Moving to Atlanta (maybe?) (Alpharetta, Decatur: houses, neighborhoods, good schools)

[bdkerber]

I am considering an opportunity to move to Atlanta. We have kids from 5th-9th grade and really want to find a neighborhood filled with similar-aged kids to help with what will be a difficult transition for them. Schools of course are also very important ... and hopefully a reasonable commute into the center of Atlanta for work.

We are considering a wide-range of home prices but are hoping for a great option in the 500-600k range but could go as high as 800k if it improves our options significantly.

Any suggestions on Neighborhoods? It seems like school reviews put me in either East Cobb (marietta) or Alpharetta (which I'm guessing is a painful commute).

Also if you could provide information on how long these commutes REALLY take? I'm seeing 45 minutes to an hour which doesn't sound as bad as I expected considering the reputation for Atlanta traffic.

Any advice/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[rcsteiner]

I can only address commutes ... the commutes in Atlanta might normally be "ok" for many people, but unexpected events (accidents, rain) can cause a commute which is normally 30 minutes to turn into a 2 hour nightmare.

When my ex and I moved down here, we looked at housing locations which deliberately did not require an interstate for commuting to/from work, and that has turned out to be a wise move.

Didn't really answer your main questions, but it's something to keep in mind. Are your prospective jobs going to be in Atlanta proper? The Atlanta metro has job centers in several places, not just downtown.

[sedimenjerry]

I think your budget opens you up to nearly everywhere except the most exclusive of neighborhoods and subdivisions.

If it were me and I didn't know where work was going to be, I'd move to Alpharetta. That area alone has lots of jobs. Perimeter Center is just down 400 and has even more jobs. The Cumberland area of Cobb County has a lot of jobs and just requires a reverse commute on 285 from 400. Buckhead is just a bit farther down 400 from PC. Midtown and Downtown are farther down 400 and I 85 but you can take MARTA. (You could also take it to Buckhead if you really wanted to). If you get a job in Gwinnett in say, Peachtree Corners that commute wouldn't be too bad. You really have a lot of options.

If you want intown, I'd go with Decatur which is really a suburb but it offers a different experience than Alpharetta or other suburbs. Schools are also top notch in Decatur and compare with East Cobb, N Fulton, etc.

I wouldn't worry too much about your kids assimilating, new students were very common when I was a student and I imagine that's still the case.

[lorilove]

Can you be more specific as to what area of Atlanta you will be working. An Atlanta mailing address can put you at very different ends of the metro area. There are great choices all over Atlanta but keeping the commute to a reasonable distance makes living here much better.


Give us more detail and we can be more specific in our recommendations

[Raleigh_ATL]

I almost feel guilty about this, because Alpharetta has lots of great housing as well as good schools. BUT, the traffic in and out of Atlanta at rush hour is just a nightmare. If you are flexible with work hours or can work from home, keep it as an option. East Cobb has the best reputation for schools of any area in Atlanta. My daughter and two granddaughters live and attend school there. I can attest from close-up observation that their schooling is absolutely phenomenal. With so many good schools, kids from 5th-9th grade and neighborhoods filled with similar-aged kids are not a problem.

Forty-minutes from East Cobb is a pretty good estimate. Depending on where you might live in Alpharetta, 45 minutes won't cut it.

[ElleKaye]

I agree with the previous poster that East Cobb should work for you. Schools are apparently great and even if the work location becomes in the city, you'd be in close proximity to park and ride the train if you wished. The environment is family friendly which should help with your childrens' transition.

Another family-friendly area with highly rated schools is Gwinnett County.

[bdkerber]

The job is with Coca-Cola downtown. So smack in the middle of the city ....

[lorilove]

Originally Posted by bdkerber

The job is with Coca-Cola downtown. So smack in the middle of the city ....

In that case I would go with East Cobb and not Alpharetta purely because East Cobb you can avoid GA400 and Alpharetta not so easily.

[bdkerber]

Are there specific East Cobb neighborhoods good for families with Kids? I want my kids to be able to walk to friends homes, walk to the neighborhood pool/tennis if possible. I'm seeing lots of small (8-10 home) communities but I'd prefer much larger to improve odds of having friends near.

[Dkeating]

Decatur might be good for you. Lots of walking to school, friends' houses. The whole town's only 4 square miles, so theoretically you could walk or bike to any school friends.