GA here we come!!See ya Florida! (Atlanta, Gainesville: house, school district)

[Moving_to_Ball Ground]

We are moving from Miami to GA as well. We purchased a home last August in Ball Ground, on the border of Canton. Our house that we live in here is on the market now, and HOPEFULLY, we will be moving this summer. We love the area we bought in in GA.
We were fortunate to buy our house in South FL at the start of or right before everything sky rocketed, so we have a fairly large home, that we bought at a fraction of what it is worth now, in a nice community and hopefully it will be sold by the summer. My homeowner's insurance here is $4300/year (and I am very west, and not near the beach at all) - in GA $636/year! My house in GA is a little smaller than the one I have in FL, but I have almost 8 acres in GA and a lake, whereas in FL, my backyard, although it has a pool and is very nice, is a shoebox. My taxes are also about $1600/year cheaper in GA. My car insurace will be 1/2 of what I pay in FL. Can't wait to move!!!

[HEADINGSOUTH]

I have been reading your threads and hope one of you can help me out. I am looking to move to GA i need to be about 20 mins away from the airport. My friend who lives there is so scared of the crime rate n the city that she advise me to move even further to some where like Villa Rica which i was thinking about. Does anyone know anything about this area or does Union City/South Fulton area is as good of an area to loive--close to the city yet far enough away. I will be therethis weekend looking again. I am in PR so i need to have easy access to the airport. Thanks

[brownshoe]

Villa Rica is close to I-20 and about 30-40 min west of the airport. There is a wide range of housing opportunities here and I know a lot of people commute into Atlanta.

The only part of South Fulton I am vaguely familiar with is right outside of the perimeter (I-285) near Camp Creek Marketplace-we looked at some new-build homes there but opted in the West Metro area.

[JackieCampbell]

Originally Posted by HEADINGSOUTH

I have been reading your threads and hope one of you can help me out. I am looking to move to GA i need to be about 20 mins away from the airport. My friend who lives there is so scared of the crime rate n the city that she advise me to move even further to some where like Villa Rica which i was thinking about. Does anyone know anything about this area or does Union City/South Fulton area is as good of an area to loive--close to the city yet far enough away. I will be therethis weekend looking again. I am in PR so i need to have easy access to the airport. Thanks

I have tons of clients who work for Delta or other airlines out of Hartsfield Jackson Intnl Airport, and they say the commute from Newnan is about 30 minutes, the commute from Fairburn is about 15-20 minutes. I would caution you to check out the school performance if you're looking to stay in a lower-crime rate area. High truancy and drop out rates translate into high crime rates because the kids don't have a positive outlet for their time and tend to get into trouble, which creates a higher truancy / dropout rate--one big vicious circle. With that in mind, your best bet for good schools and low crime rate would be Newnan in Coweta County but you can still find something affordable and pretty safe in Fairburn. East Point in S. Fulton had at one time, a very negative image due to high crime rate. It has become a place for young urban professionals to refurbish and the property values are soaring there now. This is encouraging that Fairburn will grow in popularity. Union City is still a little sketchy, I think, based on crime rates.

BEST OF LUCK TO YOU and Welcome to Georgia!

[HEADINGSOUTH]

Thanks, someone told me to look in Douglasville which is right in between Villa Rica and South Fulton. I was also told that eventhough its only 30-40mins away from the airport if I decided to comute from Atlanta to Villa Rica daily the traffic will be terrible.

[augga706]

U should check the augusta metro area a major city without the traffic of atlanta and still a big city feel. IT has 1 private and 1 major airport augusta regional which is on phase 3 of the new airport to be completed by late 07 or early 08. The outskirts like Evans, Martinez, North Augusta, Grovetown, Thomson, all are within 10 to 30 min of AUGUSTA. Evans is a suburb but is 1 of 4 fastest growing cities in ga u dont have to rely on augusta as much to shop, eat, etc. Martinez is getting lifestyle center at river watch, North AUG getting Hammonds ferry & has houses on the water, Grovetown new elementary & high school, Thomson only 30 mins away new golf course, The outskirts u can live in a nice town or area and only have to drive to augusta to do major shopping or activities. Also check out appling, harlem, aiken, waynesboro, wrens.

[anitaa]

Originally Posted by southsidetoxified

theres a high crime rate here...seems like people that just move here are always the ones who get killed , mugged , raped or robbed.

so come , come to the peach state

My family has lived in Georgia several times at long lengths of time. Never had any problems with muggings, rape, or robbery. The folks in Georgia are very nice. I think its according to who you mix company with. You read about it in the newspapers, or hear it on television but its the company you keep. As in Florida you just don't leave your house wide open to be acceptable to robberies and you have to watch yourself too as in Florida from being mugged, raped, or robbed.

[nelly40]

Originally Posted by simcity countryboy

Keep on going don't stop in georgia!

I too am looking towards relocating to GA from Philly why do you say don't stop in GA?

[Carat98]

Originally Posted by nelly40

I too am looking towards relocating to GA from Philly why do you say don't stop in GA?

He/She gave no reason......so I would ignore. I'm not in love with GA, but that is just me and my opinion. Very different culture from the north, but a great deal of Northerners have already moved here. Look at some of my past posts to see where I am coming from. Best to you.

[rkkb80]

We are also considering a move to Northern Georgia. We have lived in South Flrida for twenty plus years and are also OVER the taxes, homeowner's insurance ( mine DOUBLED since last year) and influx of people and cars. We are equally frustrated with the state government's lack of concern about these matters. The almighty dollar has allowed for too much growth, not enough infrastructure and destruction of so much of Florida's beautiful natural habitats. To avoid this unpleasant urban sprawl, two years ago,we bought an acre in a small town on a small lake in Northern Florida with intentions of moving there... it is beautiful and quiet there but wages are so much lower there!
We are now reconsidering since my husband and I are a little over 10 years away from retirement and the last five years of work determines your retirement. I am a teacher and I have a good friend that has recently moved to Forsyth county, Georgia and is teaching there. She makes $6,000 more a year than I do and we have the exact same amount of experience. In South Florida, if you have a Masters degree in education you make a paltry $3,000 more a year. In Georgia, you make $8,000 more a year. My husband can also make more and we can build a bigger more comfortable house for less money there. My only concern is that I want to get away from all of the city atmosphere that is invading us now. I am afraid with so many people moving to Georgia that the same is happening there. We have visited my friend twice and are planning on buying a piece of property in the Lumpkin county area this summer. With higher wages and what seems like a lower cost of living than South Florida.....economically, it is our best bet. We are hoping our family follows.