Is Buford, Sugar Hill or Suwanee nice? (Atlanta: city hall, sex offenders)

[mclean]

Possibly relocationg (with family - husband and teens) - would like to be close to some water. Can anyone give me information on Buford, Sugar Hill, or Suwanee? Thanks.

[Ectoprism]

It's a decent commute to Atlanta, about 45 minutes or so, but overall all 3 you named are nice safe areas that are going through major growth at the moment. They're kinda the outer rim of the suburban sprawl in the northeast direction.

Mall of Georgia is there (insanely large mall ) and the Braves Triple-A minor league team is moving in next year. Lake Lanier (what's left of it, hehe) isn't that far either.

[Twinkletoes]

I agree - those are all nice places to live. Buford/Sugar Hill would be closest to the water. What sort of info are you looking for?

[skinnypop]

Johns creek? Commute to Atlanta-downtown? Development? Home $-5br/3bth under$275k?
Schools? Parks? Entertainment?

[MantaRay]

In doing homework to find out my top cities for retiring, Suwanee came in #4 on my list. They have the best new town center of any suburb in metro Atlanta, with really nice but affordable residences within walking distance. Look at maps.live.com for Town Center Ave. NW Suwanee, GA. Look at it in aerial view. The pic is a little old, but you'll get a feel nonetheless. You can also go to Suwanee's website to find out more. In addition, Suwanee has some 9 miles of paved bike trails, and building on that. It has close proximity to Lake Lanier and to shopping. For me, I have to have the convenience of being able to bike from my house without having to drive miles to a bike trail, and I want to be close enough to water to drive only 30 miles or less to drop a kayak in. Buford and Sugar Hill have the proximity, but not the bike trails that I need. One person's perspective from a recreational standpoint.

[pampambobam]

I have lived in Buford since 1995. When I first moved here,the locals were very hostile to outsiders but that has improved. It still has a clique-ish city hall administration made up of folks who've lived here all their lives and do not want outsiders to 'horn in'.

Prostitution was rampant when I forst moved here---I like to walk for my health and could not go down the street w/o being followed by men in cars who would get ahead of me,then pull into a street so when I got there,they could block my path and try to get me to get in the car with them. Others would just follow me all over town---once men in an emergency vehicle cruised behind me on my bicycle and finally blocked my way and started yelling crude 'requests' at me. Still others would park nearby and when I would reach there car,would ask directions. Then they would ask if I needed a ride. When I said 'no thanks',I was cursed and once I was spat at. I frequently had bottles thrown at me from passing cars.

A year ago,2 meth kitchens blew up,one just down the block from me. Yes,drugs are a problem here.

There is a high population of sex offenders who live around town. Check the Georgia sex offenders registry and see for yourself.

The school system here is its own district and has an adminstration that does not appreciate parental input. In my opinion,it is stuck in the 1950s. If your child is disabled,you do not want to send him/her to Buford high school. The administration do not want to follow IEPs and stipulate that teachers do not have to follow them,dislike accomodations for the disabled students and treat them as second class.

The closer you get to the lake,the more exclusive and expensive the housing.

I'm sorry if I seem negative but I am telling you honestly the important things you need to know that others might sugarcoat or rather not say b/c they don't want to rock the boat. I am buying a small house that I want to pass on to my disabled child to sell when I am gone to provide an improved standard of living,otherwise I would have moved on years ago.