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In Suburban Smackdown!, I compare the suburbs. Comparing cities is boring and many large cities have been compared before so, why don't we spice things up here and compare the suburbs and satellite cities!
Alpharetta, Georgia (Atlanta suburb) vs Atascocita, Texas (Houston suburb)
Which suburb is better in these categories:
Amenities
Architecture
Cost of living
Crime
Culture
Diversity
Downtown (if it exists)
Food
Friendliness
Future outlook of the suburb
Good place to live/visit
Growth
Nightlife
Outdoor activity
Political views
Population density
Public transportation, otherwise access to the main city
Quality of life
Schools (can't believe all this time I forgot Schools lol)
Skyline (if it exists)
Shopping
Things to do
Weather
Unlike the previous pairing that were urban suburbs, these are strictly car-dependent burbs that are so far removed from the central city that trips to them are reserved for special occassions, with a lot of the closer-in burbs replacing some of the functions.
Alpharetta is my pick. If I lived in Alpharetta, I'd probably be spending more time in Dunwoody or Sandy Springs than the city itself, and I'd only live there if I had a job in those places to cut down on traffic/gas costs. It's also on the stronger side of the metro in terms of development, and I can park 'n ride to Sandy Springs to take MARTA into the city. It's not too far from the mountains as well.
Atascocita also sits right in the flight path to IAH, so there would be a lot of airport noise. Unless if you're a frequent flyer, it's not really an advantage. It's east of I-45, so it's in the weaker half of the metro in terms of affluence.
Atascocita also sits right in the flight path to IAH, so there would be a lot of airport noise. Unless if you're a frequent flyer, it's not really an advantage. It's east of I-45, so it's in the weaker half of the metro in terms of affluence.
Atascocita is also scenic since it sits along Lake Houston.
Hartsfield is on the opposite side of town from the affluent Northern ring suburbs of Marietta-Alpharetta-Duluth. With the infamous traffic jams on the few, overloaded Atlanta freeways, West Houstonians have an easier time flying out of Bush IAH by comparison.
There have been new developments east of I-45; the I-69 corridor has been booming. Porter and New Caney are very new. The Grand Parkway eastern loop has just been completed. Also those neighborhoods are in the Entergy service area--part of the Eastern power grid (not part of Texas' ERCOT).
The Woodlands, TX vs Alpharetta is the better matchup. Granted, The Woodlands has double the population, but add bordering Milton to Alpharetta and it almost equals out.
Alpharetta is my pick. If I lived in Alpharetta, I'd probably be spending more time in Dunwoody or Sandy Springs than the city itself, and I'd only live there if I had a job in those places to cut down on traffic/gas costs. It's also on the stronger side of the metro in terms of development, and I can park 'n ride to Sandy Springs to take MARTA into the city. It's not too far from the mountains as well.
A P&R bus to the famous MARTA train? That's a lot of connections to get to work in DT/Midtown Atlanta!
You can get to DT Houston on a one-seat trip thanks to Houston's well-developed P&R system. Atascocita is a little far from the freeway, but the Kingwood P&R (end-of-line) is just across the bridge over the West San Jacinto River. (The other 2 intermediate P&R stops are along I-69.)
Also George Foreman lives in Huffman, on the opposite side of Lake Houston. I recommend crossing the lake on FM 1960 to enjoy the quieter side!
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