Relocating from MD to ATL- Advice Needed (Atlanta, Roswell: real estate market, apartments)
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We are a AA family of 4 looking to move to GA from MD this summer.
We are looking to purchase a single family home, at least 4 bedrooms/3 bath. We can comfortably spend $450k, but would be willing to go up to $500k for the right house.
We have looked at Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Roswell, Marietta, Acworth, Woodstock, Decatur, Lawrenceville, etc. As you can see, our search is all over the place. We want suburbs, but not super far from the city (maybe 30-45 minute drive).
I've combed through countless threads on this site and have seen that East Cobb & North Fulton are best places to move when you have school aged children.
Husband will be primarily working from home, and may need to occasionally travel for work via airport. I would be looking for employment in the human/social services field.
Looking for:
*safe
*communities with families (kids will be able to make new friends in the neighborhood)
*good schools (kids will be in 4th & 9th grade next school year- and both receive special education services)
*county, community, or school extracurricular activities available (kids are into cooking, gardening, drawing, animation, coding, and video game development)
*racially diverse (particularly anywhere AAs are not the overwhelming minority)
*moderate/liberal views (definitely NOT an ultra conservative area)
My mind is racing trying to cover everything, so if I left any information out, please let me know. Thanks for your help!
We are a AA family of 4 looking to move to GA from MD this summer.
We are looking to purchase a single family home, at least 4 bedrooms/3 bath. We can comfortably spend $450k, but would be willing to go up to $500k for the right house.
We have looked at Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Roswell, Marietta, Acworth, Woodstock, Decatur, Lawrenceville, etc. As you can see, our search is all over the place. We want suburbs, but not super far from the city (maybe 30-45 minute drive).
I've combed through countless threads on this site and have seen that East Cobb & North Fulton are best places to move when you have school aged children.
Husband will be primarily working from home, and may need to occasionally travel for work via airport. I would be looking for employment in the human/social services field.
Looking for:
*safe
*communities with families (kids will be able to make new friends in the neighborhood)
*good schools (kids will be in 4th & 9th grade next school year- and both receive special education services)
*county, community, or school extracurricular activities available (kids are into cooking, gardening, drawing, animation, coding, and video game development)
*racially diverse (particularly anywhere AAs are not the overwhelming minority)
*moderate/liberal views (definitely NOT an ultra conservative area)
My mind is racing trying to cover everything, so if I left any information out, please let me know. Thanks for your help!
It probably might help you if you knew where you were going to be commuting to and from for work each day.
Outside of that, you seem to potentially have multiple options.
For good schools in a diverse setting, check out areas like:
> The Wheeler High School cluster of the Cobb County School District (East Cobb) - The Wheeler school cluster has a nationally recognized Math & Science Magnet Program but also has a very good/excellent regular school curriculum as well, in an area of great racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversity. You probably could also look into a nearby area like the Sprayberry HS cluster.
> The Parkview HS, Brookwood HS and Grayson HS clusters of the Gwinnett County Public Schools system... Each highly-rated and highly-regarded school clusters in an area of great and growing racial/ethnic diversity in south central Gwinnett County.
> The Chattahoochee HS and Alpharetta HS clusters in North Fulton County, which are two school clusters that have a reputation for placing a strong emphasis on inclusivity.
> For a more inner-suburban environment, you could also look in areas like the Dunwoody HS and Chamblee HS clusters of the DeKalb County School District (North DeKalb County).
> The Norcross HS and Duluth HS clusters of the Gwinnett County Public Schools system, which are two school clusters with extremely racially/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse populations. The diversity of these areas ranges from families with million-dollar homes along the Chattahoochee River to lower-income families living at and below the poverty line in rental dwellings (including apartments and rental houses). The Centennial HS cluster in the East Roswell area of North Fulton County also fits into this category of extreme racial/ethnic/socioeconomic diversity.
> You could also look in Southside suburban areas like the Fayette County HS and Sandy Creek clusters of the Fayette County Schools system, and in the Union Grove HS cluster of the Henry County Schools system.
(Fayette County provides good access to the Airport... While, Henry County provides good access for people who like to take frequent trips to the Georgia/South Carolina Atlantic Coast and Florida, though the traffic on Interstate 75 South can often be a bear during normal times.)
We have looked at Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Roswell, Marietta, Acworth, Woodstock, Decatur, Lawrenceville, etc. As you can see, our search is all over the place. We want suburbs, but not super far from the city (maybe 30-45 minute drive).
The area within the very highly-rated and very highly-regarded Decatur City Schools system is an excellent option, but the real estate market is highly competitive there because of the extremely high quality of the schools situated around a popular downtown village area that is located in close proximity to multiple major regional employment hubs.
The Archer HS cluster of the Gwinnett County Public School system likely would be a very good place for you to look into in the Lawrenceville area. The Mountain View HS cluster of the GCPS system might also be a good option to look into in the Lawrenceville area.
The Collins Hill HS cluster is also a very good option in the Lawrenceville area, but has sometimes struggled with overcrowding in the past.
The Discovery HS, Central Gwinnett HS and Berkmar HS clusters are good school clusters in the Lawrenceville area but often struggle with academic scores that often are affected by the extremely high number of lower-income transient students and families living in those areas.
The North Cobb HS cluster of the Cobb County School District would be a really good option for the Acworth area... Very diverse schools with a good curriculum in the NCHS cluster. The Allatoona HS cluster is good as well, but is relatively slightly less diverse and decidedly more conservative than the area within the North Cobb HS cluster.
The area with a Marietta address covers a fairly large geographical area that ranges from the more affluent parts of East Cobb, to the very racially/ethnically/socioeconomically diverse and more closely-knit area within the Marietta City Schools system, to the much more transient parts of upper South Cobb.
Johns Creek is a good place to consider, but be forewarned that the Northview HS cluster (which is trending majority-Asian) has a reputation for being intensely (sometimes fiercely) academically competitive with a curriculum that has a reputation for being rigorous at times. While the Johns Creek HS cluster has a reputation for being highly socially competitive in many key circles.
Woodstock is a good place to consider, but is an area that (while less predominantly white and conservative in than in the past) remains predominantly majority white and conservative and may not necessarily offer the fullest level of diversity that you might be seeking.
Also a word of caution that metropolitan Atlanta’s status as a massive destination for people and families relocating from other parts of the country (like the Northeast, the Midwest, other parts of the South and even the West Coast) and the world and the often extreme/explosive population growth it generates might often mean that the demographic makeup of an area today may not always be the demographic makeup of an area 5+ years in the future.
Some areas that may be roughly 50% minority/50% white today may be 60, 70, 80% minority tomorrow. The demographic situation has been extremely fluid in many areas in recent years, with much of the already ‘majority-minority’ Atlanta metropolitan area as a whole appearing to be trending quickly towards increased minority majorities as the demographics of the metro area continue to shift rapidly.
Also, while much (if not most) of metro Atlanta continues trending heavily in the direction of moderate and progressive political majorities in the not-too-distant future, keep in mind strongly conservative views are still a very big and dominating part of the political discourse in metro Atlanta and Georgia, especially as one gets further away from the I-285 Perimeter loop highway.
(Atlanta’s I-285 Perimeter is roughly equivalent to Washington DC’s I-495 Capital Beltway or Baltimore’s I-695 Beltway.)
Any northside suburb would check all of those boxes. The north Atlanta metro is politically libertarian-leaning/moderate and you'd have to search pretty hard to find a place where AA's actually are a tiny minority.
Atlanta literally exists to be a good landing spot for transients.
We are looking at a new subdivision in Powder Springs. Can tell anyone tell me about the area, and the schools- specifically Powder Springs Elementary and Mceachern High School. Thanks!!
We are looking at a new subdivision in Powder Springs. Can tell anyone tell me about the area, and the schools- specifically Powder Springs Elementary and Mceachern High School. Thanks!!
At their base, they’re both good schools whose academic ratings have been affected by the ongoing demographic changes in the Powder Springs area.
Powder Springs Elementary currently rates slightly below average, while McEachern High School currently rates at least slightly above average, academically.
And though they struggled this past season in football, McEachern HS generally has been and continues to be an athletic powerhouse, including in the 2 most popular sports of football and basketball.
McEachern generally frequently contends for regional (conference) and state titles in football and basketball and generally is competitive in other sports, while often being generously supported by some proud community sponsors and some fiercely competitive deep-pocketed alumni.
(McEachern went undefeated and finished with a top-5 national ranking en route to a state title in boys basketball in 2019.)
The greater Powder Springs area is generally a lower crime area overall, with the part of Powder Springs above (north of) GA-360 Macland Road generally being more affluent, and the part of Powder Springs below (south of) GA-360 Macland Road generally being slightly more transient.
Powder Springs proper also is at least an okay-good (if not often overlooked) area with a historic downtown area that continues to improve with upgrades and an expanding lineup of community events.
At their base, they’re both good schools whose academic ratings have been affected by the ongoing demographic changes in the Powder Springs area.
Powder Springs Elementary currently rates slightly below average, while McEachern High School currently rates at least slightly above average, academically.
And though they struggled this past season in football, McEachern HS generally has been and continues to be an athletic powerhouse, including in the 2 most popular sports of football and basketball.
McEachern generally frequently contends for regional (conference) and state titles in football and basketball and generally is competitive in other sports, while often being generously supported by some proud community sponsors and some fiercely competitive deep-pocketed alumni.
(McEachern went undefeated and finished with a top-5 national ranking en route to a state title in boys basketball in 2019.)
The greater Powder Springs area is generally a lower crime area overall, with the part of Powder Springs above (north of) GA-360 Macland Road generally being more affluent, and the part of Powder Springs below (south of) GA-360 Macland Road generally being slightly more transient.
Powder Springs proper also is at least an okay-good (if not often overlooked) area with a historic downtown area that continues to improve with upgrades and an expanding lineup of community events.
It's hard to add to the post above, as I agree with everything B2R said. Hillgrove is the better high school, but mostly due to demographics, as the further north and closer to west cobb one gets, the more affluent.
It's hard to add to the post above, as I agree with everything B2R said. Hillgrove is the better high school, but mostly due to demographics, as the further north and closer to west cobb one gets, the more affluent.
Those are good points that raise the important point that both McEachern and Hillgrove are good schools, though Hillgrove is the higher-rated school that serves the more affluent part of the Powder Springs mailing area.
Your comments also raise another important point, which is that the Hillgrove High School attendance zone is an example of an area that appears to have a rapidly changing racial and ethnic demographic profile.
For about at least the first 10 years of the school’s existence, Hillgrove High School had a majority-white student body.
But within the last few years, Hillgrove appears to have transitioned into being a majority-minority school, with racial and ethnic minorities now making up about 55% of the student body as of March 2021.
As of March 2021, the racial/ethnic demographic breakdown of the Hillgrove HS student body is as follows:
45% White, 34% Black, 12% Hispanic, <5% Multi-racial, <4% Asian
Meanwhile, this was the racial/ethnic demographic breakdown of the McEachern HS student body as of March 2021:
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