Woodstock - everything y'all can share? (Acworth: appointed, homes, neighborhoods)

[jamibc]

Hey all.... have searched over here & need some additional info, please, on Woodstock. Will post this on the GA page as well....

After more deliberation & ruling out of various areas, believe that Woodstock is gonna be the best fit for us if hubby's job comes through (fingers crossed - will know in next few days!). Have done all the typical school sites trolling & from what I can tell, will need to be in the Rusk, Booth or Woodstock Middle School areas - any input there? My 7th grader does really well in a tighter environment & have a 3 1/2 yr old, so looking at all school phases. Need more than just the statistics...

What about town itself? Open to new people, friendly? Neighborhoods the same? We come from normal, freindly, good ol' Southern folk (in North Louisiana) & were so disappointed when we relocated to Central GA - very clique-ish & small-towny. Have heard a lot of great things about Woodstock - gonna drive around a little maybe this weekend. We're hoping to stay somewhere between $160-200ish....

We love friendly neighborhoods, but also the availability of shopping i.e. bookstores, coffee shops, great grocery stores, etc.

Any help would be appreciated!!

[applejuice]

Woodstock is nice! The rule in Georgia is that you should live near your job. The traffic on 575 can be rough! However, if that is not a problem look in Towne Lake, a master planned community.

Good Luck

[jamibc]

Please help! What exactly does that mean? Was this recommended b/c of proximity to 575?

Thanks!

[jamibc]

OK, did a little reaserch & follow what a "master planned community" is. Now - does anyone out there hane any insight on Woodstock (both Middle & High), Booth Middle & Etowah High? Need some insider skinny, please so I don't make the same mistake as when we 1st moved to GA!

HELP!

[applejuice]

Woodstock is in Cherokee county. I don't have the link, but just look up the Cherokee county school system and you should be able to get more info. I believe Etowah is the best HS, not sure abou the rest. The schools that belong to Towne Lake are good. They are not the best in the state of Georgia, but they are not the worst.


Towne Lake is a great golf course community with subdivisions ranging from the low 100's to the millions. I am sure you will find something in your budget. You are close to all the major stores, Superwalmart, Supertarget, Home Depot, Lowes, at least three different grocery stores and pharmacies, etc.

[jamibc]

Thanks applejuice..... appreciate any input.

I've done all the preliminary online research re: the schools, but parents & residents usually have more insight, ya know? Plan on ging up in the next week or 2 to actually visit them.

Hubby drove through Eagle Watch or something like that yesterday & liked it.... have heard about Towne Lake & will check it out also. Sounds like narrowing down the school options will need to be our 1st choice, as there are so many developments!

[pugmom3]

Hi Jamibc,
Have lived in Woodstock vicinity for 7 years, transplanted from up north; kids go to Etowah; my feeling is that Towne Lake is a nice community, safe, parks, shopping, etc., but the school system here SUCKS. I think overall the GA schools are inferior, with some exceptions (East Cobb schools are really good, Parkview HS in Gwinnett is really good), and some other isolated schools here and there. Overall, I would say that Cherokee County schools are improving with time, but I think Sequoyah HS have better rankings than Etowah or Woodstock. There is a large population of illegal immigrants/poor welfare etc., (living in trailer parks which are sitting adjacent to 500,000 home subdivisions) in the Cherokee Cty/Woodstock/Acworth area and that has not helped the stability here. I have heard from my daughter who goes to Etowah that Woodstock has more problems with drugs, etc. I guess that stuff goes on everywhere, but overall, I would say that Etowah is not a good choice for students who need extra help (their IEP programs are very substandard) or for the average student who needs to be stimulated and encouraged to stretch themselves to achieve more. Wish we had moved into East Cobb when we moved down here; their schools are great. High percentage of kids going to college and going into professions like law, engineering, pre-med, nursing, etc. Lots of Etowah kids don't go to college at all.

[Figment 07]

I was thinking about Woodstock yesterday and wondered why the Bradshaw Farms community is not mentioned. It's the one with a red barn for the clubhouse or community center. I seem to recall lots of publicity on it a few years back -- quality homes around $300,000 and up, several acres of green space and family recreational ammenities galore, including playgrounds and a membership-optional golf course. Someone here might want to check that out for possible resales.

[leefowler]

I may be altogether wrong on this but i thought Bradshaw Farms is in Hickory Flat not Woodstock. Eithe way Sequoyah HS and Dean Rust middle are much better imho. I am only 22, so I am not that far removed from highschool (I went to Cherokee). But on kids not going to college at Etowah, that is an issue with parents not so much the school system itself. I like eagle watch as well as Deer Run of of Towne Lake. If not living on 575 isn't a big deal to you I would suggest looking into east Cheorkee county, there are some nice new schools in the Area.

[Figment 07]

Originally Posted by leefowler

I may be altogether wrong on this but i thought Bradshaw Farms is in Hickory Flat not Woodstock.

Well, yes, but the homes and club in Bradshaw Farms are in 30188 and carry a "Woodstock, GA" street address. Since we are talking mostly to newcomers and seekers, Woodstock (up Hwy. 575) is easy to locate on most simple online maps.

Like this one, for example:

http://figs.homestead.com/georgiaATLmap.JPG (broken link)

But yes, it's Hickory Flats -- which for a few years seemed to be our very own little tornado alley, didn't it?