Need location advice please (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: rentals, condo, townhome)

[annieb2]

Hello everyone!

We're moving to Atlanta within the next few weeks and need some help deciding on a location. I'll be working up in the Smryna area and would prefer an easy commute, however we need to reside in a location that offers solid services with regards to an IEP such as speech and physical therapy.

1. Budget= up to 2k/mth
2. House/Condo/Townhome? House
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home)=commute
4. Children(public school vs. private)=public
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two=prefer suburbs with no neighbors sitting on top of us
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? Not important
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood.= mixed

I was looking at the Marietta area as its probably close to work but I'm unsure of the schools in that area since I can't find anything about specialized services on the school's website. We also saw a home we liked in Dallas and Lawrenceville. We also want to be a little close to a hospital since we do have small children. I do not know much about Atlanta so the more information the better. I did get a taste of the traffic going up 285 and it definitely reminds me of parts of DC. Any help you all can provide would be greatly appreciated!

[BobKovacs]

Lawrenceville to Smyrna would be a painful commute.

[gapowermike]

I agree with Bob on Lawrenceville...it's just not right for you guys commute wise. Marietta might be a bit iffy at times depending on which end of the county you choose. If you have the possibility of a flexible schedule and can avoid the traditional rush hour times you could pull off East Cobb. The schools there are quite desirable.

I would steer clear of 75 during rush hour up that way. Learn the surface streets when you move in...they'll be your friend.

Welcome to the Metro. I hope your time here is a success.

[lastminutemom]

Does your child already have an IEP in place? If so, you can call the school systems (Marietta or Cobb) and inquire about services? Does he/she have a complex diagnosis that requires a self contained classroom or is he/she mainstreamed?

Absolutely no to Lawrenceville.

[annieb2]

Thank you all for the responses so far! I'll go ahead and scratch Lawrenceville off the list since I'll be working 8-5. Thanks for the welcome gapowermike! We're excited and nervous about the move. Lastminutemom, yes we already have an IEP from our current state and it would involve a self-contained classroom. Thanks for the idea, I'll call the school system on Monday to see if they can tell me anything prior to us moving. Hopefully, I'll hear from a realtor next week so that we can set up some time to view rental listings in the areas in the next week or so.

[pignchick]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Lawrenceville to Smyrna would be a painful commute.

agree on that... Smyrna is a great area. Look for something in Smyrna/Marietta. Vinings and Sandy Springs might be worth a look though but prices will be higher.

Anything south of I-285 and between 75 and 400 is the nicest part of Atlanta, but super expensive. Nice to look at, if you want to see some house eye candy though.

Lawrenceville makes no sense if you plan to work in Smyrna. The northern portion of I-285 is probably the mostly congested road in Atlanta. 85 is also really bad, but they just added a toll road there.

[westau]

If you don't want a house on top of each other you would probably have to get into an older neighborhood in Cobb County. Most of the newer houses(even the expensive ones) are almost on top of each other. Some are better than others of course but that was what we found in general. Anywhere in East Cobb wouldn't be a bad commute to Smyrna but the closer to 75 the better. It really isn't that bad in the morning especially if you would get on 285 to head over to Smyrna.

[pinetreelover]

Not sure how involved your child is, but FOCUS is a great support and advocacy group for parents of kids with special needs. Give them a call and ask some more pointed questions about schools and services. They would be happy to help you and connect your with families who might have some personal experience with the schools you are looking at.

FOCUS - Comfort, Hope, Fun

Welcome and good luck with everything!

[annieb2]

Thank you pignchick and westau for the additional information. Thank you pinetreelover for the link and the well wishes. I think FOCUS will be a great resource to aid in this transition for my family. I looked at some more rentals in the Marietta area and they are a little pricey but not too bad just a little bit more than what we wanted to spend considering that we still have property here. We started looking in the Roswell area so not for sure if that would put me in a bad spot to commute or not. We looked at Dallas, GA a little bit more and the Paulding school system and it appears that they could offer the services we need but I'm thinking that that area not be a great commute with traffic from how it looks positioned on the map. Thank you again for all of the information as this is a big move that we're excited and nervous about at the same time.

ETA: Forgot to ask would Dunwoody be a possible option for us if it doesn't working out with the Marietta/Smryna rental market?