Alpharetta/JC, Suwanee, Roswell (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: best suburbs, apartment, rent)

[Calitransplant27]

Hey all, I'm house hunting and would love done input on the areas above, or if there is an in town neighborhood that would work for me.


1. Budget 150k
2. House/Condo/Townhome preferably a 3/2 house. May consider a Townhome if it has a yard(big enough for a small swing set)
3. Employment Status(commute/work from home) work in Alpharetta exit 11
4. Children(public school vs. private) I have a toddler, looking with for an area with good schools that are also somewhat diverse. My family is African American.
5. Suburban or Urban lifestyle preference or a mix of the two- doesnt matter
6. Easy access to public transit, important or not? Not important
7. Preferable demographics of desired neighborhood. Would love somewhere where we could walk to parks, library, shops, etc but not a must. Being near the water(lake, river etc) would be awesome. Would love a family friendly place where it is easy to meet new people, and proximity to restaurants. Community festivals/events, easy freeway access, and diversity are important to me. I work in Alpharetta but also spend a far amnt of time in Camp Creek area and Jonesboro as I have family there, I think all of these areas are about the same distance away but not sure.

Thanks!

[ATLTJL]

Wow. I assume you know if you work in Alpharetta but have family in Jonesboro, that would be the southern California distance equivalent of working in Calabasas and having family in Irvine.

I'm afraid all of the areas you mentioned are going to be out of your price range. MAYBE not Suwanee. I would concentrate my search in the Forsyth county north of Alpharetta, where your price range may be more within reason, but it will be a bit more rural and have much less of what you are looking for in terms of restaurants and diversity.

I strongly suggest you rent an apartment for 6 months to a year while you consider areas, commutes, family, etc.

[Calitransplant27]

Thanks for the reply! I am originally from Cali but I have been renting in Sandy Springs for awhile. I know the drive down to the Southside sucks lol. I think it will be bad from everywhere, but I've only done it from N Fulton. I'm more concerned wish the daily work commute and environment my child will be in. I have seen several homes in my price range in each of these cities, just looking for some input on where might be a better choice to move.

[ATLTJL]

You've seen 3/2 houses for $150k in Alpharetta and Johns Creek?

As you know, it's hard to go wrong in either area. The most prestigious area you are looking at is Johns Creek, mainly because of the schools it is districted for. However, it is probably the least diverse. It's probably the safest are in terms of resale value down the road, but it unfortunately does not have very good freeway access in most areas.

Since you really seem to like water, I would say that Suwanee might be a good choice. It's easy to be close to the river and Settles Bridge Park offers a lot of recreation. You'd also be close to the Suwanee greenway for jogging/biking and it's a pretty straight and easy shot up to Lake Lanier. Most of the schools are pretty close to the same caliber of Johns Creek, and you'd see a bit more diversity. I know there is a large Asian community there, not so sure about African American.

Alpharetta is going to take you further from the water, but you'll have some of the other things you want like restaurants, freeway access, and friendly people. It's really not hard to get to the Chattahoochee, but it won't be right in your backyard like it can be in JC or Suwanee.

I think in a lot of ways you'll be splitting hairs when looking for a place. I mean, if someone told me to name four of the best suburbs of Atlanta for raising a family, I would probably name the four that you mentioned. You've narrowed it down to some excellent areas and I probably wouldn't hesitate to drop $150k on property in any of them.

[Calitransplant27]

Thanks! That info is really helpful. I am going to drive up to Suwanee and check out the parks, I have heard a lot about them and the town center. I was also thinking that Johns Creek may be the most high end and least diverse. Any thoughts on Roswell compared to Suwanee?

[ATLTJL]

I'm surprised nobody else has chimed in, but I'll do the best that I can...

Roswell is an older suburb, so it has been established for a long time. The pros to that are that it has a very established downtown area with lots of great restaurants and home values are quite stable. It's also really not hard at all to get to Atlanta on 400 from there and most of the people there are decently cosmopolitan with at least some connection to the city. You'll find high education levels and feel closer to the "action" there. It also has a pretty good park system with some small, but nice, parks. The cons are since it is older, the infrastructure is starting to look a bit dated and it is heavily congested on the major arteries. It's not as wide open as newer suburbs. I'm not an expert on the population, but I would say the minority population is made up largely of Hispanics because I see some Hispanic businesses along major thoroughfares there.

Suwanee is a newer suburb, so things are newer and more spread out. The downtown area is not really historic, but the community has done a great job creating a beautiful area. It doesn't have high end restaurants like Roswell, but it has a large park that constantly hosts community events and is family friendly. In fact, family is king in Suwanee. I have never seen a more family friendly community in all of my life, and it is family friendly to a fault (meaning, single adults will probably be completely bored here). If kids are your top priority, though, it's tought to beat. It's also close to the Chattahoochee, Lake Lanier, and Gwinnett county's impossible to top park system. Also close to shopping at the Mall of Georgia. The cons are Suwanee is a bit of a far flung suburb and it's easy to feel a disconnect from Atlanta. Many of the people who live there work in the area and have no connection to the city, and getting downtown on 85 is not as easy as using 400 (longer trip, more trucks, etc.) It's less cosmopolitan than Roswell and has a tinge of the old southern feel, which might be a plus or minus depending on how much you like or dislike that. Ethnic diversity seems to be made up largely of Asians as there is an active Korean community in Suwanee, but you do see all types.

To be 100% honest with you, I don't see why you would purposely do anything to add to your commute. If you work in Alpharetta, it is the clear choice for living so you can be close to work. Alpharetta is a wonderful community, the number one problem with it is that it can be difficult to commute to town from there, but if you are already working there anyway, that's a total non-issue. I wouldn't commute to Alpharetta from Suwanee because there are only so many bridges over the river from Gwinnett into Fulton, and all of them get backed up during commuter hours.

[FromGA]

Since all these areas are more or less the same, I would suggest go with what will make your commute easier. I think Alpharetta High has a good amount of African American diversity.

My personal preference is Alpharetta with reasonable access to GA 400. I dont live in that area, but if I had to choose I would go with that. Most job centers are close to GA 400.

There is nice townhouse communities across from North Point mall, and close to the greenway.

[Calitransplant27]

Thanks for all the great info! Helps a lot in narrowing down my search

[Adam_Tillman]

Norcross isn't too terribly far and the commute to exit 11 isn't bad, especially when you learn the back roads. My buddy has been doing it because Norcross is a more affordable place to live. Worth looking into!

[berkeleylake]

Only concern about buying a townhome or condo is they don't hold their value, especially now in a downward market.

I think in all those areas, you can find a townhome for 90-150K, but if you have to sell it within a few years, you may take a loss and perhaps a big one if you move sooner than you think. For resale purposes, go with a house even if it is smaller and older.

I would research schools by going to greatschools.net to look up what areas you are interested in. I think Norcross, Roswell or Alpharetta are all great choices and close to where you need to be, it just depends on the schools you like best in your research.