My husband got a corporate job in downtown Atlanta. We have 2 kids--5k and 4th grader. I've been reading/checking stuff about the various suburbs and I'm so confused as ever.

Based on our initial research, we've narrowed down our choices (not set in stone, though) to Alpharetta, Roswell, and Marietta. We're considering enrolling our kids to a Catholic school but the two that I checked do not have any openings. So, excellent public school is a major consideration. Any inputs on these suburbs?

Also, we came across Peachtree City and it is deemed to be one of the best cities to live for families. Any comments on these area?

Another question--which areas do you think have better appreciation in terms of house values?

Thanks in advance.

If your husband is working downtown, I think Peachtree City is quite a commute which would suck for him.

What is your price range for housing?

We're looking into $300-400,000. We want to be in a nice family-oriented neighborhood so my kids would adjust well.

I agree - P'tree City is too far. Alpharetta and Roswell = $$$ It is mostly upper middle class.

Marietta (the area I live closest to) can be bad in some areas and really nice in others (it is fairly large.) You will have to take that into consideration if you settle there ... I mean (and I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT MEAN TO SOUND LIKE A SNOB!!) there are some areas of Marietta were you would NOT want to live. Where in Marietta are you looking at? I live in an area where Marietta, Kennesaw, Woodstock and Acworth kind of all come together. My brother is a police officer in Duluth (That is a very nice area too)

Can you afford to live inside I-285? In Atlanta, one should live as close to one's job as possible. Many people commute to downtown from places like Marietta, Roswell and Alpharetta but it's a lot of traffic and a long commute. Forget Peachtree City unless an hour commute each way is acceptable. In fact, Alpharetta would have be a similar commute.

Inside I-285, there's the Donellan School, Holy Spirit Prep and Christ the King- all very good Catholic schools. I know CtK took in hurricane families, and many of those who initially came to Atlanta have left already. Those schools may have openings.

Some intown public schools are very good- Morris Brandon, Sarah Smith, Morningside and Warren Jackson.

What's your price range? Where do you live now?

Soontobe, it's easy to get confused when it comes to mapping out where to live.

As the others have already pointed out, the PTC/Atlanta commute can be a killer. Traffic on I-85 in the mornings (and evenings) can be very stressful. I wouldn't do it.

I suggest two areas simply from personal experience. I'd look into Decatur (city schools) and East Cobb. Both have very good public schools and quality of life. Housing isn't cheap but you can find homes in your price range if you look. The commute from Decatur is not too bad. East Cobb commute isn't as good but easier than PTC for sure.

Alpharetta is indeed very nice and has good schools. But the commute down 400 is about as nightmarish as the one from PTC, in my humble opinion.

With that said, I highly recommend coming down here and driving around yourself. Nothing on paper can truly help you to get the feel for a place the way being there can.

Yes, what others have said is very true. You really need to take into consideration your husband's commute time as to where you live.

I would even go as far to say cut back a little on the kids well being and look out a little more for dads.

His quality of life would diminish considerably with a long Atlanta commute.

You posted your price range while I was working on my first response. Look at Sandy Springs and Dunwoody- both have older neighborhoods in your price range. Marietta does encompass a big area but there are nice areas in East/North Cobb that are in your range. You should also check out Smyrna, there's a LOT of new construction along the East/West Connector in your price range. Many, many new families are moving to that area. The schools don't yet have the reputation of the East Cobb schools but that will change as that booming area continues to develop.

As for price appreciation, Atlanta has seen tremendous apreciation over the last 15 years. I don't know how much appreciation will occur in the next 5-10 years, beyond inflation, but I don't think you'll see huge gains here. The areas inside the perimeter (I285) will continue to see gains due to proximity to the office markets of downtown, midtown, Buckhead, Galleria, Perimeter. Smyrna might be a good bet as it's new construction and the E/W Connector corridor market is on fire all the way out to Rockmart.

As for education, "excellent public schools" is an oxymoron in most of Georgia, which ranks 50th in the country in education. There are some excellent public schools, particularly at the elementary level, but you will need to do some research. The Atlanta newspaper, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, publishes a guide to the schools in metro Atlanta. You can but the guide on its website www.ajc.com.

Should have said "buy the guide".

I agree with GoTravel's suggestion- you should weigh heavily your husband's commute time if you want you and your kids to spend time with him during the week- ex. family dinners.

Thanks for all the replies. I know that looking for "excellent" public schools in Atlanta (or Georgia, in general) is oxymoron, to say the least. But, I was thinking of getting in an area with good social atmosphere (for lack of better term) and decent academic standards (ok---we're talking relative to the rest of metro Atlanta area).

As far as Marietta is concerned, any suggestions on subdivisions to look at? How about Smyrna?

Btw, we're coming from Memphis, TN. I'll check back later. Need to go.

Thanks, again.

LOL!! Really? Public schools in Memphis are better than Atlanta. I don't know about that. BTW, I have a friend who's children are in Catholic school and the class sizes are larger than the public schools. So I don't know about that being a better option.

There is absolutely no way I would be living in Alpharetta and driving downtown every day. That is a miserable life. If your husband is going to be working downtown I would seriously look at neighborhoods inside the perimeter. You might have to accept less house, but 300 to 400 thousand will buy a decent house in many areas ITP (inside the perimeter). Less house, more time with your husband. Also, with gas prices being what they are, driving to Roswell, Alpharetta, etc., everyday isn't going to be cheap.

Georgia, as a whole, may be at the bottom of the barrel, but metro Atlanta has some excellent public schools - and that is NOT an oxymoron. We moved here from Connecticut 7 years ago when my children were in the first and third grades. We have been very happy with the public schools they have attended. My oldest is now at Lassiter High School, and besides an excellent academic program, their athletics and music programs are outstanding.

The city of Marietta has a different school system than the rest of Cobb County. Many people in Cobb county have a Marietta address, but do not live within the "city of Marietta". I would suggest looking into schools in East Cobb county. Cobb is divided by I-75, and it is basically the dividing line between east and west Cobb county. The top high schools in east Cobb are Walton, Pope and Lassiter. Many people in this area commute downtown everyday.

There are excellent schools in Georgia - and many in the metro area. I would never say that Memphis area schools are better than Atlanta area schools. City school districts have their challenges no matter in which region of the country you look. The Council of Great City Schools conference was just held in Atlanta to discuss Big City school issues.

The school districts discussed on this thread are excellent public schools. If you move inside the Perimeter you may want to look at Catholic schools.

There are some excellent public schools ITP as well. In my neighborhood there is Oak Grove Elementary and Lakeside High School. Lakeside was ranked the top high school in Georgia by USA Today. Someone else mentioned some other good public schools ITP above. I know I've heard alot about Sara Smith Elementary. That's in Buckhead so property is going to be expensive around that school. The neighborhoods around Oakgrove & Lakeside aren't quite as expensive as Buckhead. I kind of hesitate to tell too many people about this neighborhood because it's not nearly as congested as some other areas in town and I like that. But it is VERY convenient to everything. Buckhead, downtown, midtown.

Thanks for all the inputs on Atlanta. I really appreciate it. Btw, I think Memphis ranks lower than Atlanta in terms of public schools. <sigh> My kids currently go to a Catholic School here in Memphis; hence, I thought it would be better if they go to one in Atlanta. However, I visited two schools over there---Queen of Angels and Holy Redeemer. For one, they don't have openings for 1st and 5th grade. Secondly, even if they do have an opening, I have some reservations putting my kids there just because the class size is so big (28).

Another question---What do you guys think of Norcross/Peachtree Corners area? Is that a reasonable commute to downtown? Are the public schools in that area good? Any good private school in the area? Any other inputs would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Wesleyan, a private school in the Norcross area, is one of the best private schools in Atlanta. Greater Atlanta Christian School is also in that area on the south side of 85. It has an outstanding academic program (my son competes against them in chess and math competitions) but I don't know much about its "Christian" aspect. I can't help on the public schools- I live on the other side of town. However, there's been lots of growth in that area in the last 5-10 years. Many tech companies are in that area- a lot of smart people, wh are probablyhaving an impact on the public school system. You'll want to stay close to 85 as local traffic in that area is heavy. The roads haven't kept up with the growth (of course, that can be said for all of Atl ;-)). You should be able to find plenty of houses in your price range.

I suggest looking at some of the John Wieland (developer) subdivisions around Atlanta. He builds swim/tennis, very family oriented communities in your price range. One example is Vinings Estates is Smyrna (and I heard he's developing a new one next to it). The resale on his homes is usually good. You would easily find new friends for you and your kids in such areas.

oops, hit post before I was ready...

The Catholic schools you visited are in areas that have seen huge growth in the last few years and don't have enough private school spaces so I'm not surprised that they would be filled to capacity or beyond. Check the intown Catholic schools that I mentioned above. Also, Marist is the most prestigious Catholic middle/high school in Atlanta (it starts at 7th grade, I believe). A friend who is alum told me recently that the school can't find enough qualified Catholic kids to fill all of the places so the school has a sizable non-Catholic population. Call Marist and ask for suggestions of feeder schools.

STBGA--
You've gotten good feedback here. Alpharetta, Roswell do have very good schools and are nice 'burbs (I know we live and teach here) but the commute downtown via 400 is pretty gruesome. My husband does that drive--he gets on at Haynes Bridge and it takes him on ave. 30 min. to get to 285 and that's when he leave by 7.30. Obviously the earlier he leaves, the easier the traffic situation is.

I think the drive downtown would be easier from E. Cobb and it's a nice place to live. We almost moved there this summer but the commute for me didn't make sense.

Put me down as one more vote to cross PTC off your list.

Norcross/Ptree Corners--I'd be hesitant about buying over there, especially in Norcross. There are some nice neighborhoods but I think perhaps the area is changing. Parts of Norcross are definately not good and I'd be worried about how that affects school boundaries.

OWJ

Please don't get me wrong - there are very good public schools inside the Perimeter, including excellent elementary schools. Many parents have concerns when the students move to the middle and high school level. But, in responding to a question from a poster on an internet forum one must talk in generalities. In general, someone moving to the Atlanta area can be confident that the east Cobb schools, North Fulton, Forsyth, Fayette and some Gwinnett schools are very good. I would be careful in choosing where to buy a house in Gwinnett, DeKalb and Atlanta City school districts. I know that the school demographics for my local DeKalb school changed completely in less than 2 years.

>>Based on our initial research, we've narrowed down our choices (not set in stone, though) to Alpharetta, Roswell, and Marietta<<

Considering Catholic schools in those areas just doesn't make sense to me given the public schools are very good and your husband's commute will be very, very bad.

If you want to be kind to your husband and consider options without commutes from hell, then be more careful in choosing schools inside the Perimeter or consider private (including Catholic) schools. Come visit, travel with a realtor and "get the scoop" and make your home purchase decision based on feeder school districts.

Based on your criteria, you should consider looking for housing in the East Cobb County area which is part of Marietta. You want a Catholic school but if you have to atted public, East Cobb schools are the best in the state.

I grew up there but now live in the South Forsyth County area which is extremely nice but too far of a commute for your husband. I would avoid Kennesaw and Acworth as they are somewhat downscale in my opinion.

Alpharetta is very nice but is also a long commute for your husband. Alpharetta and Roswell are part of Fulton County and they will burden you with taxes.

I'm not sure what type of property you can get for $300K - 400K inside the perimeter that is family oriented in a nice area.

Traffic in Atlanta is horrible so try to stay as close to the perimeter (285) as possible. An Alpharetta commute to downtown Atlanta is easily an hour each way even if you leave by 6:30 A.M.

Good luck!