Athens/Oconee? Or closer to Lawrenceville? (Atlanta, Macon: middle-class, real estate, home builders)

[FLMom10]

Hi all,
I am a FL native and my husband and I are hoping to move to GA in the next year. Being the pre-planner that I am I am searching for the best areas to consider. I've looked extensively at real estate prices and I like what I see! I'm hoping that you can help me narrow my search based on some criteria:

• Want to live no farther away from ATL than Athens. Do NOT want to live in ATL or in an immediate suburb.
• Would like to keep commute to ATL airport under 1.5 hours (would like to make it closer to 1 hour)
• Good schools are key. *I am more concerned about my son's social influences and safety that if he can pass a state exit test. I have a Master's in Education and can supplement/find people to supplement concepts if needed. I really don't care about state test performance. I want a school where he can be safe, be himself and be treated as something other than a nuisance by teachers*
• Low property taxes would be very nice!
• A quiet, slow, southern feel, but also a place that has a few restaurants and stores. I don't want to have to drive into ATL to find a Target
• Friendly people in a SAFE place. I'd like my son to be able to ride his bike around the neighborhood without cars whooshing by and teenage thugs-in-training around the corner (I'm a little scorned by the misperception of my white-middle-class-suburbia FL neighborhood!)

Based on this, we've been looking at Athens, Oconee county, and I looked at Lawrenceville based soley on proximity. Suggestions?

Thanks in advance!!

[go falcons]

Are you totally locked into being in the Athens area , or are you open to other suggestions ?
If you are open to suggestions - one I'll suggest taking a look at would be Senoia in Coweta county. It is an absolutely charming ,older southern town that really fits alot of what you describe. The nearest Target(s) will be anywhere from 15 to 30 miles away . Your commute to the airport would be not quite an hour ?. It might be worth taking a look at.

[hal2814]

Even during non-peak traffic, I'm not sure you can get to Hartsfield from Athens in 1.5 hours. You certainly can't get there that fast via 316 -> I-85. Maybe 78 would be faster?

Commute aside, Oconee County sounds like an ideal place for you. You're far enough away from Athens to not feel right in the city but you still have some amenities nearby. There's a Target in Athens and another on 316 in Bethlehem/Winder. My wife was a student teacher in Oconee (Mars Hill) and would've taken a permanent position there if one were available when she was applying. She was very impressed by the staff, the students and the parental involvement. Residential building in most parts of the county is heavily subdivision-based so things like riding bikes shouldn't be a huge concern. It's a nice area but to be honest if I were making a regular commute to Hartsfield, I'd look elsewhere.

[FLMom10]

Thank you for the replies! We are not completely set on the Athens area (I would love the opportunity to work at UGA when kids are older, so that's why we have focused on that area), so we are very open to suggestions! My husband travels frequently for work, so that's why Hartsfield is an important factor - just not important enough to live anywhere that would qualify as Atlanta!
We will look into Coweta county, and if you have other areas you think would be good, I'd sure love to hear about them!

Thank you!!

[WanderingImport]

If you can get away from eventually working at UGA (and potentially look for other schools), you would probably do better looking for real estate south of Atlanta than east and north.

Commute times are better on I-85 coming from the south than north. In some cases, they can be better than I-75, but there are more options on that corridor. Heck, you could live as far south as North Macon and Forsyth and be at the airport between 1-1.5 hours (depending on traffic of course)

[tv_racin_fan]

I would agree that west or south of Atlanta would be better than north or east. There are smaller schools all over.

West GA may be to your liking.

[FLMom10]

Thank you for the responses! I have always wanted to work at UGA, and my experience is in a large university setting, so I won't totally give up on that idea, but I will most definitely take your suggestions about smaller schools into account and look into south and west of Atlanta options!
It's not a complete adventure if it's too planned out, right!?!

[flmamaboo]

We've looked into relocating to the area between Atlanta and Athens as well. Coming from FL you are probably used to concrete homes, they aren't built the same in GA. A lot of the homes have foam board (styrofoam) behind the vinyl siding, not the plywood that you would expect. In fact, we were told that just until recently the home builders didn't even have to be licensed contractors. I'm not trying to deter you from the area because it is very nice, but check the construction.

[SW30303]

I would probably choose Oconee County over Gwinnett County given what you describe in your post. If you prefer Gwinnett, parts of Buford and Lawrenceville are fine, but it is more built-out and suburban than these other areas that are further out from Atlanta. I think Coweta suggestion on the SW side of metro Atlanta is a good idea, too. Coweta would obviously be more convenient to Hartsfield than the areas NE and E of Atlanta.

I think Carrollton area in west GA very well going towards Alabama could be another possibility if you want to find work at a university (University of West Georgia). The general rule of thumb with Atlanta is if you basically if you live about 35-40 miles from downtown Atlanta, the outlying areas are semi-rural but may be a bit too developed for your preferences. I think West GA or areas SW of Atlanta might be a great option for you.

If I were you, and you haven't done so already, I would use a school research tools like Greatschools.org and narrow down some areas that have public schools that meet your needs.