Relocating to Ga--need Help Deciding Where to Live...

I agree with some of the others on Alpharetta. We live in the Windward subdivision of Alpharetta and LOVE it. You really can't find better (except for taxes...) and there are a lot of families who move here for the exact reasons you are. That's why we did! If you want any info I'd be glad to help, just let me know!

You couldn't do better than Cherokee County for low crime, decent priced homes with elbow room, and an excellent school district. Specific cities in Cherokee County I suggest are Canton and Woodstock. Both have strip shopping malls, close to major malls, and within 45 minutes of the airport. It is where "Metro meets the mountains"!. We have lived here for 11 years and can't imagine being anywhere else.

Good luck on the move!

I am a SAHM with two girls...6 and 3. We live in Canton and love it! I am a minister over in Forsyth county and can say it is one of THE BEST schools dist. around. I would say steer clear of the south Atlanta area (below the airport) unless you plan to look at a private school for the kids. Add to it that Clayton county (county below the airport) is currently under investigation and is likely going to lose its accreditation of it school systems....it's just not a place I'd want my kids right now or anytime soon. Cobb, Cherokee, and Forysth Co. are all great choices. My husband travels 95% of the time and makes the trek to the airport in about 45 mins time.

Look into East Cobb area. The city is called Marietta, but it is called East Cobb becasue it is in the eastern part of Cobb County. It is north west of Atlanta. The schools are fantastic here. It is located about 45 minutes from the airport and is a great community, where you will find shopping and great activities for the kids. We love it here and think you will too.

Hi, A.! :)

We have been in Marietta, GA (East Cobb County)for the past 6 yrs. and have one son in the school district here. We absolutely LOVE it here and so does he (he started in 4th grade and is now almost a sophomore in high school). East Cobb schools are some of the very best in the NATION. East Cobb schools have very high academic standards. My son even took several college courses (AP courses) in his first yr. in high school. These schools are constantly getting rave reviews and receiving awards from the state and federal gov't. Also, the East Cobb area is a very family-oriented community. We are about 5 min. from I-75, which will take you to the airport (about 30-45 min.). We have several nice shopping centers (one example is The Avenues shopping center in Marietta--you can look it up online to see all the stores) with top notch stores. And we also have the standard Old Navy, Kohl's, TJ Maxx, Target, Home Depot, etc. We are about 5 min. from Town Center mall and tons of more shopping centers in Kennesaw, GA and about 20 min. from the upscale Phipps Plaza and Lenox Malls in Buckhead. I hope you will seriously consider this area. It is truly convenient to everything you could imagine and a wonderful place to raise your children!

A.

Peachtree City is a super nice area just below the airport. A lot of airport employees live in this area. Nice homes and great schools.

Hi, I second the advice abotu East Cobb. We also live in the Walton school district and would never move because of it.

While Atlanta traffic can be a bear, I do recommend taking MARTA to the airport as a great option (closest station is the Sandy Springs station). Would all ow you to live in an area wit great schools and really save your hubby time, hassle and gas $$$ if he doesn't need to carry too much when he travels.

Good luck,
Liz

I live in the East Cobb area (Marietta) and am in the Walton School District. The name of the school may not mean much, but just last week, they were ranked 106 out of the top 1300 high schools in the country (which was also at the top of the list for GA). A couple other schools in this area are Pope and Lassiter that are also considered good.
You can find homes in your price range, but they will be older ones. There are several around here that have nice homes, they just aren't the BIG ones, but you can still find some that are large enough. Being that they are older, you will also more likely find them on bigger lots with trees.
Without any traffic, it is between 30- 45 min. to the airport and easy to get to the one of the main highways that will take you there.
Everywhere I need to go is pretty close, although I will admit driving further for a couple doctors, but that's because I've been in Atlanta area since I was a kid and, for me, it's worth the drive to continue seeing them.
If you'd like more specifics on this area, let me know.
Good luck.
R.

Dear A.,

I am a local Realtor. Check out my web site and email me at ____@____.com.
I specialize in families who are relocating to the Atlanta area and have helped quite a few mothers here on Mamasource.
Since everyone is going to be partial to their neighborhood, it is important that you have the opinion of a Realtor who works with families and knows the area schools.

My web site is www.Laurensellsatlanta.com
I will send you an education guide and a Buyer Kit.

I live in East Cobb, my neighborhood is Chimney Springs, and we love it here! Our neighborhood is older, the houses being between 25 and 30 years old, but what you described comes very close to our house. There is a good mix of traditional and contemporary homes in the development, so not every house looks alike. Our lot is about 1/3 acre, but is laid out very well. We have four very active boys & they have plenty of room to play. The neighborhood has swim & tennis, as well as a park & lake & a few mini parks scattered through out the development. We usually make it to the airport in 30-45 minutes depending on traffic, but be warned: Atlanta rush hour stinks! We have great shopping nearby, and Cobb County schools are top notch. Our boys go to Tritt Elementary & Hightower Trail Middle School (starting this fall). Check out some of the houses online - the zip code is 30062 and the city is Marietta. Hope this helps. Good luck with your move. :o)

HI A.- WE live in Canton (Cherokee CO) which is about 45 minutes from the airport- we live in a golf course community which is quickly growing- and shopping isnt far (about 20 min now but they are building a lot which will be completed in the fall)
We moved here from Roswell which I wish we could have found a home in that price range in....it will be hard within that price range- you'll find some , but they will be older homes. Roswell is a great school district Mountain Park is a great elementary school - If you want East Cobb- that is good school district - but very expensive and very crowded. My huband works from home and travels a couple times a week - so he does make the treck the airport. I wouldn't want to live "near" the airport though.
Good Luck. Let me know if you have any other questions or need a realtor ( i know a few in the areas)
Nikki
SAHM to 3 boys.

I'd look into the East Cobb area. Good schools, more established neighborhoods so you get to have a yard. You can easily get something nice in your price range. Nice area. Atlanta's about 30 minutes south; the airport, 45 or so.

Check out the Bentwater subdivision in Acworth.
We live in this area and love it, there are 5 pools and
family activities planned year round.
There is a house close to mine for sale on the golf course,
if you would like the address let me know, it is in your price range and has the room you are looking for...I am not a realtor.

Hey A.,

Okay, well, Hartsfield Jackson Airport isn't in a very nice area of town. It is in College Park, which, although Fulton County, just is a rather dicey area, in my book.

If it were me, and I was moving into Metro Atlanta, I would head to either East Cobb, South Cherokee County or to Alpharetta/Roswell. Pretty much everywhere you move to, unless you choose to live in College Park (not a good idea) is going to have about a 45 minute drive to the airport.

Good luck!

E.

I live in Woodstock, GA (Cherokee County - about 25 minutes north of Atlanta) and LOVE IT! It has trees, parks, and is close to shopping areas also without being outrageously priced. I grew up in Kennesaw and my husband in Decatur. We looked in Decatur originally (close to Atlanta, close to the arts & Emory University), but for the amount of house we could get here for the same price...there was really no comparison. Alpharetta is also a nice area, but you are going to pay more for the same house there vs. here and they are not that far from each other. My husband works in Alpharetta now. Anyways....not to affend anyone living in these areas, but I would not recommend Gwinnett or Clayton County. Here is my reasoning....Gwinnett: I have friends and family that live there, and neighbors that have moved from there but I personally am not fond of the area because of the crime. It seems like every evening there is a story about a crime that has been committed there. There is also a higher gang rate there (this information comes from friends of mine that are police officers for Gwinnett County...I am only the messenger). There is a lot of diversity in Gwinnett which is a huge positive. And it is the fastest growing county. For Clayton: they are having school system issues at the moment. I would imagine they will be resolved and the school will excel in the future because of the issues now, but for the time being I would not recommend it. I hope this helps...and if you have any other questions about the area, please let me know. My husband and I are both natives of metro Atlanta...which is very rare now a days.

Hi A.! We relocated to Atlanta about 1 year ago. We live in Alpharetta, which is about 30 minutes north of the city. My husband travels A LOT and it usually takes him about 45-60 minutes to get to the airport (depending on what time he leaves in the morning). I'm a part-time teacher, so I can tell you that the schools up here are amazing! I work in Forsyth County Schools, but we live in Fulton, and both districts are really good! Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions!
:) K.

Hi A.,
Well Georgia welcomes you! I too relocated here about 7 years ago and had the same concerns with schools. We settled in Cherokee county. Depending on when your husband travels, he can get to the airport in about 45 minutes. The earlier the better. We live north of the city and trust me, anywhere closer to Atlanta is horrible at rush hour. If your husband works mostly from home, it will be fine for you guys. To answer all of your questions, I'm giving you a friend of mine's website and email. She's great and very patient! A mom of 4 and married to a military fella.
Let me know what you think?
D.

____@____.com

www.danellemrozinski.com

I relocated to Woodstock, GA from Orlando 2 years ago and love it. It's about 50 minutes to the airport, close enough to shopping (about 15 minutes to mall in Kennesaw) and 20 to Northpoint Mall in Alpharetta and the houses here are gorgeous. We paid $265K for a 4/2.5 with a full finished basement thas has another family room, full bath and bedroom. It's about 3900 sq. ft total and we're on 1/2 acre. Beautiful trees in neighborhood, swim/tennis/golf community and lots of families. The schools here are blue ribbon schools, which is a main reason we picked it. My other suggestion would be Alpharetta, which is only about 35 minutes to airport but I don't know if you'd get that much house with land there for your price range. It's possible though. And there are great schools there as well and tons of shopping. A lot more busy of an area than Woodstock though. And lastly, Roswell, which again, is a little more expensive and busy than Woodstock but some great neighborhoods and schools. Good luck with the move. I know how stressful it can be!

Hi, A.. I live in Cobb County, which is pretty terrific. The schools in East Cobb are some of the best around. There are lots of parks and trees and great shopping. It's hard to go wrong. I'm sure you'll hear good things about the area when you begin working with a realtor. We are 35-40 minutes from the airport. If you would like a closer town to the airport, Peachtree City is a great place to live. I have several friends who live there or grew up there and love it. Many pilots live there because of the close proximity. The schools are also very good. Hope this helps and hope you enjoy Georgia!

You pretty much described Alpharetta, GA. It is about 45 min from the airport. Great schools, top rated in Georgia. Great neighborhoods, Great shopping, just an all around good place to be. Check it out. Roswell is also nice.

I agree with Elizabeth about College Park. If you were to move there you would have to do private school for your kids. North Fulton County would have pretty good schools, which would be Roswell/Alpharetta area, as would the East Cobb and south Cherokee schools. It is just a bit further then Alpharetta, but I think it would be worth it for the schools, would be south Forsyth county. I am a teacher and I have to say that school system completely impressed me when I was interviewing for a job. It is probably 45-60 minutes to the airport, depending on how close to GA 400 you are located.

I would steer away from south of the city. Henry County is one of the fastest growing in the state, but the schools are quickly becoming overcrowded. I would stay close to GA 400, Fulton, Forsyth, Cobb or Cherokee Counties. Dunwoody is another popular area, but I don't care for the school system (Dekalb County), although there are some great Elementary Schools in there. Hope this helps and good luck with your move.

A.

I am from intown Atlanta. I now live in East Cobb in the Sope Creek district and consider it to be "far out". I might suggest Sandy Springs (Elementary Schools: Spalding Drive Charter, Heards Ferry). We lived there for 10 years. I don't know about 1/2 acre lots in either East Cobb or Sandy Springs in that price range, but if you look hard enough, it might be possible. Traffic here, like Houston, is a very big deal, so if your husband does do the airport trip, accessibility to MARTA is important. I do not like Cherokee County because it takes too long to get anywhere, and there's no train service. My three best friends live up there. They like it a lot, but one was commuting 1.5 hours each way to her work, inclusive of time on the MARTA train. The roads up there are choked with cars trying to get to major arteries.

A., I would have to suggest the Roswell/Alpharetta area. I think that you will find that it will meet all your needs and then some. We have great schools, and just about anything you need within minutes. Its a growing community. Absolutely beautiful. I have lived in Roswell all my life (43 years) Also with the toll road to GA HWY85(only $.50) it is only about 15 to 20 minutes to the airport without rush hour traffic. I really think you and your family would enjoy living in this community.