Moving to GA from Maine (Atlanta, Snellville: home search, high school, subdivision)

[pinkpalace]

We'll be moving to Georgia this Summer or Fall, and would like to know what towns are good, and which we should stay away from. I have three kids, middle-school aged down to 1st grade. I'll be working in northern Atlanta. We've been looking at Loganville, Monroe, and Winder as possible places to move.

Does anybody have any info they can share about schools, crime, or just quality of life?

[rasmom]

As I have posted before, we used to live in Gwinnett County, and we moved to Monroe(Walton County.)We moved here for the schools. My youngest son attends Loganville High...we love the school system here. Although the area is growing, it's not as extreme as Gwinnett.We have lived here 3 years. Our subdivision offers 1 and a half acre lots...lots of privacy. It's very rural here,however within 5 miles all the stores you need. Two Walmarts 5 miles in either direction, as well as Home Depot, Publix, Restaurants, etc. Within 15 minutes you can be in Gwinnett, Hwy 124 more stores there. Our area reminds us of Connecticut, we moved to Georgia 10 years ago. We can't imagine being anywhere else! Hope this answers your question.Good luck with your move. If I can be any further help, just let me know!

[luv2fish]

It ALL depends on where you work.
Start there and then consider the commute

[pinkpalace]

Thanks for the replies. I like the quality of life in Maine, but the cost of heating oil and electricity up here is ridiculous. We have friends in Loganville, so we're leaning in that direction, but we're also looking at Monroe pretty heavily. My wife actually grew up in Snellville.

I'll be working in Northern Atlanta, near the intersection of I-285 and GA 400. From what I hear, traffic up there is awful, and the trip home will likely involve US-78, another traffic trouble spot.

What do you think my commute might look like from Loganville or Monroe?

[rasmom]

The commute from Loganville, on a good day, takes about 50 to 55 minutes. Going in early, is a better commute time, leaving earlier in the afternoon is better than hitting rush hour from 3 to 3:30. Rush hour in the morning starts between 7 and 7:30. There are alot of back streets you can use to cut down on your commute time, but allow yourself an hour each way, each day.The difference between Monroe and Loganville is about ten minutes.You didn't say which county you are leaning towards. Loganville can be Gwinnett or Walton county. We live in Monroe, however, we use Youth Middle, or Loganville High. When you do your home search, find the schools you are seeking. They are in the process of building a new High school for Youth. Be careful of Gwinnett, you would be using South Gwinnett High, too much overcrowding! Taxes are about the same, there are no emissions on vehicles and registration is faster and cheaper!I don't know what price range you are looking in....you get more for your money in Monroe..hope this helps! You can private message if you have any other questions! Good luck!

I meant to say...no emissions in Walton county...sorry!