So.....may be moving (back) to the area...need suggestions! (Atlanta: transplants, real estate)

[sometimesy]

My hubby and I met while both of us were in grad school in Atlanta in the late 90s. We were young, kidless, and lived in and loved the midtown and candler park areas.

These days we have 3 kids and have lived in Boston, ORlando, Tampa, and Cary/Raleigh since then and are contemplating a job change back to Atlanta. Our housing budget seems to mean that intown ATlanta would be out of the question, and of course these days schools are our #1 concern.

I read the sticky at the top of the forum and would love some input from y'all as to where we might start researching housing, and would REALLY love some suggestions for good realtor search engines other than the big usual one that seems a little clunky for me (and doesn't let you search by school).

Here are our particulars:

-Hubby would be working in Duluth/Johns Creek area. An easy commute of no more than 20min would be desirable. I work from home, could be anywhere.
-Excellent schools, not just in scores but in environment are really important since we have kids. I'd take less house to get better schools in a heartbeat. If I could find a neighborhood with the elementary walking distance that would be good to.
- we love our neighborhood here and are looking for one chock full of kids and friendly neighbors, esp. folks who don't mind making friends with non-natives to the area.
-I'm a city girl at heart and feel a little trapped in the burbs. What I long for is a community that has shops/restaurants I can walk to, and some bike paths/parks to explore, that sort of thing. My husband and I are creative types and I don't really care how many square feet your house is or whether your suv is german or japanese--I would like some genuine, laid back, down to earth neighbors who enjoy sitting on the porch with a beer watching the kids on their scooters on the sidewalk.
-budget: 300k-400k. We'd LOVE a finished daylight basement but what we really need is 3-4 bedrooms and an office, at least 2.5 baths. I do NOT need a big yard, and if I get one then I would prefer it to be wooded mostly.
-we don't need to be near the airport, and shopping malls don't matter, as long as there's one within 20 min or so--and what I remember of Atlanta is that there is always shopping mall nearby!
--kids are into dance, horseback riding, and creative arts (theater, visual arts etc). We'd like schools that feel like community schools, not institutions if possible.

I post all this b/c I was reading school reviews on greatschools.net and kept reading that this school or that one was "cliquish" (that is, the PARENTS were). Is that really an issue there? Should I be worried?

Any suggestions on neighborhoods we should start researching? And real estate search sites? Feel free to DM me.
Thanks.

[sometimesy]

Perhaps this question will help: are there any "walkable" areas of/near (within a 20min commute) Duluth? By this I mean communities that have shops, restaurants, etc. in close walking distance. Is there a "downtown" Duluth? Having lived 4 years inside Atlanta proper, I can't say I ever saw Duluth. My dad lived in Alpharetta for 20 years and I still don't think I saw that side of town.

[plessthanpointohfive]

Too bad your husband is working in Johns Creek because with your budget you'd probably find something in Candler Park. And the neighborhood and school fit your needs/wants to a T. My son is a 3rd grader at Mary Lin and it's a great school.

Though it would be a "reverse" commute and probably take about 45 minutes.

I'm sorry I can't help you with something closer. I can only post this: City of Duluth, Georgia

I used to work in Duluth years ago and I often thought that the downtown area of Duluth was nice, but I don't know anything about schools there.

[sedimenjerry]

The schools in the Suwanee area like Peachtree Ridge are pretty nice and it is really close to Duluth. But it may be too suburban for you. There don't seem to be too many areas in walking distance of shops but I could be mistaken. But Discover Mills and the Mall of Georgia are nearby which both have nice walking opportunities.
There are some nice parks in the area. Here is the park guide for Gwinnett County (http://www.gwinnettcounty.com/portal/gwinnett/Services/ParkGuide - broken link)

[FromGA]

Suburb options:
The truth about the northern suburbs (unfortunately) is big yard, big sq ft, sidewalk optional! I think the east/west MORNING traffic pattern in your area of interest is: west towards Alpharetta. So if your husband is working in Johns Creek, you might be better off either in Johns Creek, or in Alpharetta west of Johns Creek (both North Fulton). Since he is working in Johns Creek, might as well take advantage of the top schools there. Traffic is bad in these areas, so choose your areas wisely. I have begun to like "Forum on Peachtree Parkway" which is an open-style mall with wonderful stores. There is also a Trader Joe's there! This is 4 - 8 miles south of Johns Creek. Alpharetta / Johns Creek have plenty of transplants from all over the world.

There are some "master planned" style developments in Alpharetta / Johns Creek etc. But I wasn't rteally impressed by them.