Fayette or Henry County (Fayetteville, White: house, neighborhoods, schools)

[fishpirate]

Thank you for the responses. Unfortunately I am still not convinced that the Fayetteville Middle School and corresponding HS are not declining. I was interested in Bennett's Mill Middle outside PTC as well but the HS it feeds is Fayetteville. The housing in Fayetteville is much less than comparable housing in PTC, but I do see spots of overly cheap housing in PTC. I am not saying Fayetteville or its schools are bad, they are just trending down and I am concerned the trend will not stop. So I have to choose school (PTC) or better priced housing (Fayetteville). I decided against Henry Co on my own and the comments here have reinforced that decision to some extent.

[rl256]

Check out each area for yourself and make the best decision for your family

[fishpirate]

Any comments on this article: Fayette BoE to consider more school closures for 2013-2014 | The Citizen

[vamos]

fishpirate - you are correct, comparable housing in PTC tends to be significantly more expensive than in surrounding areas. On the upside, homes in PTC also tend to keep their value to a higher degree.

You should also be aware that property taxes in PTC are significantly higher - but you get better infrastructure in return.

[fishpirate]

I wish I had more time to really drive the whole county but I do not. I really prefer the house I am finding outside of peachtree to the ones in PPTC for the money. Any thoughts on the areas in the White Water Middle and HS districts )East of PTC and south of Fayetteville? The schools seem good enough and I can get houses much bigger and seemingly better for less. I know the commute to Morrow would be a little longer. My biggest concern is the future, which I know none of us can predict, but does anyone have insight on that area as far as schools and home values? Vamos, I did not realize the property tax was higher in PTC. To me, all of GA is high so I did not realize PTC was even higher. Thank you for pointing that out. I am not sure how important the upgraded infrastructure is to me.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by fishpirate

I wish I had more time to really drive the whole county but I do not. I really prefer the house I am finding outside of peachtree to the ones in PPTC for the money. Any thoughts on the areas in the White Water Middle and HS districts )East of PTC and south of Fayetteville? The schools seem good enough and I can get houses much bigger and seemingly better for less. I know the commute to Morrow would be a little longer. My biggest concern is the future, which I know none of us can predict, but does anyone have insight on that area as far as schools and home values? Vamos, I did not realize the property tax was higher in PTC. To me, all of GA is high so I did not realize PTC was even higher. Thank you for pointing that out. I am not sure how important the upgraded infrastructure is to me.

The Whitewater District would be a good choice. And a better commute to Morrow than Peachtree City.

[Newsboy]

Let me just state for the record that there are NO bad schools in Fayette County. NONE! No Fayette school has failed AYP -- EVER! I'm not sure any other district in Georgia can claim that feat. All five Fayette high schools made Atlanta magazine's list of the "50 best high schools in Metro Atlanta" that came out in January of this year. Again, no other district comes close. And the beauty of it is, each of those schools is admittedly different -- with unique strengths and weaknesses. McIntosh High in PTC has VERY high academic performance but struggles in big-ticket athletics like football, basketball, etc. Sandy Creek High in Tryone, on the other hand, is a football powerhouse and has a huge JROTC program. Fayette County High has very strong heritage and sense of tradition, and the best fine arts program in the county -- and one of biggest and best marching bands in the entire state. Many families CHOOSE to live in the FCHS district so their children can be in the Marching Tiger Band. See my point?

Because you've already got an idea in your mind about what's good / not so good, on the decline / stable, I'll just explain it this way: Fayetteville proper is split into two high school feeder zones -- North of GA 54 (Fayette County Middle / High) and South of GA 54 (Whitewater Middle / High). BUY A HOUSE SOUTH OF HWY 54! Done! The commute from there to your job in Morrow (or wherever) is nothing.

Whitewater High is far and away the best school cluster you could be in because it's the newest, and even though it hasnt really made a name for itself or carved out a unique niche yet, it's the "IN" high school in Fayette County at the moment. My sister's kids go there; many of my friends' kids go there. I have friends who teach there. It is an EXCELLENT school -- top tier in Georgia -- and will continue to be for years to come.

[vamos]

Originally Posted by fishpirate

I wish I had more time to really drive the whole county but I do not. I really prefer the house I am finding outside of peachtree to the ones in PPTC for the money. Any thoughts on the areas in the White Water Middle and HS districts )East of PTC and south of Fayetteville? The schools seem good enough and I can get houses much bigger and seemingly better for less. I know the commute to Morrow would be a little longer. My biggest concern is the future, which I know none of us can predict, but does anyone have insight on that area as far as schools and home values? Vamos, I did not realize the property tax was higher in PTC. To me, all of GA is high so I did not realize PTC was even higher. Thank you for pointing that out. I am not sure how important the upgraded infrastructure is to me.

Yup, you get charged a good junk of change more - the same size house outside of PTC with the same value tends to be a few thousand dollars a year less... For me, it's almost half since there seems to be a tax gradation even within PTC. I happen to live in the most affluent area and taxes in that part are still higher...

[Newsboy]

Fishpirate, curious where you are coming from to think GA property taxes are high?! Alabama maybe? Even so, you get a lot more for that money here than you do in most places, since about 80 percent of your property tax bill goes to fund LOCAL schools.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Let me just state for the record that there are NO bad schools in Fayette County. NONE! No Fayette school has failed AYP -- EVER! I'm not sure any other district in Georgia can claim that feat. All five Fayette high schools made Atlanta magazine's list of the "50 best high schools in Metro Atlanta" that came out in January of this year. Again, no other district comes close. And the beauty of it is, each of those schools is admittedly different -- with unique strengths and weaknesses. McIntosh High in PTC has VERY high academic performance but struggles in big-ticket athletics like football, basketball, etc. Sandy Creek High in Tryone, on the other hand, is a football powerhouse and has a huge JROTC program. Fayette County High has very strong heritage and sense of tradition, and the best fine arts program in the county -- and one of biggest and best marching bands in the entire state. Many families CHOOSE to live in the FCHS district so their children can be in the Marching Tiger Band. See my point?

Because you've already got an idea in your mind about what's good / not so good, on the decline / stable, I'll just explain it this way: Fayetteville proper is split into two high school feeder zones -- North of GA 54 (Fayette County Middle / High) and South of GA 54 (Whitewater Middle / High). BUY A HOUSE SOUTH OF HWY 54! Done! The commute from there to your job in Morrow (or wherever) is nothing.

Whitewater High is far and away the best school cluster you could be in because it's the newest, and even though it hasnt really made a name for itself or carved out a unique niche yet, it's the "IN" high school in Fayette County at the moment. My sister's kids go there; many of my friends' kids go there. I have friends who teach there. It is an EXCELLENT school -- top tier in Georgia -- and will continue to be for years to come.

Great post, Newsie.

All of Fayette County is a good choice.