May move to Atlanta and need help! (Marietta, Alpharetta: rent, custom home)

[JoeChristmas]

My wife and I are considering a move to Atlanta. We have two small children. Our plan is to buy land and build our own home. I was wondering if you could help me narrow my search down to one or two areas, since we currently know little or nothing about the city and the surrounding area. Our conditions are as follows:

1. Near Atlanta, perhaps maximum 30 minutes to downtown Atlanta. I work form home, but my wife plans to find a job after we're there. More than 30 minutes by car is too much for her.

2. We want to build a small home in the countryside, somewhere that is not part of a development, or planned community. We don't want to be isolated, however. Near water is definitely a plus.

3. Our son plays hockey and daughter loves figure skating, so living 15-20 minutes from an ice rink would be great.

4. We would prefer something north of Atlanta, if possible.

Any thoughts?

We plan on selling our current home in Raleigh in 2010, then rent a home in Atlanta for a year or so while we build. Would welcome any suggestions you may have.

Thanks!

--JC

[RainyRainyDay]

JC, I don't think you can find countryside within 30 minutes of downtown Atlanta. Atlanta is a very sprawling metropolis of around 5 million people, with notoriously bad traffic.

Atlanta has very few ice rinks. Although it's a big city, this is Georgia. There's not much ice-skating tradition among the natives.

Best bet for figure skating is probably the Cooler in Alpharetta, Welcome to the Cooler - Where Fitness Meets Fun - Home where the coaches include a number of former international competitors and medalists.

The Ice Forum in Gwinnett county is also good for figure skating. IceForum - News

Hockey can be found at both of the above rinks, also the Marietta Ice Center. The Marietta Ice Center - Home

[atlantagreg30127]

North of Alpharetta, up GA400 you can still find lots of land in the Dawsonville area and Northward toward the arts town of Dahlonega. Also lots of already built places that are not part of a subdivision. You would also be not super far from small lakes or a short drive from Lake Lanier in some of the areas up there.

Problem is, you would definitely be more than 30 minutes from downtown Atlanta (think 60-90 minutes), and the wife's job would most likely wind up being in a cookie cutter store, restaurant, or at the outlet mall up that way. Ice rinks - further south.

I can't think of anyplace that fits all of the criteria listed here.

[Shagbark Hickory]

Despite there being LAND EVERYWHERE, most of it are big parcels. Small lots were snatched up a long long time ago and what remains are very expensive. In fact I was looking to do the exact same thing and know a couple of builders on a personal level that build custom home subdivisions and would gladly build me a custom home if I could find a lot. They said I'd never find a lot and they were right. Well... I did find a few but they were very expensive. $100k+

What a lot of people resort to doing when they really really really want a custom home on a city lot reasonable close to atlanta is they end up buying a tear-down. There are loads of those.

Now all that said, I do know of a flag lot available in Buford. And there is a skating rink right around the corner. I don't know if it is ice or for roller but google around for buford and if you're interested send me a private message and I'll tell you were the lot is.