Peach Tree City vs. Newnan vs. Senoia (Atlanta, Peachtree City: new house, neighborhoods)

[RosserKD]

We are considering a potential job opportunity for my husband where he would work in PTC and Newnan. We recently visited and loved the area. What are the main differences in these communities other than the "golf cart paths". We are both avid runners and like to exercise alot so having that much space to run sounds awesome to me! We also have 2 small children, prefer public schools, like to be involved in the community, and are very laid back and down to earth. It seems PTC has good schools which is important-I don't have to have the #1 schools, but do want them to be good. We didn't get to see as much of Newnan as we would have liked. PTC seems like most of the houses are dated, but not sure if we just didnt see the new construction. Also, somebody mentioned checking out Senoia. Any tips on the area appreciated!

[vamos]

We were in the same boat just a year and a half ago. We visited all three towns to get an idea of what they had to offer.

PTC, as you know, has the paths. It also has lakes (one of them is open for swimmers and our toddler goes for a splash all the time), lots of activities for the kids, sufficient shopping, safety, and a great sense of community. That said, an overwhelming number of people work in the airline industry. Median income is about twice that of surrounding communities. Houses are more expensive, taxes are higher. Schools are awesome. While houses might look dated to you, it all depends on your budget and what you are looking for. There are some great subdivisions with newer houses and very few with brand-new houses. I hated the cookie-cutter design of many homes but after a long search managed to find a perfect house for us.

I bike and occasionally run as well - I would never, ever want to live in one of the other communities. There is nothing like hopping on my bike to ride around the lake in a summer afternoon without ever having to get on a road! Don't get me wrong, we looked at houses in both, Newnan and Senoia, but ultimately, there were very clear advantages to being in PTC. Now that we've lived here for a while, we feel even more secure in our decision to move here. There are many days when neither of us uses the car - we take the golf cart to shop, go to dinner, take our daughter to one of the many playgrounds, go over to friends' houses, etc. and joke about the "Golf Cart Lifestyle" all the time.

Senoia is quite charming and has a newly renovated downtown that invites you to take a stroll. Unfortunately, that's all there is. While we liked the little town, we felt like we would be bored out of our minds if we lived there.

Newnan feels the most metropolitan of all three places. Many people only know the strip malls along the main corridor, but there is also a lovely downtown that is great to visit. Newnan offers a great playground and housing for every taste. Newnan can also be a bit sketchy and depending on where you go, you'll find yourself passing plenty of run-down trailers. Shopping in Newnan is the best in the entire area (although Fayetteville also offers plenty).

We were really tempted to purchase a house in Newnan, but when it came to actually imagining our lives there, it was clear that we much preferred PTC.

Back when we did our search, I had created a thread inquiring about these towns as well - I had closed it by providing some of my impressions:

Peachtree, Newnan, Tyrone, etc

[RosserKD]

Thanks so much! When you ride your bike, do you go for long rides, or more leisurely rides? My husband likes to do more serious riding, but I am thinking he would still have to use the roads for that or do people use the golfcart paths for more intense cycling? So I guess you could get by with just 1 car and 1 golfcart?? ha!

[vamos]

You can do either. For a leisurely ride, the paths are just fine. There's a 10k path that the PTC runner's club has marked that is just perfect for a short ride around the lakes. I used to ride 30 to 50 miles a day before moving here but have not yet been able to get back into that habit. Thus, I am not yet familiar with a longer route to take, but am sure that it wouldn't be much of a problem, especially since I see plenty of riders who are obviously doing more than just 10 miles.

In addition, there are two bike shops in town that offer weekly rides. Riders meet at a specified time and go on rides of varying length. These rides are done on the road. Obviously, there are also riders on the road who do not participate in group rides, particularly on summer weekends.

Weekly Rides - Atlanta Trek Stores - McDonough - Peachtree City - Georgia

Winter Rides and Events - bicyclesunl.com (http://bicyclesunl.com/articles/winter-rides-and-events-pg113.htm - broken link)

You are correct with your assumption regarding cars. We only have one car and use the golf cart locally. Naturally, taking the golf cart requires a bit more time, but I have found it preferable to be slowed down in such a wonderful way. It takes a bit of experimenting to find the best path from point A to point B since the paths are not always straight-forward. However, maps are readily available and it is a lot of fun to just explore.

Like most people, we have a winter cover for the golf cart that protects us from the wind and the occasional rain. Some people also have a small heater to make the ride more comfortable.

[pakeeza1990]

in my opinion Peach tree is the best between these twos

[RosserKD]

I looked up gyms and it seems that World Gym is the best? I noticed there is not a lap pool at that one, but another location (on Hwy 54 I think?) has a lap pool. Is that very far from PTC? Also, I assume any of the schools there are fine. What about preschools? Are there any of those nearby?

[RosserKD]

I read your other post which was most helpful. Which neighborhoods would you recommend that are not as dated? We noticed some of the one we drove though had a mixture, but we liked the "homey" feel to them. We are looking to upgrade from our smaller house to a larger one (4-5 BR at least 3000 sq. ft), so really want something we can live in a long time but that has a newer feel. Also, any with community pools would be fun too, don't want our own pool but would love the close access of one.

[vamos]

I am not familiar with the various gyms in the area but do know that there are quite a few. Unfortunately, I do not know which ones have a pool. However, if push comes to shove, we also have the Aquatic Center, which is quite nice: Peachtree City, GA - Official Website - Kedron Fieldhouse and Aquatic Center

There are several neighborhoods that have community pools but my recommendations would depend on your budget. Most newer neighborhoods tend to have smaller houses in close proximity to each other and thus, you might be more limited in your options. For starters, I would look at The Estates. Houses there tend to be $450,00 and up but the subdivision is very nice and has a great community pool:


The Estates Peachtree City Virtual Tour - YouTube

You could also look at Kedron Hills, which has a slightly lower price tag. The houses are a bit older and the community pool isn't quite as nice as the one at The Estates, though.

If you are interested in a lower price range, perhaps Planterra Ridge may be of interest: Planterra Ridge - Home Page

There are plenty of other neighborhoods covering just about any price tag but which do not have a community pool. I cannot claim to know all of them well enough, but there are some I like better than others.

You also need to be aware that Peachtree City basically has three separate areas: North, middle, and south. I prefer to live in the North because it puts me in the "thick" of things - the lakes, Kedron Fieldhouse, the library, All Children's Playground, etc. However, some of the newer neighborhoods (such as The Estates) are in the south. Planterra Ridge feels a bit out there to me but it is close to some bigger stores and has good access to just about everything. They are also developing a new lake in that area that should certainly add even more appeal to the neighborhood. In general, the north has more affluent neighborhoods (Smokerise Plantation, North Cove, The Peninsula, etc). When it comes down to it, most people quickly develop a preference when they drive around with a realtor.

Also, please be aware that space in Peachtree City is limited. It has basically been built out and there is not too much room for new developments. Thus, it is a bit harder to find "new" homes (not to mention brand-new homes). Since the main attraction are the cart paths, you tend to have a clear delineation between various towns. There are some areas to the south of PTC that have cart paths that connect to the PTC system, but this is really an exception and PTC generally does NOT encourage such development as it likes to keep the one thing that distinguishes it from all other suburbs around the US.

Schools are all fine - there's not a single rotten apple to be found. There are also plenty of pre-schools but most have religious affiliation. Basically, every church offers a pre-school program but they have various degrees of religious teachings in their curricula. Some churches require parents to be part of the church, others don't care and cater to all faiths (or absence thereof). For a purely secular pre-school, you'd have to look at Montessori: Peachtree City Montessori

[Saintmarks]

Here is a vote for Newnan over the other two. Newnan has the suburban ammenties that most Americans want but Peachtree City cannot come close to the ambience of the courthouse square with its older storefronts, public buildings and churches. Newnan also has one of the finest collections of antebellum homes of any city in Georgia, historic districts in all directions from the square.

Most of my life I would have preferred PTC over Newnan, shows I am getting older I guess. In a couple of years I might come back and say the rural feel of Senoia is better than the other two, lol.

[go falcons]

Originally Posted by RosserKD

I looked up gyms and it seems that World Gym is the best? I noticed there is not a lap pool at that one, but another location (on Hwy 54 I think?) has a lap pool. Is that very far from PTC? Also, I assume any of the schools there are fine. What about preschools? Are there any of those nearby?

Okay - the World's Gym off of Hwy 54 is just barely outside the Peachtree City limits ( As a matter of fact many people who workout there have no idea that it is actually not in the city limits - it is that close!
Though this gym is the older of the two World's properties there, it has a really nice lap pool and a small lagoon pool which is outside. The lagoon pool is a nice ,very small, pool ideal for families with small kids.
The Peachtree City aquadic center is also really nice and very well run. It is an outdoor pool(s) uncovered spring - thru fall and covered in winter for year round use.
Peachtree City, being the family oriented town that it is has everything you could ever want for kids . Great parks, library, schools and preschools. I know that Landmark Christian School and First Baptist both have good kindergarten programs. ( I actually found some of my best recommendations for sitters, preschools etc. came from meeting other parents at World's gym ) Hope this helps.