to only be about 5 minutes from 400.

[Need4Camaro]

I actually dont believe there is such thing as a reverse commute on GA-400 anymore. When I commuted to and from Alpharetta last it was always backed up going both ways between I-285 and HaynesBridge.

If you choose areas near Vinings / Smyrna you will be in traffic on I-285 from I-75 to GA-400. If you choose Dunwoody / Perimeter / Roswell area... your wife will be in traffic on GA-400 until she gets to I-285 West. You will be in traffic on GA-400 until HaynesBridge or Old Milton Pkwy.

Also I dont think theres any backroads that will take you between Cobb and Alpharetta very easily mainly because the Chattahoochee River.

[jackacc]

Thank you for the replies and great information, everyone! We are heading up in a couple weeks to explore.


One thing I forgot to ask was what time does traffic start getting heavy in that area? I'm out the door at 6:40 most mornings (Tampa) and by 7 the roads are all flooded with traffic. Going 20 miles can often take an hour here.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by jackacc

One thing I forgot to ask was what time does traffic start getting heavy in that area? I'm out the door at 6:40 most mornings (Tampa) and by 7 the roads are all flooded with traffic. Going 20 miles can often take an hour here.

You're going to get answers all over the map. Some will tell you that every highway in Atlanta is congested 24 hours a day and that you will always be sitting in standstill traffic (while they gleefully whiz by you on their train). This is patently false.

I don't know about the areas up there, but the areas around me in NW Atlanta start getting busy around 7:30-7:40. Going north on 400 from Sandy Springs or around there will not be busy in the mornings. Looking at Google's typical traffic map for the area really doesn't look all that bad, but people who live/work up there can probably give you more details.