Fayette County needs millennials to bring youth to Atlanta’s oldest population

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by citidata18

It is a Southside problem in general.

Can't do anything about poor proximity to the lakes/mountains (geography). But on top of that, the Southside:

*Has very limited "trendy" stores/restaurant/entertainment options (although Costco's finally coming to Coweta County, Dave & Buster's is opening in McDonough and Main Event wants to come to Newnan *eventually*).

*It has minimal employment options for young, educated, upwardly mobile professionals, which also severely limits networking opportunities.

And while it is a Southside problem in general, the issue especially stands out in PTC/Fayette County because it's much more expensive (less bang for one's buck), the built environment is older and it has virtually no urban qualities that young people like. For these reason, young people who do opt to settle on the Southside instead default to Coweta or Henry Counties, which is reflected in their higher growth rates and relatively younger demographic.

Those are not "trendy" stores. Do families like Costco, yes because feeding kids can get expensive and buyin gin bulk can save.

The issues plaguing generic suburbs, is they are generic and look like every suburb in America. The ones that create unique, local experiences are seeing growth by young families: Woodstock, Marietta, Alpharetta, Roswell, Duluth, Decatur, etc.

[citidata18]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Those are not "trendy" stores. Do families like Costco, yes because feeding kids can get expensive and buyin gin bulk can save.

The issues plaguing generic suburbs, is they are generic and look like every suburb in America. The ones that create unique, local experiences are seeing growth by young families: Woodstock, Marietta, Alpharetta, Roswell, Duluth, Decatur, etc.

There's obviously something special about them, as people rave about them and want to be near them.

If I had a nickel for every person relocating to a place and name close proximity to Costco and Whole Foods as a requirement, I'd be pretty wealthy. I don't see the same reaction when it comes to Sam's Club or Publix.

As far as "unique, local experiences," I'm not sure what that means. PTC probably offers the most unique experience of all of Atlanta's suburbs, and its neighbors in Fayette/Coweta Counties aren't slouches when it comes to offering a "unique, local experiences" (such as walkable downtowns, festivals, local theatre groups, etc.).

The problem defaults back to everything I listed previously. The unique, local experiences Southside communities offer don't make up for the lack of high-paying jobs, limited natural attractions and the poor variety of retail options beyond the generic stores/restaurants/entertainment places

[isawooty]

Originally Posted by citidata18

It is a Southside problem in general.

Can't do anything about poor proximity to the lakes/mountains (geography). But on top of that, the Southside:

*Has very limited "trendy" stores/restaurant/entertainment options (although Costco's finally coming to Coweta County, Dave & Buster's is opening in McDonough and Main Event wants to come to Newnan *eventually*).

*It has minimal employment options for young, educated, upwardly mobile professionals, which also severely limits networking opportunities.

And while it is a Southside problem in general, the issue especially stands out in PTC/Fayette County because it's much more expensive (less bang for one's buck), the built environment is older and it has virtually no urban qualities that young people like. For these reason, young people who do opt to settle on the Southside instead default to Coweta or Henry Counties, which is reflected in their higher growth rates and relatively younger demographic.

Lol.

I’m telling y’all that not everyone who has to live close to major city wants to feel like they’re close to one. Fayette County is affluent, rural, quiet, safe, and the people there appreciate that. As folks continue to age and get tired of Atlanta (and all of its closest suburb that are on the urbanization wave) Fayette County will stay that final bastion of tranquility for families in an ever increasing region of growth.

I don’t have children so schools aren’t a concern for me. I really like Serenbe and could see myself there one day.

[PTC Dad]

Fayette has always been a move-up community. I couldn't afford a nice home in Peachtree City in my 20's, but moved here in my 30's when I could. There have been a lot of millenials moving to our neighborhood in the past 2 years. There are 5 other families in my neighborhood that like us, lived in Coweta before they had kids or when their kids were younger and then moved to Fayette once their kids hit elementary or middle school because of the higher rated schools and amenities. We also met two other millenial families with young kids that relocated here from Buckhead and Decatur. They moved here for the highly rated schools, golf cart paths, and low crime.

As an example, Fayette had about 500 more high school graduates this year than Coweta despite the fact that Coweta has a 30% larger overall population. That's because Fayette schools skew older than Coweta. Fayette typically has more high school aged kids than elementary.