Roswell vs Johns Creek (Alpharetta, Canton: low crime, house, neighborhoods)

[mrpanda]

Pigging backing on the poll, I've noticed that Roswell ranked #76 in "Best Place to Live" by Money Magazine 2010. I've been to Johns Creek many times but have never been to Roswell.

Please compare and contrast these two cities. How are they different? Though I like Johns Creek a lot, couple of things I don't like about JC is its location and homes seem a bit more dated.

In my opinion, it is just too far from the city and the airport, sort of feels removed from a central location. I also don't like the fact that there is no major freeway nearby like 85 (suwanee) or 400 (alpharetta)

I do however like the schools, low crime, and demographics of JC. How does Roswell compare?

[billl]

Originally Posted by mrpanda

Pigging backing on the poll, I've noticed that Roswell ranked #76 in "Best Place to Live" by Money Magazine 2010. I've been to Johns Creek many times but have never been to Roswell.

Please compare and contrast these two cities. How are they different? Though I like Johns Creek a lot, couple of things I don't like about JC is its location and homes seem a bit more dated.

More dated than Roswell? I think if you compare average house age Roswell would be far ahead of Johns Creek. Or would that be "far behind"? Whichever translates to "older".

I don't have any hard numbers, but the perception is that Johns Creek has less crime and (slightly) better schools. What Johns Creek lacks and what Roswell has in abundance is character.

Drive down Canton Street in downtown Roswell. You will find nothing like it in Johns Creek: nothing even close. Go see a production at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center. Again, nothing like it in JC. Take a stroll along the Chattahoochee River or ride your mountain bike in Big Creek Park. You won't find things like that in JC.

In its defense, Johns Creek is still a very new city and has chosen very difficult economic times to try to become a city. It hasn't had the time or resources to develop interesting places like Roswell has. Maybe in 20 years it will be able to compare, but right now JC is little more than a continuous progression of strip malls and suburban neighborhoods.

You could do what many other folks do: live in Johns Creek and drive to Roswell to enjoy its amenities.

[Esteban5]

Roswell became a city in 1854...JC in 2006. The city websites have great info about both.

[athensvaasi]

Old-timers may remember jxu who once wrote on this forum that Roswell often shows up on lists because:
many of these lists will be for cities of population over some number of thousands, and Roswell meets that criteria. That is, Roswell is likely the largest city in the Roswell-Alpharetta-JC-Milton group, and ends up on these lists (sort of as a proxy for the region).

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by mrpanda

sort of feels removed from a central location. I also don't like the fact that there is no major freeway nearby like 85 (suwanee) or 400 (alpharetta)

Just to spot one thing out right quick....

Many people like this location for the very problem you spot out. They liked the fact it is a quiet community of mostly homes, but is in between both I-85 and 400 and between multiple central locations. It is possible to drive to both, since you are in between. Not to mention access to 285/Peachtree Corners via Peachtree Industrial/parkway.

I'm no expert on Roswell, so I won't say much...but to reinforce what the other posters have said...

Roswell is more of a suburban community that say its hey-day in the late 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. Johns Creek is much newer and has more homes from the mid 80s, 90s, and 2000s. Roswell has more of a traditional old downtown and alot of 80s and 90s era strip malls. Johns Creek in comparison is new as a town is more of a city cooperative of many neighborhood communities. However, I will spot out... it has some smaller suburban office districts sprouting up at Medlock Bridge and Mcginnis Ferry that they share with S. Forsyth.

[K'ledgeBldr]

Johns Creek by definition is a city-
City;
an incorporated municipality, usually governed by a mayor and a board of aldermen or councilmen.
But it's more like it's synonym
Community;
a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.
As short as that historical heritage may be.
Johns Creek became a city by a means of separatism. The taxpayers revolted and won.
It's not a city in the traditional historical sense- A water stop for the railroad or stagecoach that grew or became the county seat that required a courthouse and businesses of every kind.
The unique thing for myself- I live in Johns Creek proper, have an Alpharetta mailing address, but lay my head closer to Roswell. The HS for this area is in Roswell, and I do the majority of my personal business in Roswell.