Tell me about Kennesaw GA (Atlanta, Harrison: transplants, new home, neighborhood)

[sheena12]

We are looking at a move to Kennesaw GA. We are from an upscale suburb of NY.
What can we expect? Schools? Shopping? Community?
BTW we are LEAVING NY - so we neither want nor expect our new home to be the same as where we are leaving.

Thank you!

[neil0311]

Kennesaw is a nice suburb with many transplants. There are new subdivision with homes that go for 300K to a million dollars even in this market, and there are less expensive homes built in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

The schools are generally quite good, with two high schools (Harrison, Kennesaw Mtn) and several middle and elementary schools ranking very highly. Shopping is plentiful, with Town Center Mall and various shopping centers in the area. There is a public GA airport in Kennesaw, close to nearby Kennesaw State University, a four year state university.

The knock by some on Kennesaw and similar suburbs is that....shock....it's very suburban. You generally need a car to get around, and you won't find any super exciting hot spots, although with the college and the mall close by, there are plenty of places to eat and drink in the area.

[sheena12]

Yeah the suburbs do tend to be...um,,, suburban in flavor, We have that problem up in NY too! :-}
We are used to it.

Thanks for the quick respnce!

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by sheena12

Yeah the suburbs do tend to be...um,,, suburban in flavor, We have that problem up in NY too! :-}
We are used to it.

Be careful. You'll alienate some posters here who think that Atlanta is the only city in America with suburbs or traffic.

I grew up in Queens, and know what you mean, but many people don't realize that cities like NY have suburbs very similar to Kennesaw, which is about 25 miles from Atlanta, about the same as suburban NJ, suburban LI, or suburban Westchester County is from Manhattan.

[sheena12]

In Queens? And you like the Red Sox?

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by sheena12

In Queens? And you like the Red Sox?

See your PM

[roxyrn]

Moving from an "upscale" neighborhood in NYC area to Kennesaw is going to be more than a little bit of a culture shock. Originally, my husband was supposed to be working in Kennesaw and we looked at homes in West Cobb.

You need to be ready for a complete change in lifestyle to be out there.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by roxyrn

You need to be ready for a complete change in lifestyle to be out there.

Not really. It depends where the OP is moving from in NY. Sure, there are cultural differences from NY to GA, but it's not so much the area as the attitude of the more southern residents. With more and more transplants in the area, even that's less of any issue.

The OP should be prepared for the religion thing, for the college football thing, and for some of the holdout, rebel flag types.

[sheena12]

OK what kind of change of life style???

[MisterNY]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Be careful. You'll alienate some posters here who think that Atlanta is the only city in America with suburbs or traffic.

I grew up in Queens, and know what you mean, but many people don't realize that cities like NY have suburbs very similar to Kennesaw, which is about 25 miles from Atlanta, about the same as suburban NJ, suburban LI, or suburban Westchester County is from Manhattan.

I'm constantly telling people that. When will they learn?

Originally Posted by roxyrn

Moving from an "upscale" neighborhood in NYC area to Kennesaw is going to be more than a little bit of a culture shock. Originally, my husband was supposed to be working in Kennesaw and we looked at homes in West Cobb.

You need to be ready for a complete change in lifestyle to be out there.

Not really. Suburbs are just that suburbs (all over). A place to lay one's head after the hustle and bustle of the city (if one works in the city).

Originally Posted by sheena12

OK what kind of change of life style???

Not much...More than likely cleaner area, more space, bigger and newer house etc. You'll see new faces, that's for sure.
Trust me, coming from LI, NY (farther from the city), you won't notice a huge difference. You'll be fine. Good Luck!