Duluth-Chattahoochee ES Area (Atlanta, Alpharetta, Suwanee: low income, apartment, house)

[Calitransplant27]

Please share your thoughts on Duluth....I am looking near Abbots Bridge/PIB in the Chattahoochee Elementary Area. I work in Alpharetta off Windward and mapquest is showing a pretty short commute. Wondering on general thoughts of the area, the school district and the commute. Thanks!!

[ATLTJL]

It really depends on what you are looking for.

I would say the strongest plus of this area for me is the park system. Not only does Gwinnett county have a nationally recognized park system, the city of Duluth also maintains a few small, but very good, parks. As a result, there is a pretty strong outdoor and sports culture in the city. Access to the river is also very easy in this area.

As for schools, I have some concerns. The good news is that Duluth High is an extremely diverse school. In the city of Atlanta, the term "diverse" is generally a euphemism for 98% black, 2% white. Not so in Duluth, where the high school is more or less split into quarters between white, black, Asian, and Hispanic. I'm concerned about the future, though, because for the past few years the Hispanic demographic has been on the rise the most and white has been on the decline. Increasing Hispanic populations in schools are of general concern because ESOL programs cost more money and Hispanic students are more likely to be on free lunches and less likely to graduate. So it ends up affecting graduation rates and costing more money. Whether this is an actual trend or temporary uptick remains to be seen. However, I am concerned about how Gwinnett county treats the Duluth cluster because recently there was a redistricting where Duluth high had to absorb more low income apartment students so Peachtree Ridge could get more rich students.

But one thing you've got to know about Duluth is it is an active city with involved citizens. We're talking about one of the only places on earth that was actually successful in keeping a Wal-Mart out of the community. It is also immediately adjacent to Suwanee, which also has an involved community, so I don't see either of these areas going downhill anytime soon. Also, the concerns I have are regarding Duluth high school, and I'm not even that concerned for the time being, I'm just keeping a close eye on it. Duluth high school for the time being remains very good. As for Chattahoochee elementary, I don't know too much about it, but I probably wouldn't have any reservations about sending my kids there. In fact, if I have any, that's where they will go.

As for your commute, I would have great concerns. Your choices for getting over the river into Fulton county are as follows:

1) State Bridge Road, which has a great 4 lane bridge that presents no problem at all. But the rest of the road can tend to get backed up with its red lights.

2) Abbots Bridge Road, which is a weenie little 2 lane bridge that needs to be 4. This gets horrible during rush hour and should be avoided at all costs.

3) McGinnis Ferry, which is currently a 3 lane bridge slated to be 4 in the future. It's been under construction for the 3 years I have lived here and is always a disaster. But I can't say if it's due to the construction, or if it just has too much volume. Opening the 4th lane over the river might solve the problem, but no guarantee.

In closing, I would say this: I think Duluth is a fine area, I wouldn't live there myself if I didn't. But if I worked in Alpharetta, I would definitely live in Johns Creek or Alpharetta instead. You may not get quite as much house for your money, but you do get an area with a bit more affluence, schools that are even better, and an easier commute to work. I personally would have chosen Johns Creek over Duluth had I not needed easy access to a major artery to get downtown and JC isn't really convenient to I-85 or GA 400.

Even though I think the Duluth school cluster is good, I would feel a bit more comfortable with kids in North Fulton schools as they are just more stable and I wouldn't worry as much about them potentially going down in the future. Just to be completely honest.

I hope that helps.

[OhioNative]

I would go a few minutes up the road into the Peachtree Ridge or North Gwinnett clusters. Better schools, fewer apartment communities. You can take McGinnis Ferry which turns into Windward for actually a shorter commute.

[Tarzanman]

Its not a short commute during rush hour. If you have to cross 400 then Windward to PIB @ Abbots can easily take you 30 minutes or more.

Where you should live will depend on your price range.

[FromGA]

Originally Posted by Calitransplant27

Please share your thoughts on Duluth....I am looking near Abbots Bridge/PIB in the Chattahoochee Elementary Area. I work in Alpharetta off Windward and mapquest is showing a pretty short commute. Wondering on general thoughts of the area, the school district and the commute. Thanks!!

Just in case you dont go with this option (for whatever reason), you could look into Alpharetta/Johns Creek around Jones Bridge road, and west of there. That should get you closer to your work, and there are a variety of price points.

[Calitransplant27]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

It really depends on what you are looking for.

I would say the strongest plus of this area for me is the park system. Not only does Gwinnett county have a nationally recognized park system, the city of Duluth also maintains a few small, but very good, parks. As a result, there is a pretty strong outdoor and sports culture in the city. Access to the river is also very easy in this area.

As for schools, I have some concerns. The good news is that Duluth High is an extremely diverse school. In the city of Atlanta, the term "diverse" is generally a euphemism for 98% black, 2% white. Not so in Duluth, where the high school is more or less split into quarters between white, black, Asian, and Hispanic. I'm concerned about the future, though, because for the past few years the Hispanic demographic has been on the rise the most and white has been on the decline. Increasing Hispanic populations in schools are of general concern because ESOL programs cost more money and Hispanic students are more likely to be on free lunches and less likely to graduate. So it ends up affecting graduation rates and costing more money. Whether this is an actual trend or temporary uptick remains to be seen. However, I am concerned about how Gwinnett county treats the Duluth cluster because recently there was a redistricting where Duluth high had to absorb more low income apartment students so Peachtree Ridge could get more rich students.

But one thing you've got to know about Duluth is it is an active city with involved citizens. We're talking about one of the only places on earth that was actually successful in keeping a Wal-Mart out of the community. It is also immediately adjacent to Suwanee, which also has an involved community, so I don't see either of these areas going downhill anytime soon. Also, the concerns I have are regarding Duluth high school, and I'm not even that concerned for the time being, I'm just keeping a close eye on it. Duluth high school for the time being remains very good. As for Chattahoochee elementary, I don't know too much about it, but I probably wouldn't have any reservations about sending my kids there. In fact, if I have any, that's where they will go.

As for your commute, I would have great concerns. Your choices for getting over the river into Fulton county are as follows:

1) State Bridge Road, which has a great 4 lane bridge that presents no problem at all. But the rest of the road can tend to get backed up with its red lights.

2) Abbots Bridge Road, which is a weenie little 2 lane bridge that needs to be 4. This gets horrible during rush hour and should be avoided at all costs.

3) McGinnis Ferry, which is currently a 3 lane bridge slated to be 4 in the future. It's been under construction for the 3 years I have lived here and is always a disaster. But I can't say if it's due to the construction, or if it just has too much volume. Opening the 4th lane over the river might solve the problem, but no guarantee.

In closing, I would say this: I think Duluth is a fine area, I wouldn't live there myself if I didn't. But if I worked in Alpharetta, I would definitely live in Johns Creek or Alpharetta instead. You may not get quite as much house for your money, but you do get an area with a bit more affluence, schools that are even better, and an easier commute to work. I personally would have chosen Johns Creek over Duluth had I not needed easy access to a major artery to get downtown and JC isn't really convenient to I-85 or GA 400.

Even though I think the Duluth school cluster is good, I would feel a bit more comfortable with kids in North Fulton schools as they are just more stable and I wouldn't worry as much about them potentially going down in the future. Just to be completely honest.

I hope that helps.

Thanks for your thorough reply! I like how Duluth is pretty easy to get to 285 and the schools seemed to be more diverse than JC which is very important to me. I start work at 7 so I am hoping the commute won't be too bad. I plan on doing a test run or two before closing to make sure. My daughter is only two so I'm more focused on the elementary level now, though I appreciate the feedback on the HS as well.

[Calitransplant27]

Originally Posted by OhioNative

I would go a few minutes up the road into the Peachtree Ridge or North Gwinnett clusters. Better schools, fewer apartment communities. You can take McGinnis Ferry which turns into Windward for actually a shorter commute.

I have looked in the Peachtree Ridge cluster as well, just haven't found anything there I liked in my price range yet.

[Calitransplant27]

Originally Posted by FromGA

Just in case you dont go with this option (for whatever reason), you could look into Alpharetta/Johns Creek around Jones Bridge road, and west of there. That should get you closer to your work, and there are a variety of price points.

Thanks I have been looking in JC and Alpharetta as well. Just seems I get more for my money and a bit more diversity in Gwinnett. Thanks for the input!

[Calitransplant27]

Originally Posted by Tarzanman

Its not a short commute during rush hour. If you have to cross 400 then Windward to PIB @ Abbots can easily take you 30 minutes or more.

Where you should live will depend on your price range.

Thanks for the info. My price range is about 150k and I would be working starting at 7 so hopefully it won't be too bad....have to do a test run!

[ATLTJL]

That is a great idea. Just make sure you also test the commute going back into Fulton, because the afternoon commute is really much worse than morning.