Where to live North of Atlanta- Good Schools and Social Life (Roswell: renting, house)

[Jabamagirl82]

My husband may be transferred to an area north of Atlanta. Are charter schools a big thing there or do you typically go to the school you live near? If charter schools are big, what is the application process like? If you had a choice, would you live in Alpharetta, Roswell, or Marietta? Which of those areas have the better schools? Which area is good for a social family, i.e. enjoy breweries, festivals, big mom groups, adult kickball, etc.? Last question is, which area is the most affordable?

[AtlJan]

All three are good areas for all of the above. What is your budget? What kind of home and neighborhood are you looking for? Renting or buying? And most importantly, in what exact area will your husband's job be? "north of Atlanta" is a huge region and traffic is so bad that we need to know where in order to help you.

[Citykid3785]

All 3 have very good public schools, such that a charter school would be somewhat unnecessary. Marietta covers a large address, the East Cobb portion of schools would be inline with Alpharetta and Roswell. The city of Marietta has decent (but not great) schools.

I'm guessing that portions of Marietta will be the cheapest, but otherwise all areas are somewhat similar and on par, Roswell east of HWY 400 is a little less desirable however.

All 3 areas have small downtown portions with breweries, date night restaurants, etc. In my opinion, Marietta square feels the most historic, Roswell is best for an adult date night dinner, and Alpharetta is a good modern family friendly downtown.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Citykid3785

All 3 have very good public schools, such that a charter school would be somewhat unnecessary.

I was thinking that charter schools are public schools. Are they any different, or better?

[lorilove]

"A charter school is a public school that is independently run. It receives greater flexibility over operations in exchange for increased performance accountability. The school is established by a “charter,” which is a performance contract describing key elements of the school. The charter contract describes things like the school’s mission, instructional program, governance, personnel, finance, plans for student enrollment, and how all these are measured..."

I believe Marietta City Schools runs a 100% Charter model/system. East Cobb and North Fulton have some of the strongest schools in the nation and as a result Charter schools are not that common.

In Atlanta - we typically recommend start from your work location and draw a radius from that point. There are lots of great schools and wonderful places to live but a bad commute can make your miserable.

[Citykid3785]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I was thinking that charter schools are public schools. Are they any different, or better?

No, you are correct, they are public. And maybe I'm mistaken, but most of the people I chat with, when they say public schools, they are referring to gov't run public schools. While charter schools are public, they are distinct in that they tend to serve a more specific niche and are independently run.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Citykid3785

No, you are correct, they are public. And maybe I'm mistaken, but most of the people I chat with, when they say public schools, they are referring to gov't run public schools. While charter schools are public, they are distinct in that they tend to serve a more specific niche and are independently run.

It's pretty hard to beat government run schools in many areas. In places like North Fulton or East Cobb or Peachtree City, they are easily on a par with any privately operated school.

[BR Valentine]

The MarIetta City School District is a public school district directly governed by the locally elected Marietta school board. The school district has under Georgia school policy chosen the designation “charter” but the district is a public school district. It’s no different than Forsyth choosing the designation IE2. Forsyth is still operating public schools. Charter schools are publicly-funded privately operated schools. They aren’t public schools no matter how many times their proponents claim otherwise.

The public schools in the northern suburbs are good generally speaking. There are few charter schools. As for where to live the key question is where will your husband be working. Traffic is generally horrible so try to find a location as close as possible to your husband’s job to limit commute time.

[bellhead]

Originally Posted by Jabamagirl82

My husband may be transferred to an area north of Atlanta. Are charter schools a big thing there or do you typically go to the school you live near? If charter schools are big, what is the application process like? If you had a choice, would you live in Alpharetta, Roswell, or Marietta? Which of those areas have the better schools? Which area is good for a social family, i.e. enjoy breweries, festivals, big mom groups, adult kickball, etc.? Last question is, whrea is the most affordable?

I was in a similar situation & close Friday on a house in Cumming.

My reasons are...

1.) Property taxes, Forsyth county has lower property taxes than the surrounding counties.
2.) Schools, the latest school rankings have 4 of the top 10 schools in Forsyth county.

https://www.schooldigger.com/go/GA/schoolrank.aspx

[whodean]

Originally Posted by Citykid3785

While charter schools are public, they are distinct in that they tend to serve a more specific niche and are independently run.

Nope. Not in GA.