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Are there other smaller vibrant towns with restaurants, coffee shops, quality grocery stores, shopping, etc., that have a main street and the open green space look and feel of Franklin TN? Good schools are a must as well.
Many of the towns in the southeast we've visited that offer the same conveniences as Franklin, are full of busy multilane highways and do have the same feel as Franklin.
Towns seem to either be too small with poorly rated schools and don't offer the same 'conveniences' as Franklin, or have all the conveniences along with highly rated schools but are high stress and very busy areas with residences and businesses just off busy roads (e.g., North Atlanta suburbs).
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
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you can't have your cake and eat it too. Highly rated schools tend to attract top achievers and thus are pressure cookers. There are multiple areas north of atlanta with pretty much all you ask for except for the high stress schools. In california it was the same with schools.
Are there other smaller vibrant towns with restaurants, coffee shops, quality grocery stores, shopping, etc., that have a main street and the open green space look and feel of Franklin TN? Good schools are a must as well.
Many of the towns in the southeast we've visited that offer the same conveniences as Franklin, are full of busy multilane highways and do have the same feel as Franklin.
Towns seem to either be too small with poorly rated schools and don't offer the same 'conveniences' as Franklin, or have all the conveniences along with highly rated schools but are high stress and very busy areas with residences and businesses just off busy roads (e.g., North Atlanta suburbs).
I'm curious of anyone has suggestions?
South Atlanta outer-suburban/exurban areas like Newnan and maybe McDonough probably come closest to what you are looking for in an affluent outer-suburban/exurban city like Franklin, Tennessee.
But, while a South Atlanta outer-suburban/exurban area like Newnan (in Coweta County) has noticeably less traffic congestion relative to many North Atlanta outer-suburban/exurban areas, the schools (while very high in quality) may not all necessarily feature ratings as high as the schools in areas like Franklin, TN or the North Atlanta outer suburbs.
Meanwhile, an area like McDonough (in Henry County) features very highly-rated schools in the Union Grove HS and Ola HS clusters. But, because of demographic shifts and an imbalance in wealth, affluence and development patterns towards metro Atlanta’s Northside, the school ratings in the rest of the Henry County Schools system can be hit-or-miss, and traffic congestion can be very severe at times along I-75 south of Atlanta.
Northwest of Atlanta, a far outer-suburban area like Cherokee County (which includes the outer-suburban city of Woodstock and the far outer-suburban/exurban area of Canton/Holly Springs may offer much of what you’re looking for, with highly-rated and above-average schools in the River Ridge HS, Creekview HS, Etowah HS, Sequoyah HS and Woodstock HS clusters. But traffic congestion may at times be an issue when having to drive on I-575 south of Canton.
Northeast of Atlanta, a bustling exurban city like Gainesville and Hall County may also offer much of what you’re looking for in an affluent outer-suburban/exurban area.
But Gainesville/Hall County is a much more highly industrial area than an affluent area like Franklin/Williamson County, TN, with industrial elements that may not always come across as being the most visually attractive, particularly along the I-985 corridor where virtually all of the area’s heavy industry is located.
Gainesville/Hall County also may not feature the highest-rated public schools like other areas with much affluence like Franklin/Williamson County, TN and other parts of the Atlanta outer-suburban/exurban region.
Unfortunately, if one wants to live in an area of the absolute highest rated public schools in the Atlanta region, one very likely is going to have to live in an area with much traffic, much crowding and much academic and social competitiveness in the schools.
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll
South Atlanta outer-suburban/exurban areas like Newnan and maybe McDonough probably come closest to what you are looking for in an affluent outer-suburban/exurban city like Franklin, Tennessee.
But, while a South Atlanta outer-suburban/exurban area like Newnan (in Coweta County) has noticeably less traffic congestion relative to many North Atlanta outer-suburban/exurban areas, the schools (while very high in quality) may not all necessarily feature ratings as high as the schools in areas like Franklin, TN or the North Atlanta outer suburbs.
Meanwhile, an area like McDonough (in Henry County) features very highly-rated schools in the Union Grove HS and Ola HS clusters. But, because of demographic shifts and an imbalance in wealth, affluence and development patterns towards metro Atlanta’s Northside, the school ratings in the rest of the Henry County Schools system can be hit-or-miss, and traffic congestion can be very severe at times along I-75 south of Atlanta.
Northwest of Atlanta, a far outer-suburban area like Cherokee County (which includes the outer-suburban city of Woodstock and the far outer-suburban/exurban area of Canton/Holly Springs may offer much of what you’re looking for, with highly-rated and above-average schools in the River Ridge HS, Creekview HS, Etowah HS, Sequoyah HS and Woodstock HS clusters. But traffic congestion may at times be an issue when having to drive on I-575 south of Canton.
Northeast of Atlanta, a bustling exurban city like Gainesville and Hall County may also offer much of what you’re looking for in an affluent outer-suburban/exurban area.
But Gainesville/Hall County is a much more highly industrial area than an affluent area like Franklin/Williamson County, TN, with industrial elements that may not always come across as being the most visually attractive, particularly along the I-985 corridor where virtually all of the area’s heavy industry is located.
Gainesville/Hall County also may not feature the highest-rated public schools like other areas with much affluence like Franklin/Williamson County, TN and other parts of the Atlanta outer-suburban/exurban region.
Unfortunately, if one wants to live in an area of the absolute highest rated public schools in the Atlanta region, one very likely is going to have to live in an area with much traffic, much crowding and much academic and social competitiveness in the schools.
As always your posts are always detailed and helpful!
Are there other smaller vibrant towns with restaurants, coffee shops, quality grocery stores, shopping, etc., that have a main street and the open green space look and feel of Franklin TN? Good schools are a must as well.
Many of the towns in the southeast we've visited that offer the same conveniences as Franklin, are full of busy multilane highways and do have the same feel as Franklin.
Towns seem to either be too small with poorly rated schools and don't offer the same 'conveniences' as Franklin, or have all the conveniences along with highly rated schools but are high stress and very busy areas with residences and businesses just off busy roads (e.g., North Atlanta suburbs).
I'm curious of anyone has suggestions?
There is no direct Metro Atlanta equivalent to Franklin, TN. Some places come close, though.
If Alpharetta (plus neighboring Milton) and Newnan had a baby, and the baby got...
- Newnan's charming and vibrant historic town square
- Newnan's relative isolation from Atlanta and nearby "green space"
- Newnan's relative lack of busy highways
- Alpharetta's schools
- Alpharetta's conveniences
- Alpharetta's wealth
... then you would have something very similar to Franklin, TN. We could even call it "Newpharetta".
But since that isn't possible, I would look into Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell, and Woodstock.
South Atlanta outer-suburban/exurban areas like Newnan and maybe McDonough probably come closest to what you are looking for in an affluent outer-suburban/exurban city like Franklin, Tennessee.
But, while a South Atlanta outer-suburban/exurban area like Newnan (in Coweta County) has noticeably less traffic congestion relative to many North Atlanta outer-suburban/exurban areas, the schools (while very high in quality) may not all necessarily feature ratings as high as the schools in areas like Franklin, TN or the North Atlanta outer suburbs.
Meanwhile, an area like McDonough (in Henry County) features very highly-rated schools in the Union Grove HS and Ola HS clusters. But, because of demographic shifts and an imbalance in wealth, affluence and development patterns towards metro Atlanta’s Northside, the school ratings in the rest of the Henry County Schools system can be hit-or-miss, and traffic congestion can be very severe at times along I-75 south of Atlanta.
Northwest of Atlanta, a far outer-suburban area like Cherokee County (which includes the outer-suburban city of Woodstock and the far outer-suburban/exurban area of Canton/Holly Springs may offer much of what you’re looking for, with highly-rated and above-average schools in the River Ridge HS, Creekview HS, Etowah HS, Sequoyah HS and Woodstock HS clusters. But traffic congestion may at times be an issue when having to drive on I-575 south of Canton.
Northeast of Atlanta, a bustling exurban city like Gainesville and Hall County may also offer much of what you’re looking for in an affluent outer-suburban/exurban area.
But Gainesville/Hall County is a much more highly industrial area than an affluent area like Franklin/Williamson County, TN, with industrial elements that may not always come across as being the most visually attractive, particularly along the I-985 corridor where virtually all of the area’s heavy industry is located.
Gainesville/Hall County also may not feature the highest-rated public schools like other areas with much affluence like Franklin/Williamson County, TN and other parts of the Atlanta outer-suburban/exurban region.
Unfortunately, if one wants to live in an area of the absolute highest rated public schools in the Atlanta region, one very likely is going to have to live in an area with much traffic, much crowding and much academic and social competitiveness in the schools.
Roswell and Alpharetta are great, but they just seem so crowded and hard to navigate compared to Franklin TN. Of course Franklin can get busy at times, but most of the roads are two lanes and there's an abundance of open green space in the residential and commercial areas. It just has a more relaxed feel.
I thought about Newnan, we've been through there many times and have spent time in Senoia and Peachtree City as well. Newnan seems like a great small town, but we didn't notice much of the 'conveniences' in the area (e.g., quality grocery stores, shopping, parks/recreation) that we would want. Of course we take the same path through town every time we pass through Newnan, I'll research the area a bit more to see what's there. I do know the schools are only rated a 6, whereas many the schools in Atl suburbs mentioned above as well as Franklin are rated 9-10. I understand ratings aren't everything and we'd need to visit the schools in person, but from my experience they mean something and are often accurate.
I guess that the OP could also consider Athens, which may be a bit larger and slightly more urban of an exurban town/city than the OP might prefer.
But Athens (because of its status as a somewhat larger college town that is home to one of the most high-profile university system flagship campuses in the nation in the University of Georgia at Athens) has an exceedingly vibrant historic downtown village area and lots of amenities (including restaurants, coffee shops and quality retailers like Trader Joe’s, Costco, etc.).
Athens also features some extremely highly-rated high-quality public schools on the Oconee County side of the area in the Oconee County Schools system (in both the North Oconee HS and Oconee County HS clusters).
(Oconee County is an affluent outer-suburb/exurb of Athens and a distant exurb of Atlanta.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Citykid3785
I’ve only driven through Franklin, but I’m well aware of it.
I mean, Roswell and Alpharetta come to mind as areas with a central downtown, character, and good schools.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DoubleZ OTP
There is no direct Metro Atlanta equivalent to Franklin, TN. Some places come close, though.
If Alpharetta (plus neighboring Milton) and Newnan had a baby, and the baby got...
- Newnan's charming and vibrant historic town square
- Newnan's relative isolation from Atlanta and nearby "green space"
- Newnan's relative lack of busy highways
- Alpharetta's schools
- Alpharetta's conveniences
- Alpharetta's wealth
... then you would have something very similar to Franklin, TN. We could even call it "Newpharetta".
But since that isn't possible, I would look into Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell, and Woodstock.
A suburban Northwest metro Atlanta area like Marietta and Cobb County actually compared very favorably to an affluent outer-suburban/exurban area like Franklin and Williamson County, Tennessee in the past.
The problem for the OP is that an Atlanta metro suburban community like Marietta and Cobb County probably hasn’t compared most closely to Franklin/Williamson County, TN since at least about 1990 when Atlanta’s greater metropolitan population really began to explode due to the combination of Atlanta being named the host of the 1996 Summer Olympics at the start of an extremely economically prosperous decade that saw Atlanta begin its stunning ascent to becoming a major entertainment hub of international importance.
About 40 or so years ago, a suburban area like Marietta/Cobb County, GA (which is roughly about the same distance (20-21 miles) from Downtown Atlanta that Franklin, TN is located from Downtown Nashville) would have been to Atlanta what an outer-suburban/exurban area like Franklin/Williamson County, TN is to Nashville in the early 2020’s.
It’s just that Cobb County has grown into an urbanized suburban county of more than three-quarters-of-a-million people in the roughly four decades since the time period when the area would have compared much more closely to what an outer-suburban/exurban area like Franklin and Williamson County, TN is today outside of Nashville.
Buford (with a very vibrant historic downtown village area, a large commercial retail district with numerous retail and dining amenities, a large recreational area at and around Lake Lanier, and an extremely highly-rated and extremely highly regarded small city schools system in the Buford City Schools system as well as some highly rated schools in the cluster of the Gwinnett County Public Schools system anchored by the brand-spanking-new Seckinger High School) also has much of what the OP is looking for.
But as an outer-suburban relocation destination that is highly popular with families because of the high quality of the schools and many the area’s many amenities, Buford has much traffic and crowding (particularly along the Georgia State Route 20 corridor that runs through the Mall of Georgia retail district) and a competitive real estate market in many areas.
Last edited by Born 2 Roll; 11-27-2022 at 10:13 PM..
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