Roswell vs. Alpharetta.....is there really a difference? (Atlanta, Duluth: crime rate, houses)

[apa1128]

My husband and I are coming up from Jacksonville, FL next weekend to look in Roswell and Alpharetta. It seems that they are so close to each other, that I can't find a reason why one would be better than the other. Any input on either city (pros/cons) would be great. My husband has a job offer in Norcross, so Roswell looks like a much better commute for him. How about the schools? We have a 2 year old daughter. Any advice would be great!!!

[Tdiddy0027]

I think I can help you; I have relatives in Roswell and Alpharetta. They're both upper class mainly white suburbs with lots of shopping and dining and they're pretty much the same distance from Atlanta with Alpharetta being a little bit farther. Alpharetta is a little more upscale with a cleaner layout than Roswell, but some people don't like that about it. There's also a larger Jewish population in Jewish but a larger minority population in Roswell. The houses in Roswell are generally a little older. Alpharetta and Roswell both have really nice town squares and historic districts as well. I think you'd like both.

[jxu66]

I recommend city of John's Creek. Just a little north of West Norcross.

Shorter commute than either city of Alpharatta and city of Roswell to Norcross.

Has two of three best public schools in Atlanta in Northview and Chattohoochee.
Search under Duluth 30097 (Fulton) and Alpharatta 30022 zipcode.

[apa1128]

Thank you for the information. I'm sure we'll do a bit of driving around next weekend, and will get a good idea of where we want to be. Any other tidbits or comments that may help us make a decision would be helpful!

[jxu66]

If you only care about elementary school (since your kid is so young), West Norcross or peachtree corner (peachtree parkway after holocomb bridge) is good choice as well. Simpson elementary is one of highest rated elementary school in Georgia and rated even higher then elementary schools in John's Creek. West Norcross also has nice walkable outside mall called THe forum at Peachtree Parkway, where one of four trader's Joe (in atlanta) located. So there is another area you could consider. Traffic in Atlanta is pretty bad so it is good to live as close to work as possible.

[ajandjj2000]

Welcome to Atlanta (you'll be here soon enough)! I just moved to Atlanta from Jacksonville (St. Johns County actually) with my husband and 17 month old son. My husband works in Roswell and we have really gotten to know the Roswell/Alpharetta area. I think there is a pretty significant difference. Luckly my husband and I both have alot of family in this area and we have both lived up here before so we have been able to build on our previous knowledge of the area. There are several things you should really watch out for up here that are very different from Jacksonville. One thing that you have to watch out for is your husbands commute. When people say the traffic is bad they normally mean it's aweful. Sometimes it can take 2-3 hours to go 20-30 miles. Try to find something that will be convienient for your husbands job and also to shopping and play areas for you and your little one. Another thing to watch out for is crime. In some areas the crime can be pretty bad (not so much the terribly violent crime like in downtown Jax, but property crime, purse snatchings etc.) I don't know this for a fact, but I would be willing to bet that crime in Roswell is a little higher than Alpharetta. Roswell is an older area and while much of it is very nice and expensive, there are some areas of Roswell that I would avoid. Alpharetta is very nice and definatly convienent to almost everything (I think it's a little more kid friendly too). The last thing I would tell you to look out for is good schools. As a teacher that has taught in both Jacksonville and some Northern Atlanta suburbs I would say that overall the schools up here are much better than those in Jacksonville. However, both of the areas you are considering are in Fulton County and in my opinion many of their high schools are not as good as some of the other suburban counties. Having said that I do think their elementary schools are good and you have a long time before you need to worry about high school. Also it's good to know that there are very good high schools in Fulton County, you just have to do your research. Good luck with your housing search. Please let me know if you have any other questions (about specific neighborhoods etc. I have family in Alpharetta and in Norcross so I know a fair amount about those areas and can easily ask my relatives about anything you may want to know).

[apa1128]

Can you tell me which areas of Roswell I should avoid? We are looking in a new neighborhood called Centennial in particular. I like the fact that Roswell is older (we live in the San Marco area of Jacksonville now), since we live in an older home with a neighborhood that has a lot of character. I would appreciate as much info as you are willing to give, especially since you came from where we are now.
Thanks!

[ajandjj2000]

Unfortunatly I am not familiar with the area you are considering. However, I do have a friend that lives near there and she likes it. Her only complaint is that the high school is not very good. In fact she says it is down right bad and that her kids have not learned anything since starting school there. I don't know much about the schools for the younger kids. My friends family did not move to the area until her children were in high school (they moved from chicago). However, there are many very good private schools up here so even if you don't like the public schools you could always try the private schools (though they are pretty pricey $10,000 and up per year).

I also am from San Marco (that is where I grew up) so I am very familiar with the style/ lifestyle you may be looking for. You may want to consider some other areas of Altanta that are more like San Marco; Virginia Highlands, Buckhead, etc. While those areas are truely in the city you would probably really enjoy them and your husband would be going against traffic on his way to and from work so traffic probably wouldn't be to bad. We have several friends that live in these areas and work in Roswell and they say it is not a bad commute. However, I should warn you that these areas are very expensive and they are the exclusive/prestigious areas of the city (much like parts of San Marco have become). Though like San Marco there are some nice bunglow style homes there that are more affordable. As for the crime in these areas, it is probably much like that of San Marco. Just make sure you do your research and check out the crime rate of the area you select. The biggest down side to these areas is probably the schools, but again there are many great private ones.

[dianneyoung]

You seem to know a lot about the area!My husband and I are relocating to the Atlanta area, we have 2 girls,14 and 9, and I am white and he is black. I am looking in the Alpharetta/??area. My daughter is a very good basketball player and will be netering high school, so athletics and acedemics are important.I am unsure of what areas are open/friendly to a mixed family.Any help is appreciated-I am a bit nervous!!!

[jxu66]

It seems to me (could be wrong) schools in Gwinnett county take sports more seriously than schools in North Fulton.

Brookwood and Parkview are traditionally sports powers in Georgia. Lately, North Gwinnett, Peachtree Ridge and Collins Hill catch up fast. When Peachtree Ridge high won the shared of state football champion, several players were sons of NFL players who live in Sugarloaf CC.

Collins Hill high girl basketball team is the girl basketball team in the area. They won state title three straight years and finished No.1 in the nation according to USA today. One of their players Ms. Maya Moore is national player of year two years in a row and is committed to play in UConn this fall.

May want to check North Gwinnet schools (Peachtree Ridge, Collins Hill and North Gwinnett). All those schools maybe are what you look for both academic and sports.