Pretty soon I'll be a Georgia Peach 
We're not sure where to lay down roots. Please, recommend/tell me what you love about your suburban ATL community. DH's new coworkers recommend Fulton and Gwinnett counties. If you have a realtor recommendation please post to my wall.
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We are in Gwinnett county! We live on the Duluth/Norcross line. We also really like Peachtree Corners and Johns Creek!
Gwinnett is known for having some of the best schools in the metro area.
If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to help!
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I'm way down on the Southside of Atlanta, so no help in looking in your area, but wanted to say welcome!
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@Mrs.KMM: thanks! At this point I don't even know what to ask. I'm starting my search in Wikipedia learning about the communities. Then, I plan to visit the local community websites to see what kinds of amenities and activities they have, search for DCP, learn about the public & private schools and try to map out paths to malls/ movie theatres/ restaurants.
I'd also love to narrow down some neighborhoods to view houses in the recommended communities. So far my Zillow search is turning up very traditional homes and not the "new American' open floor plan, great room only style that seems popular.
Where we live now everything is on a grid and just convenient to get to eventhough traffic congestion can be brutal. I'd say we are urban- suburbanites in the sense we have to drive everywhere, but we have a ton of amenities right at our fingertips.
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@Mrs.KMM: @Tanjowen: I do have a question for you ladies, how common are homes sold with appliances? We replaced our W/D not too long ago and I'd love to take our set with us.
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Honestly, you need to look at where the job is located. Traffic is bitch. So if you are working downtown, you aren't going to want to live in Gwinnett unless you want an hour+ commute every day.
Our appliances came with our house, but not a washer and dryer.
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@Smurfette: neither of us will commute to the same job site every day. During my husband's rotation so far he's been on-site in Rome, GA near the TN border and Thomas(ville), GA near the FL border. Those would be overnight stays I imagine even once I move there too. His actual office is in Sandy Springs, but again that may be just a couple times a month he would have to go there. Other people from that office live in Cobb County.
As for me, if I'm able to move with my company I may cover over 15 NW counties. The main concentration of my B2B customers would be in Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett. Two other counties appear to have quite a bit of customers too, Gordon and Floyd, but looking at the map those seem really far from Atlanta.
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Gotcha, then I guess you are open to anywhere. Have you looked into renting for a year till you figure out what area you want to buy in? Areas are all SO different.
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We're in north Fulton. Agreed with @Mrs.KMM: that Gwinnett and Cherokee counties have the best schools, but north Fulton does have pockets of good schools. I lived in the city for several years, so a big selling point for our current suburban neighborhood was walkability - helps make it feel not quite so suburban.
And also agree with @Smurfette: that you really need to know where you'll be working. My job is flexible with hours so I just come in/leave earlier to avoid the w0rst of the traffic in case that is an option for you. Try to pick an area with more than one potential route to work - that saves me every day!
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IMO best truly suburban (big lots, trees everywhere) living is forsyth or Cherokee county. However if you want mixed feel urban/suburban, try alpharettta, Roswell, Decatur.
I grew up in gwinnett and my parents now live in forsyth. Gwinnett is great because it is much more diverse than forsyth and has fantastic schools. However it is a lot more grown up than it was when I was a kid and the traffic is insane.
Roswell is super cute and we almost moved there this summer. Downside is it is very $$ and the downtown is very crowded with young people so it is hard to get around with kids so I don't think we would have spent much time there anyway even if we did live there.
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I live in Rome! Seriously move there! Rome is awesome and much better than Atlanta (IMO!).
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@Smurfette: I strongly agree with this advice! I'd much rather rent and take my time to really get to know the areas, what my commute will look like, etc. before committing to buying a home. We rented a home only 10ish minutes outside of town, but learned the traffic in the morning was such a bear and hated the extra 20 minute commute to daycare. That really helped us to focus in on where we wanted to purchase a home and ditch our idea of country living.
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@Happygal: @Smurfette: that is what I suggested and thought we were going to do. DH agreed to it when the move was just a maybe. Now, he wants to buy a house immediately. I'm still going to try to get him back into the renting thing. Depending on his relo benefits buying a house may make more sense to do it now like it did last time.
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: have you considered Marietta? It is an established suburb with a fantastic Downtown but also lots of new homes and good schools. Also would make sense with the areas you've listed.
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@peachykeen: when we were looking around there we considered John's Creek and crabapple area of alpharettta. Those could be options for the OP as well.
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I live in Gordon County, it is about 1-1.5 hour (with good traffic) to Atlanta. I agree with others, you should consider renting for 6 months - 1 year. Get to know the area see where you like & don't like.
Most houses, unless foreclosures and/or quick sells, will come with appliances. However, it is common for sellers to sometimes take their fridge and usually they always take their washer & dryer.Hope you enjoy Georgia. :))
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: I agree. I would choose Cobb Co over Gwinnett these days.
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Yes, looking at the area I would cover Cobb was on my short. It must not be popular with his new office because DH totally backed at the mention. I'm putting it back on the list.
For fancy date nights where do all the suburbanites go? Is the Atlanta airport the only one around? We're about 30-35 minutes from the Ft. Lauderdale airport.
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Yes that is the only airport.
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@Smurfette: oh my, that sounds like a journey depending on where someone lives.
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: One thing to keep in mind about the Atlanta suburbs is that they really all merge together. No one really knows or pays attention to where one community turns into a new city so it is not always important to pay attention to the specific city something is in, just the overall area. Everyone I know lives, works, and plays in a variety of different cities!
From what I know, most homes are sold with kitchen appliances but not typically washers and dryers. Although obviously there are going to be exceptions to this. As for homes with a more open floor plan, your best bet is probably to just look for newer build neighborhoods. There are a ton of them all over all of the northern suburbs. Our house is in one and our main floor is literally one giant room with a half bath attached. So you can definitely find that style!
I agree with the PP who said that having multiple routes to work is a big plus because traffic during rush hour is typically horrible (this is true over the entire city). It sounds like you and your husband will both have to cover such a large area that you won't be able to necessarily live super close to work and may have some days with some pretty long drives. One thing I like about my area is that I have very easy access to multiple major roads (I-85, Buford Highway, Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Peachtree Parkway).
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: it is only 35-40 minutes from my house in Duluth (Gwinnett county) to the airport (so long as it's not rush hour)
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: For date nights, there are fancy restaurants in literally every single community around the city. So you would never have to go far from home. DH and I also have a couple of restaurants in downtown Atlanta that we particularly enjoy. But usually we just stay somewhere near our house. There are tons of options for that!
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: once again, all depends on where you live and traffic. We live in the city, DH leaves at 430am for a 6am flight, about 20 mins of highway driving. Once time he had a 8pm flight and left at 530 and took home well over and hour. That was waze taking him down roads he had never been on to avoid the highway, which with traffic that day would have been 1.5-2 hrs.
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I don't know what your budget it, but I have a mom friend that lives in Brookhaven and loves it. There is a cute little town center (not sure how to describe it...more like a little shopping/restaurant area) there that she is super close to.
My family lives way south of ATL, but my mom's best friend's adult daughters both live in Buckhead with their families. I know it's not considered a suburb, but they really like their neighborhood.
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: There's also a train to the airport (MARTA) so at least you don't have to drive - it goes straight to the terminal. If your husband is going to be working in Cobb County a lot you may want to stay west of highway 400, but my DH does drive that way across 400 and doesn't have much trouble in the 7:00 hour - it really varies.
@Mrs. Sketchbook: We are technically in Johns Creek but the borders between Alpharetta/JC/Roswell are so fluid - I really like the area!
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The more I think about it, you might find that you're better off with all of the various locations that you have to drive to by living relatively close to 285 (the big highway that circles the city). Maybe try looking at either Ashford Park or Dunwoody. We have a couple of friends in Ashford Park and they love it there! Your money definitely doesn't go as far there though since you're closer to the city (not sure what kind of budget you're working with).
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@peachykeen: I agree! When we were considering moving we literally started in Roswell and drove all the way to Cherokee county and there was almost no break in development the whole way.
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I think some ppl like cobb others do not. It is an established older suburb so there's a range of very high end older suburbs and newer lower end suburbs. And some parts that people have moved on from. For example I used to live in austell and that area is very run down in comparison to how it was 20 years ago. However I was driving through West Cobb two weeks ago close to kennestone hospital and was marvelling at some of the established older suburbs and neighborhoods around that area that are quite beautiful and exclusive. Marietta is really like its own town in ways that other suburbs are not. If diversity, ethnic food etc. are important to you I think cobb, North Fulton, or gwinnett are your best bet. If new houses and schools are your thing then Canton, Cumming, will be better. Those areas also have date night options but they'll be more likely steakhouse than like, good thai food. Shopping is more like really nice mall than local boutique. If that sort of thing matters to you.
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Just popping in to say I'm jealous!! I grew up in Atlanta and would love to get back. I lived in west Cobb and went to a fantastic high school. Most of the class went to GT, UGA, or Ivy League. I lived in vinings before moving out of state and would go back there in a heartbeat (although be prepared to place kids in private school in that area). It's my absolute favorite piece of Atlanta.
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I was born and raised in Cobb county and work there now. I currently live in Cherokee county right on the Cobb/Cherokee line. If you have any specific questions let me know bc I know the two areas pretty well!
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@MrsYellowJacket: what hs did you go to?
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@TrailRunner: KM - you?
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All good stuff ladies! TYSM...I'm so anxious to get home and research all of your advice.
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I'm an Atlanta native and have lived in various parts of the metro area my whole life except for 1 year in college.
Smyrna and Marietta are nice suburbs in Cobb county. I lived in the Smyrna / Marietta / Vinings area for 13 years and loved it. I would still live there now if it weren't for moving in with my now-husband.
I actually live in the city now, on the east side not too far from Decatur. A lot of families are moving back in town away from the suburbs. Decatur is a really family friendly area with good schools and a cute, walkable downtown area with restaurants and shopping. It's close to the city but not too close. If you do look at Decatur, make sure you stay toward the north side, close to downtown Decatur. There are a lot of places further south that are labeled "Decatur" but aren't in a good part of town.
Dunwoody is nice and is close to good malls and shopping, but there tends to be a lot of traffic there, and it's more expensive. Personally, I would stay away from Alpharetta because the traffic makes me cry and it's far from everything else. I know a lot of people who live in Canton and Woodstock who really like it up that way, but it's a bit far from the city for us.
I've lived all over, so let me know if you have any questions about a specific area.
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Alrighty, based on the list you all have generously provided I am now researching 16 communities in 6 different counties.
We hear the Atlanta real estate market is heating up. I don't know what our ceiling budget is just yet as it depends on if I am able to move with my job.
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@MrsYellowJacket: Mceachern! Such a small world!
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: the real estate here has gotten crazy. I'm in Woodstock now, and had my house appraised last month for a refinance. It appraised for over $50k higher than I what I bought it for only two years ago.
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@TrailRunner: You're telling me! These prices definitely compete with South Florida prices. So far, it looks like I'm going to have to go with new construction. Are there any well-known/ credible home builders in GA? Or builders we should definitely stay away from?
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I'm from Atlanta. Went to GSU for undergrad. DH is from Gwinnett county, and I prefer Cobb county. Any specific questions just ask!
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: you are extra enthusiastic about Rome, lol. It's 70 miles from DH's office- no go.
Of course DH reveals/ reminds me of some things after all your responses. He has to live within 50 miles of the office. Woodstock is 28 miles and his coworkers love it, so Cherokee Cty is on the list. Marietta & East Cobb received high marks as did Roswell area (Dunwoody, Sandy Springs). Based on where I may work and our desire to be somewhat close to ATL and preliminary research on some of the *ahem* fancy places you all recommended I think we'll concentrate on those places.
@krispi: that's interesting what you say about Decatur because so far he's only heard to not move anywhere near there, well anything south of Perimiter for that matter. I don't even know if I'm a walkable city kind of person, but I don't want to rule a good thing out.
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Hello Atl bees. Didn't know there were so many of you!
I grew up in North Fulton but lived in the "city" for college (went to Emory, hubby went to GT), our first home was in Norcross/Peachtree Corners, and recently just bought a new build in South Forsyth (like literally it's across the county line from North Fulton).
Traffic is terrible anywhere but you adjust. I think it's important to access what you want. Good schools? Forsyth and North Fulton consistently have the best public schools. Want to be near the city but not quite? Brookhaven is cute area. Near work? Roswell is great. Cobb county too but it's expensive!
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