Can any of you residents please steer me in the right direction? We're moving to GA,(my husband is a writer,works from home.)I'm hoping to find a nice suburb for my family. Number one priority is excellent public schools for my three children. I've heard that Cobb County was top on the list.Any suggestions? Many thanks,Mimi

I live in Cobb cnty. East Cobb. I have lived in the Atl area for over 25 years (Dunwoody, Gwinnett). Cobb is a great place to raise a family. The taxes are about the lowest in the Atl metro area. The housing prices are good (look at the housing articles at www.ajc.com). The schools are excellent. Like any place in the metro area traffic is bad. I don't know where you will be moving from but Atl is a great place.

Was born and raised in MArietta (Cobb Co.) have sinced moved away and now I am back but in Sandy Springs (North Fulton Co. outside of Atlanta) The answer to this question definitely depends on how suburban you want to be. I know people in the suburbs who go into the city only 5 or 6 times a year. They do not shop or eat in the city neither do they regularly experience the cultural aspects it has to offer. That is fine and if you are like that I would say you can live pretty far out and not feel hassled by the commute time to Atlanta. In that case I would suggest Northeast Cobb Co. and specifically areas just east of Kennesaw. You will find very nice houses and somewhat upscale neighborhood feel, as a result schools are very good.

If on the otherhand you are like me and could not possibly fathom life without getting into the city on a regular basis not just to got o work (LOL) These areas would probably bee to far out. My husband and I are the type of people that want to live in a nice surban area but think that there are few restaurants and other options other than chains way out in the burbs. We love Sandy Springs which is still a suburb but much closer in. I think the main drawback is the resulting higher cost of real estate unfortunately. We have a 3 yo who right now goes to a private Montessorti school. When she does begin public school, we are well-positiioned for a good school however in general Fulton Co has a poorer school system. Good and bad schools are spotty and you have to watch. That being said about Fulton Co., obviously some of the worse schools are within the city limits of Atlanta and in the high crime areas specifically. Once you move outside the city and go north to Roswell, Sandy Springs over even way out in Alp0haretta, there are obviously more good than bad. The poorer ones in the city bring down the average for the county though.

If I had to live in Atlanta, I would only live in Buckhead.

Whatever you do, keep your kids away from Rockdale County.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/georgia/

I would seriously consider your commute time. You should try to live as close to work as possible. Certain freeways in Atlanta are jammed to a standstill every rush hour, especially Georgia 400, I-285 between 75 and 85 (the top end perimeter), and the downtown connector (I75/85 through downtown). For instance, if you work in downtown, midtown, or buckhead, the commute from Alpharetta would approach an hour each way. Where I live in Smyrna, however, it rarely takes over 20 minutes to get downtown. I would suggest driving your commute during rush hour from your top choice neighborhoods so that you know what your getting yourself into.

That said, there are great areas throughout Atlanta. I live in Cobb county and like it very much. I prefer Smyrna/Vinings and East Cobb to Marietta. I also like the suburbs up GA-400 (Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Roswell, and Alpharetta). However, traffic seems to be worse there.

I just noticed that you said your husband works from home. In that case, the commute is a non-issue. I would suggest you look at Alpharetta. One bonus to living in Alpharetta is that you are pretty close to Lake Lanier if you like to boat. Also, the restaurants and shopping in Alpharetta are great. I am not sure about schools. I would imagine that North Fulton County schools would be good. It is a very affluent area.

You sais your husband will work from home but what about your commute? Where will you be working? If you will work downtown then don't move too far outside perimeter. Even if you don't work downtown but in another suburb, commute time from suburb to suburb can be costly, give us some more info.

Check out Acworth, I think you'll be pleased.

I've lived in Alpharetta for 25 years. Raised a family. It was nice,now it's over crowded and most people are moving north. If you need to fly a lot,you might think about Peachtree City. Many Cobb areas are nice (the further out the better) and have good schools. Living in the city ,IMHO,wouldn't be best with children (unless you think private schools).And,I agree,Ackworth is nice.

Mimi, Be careful when choosing those GA schools. Most are truly inferior.

If you want to be near the city but not truly a part of it, the Fayette County area to the south has good public schools, low crime, and little traffic. It doesn't have the restaurants and shopping of the north side mentioned by most of the posters. Cobb County and parts of Gwinnett County offer good schools and nice housing with most restaurants, shopping, entertainment, and traffic.

Linda
No traffic in Fayette????
While it's a nice area,how does one travel to and from Atlanta without crazy traffic?

I agree with Fayette County advice since you don't have to drive into the city everyday. The house prices are relatively low, and there is a lot more undeveloped land in Fayette than Cobb and Fulton. I am partial to the Fayette because I am a Fayette High grad and my mom is a teacher at one of the middle schools there. The counties with the best schools are Cobb, Gwinnett, and Fayette. Cherokee, Forsyth, and Spalding are on the rise as well.

I've visited atlanta several times, and have a brother who lives there. I am certainly no expert, but they live in the Duluth/Alpharetta area. It is very nice. They are happy with the schools, and the shopping is great. Homes are gorgeous, many of the professional athletes live in the area, and it's not rare to rub elbows with many of them.