NY to ATL - relocating with young kids (Atlanta, Roswell: condos, townhomes)

[mamazaza]

Hi all,

The opportunity has arisen for us to relocate to GA. We want to be within an hour +/- drive from Atlanta. Prefer less dense neighborhoods/ smaller communities/ small community feel. I WFH, my spouse would go into Atlanta 1x a week.

We have a few requirements:

1) excellent public schools
2) diverse, welcoming community. Small town feel.
3) homes with over one acre of land (we need space)
4) strong sports programs (i have 3 boys, and we are looking for strong football, wrestling, and year round competitive club swim teams)


we would be moving down from a suburb of New York City. we would like to be in a liberal-leaning type of environment but this is not a hard and fast rule. We are a family of color and want to be and feel safe.

Don't mind more "rural" feeling areas... actually might prefer that.

Our research has only just begun and welcome all helpful insights and ideas.

Our housing budget is 800k.

So far, we're looking at:
Buford
Bremen
Alpharetta
Roswell
Johns Creek
Duluth

We know next to nothing except what we read/ see online and are planning a visit over the December school holidays.

Thank you!

[CMMom]

A housing budget would help. Where will your jobs be? I would not think of Bremen as a liberal-leaning environment. That's a pretty remote exurban area and not something I would recommend unless your jobs are in that area.

[testa50]

Parts of Fayette County would seem to make sense.

[kyle19125]

Athens is your best bet and delivers on all of the criteria at half the home prices seen in the NE suburbs, and minus the horrible traffic. https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...43560?view=map

[mamazaza]

Originally Posted by CMMom

A housing budget would help. Where will your jobs be? I would not think of Bremen as a liberal-leaning environment. That's a pretty remote exurban area and not something I would recommend unless your jobs are in that area.

Ahh yes, sorry. Housing budget 800k. I will add it to my original post.

I WFH and my husband would be commuting to Atlanta 1x a week.

[mamazaza]

Originally Posted by testa50

Parts of Fayette County would seem to make sense.

Thank you. Which towns do you think we should be looking at?

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by mamazaza

Hi all,

The opportunity has arisen for us to relocate to GA. We want to be within an hour +/- drive from Atlanta. Prefer less dense neighborhoods/ smaller communities/ small community feel.

We have a few requirements:

1) excellent public schools
2) diverse, welcoming community. Small town feel.
3) homes with over one acre of land (we need space)
4) strong sports programs (i have 3 boys, and we are looking for strong football, wrestling, and year round competitive club swim teams)


we would be moving down from a suburb of New York City. we would like to be in a liberal-leaning type of environment but this is not a hard and fast rule. We are a family of color and want to be and feel safe.

Our research has only just begun and welcome all helpful insights and ideas.

So far, we're looking at:
Buford
Bremen
Alpharetta

We know next to nothing except what we read/ see online and are planning a visit over the December school holidays.

Thank you!

Buford appears to be the place that your family should start your search for housing in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

The greater Buford area features excellent public schools in the small Buford City Schools system and in the Mill Creek High School and Seckinger High School anchored clusters of the large Gwinnett County Public Schools system. The Buford area also features a small-town community feel in the City of Buford proper with its walkable historic downtown village area of boutique shops, restaurants and bars.

Both Buford High School and Mill Creek High School have particularly strong athletic programs, with both high schools fielding football programs that are perennial state championship contenders and that seemingly make frequent appearances in the national rankings.

As of this writing, Mill Creek High School’s football program currently is ranked #1 in the highest classification in the state of Georgia (Class 7A) and is the defending state champion in Class 7A after having won the GHSA (Georgia High School Association’s) Class 7A state title at the end of the 2022 football season.

Buford High School’s football program has won state titles in 13 out of the previous 22 seasons and 14 state titles overall and anchors a Buford City Schools system and Buford community that invests extremely heavily in academic and athletic physical facilities and public education as a whole. In the last 7 years, the small but extremely resource-rich Buford City Schools system has opened up a large new basketball arena and a brand-spanking-new school campus.

Much of Gwinnett County as a whole is nationally recognized and known as a community with particularly strong youth athletic programs to the point that the powerhouse suburban county is a hotbed for youth and high school athletics and college athletic recruiting.

As an ultra-diverse metropolitan suburban county with a growing Democratic Party majority with many homes on the market that appear to be priced within your budget of $800k, Gwinnett County appears to be your best option from a demographic, social, cultural, political and affordability standpoint.

(As of 2022, racial and ethnic minorities made up 68% of Gwinnett County’s total population in a county where Democrats are now routinely receiving about 55-58% of the vote in major elections.)

Like CMMom stated, Bremen is a smaller remote exurban/rural community in West Georgia that is deeply conservative and likely should be dropped from your list.

Along with having a large and growing number of top-notch metropolitan suburban amenities in an area with an increasingly diverse population, Alpharetta has excellent public schools that are extremely highly rated… But Alpharetta is also a bustling metropolitan suburban community with an exploding population (and an exploding amount of heavy development and heavy traffic to go with it) where finding an updated and/or newer detached single-family home within your budget of $800k potentially could be a noticeable challenge given the very high level of competitiveness of the housing market in that area in recent years.

If you decide to keep Alpharetta as part of your housing search, expect to have to include many condos, townhomes and dated homes as part of your search with your budget in an Alpharetta area that features an exploding amount of people, development and traffic.

[Atlwarrior]

I would also recommend exploring Eagle's Landing Community, Newnan, and Peachtree City South of Atlanta. Also, not sure how you feel about private schools, but Woodward Academy has a robust athletic program for your boys.

[mamazaza]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

Buford appears to be the place that your family should start your search for housing in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

The greater Buford area features excellent public schools in the small Buford City Schools system and in the Mill Creek High School and Seckinger High School anchored clusters of the large Gwinnett County Public Schools system. The Buford area also features a small-town community feel in the City of Buford proper with its walkable historic downtown village area of boutique shops, restaurants and bars.

Both Buford High School and Mill Creek High School have particularly strong athletic programs, with both high schools fielding football programs that are perennial state championship contenders and that seemingly make frequent appearances in the national rankings.

As of this writing, Mill Creek High School’s football program currently is ranked #1 in the highest classification in the state of Georgia (Class 7A) and is the defending state champion in Class 7A after having won the GHSA (Georgia High School Association’s) Class 7A state title at the end of the 2022 football season.

Buford High School’s football program has won state titles in 13 out of the previous 22 seasons and 14 state titles overall and anchors a Buford City Schools system and Buford community that invests extremely heavily in academic and athletic physical facilities and public education as a whole. In the last 7 years, the small but extremely resource-rich Buford City Schools system has opened up a large new basketball arena and a brand-spanking-new school campus.

Much of Gwinnett County as a whole is nationally recognized and known as a community with particularly strong youth athletic programs to the point that the powerhouse suburban county is a hotbed for youth and high school athletics and college athletic recruiting.

As an ultra-diverse metropolitan suburban county with a growing Democratic Party majority with many homes on the market that appear to be priced within your budget of $800k, Gwinnett County appears to be your best option from a demographic, social, cultural, political and affordability standpoint.

(As of 2022, racial and ethnic minorities made up 68% of Gwinnett County’s total population in a county where Democrats are now routinely receiving about 55-58% of the vote in major elections.)

Like CMMom stated, Bremen is a smaller remote exurban/rural community in West Georgia that is deeply conservative and likely should be dropped from your list.

Along with having a large and growing number of top-notch metropolitan suburban amenities in an area with an increasingly diverse population, Alpharetta has excellent public schools that are extremely highly rated… But Alpharetta is also a bustling metropolitan suburban community with an exploding population (and an exploding amount of heavy development and heavy traffic to go with it) where finding an updated and/or newer detached single-family home within your budget of $800k potentially could be a noticeable challenge given the very high level of competitiveness of the housing market in that area in recent years.

If you decide to keep Alpharetta as part of your housing search, expect to have to include many condos, townhomes and dated homes as part of your search with your budget in an Alpharetta area that features an exploding amount of people, development and traffic.

I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to write this extremely thorough and thoughtful response. Incredibly helpful and so greatly appreciated. I will absolutely start my search in Buford, and it does seem to check all the boxes.

I especially appreciate your additional commentary on demographics, political environment, and general vibe. I must definitely do not want deep conservatism nor do I want insane traffic and congestion.

Thank you so much!

[mamazaza]

Originally Posted by Atlwarrior

I would also recommend exploring Eagle's Landing Community, Newnan, and Peachtree City South of Atlanta. Also, not sure how you feel about private schools, but Woodward Academy has a robust athletic program for your boys.

I am private school neutral, and spent half my schooling in private school the other half in public school.

We are Def looking at some private school options and appreciate your input there. I'll also check out these other towns. Peachtree City especially looks very promising.

Thank you very much!