Pet friendly community north of Atlanta (Buford, Forsyth: real estate, homes, new construction)

[junec]

Looking for a pet friendly community north of Atlanta....training classes,dog events, parks,lakes...I am a dog groomer and husband is in the financial markets...no children...not ready to retire yet...want to get the most we can for the price...thanks for any info.

[cittic10]

When you say "north of Atlanta," do you mean north of the metro area of just in the northern suburbs?

Generally speaking, I would not necessarily classify anywhere in n. georgia as being all that pet friendly although there are a number of things to do that dogs love to do and there are some businesses (namely restaurants with outdoor seating that allow dogs)

Take Buford for example.
Buford is in gwinnett county. It has a walkable mainstreet. It's not quite like Highlands or Asheville, NC, where you find dog bowls out on the sidewalk in front of each business though. Of course, if you lived in Buford, you wouldn't be very far from those places and they make a great quick getaway.

Outside of the downtown, there are a few restaurants with outdoor seating that you can take your dogs when weather permits.
Buford borders lake lanier and that is a great place to go swimming and recreating with your dog. Particularly if you have a boat and can get to one of the many little islands with sandy beaches.
Buford is also only 45-60 minutes from a plethora of really fantastic hikes in the mountains where you can enjoy the hikes just as much as your dog because of picture postcard scenery. There's practically a different waterfall hike for each day of the month. And the camping is out of this world.

Gwinnett County has repeatedly earned national recognition for having the best park system in the country. Buford is in close proximity to some of the top parks, and a few of which have off-leash bark park areas.

Buford is just up the road from suwannee which hosts the annual petpalooza however unlike suwannee which is a haven for commuters, you'll get much more for your money in buford.

There's more than just stuff for the dogs. There's the state's largest mall, the Mall of Georgia which is home to stores like Nordstrom and Macys. There are a number of pet supply stores in the area and they carry the premium foods. There are also some independent stores and grooming places. There are also a lot of animal hospitals in the area.

The price of real estate is very low due to oversupply of new construction homes. I saw in your other post you were looking for acreage. You won't find acreage here or anywhere else in the metro area for that matter. You'll have to go way to the north for that and out in the boonies. Trust me, I've been looking. But if you can settle for a large home in a subdivision, Buford is a place to consider. That may not be a bad thing afterall, my subd has it's own beautiful private hiking trail and has a dog park under construction.

[berkeleylake]

North of Atlanta can cover a lot. Areas of Forsyth or Cherokee County might be good for a start. These are more suburban areas of Atlanta. I am not so sure about North Georgia itself but you have plenty of options to choose from. Are you interested in a certain area already?