GA city similar to Northshore MA???? help please... (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: attorney, townhomes)

[jake786]

What city in GA is comparable to the North Shore MA???


I currently live north of Boston, MA in Beverly, and I my job is relocating me to ATL within the year. I love Beverly, it is a fairly busy suburb and isnt too far away from Boston (30-40 min commute).

Is there anyone who knows both MA and GA who can advise me where to move near ATL... I am an attorney and will be working for at least 5 years in downtown ATL. I do not have any children, but plan on having them within 5 years. I like being outdoors, playing golf/tennis/softball, and like being near shopping. Don't really mind strip malls/chains either.


I've heard: Roswell, Decatur, Alpharetta, Kennesaw, Fayetteville, Marietta, Norcross, Smyrna, Suwanee, Virginia Highlands, Peachtree City????

I'm overwhelmed... Help please!

[goozer]

There really is nothing that similar to the North Shore in metro Atlanta because Atlanta is landlocked and over four hours from the nearest ocean. I think your closest bet would be an older neighborhood like Decatur, where there are many pre-WWII houses. While neighborhoods with older houses are almost the norm in metro Boston, they are more of a rarity in Atlanta since it is a much newer city.

[JPD]

Ah, Beverly, the place of my birth. Lynch Park. Maria's Pizza. Bill and Bob's Roast Beef.

I'll have to think about this. No place in Atlanta that I know of reminds me of Beverly. One obvious difference being the lack of an ocean in Atlanta.

Virginia-Highland would be worth checking out. It offers a lot of what you're looking for (outdoor activities, shopping, etc.)

[jake786]

Wow, quick responses. Thank you!!!

I dont have my heart set on being near the ocean/any water.

I also prefer newer houses to older houses anyway, so don't worry about that.

Thanks!!!

[JPD]

Originally Posted by jake786

I also prefer newer houses to older houses anyway, so don't worry about that.

Thanks!!!

In that case, you might want to look for a new house in the City of Decatur. That area is mostly older houses, but I've seen a lot of new ones popping up in the last few years.

[jake786]

ive heard VA-HI is a little artsy, like rockport... is this true?

[sweettea1]

Don't neglect historic Roswell or historic Marietta in your search, too. You can get MUCH better deals on new homes in the area than in Va/Hi and you have that quaint city-center village feel in both areas as well. Outdoor activities, tennis, gyms, biking...you can pretty much find that in every area of Atlanta so you'll be fine.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by jake786

ive heard VA-HI is a little artsy, like rockport... is this true?

Virginia-Highland is more boutique-y than artsy. I haven't been to Rockport in 15 years, but if it's the same now as it was then, I think it's more similar to the Candler Park/Little Five Points area.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by jake786

What city in GA is comparable to the North Shore MA???


I currently live north of Boston, MA in Beverly, and I my job is relocating me to ATL within the year. I love Beverly, it is a fairly busy suburb and isnt too far away from Boston (30-40 min commute).

Is there anyone who knows both MA and GA who can advise me where to move near ATL... I am an attorney and will be working for at least 5 years in downtown ATL. I do not have any children, but plan on having them within 5 years. I like being outdoors, playing golf/tennis/softball, and like being near shopping. Don't really mind strip malls/chains either.


I've heard: Roswell, Decatur, Alpharetta, Kennesaw, Fayetteville, Marietta, Norcross, Smyrna, Suwanee, Virginia Highlands, Peachtree City????

I'm overwhelmed... Help please!

Well, I know Beverly pretty well and the traffic on 128 even better.

First, you obviously won't find coastal areas in Atlanta. Second, if you want an older home you'll need to stay inside the perimeter and closer to Atlanta or Decatur. You can find some older homes further out, but mostly new homes built in the last 30 years.

If you want transit to get to downtown, you'll mostly want to stay in Fulton or Dekalb County. Other counties have bus service, but you'll find MARTA rail in Fulton and Dekalb, which is similar to the "T" but only goes in a hub/spoke pattern to/from downtown. Closer to Atlanta, you'll also find communities more accepting of pedestrians, and since you're from MA, more politically liberal. Schools are pretty good in some areas like Dunwoody, Decatur, and Sandy Springs, where you can find transit close by to get downtown.

If you want larger and newer houses with more of the suburban (some might say strip mall) lifestyle less close to transit, then you can look at Alpharetta, Roswell, Marietta, Kennesaw. Gwinnett County also has some nice areas in Buford and Suwannee, but in my opinion, you have to go further out from the city to get to the nicer areas, and the schools aren't as good as north Fulton or Cobb. Traffic out of these areas to downtown and back can be a nightmare.

There really is nothing similar here in Atlanta to the north shore areas like Beverly, and you should definitely come down and spend some time looking around. If you're a true New Englander like my wife, you may find some things here you like a lot, but also some others you may not find to your liking in some of these areas.

[darkone]

If you don't need an older house that is good because in the Atlanta area, there is really no point in looking for one - this is not New England with quaint historic towns and homes. The abundance of nice clean and NEW subdivisions and townhomes is very refreshing down here. Forget about the ocean or any body of water for that matter.

I am a native of the Boston area and have been all over the northeast. I would say that places such as Sandy Springs, Dunwoody and parts of Roswell and Alpharetta would make you feel more at home (not in the Beverly sense, but more in the Burlington, MA or Nashua, NH sense, if you know what I mean). Actually the norhern Atlana suburbs remind me most of the DC area suburbs more than anything in MA, but you will still find a northeastern feel in parts of these areas. You will be fairly close to MARTA rail stations as well.

Places such as Kennesaw, Gwinett County and south of Atlanta (Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Henry County) feel different to me - they feel either more Southern or more Sunbelt. I think these areas might give you more of a culture shock than the aforementioned ones in North Fulton county.