Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't want to be in Buckhead due to the issues w spikes in crime but also bc I keep hearing its snooty and not that great of ppl/personalities?
Pretty much all of the crime issues in Buckhead are happening in the areas that are immediately located along Peachtree, Piedmont and Roswell roads where the district’s retail development is located.
Buckhead’s residential areas are pretty much completely unaffected by the crime issues in the area.
And Buckhead certainly has some snooty and snobbish elements, but most of Buckhead is not snobby, stuck-up and exclusionary. Most people there are outgoing and inclusive as is the case throughout much of the rest of metro Atlanta and North Georgia.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Birdie1206
Also, I absolutely love the homes in Milton but it gives me kind of weird vibes at the same time. Can't put my finger on it.
There’s nothing that is really sinister about Milton. But the large amount of wealth and affluence in that particular area can be slightly intimidating to some.
Some good advice to you might could be to rent an upscale apartment in a highly-diverse area with a reputation for an inclusive and well-rounded high-quality public education (like in the Chattahoochee HS or Alpharetta HS clusters in North Fulton County; or in the Wheeler HS or Sprayberry HS clusters in East Cobb; or in the Brookwood HS, Parkview HS or Grayson HS clusters in Gwinnett County) and use it as a base to further explore the greater Atlanta metropolitan area in person before making a final decision on where to make a long-term housing purchase.
Don't get me wrong; Peachtree City is a perfectly nice place, and the golf cart paths are a unique touch. The schools are good, it's quiet, you can get quite a bit of house for the money, it's safe, and so on. But as far as amenities and "restaurants/things to do" are concerned, it's very much a typical suburb. Plenty of chain options, and probably a few local ones, too, butnot anything of particular renown. It's also quite a distance from the parts of the metro area that do offer more unique, independent, interesting options. The description of your frustration and disappointment with your current town sounds like it could easily apply to Peachtree City as well. I wouldn't call it "dead" - again, it's a very nice place, but it's far from exciting. You might well end up liking it, but you should absolutely visit before deciding on anything.
Well, more objective evidence shows that Peachtree City is not one of near "dead" GA local cities, but one of the cities with national/international renown. In the past decades, Peachtree City has received numerous accolades nationally such as best city to live, best city to raise kids, best city to retire, one of the safest cities in the nation, etc. Also this city has amazed many visitors and travelers for its unique landscape and "bubble" culture, as evidenced by Expedia, a major travel site, that ranked Peachtree City as number one city to visit in the nation---ahead of New York City and other major cities!
"Lakes, trails, great dining, and a sophisticated yet down-home feel, this Metro Atlanta city is the place for urbanites to slow down without sacrificing creature comforts...."
Also in recent year Peachtree City has got much international attention as seen in a Youtube clip (with more than one million viewers) raving about Peachtree City, the city of golf carts (created by a famous British Youtuber)
Wow thank you!! Your message couldn't have come at a better time as we just learned our offer on a site unseen reno property in PTC was rejected for a cash offer from another buyer. We were bummed but reading this has given us renewed hope once again. I should again reiterate how important diversity and access to life/energy/culture and FOOD is for us. So having all of these perspectives from locals has been such a help. How is Vinings? I don't want to be in Buckhead due to the issues w spikes in crime but also bc I keep hearing its snooty and not that great of ppl/personalities? Also, I absolutely love the homes in Milton but it gives me kind of weird vibes at the same time. Can't put my finger on it.
Thank you so much!
Vinings is very nice. I lived on the edge of it, in "Smynings," as B2R mentioned above, for 15 years before moving to Marietta about 7 years ago. You have all of your suburban staples - Publix, Costco, Home Depot, etc. - nearby, and a decent mix of chain and independent restaurants. It's not far from Buckhead and other in-town spots, which is probably one of its biggest plusses.
Diversity in the general area, when you lump in Smyrna and the unincorporated areas of Cobb County immediately surrounding Vinings and Smyrna, is fairly high. Vinings Village itself - basically the area east of Cumberland Parkway and west of the river - is quite expensive and pretty "old money," and is less diverse as a result, but I expect that even that is changing; in November, for the first time since I have lived in metro Atlanta, all of the Vinings precincts voted Democratic in the presidential election.
While my wife and I enjoyed our time in Vinings, ironically, we have found more diversity and a more walkable urban environment by moving to downtown Marietta; even though it's farther from the center of Atlanta, it truly has its own walkable downtown, while Vinings, despite the quaint, small village at its center, is more typically suburban in nature. When we moved to Marietta, we thought we would miss Vinings and would be there, visiting our old haunts, pretty frequently, but that has not proven to be the case. That said, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a pleasant and very convenient place to live.
sorry to be annoying , just wanted to throw out there: if anyone has a general contractor referral that serves PTC please let me know. if we get our offer accepted, this home would need a big reno. I've already had one contractor walk the property w me on the phone and give a ball park estimate but would like 2-3 other bids if possible. many of the contractors listed in atlanta don't seem to do work in peachtree, at least PTC shows to be out of service area on their maps on yelp. thank you!
Also, here's one on the Starr's Mill side of town. Fayetteville address, but connected to Golf Cart paths. So lower taxes, but Peachtree City schools and golf cart paths. Also, New Haven is one of the best neighborhoods in Fayette County. The only downside is I think the elementary school, Braelinn, is only about 4-5% African American.
Also, New Haven is one of the best neighborhoods in Fayette County. The only downside is I think the elementary school, Braelinn, is only about 4-5% African American.
On the SchoolDigger website that you linked to, it says that Black students only make up 4.4% (or roughly about 23 students) of a 518-student school population at Braelinn Elementary School.
On the Niche.com website, the stats say that Black students only made up 3.1% (or roughly about 16 students) of a 514-student school population at Braelinn Elementary School.
On the Great Schools website, the stats say that Black students make up only 3% (or about 16 students) of a 526-student school population at Braelinn Elementary School.
On the GaDOE (Georgia Department of Education) website, the most recent stats from October 6, 2020 show nothing but an asterisk symbol in the category where Black students are listed, meaning that the GaDOE appeared to consider the black student population at Braelinn Elementary School to be fewer than 15 students at the time that the student population was officially counted at the school back in the Fall of 2020.
Though often it may often be overlooked because it is located in Atlanta’s southern outer suburbs, the Starr’s Mill cluster is one of the best public school clusters in all of metro Atlanta.
But the noticeably low number of Black students at a school where white students make up over 77% of the student population, potentially might be a cause for some concern for a family that appears to be seeking a high level of racial and ethnic diversity.
Wow thank you!! Your message couldn't have come at a better time as we just learned our offer on a site unseen reno property in PTC was rejected for a cash offer from another buyer. We were bummed but reading this has given us renewed hope once again. I should again reiterate how important diversity and access to life/energy/culture and FOOD is for us. So having all of these perspectives from locals has been such a help. How is Vinings? I don't want to be in Buckhead due to the issues w spikes in crime but also bc I keep hearing its snooty and not that great of ppl/personalities? Also, I absolutely love the homes in Milton but it gives me kind of weird vibes at the same time. Can't put my finger on it.
Thank you so much!
OP, how important are public schools in your decision? If you can swing private schools, that will open you up to a lot of areas that would give you a demographic where you're in the racial AND economic majority. Unfortunately, areas with concentrated populations of wealthy Black families like Camp Creek, South Fulton and Cascade (outside the Perimeter) aren't that far from low-income areas that feed into the same schools, which brings down the scores, but you'll find housing stock similar to the north side of town at half the price. The upper-income Black families send their kids to Woodward Academy in College Park (like the mayor) or make the 45-minute trek to one of the Buckhead privates (like me).
Atlanta is one of the few cities in the country where you have high-income housing developments comprised solely of African Americans. It's ironic to call out the lack of diversity, but if you're looking for a social scene centered around Black institutions like churches, HBCU alumni groups and Greek organizations, the center of gravity is on the south side of town. Before John Lewis died, it wasn't unusual to see him shopping at the Cascade Publix, and you'll bump into many other Atlanta icons in politics, music, film, sports, and business, which is great exposure for your kids that doesn't involve reading a history book. It may not be what you're looking for, and you will find some chapters of Jack and Jill, Links, 100 Black Men, and Greek organizations in the burbs, but it's those neighborhoods in Southwest that are the original reason for Atlanta's Black Mecca status and that viewpoint doesn't get represented on this forum much.
Just curious Birdie- are you planning on buying site unseen, wherever you buy?
That was not the intention. We have an airbnb inside the perimeter East atlanta village area I believe? For a 35 day rental. We had always planned to head down there with the kids, have our cars sent down and packed PODS shipped and stored in the pods facility while we venture out into the various areas to really get a feel for the different options. I'll be transparent in admitting that the recent uptick in so many of our favorited homes being suddenly under contract/pending did have us panicking & pushed us to put an offer in on a site unseen reno in PTC that was huge and under market value. We lost out to a cash buyer and I think that was probably a blessing in disguise. Ultimately, I'm very much an energy person and need to 'feel' the energy of not only the prospective home but surrounding area as well and neighbors.
We officially 'move' on 4/6. So just a couple more weeks. Trying to maintain my calm and not panic buy/panic offer ---though it's hard.
OP, how important are public schools in your decision? If you can swing private schools, that will open you up to a lot of areas that would give you a demographic where you're in the racial AND economic majority. Unfortunately, areas with concentrated populations of wealthy Black families like Camp Creek, South Fulton and Cascade (outside the Perimeter) aren't that far from low-income areas that feed into the same schools, which brings down the scores, but you'll find housing stock similar to the north side of town at half the price. The upper-income Black families send their kids to Woodward Academy in College Park (like the mayor) or make the 45-minute trek to one of the Buckhead privates (like me).
Atlanta is one of the few cities in the country where you have high-income housing developments comprised solely of African Americans. It's ironic to call out the lack of diversity, but if you're looking for a social scene centered around Black institutions like churches, HBCU alumni groups and Greek organizations, the center of gravity is on the south side of town. Before John Lewis died, it wasn't unusual to see him shopping at the Cascade Publix, and you'll bump into many other Atlanta icons in politics, music, film, sports, and business, which is great exposure for your kids that doesn't involve reading a history book. It may not be what you're looking for, and you will find some chapters of Jack and Jill, Links, 100 Black Men, and Greek organizations in the burbs, but it's those neighborhoods in Southwest that are the original reason for Atlanta's Black Mecca status and that viewpoint doesn't get represented on this forum much.
I'm just learning how to quote on here lol. Thank you for your help and contribution. We are a fully homeschooling family. (not distance learning but tried and true homeschool). Our children are: 7, 5, 3, 2. So only the eldest is in 'school' in 1st grade while the next two are in pre-school (at home). So schools aren't a deal breaker for us. Though for resale sake and the possibility that our children may hit an age where they do want to try traditional school, it would be nice to have great schools as an option but I wouldn't discredit an amazing home simply due to school rankings.
Thank you so much for caring enough to take the time to respond. Greatly appreciated.
Also, here's one on the Starr's Mill side of town. Fayetteville address, but connected to Golf Cart paths. So lower taxes, but Peachtree City schools and golf cart paths. Also, New Haven is one of the best neighborhoods in Fayette County. The only downside is I think the elementary school, Braelinn, is only about 4-5% African American.
just learning to quote on here but wanted to say PTCDad you're a real gem. Thank you for everything. The house we lost out on was actually one YOU had posted to me on here. PTC is lucky to have you.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
