Hey, vlys, my parents are planning on moving to McDonough, and I think that's close to where you're looking, near the airport, etc. They've done a pantload of research on it.

It's south of Atlanta, very nice area. You can get a *lot* of house there for not much money, compared to N. Fulton. Like, a seriously huge house for 300k.

That's why I think renting's a good idea when it comes to atlanta, it's a BIG honkin' area, and we've lived here for ten years and still haven't seen all of it. And let me tell you, it is *different* depending on where you are in the metro area. One of the reasons I think Atlanta's so cool...

I've started for looking for a house too but we've been living already in Alpharetta for a year. We're renting on a cross of Johnes bridge and 120 and really like the place and the area. But most we love the schools (Chatahooche, Taylor midle, and Abbots hill for high, middle, and elementary). We're considering moving a bit towards 141 to Forsyth and when I compare the schools I see that the Forsyth schools are a bit of a lower quality. For example South Forsyth High School has "Recent Total Average Scale Score" of 1055 but Chatahoochee 1122. For other scores there is also some discrepancy in favor of Fulton. (check on http://reportcard.gaosa.org)

Do you think it's a tiny difference and we shouldn't worry about it? I don't personally think we can take the average as a factor of succees since primarly the kids get back from schools what their parents invest at home. But nevertheless, is this difference ok?

Another question is about potential for home appreciation. If you plan to sell a hous in 3-5 years is it equally possible to grow for prices in "old" fulton alpharetta and "new" forsyth alpharetta?

Many folks look for the strongest schools they can find. This helps with resale value. Forsyth county is nice and has the lowest taxes in metro Atlanta. The sophistication of the county and the schools are not there like in N. Fulton. An alternative could be Cobb County, specifically East Cobb. A few years ago, US News & World Reports rated Walton High in Cobb County as one of the best six HS in the country. Realtor friends we talked to said they started receivng calls from folks around the country who wanted to relocate to metro Atlanta and specifically to the Walton district. This shows the incredible attraction of school quality.

just for the sake of interest compared Walton to Chatahoochee. SAT is 1128 vs. 1122, graduation rate is 93.1 vs. 91.8. In my view it's the same.

I'd distinct two questioins though. One is how more attractive Fulton is vs. Forsyth due to its schools, and another how seriously worse Forsyth schools are? If this difference is significant (in fact, not in numbers) then I wouldn't sacrifice education for lower property tax. If it's quite the same then I'm not afraid to resell the house in 4-5 years in Forsyth because it has demonstrated high appreciation already.

I agree that Walton and Chattahoochee are comparable. Our three sons all graduated from Walton. I don't keep up with it anymore, but Walton traditionally has more merit scholarship winners than any school in Georgia, including Westminster, the best private school in Atlanta. There are many ways to measure school quality. Most statistics are poor barometers. It pays to really get to know the schools. For example, our kids are musically gifted. Walton has the best HS orchestra in the SE, and one of the best in the country. While the band is excellent, it is far from the best. Lassiter HS wins every contest they enter including nationally. If you have a kid gifted in math and science, focus on that. Two of our three sons were in the gifted program at Walton and it was rigorous.

BTW, since you are looking in Forsyth, have you looked at The Preserve? It is developed by Jim Cowart who is one of the preeminent developers in Atlanta. There is a range of prices and the amenity package is top drawer.

Guys, look at the formula of calculating property taxes: http://www.atlantacommunities.com/code/2001chartshtml/taxchart04.html

according to this formula a 250K house will have taxes $3102 and $2212 in Fulton and Forsyth correspondently. It equals to about 75$ difference in monthly payments.

I found somewhere the same table but for 2002 (the link points to 2005) and there millage was 21.79 for Forsyth and 40.09 for Alpharetta. Now the number are 24.05 and 36.05 so the trend is to make them equal.

romanr, I got the same tax values.

Just curious, when you moved to Alpharetta, where did you move from?

I've started for looking for a house too but we've been living already in Alpharetta for a year. We're renting on a cross of Johnes bridge and 120 and really like the place and the area. But most we love the schools (Chatahooche, Taylor midle, and Abbots hill for high, middle, and elementary). We're considering moving a bit towards 141 to Forsyth and when I compare the schools I see that the Forsyth schools are a bit of a lower quality. For example South Forsyth High School has "Recent Total Average Scale Score" of 1055 but Chatahoochee 1122. For other scores there is also some discrepancy in favor of Fulton. (check on http://reportcard.gaosa.org)

Do you think it's a tiny difference and we shouldn't worry about it? I don't personally think we can take the average as a factor of succees since primarly the kids get back from schools what their parents invest at home. But nevertheless, is this difference ok?

Another question is about potential for home appreciation. If you plan to sell a hous in 3-5 years is it equally possible to grow for prices in "old" fulton alpharetta and "new" forsyth alpharetta?

john, what do you mean by the same tax values? in fulton it's still a bit higher.

we moved from Israel and Russia before with my job but in US we're at least for other 4-5 years

p.s. have no clue why my old message got reposted

By same tax values, I simply meant that my tax calculations matched yours.

Where did you locate "Recent Total Average Scale Score"?

OK, how to decide between Chattahoochee HS and South Forsyth HS? Compare percentage of students who qualify for HOPE scholarships. This may reflect the achievement orientation of students...and their parents. If I remmber correctly, the requirement for HOPE is a 3.0 GPA. The more rigorous the academics are, the tougher it is to maintain that GPA, so, you have do drill below the statistics a bit for each school. Go to each school and meet with the principal. He/she will set the tone and leadership for the school. If your kids are gifted in math, meet with the head of the math department and gifted/AP math teachers. Same for other subjects. If you have a budding concert violinist at home, meet with the orchestra director. Learn about National Merit winners, percentage of students in AP and/or gifted. This will tell you something about the student body and the parents. You are correct: a good education begins in the home. Find statistics that measure this.

Also, think beyond HS. Learn which HS are known and respected by leading colleges and universities. It is surprising how well the admissions offices know the HS. The grades of our middle son who is the brightest of his brothers, did not reflect his ability. He fell in love his sophomore year and it dented him academically. He was one lovesick puppy. He did well but not in line with his capability. When we toured colleges, we asked about his GPA. Mind you, his IQ and SAT's were extremely high, but we were concerned. Their response: we are familiar with Walton HS. He got his first choice.

We are looking to move to Alpharetta also. I was wondering the same things about the schools. I have talked to several people in the schools and they told me that the curriculum is really challenging and most kids that move here have to take classes to catch up, even kids from NY and NJ. That surprised me. Most parents really seem to like it. We are looking into White columns, which seems very desirable. I do worry, however, about the transient population. I wonder if people ever really "connect."

Although the metro Atlanta population including Alpharetta is transient, don't forget there are plenty of folks who choose to live here permanently. I have met so many couples who transerred here and three years later received their next relocation notice, only to dig in and refuse to move. Local realtors call Atlanta the "corporate graveyard" for that reason. The biggest attraction to Alpharetta is the economic quality of life, especially for those moving from the NE and West. The transient population is not as large as it may seem. The key is to meet a lot of people and there are many outlets to do so. The way to connect is to get involved in the schools, place of worship, ALTA, community activities, neighborhood golf tournaments, etc. You will be surprised how many people you will meet.

We are in Alpharetta now visiting again. We spent some time driving around and man oh man traffic is as bad as everyone says it is. But, everything else is so nice it's worth putting up with traffic. Do many people in the burbs go to downtown for entertainment? Nyers go to "the city" for everything. I went downtown yesterday. Some areas are nice, but some are very dirty and run down.

Lisamel

I lived here for the past 10 years and we have deceided to avoid alpharetta area. If you folks work in exit 9, 10 of 400 it is fine. Else you would be wasting 2 hours in traffic every day. Also run away from Downtown area. The schools are not as good as north subs

Compare 2 hours spend with your family to buying a nice looking home and spending 2 hours in traffic. Which one you prefer?

I am putting up a contract in East cobb - Walton/Dodgon school district which is the best in the state. I have a son who goes to high and one goes to middle and the schools are great.

East cobb homes are old and costly. But it is a great convinient area in terms of schools, driving, shopping and communitites.

Also East cobb is a strong conservative community if you like one.

If you decided to live in Aplaraetta, consider forsyth county. Houses are cheap, and is a very fastgrowing area.

Best of luck

lisamel,

Yes, traffic is bad. The only reasons we go to downtown Atlanta are concerts and sporting events. If you live in Alpharetta and want four to five star dining, Buckhead is the place. There is one fine restaurant in Roswell (town immediately south of Alpharetta) named Dick and Harry's and it is excellent. BTW, you had mentioned White Columns. WC is an outstanding neighborhood. It was developed by a Japanese company (Fuji I believe) and they gave Tom Fazio free reign as to where to put the golf course. I have played golf courses across the country and WC is one of the best. Whether you play or not is immaterial; it is a strong drawing card for the neighborhood.

sethramesh,

Although we downsized to Alpharetta as empty nesters, we raised our kids in East Cobb. They attended Dickerson Middle and Walton. U.S. News and World Reports ranked Walton as one of the best six HS in the country. East Cobb is a great community. When we first moved there, Johnson Ferry Rd was a two lane road. Traffic was horrible. From the river, traffic was backed up at least 10-12 cars deep, lol.

John_WC

Thanks; I have two sons at Dickerson and the elder one will be going to walton Next year. I am moving to Dodgen school district and putting up a contract to buy a home in Dodgen/Walton school.

Lisamel

There is a New sub division just started (just 2 days ago)at Alpharattea by Centex homes. I think it is off of Exit 9 or 10, and close to North point mall. Priced 350 to 400k. Seems like cluster homes. Not much land (I think less than 10000 SQ. foot). You may want to check it out

The dreaded GA 400 Trafiic made to be run away from Alpharetta. My wife works at Exit 10 of GA 400, but again the work area is temp! This may change anytime especially if you work in Tech area

Even when we lived "ITP" (Inside The Perimeter) we rarely went downtown, maybe to Philips to see a hockey game, or to the zoo every now and then, but not for regulalr socializing. Atlanta has a pantload of places to shop and eat all over the place. We've now done the unthinkable and moved "OTP" and while my family doctors are still "ITP", everything else we do is "OTP". Except for the new aquarium, and that dang thing is so crowded it's not fun to go to anyway.

Hi Everyone,
I couldn't believe that I can't get tickets to get into the aquarium. I tried and everything was sold out. Oh well. We'll try another time.
I am glad to see the sun came out today. :)

I also found out after touring an elementary schools about the severe crowding issue. I am sure most people aren't happy with the trailers they use for classrooms. Does this affect the quality of education much? Where I live now, crowding isn't an issue. Most towns are built up and established already.

Trailer classrooms have popped up all over the northern arc. Growth too fast to build new schools. Based on our own three sons who attended school during the time East Cobb was experiencing strong growth, I can honestly say it did not affect their education. Are you seeing that in N. Fulton?

I do wish the country commissioners would mate building permits to school classroom availability. That would certainly be better for the schools long-term and property values would go through the roof.

In the event you have not heard, the table is being set for Crabapple to become a town, to be called Milton. If/when that happens, it would bring a new focus and perspective to the town by which citizens could have a dramatic impact on issues such as schools. As it is, Crabapple is located in an unincorporated area of Fulton County and effectively has no political clout. They will change dramtically. I cannot wait.

Our school has trailers, about 10, 6 just put in. It's not optimal, but we're working hard to get a new elementary school built asap. Our school consistently ranks in the top 10% of elementary schools in the nation, so I would say, no, the outer trappings of a school have nothing to do with the quality of education or the happiness of the teachers on the inside...

I think adding trailers does affect the quality of education. A school bult for 700 hundred kids, now has to house 800 and that means PE and music classes must be shared and cafeteria and playyground time is shortened to get the whole school through in one day..

Find out how many classes are housed in trailers and how much time is spent being able to play on the playground and how big PE and music classes are.

An adminstrator can make or break it in situations like these. Even though it is large, I recommend Creek View ELementary near Windward. The principal is top notch- respected by parents and teachers alike.

John-Yes, I have heard about the proposed town of Milton. That would be great. But, I am sure it is a few years away.

The school I toured was Summit Hill. Even though they have a good reputation, I still worry about housing that many kids in one school. I did call Katie Reeves of the Board of Ed today and she told me a new elementary would be going up and 2 new high schools in the near future.

Our son just moved to Alpharetta. We think it is a great place for him since he is young & single. I was impressed by the amount of shopping & eating places close by. But it is a bit congested even though it seems to have a good bit of greenspace surrounding most business areas.
We have a relative that lives in Hoschton which is N of Alpharetta. Her subdivision is a bit more rural in feel but still very nice. She used to live in Dacula & loved it there but moved to be closer to her daughter. We also have family in Fayetteville which is S of Atlanta. I was amazed at how it has grown when we visited there recently. It has a small town feel but some nice upscale housing tucked in there for anyone wanting S of Atlanta.

Can anyone recommed a good Catholic school in the Alpharetta, GA area.? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

The best Catholic school in the Atlanta area is Marist. See link below.

Did you want to stay in or around Alpharetta?

FWIW, many families carpool to Marist from Alpharetta and Roswell.

Here is a link that might be useful: Marist

Another good catholic school is OLA, Our Lady Of Assumption-neighbors send their kids there. St. Pius X is also a name I hear tossed about as being good. There's another one up in Alpharetta that our friends send their oldest to, and he's going to Embry Riddle on a full ride, so I'm guessing it's a good school-I'll ask them and post it here.

THANK YOU JOHN AND DISNEYRSH FOR YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS. WE WILL BE MOVING TO ALPHARETTA IN THE SUMMER AND I NEED TO START LOOKING FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS. THE PROBLEM IS THAT I DON'T KNOW ANYONE IN GEORGIA TO ASK FOR A REFERENCE. I WILL TAKE A LOOK AT THE WEBSITES OF THE SCHOOLS YOU RECOMMENDED. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR HELP. HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!!!!

I know two people that went to Marist, it's a very academically rigorous school. It also has a fairly heavy focus on sports. It's also incredibly hard to get into. I would suggest talking to some catholic churches asap in the atlanta area-they'll have good recommendations as well. Still waiting on the name of the school in alp, sorry bout that...

Holy Redeemer is in Alpharetta.

I think that's the one he goes to.

Disneyrsh, what elementary is your school that is the top 10% in the nation? Just curious.
I am going public. I don't really want to pay so much for a house and then private school on top of it. Most of the kids in the neighborhoods I've looked at use the public school system (Summit HIll elementary or Crabapple crossing)

Can anyone recomend how to best find a rental house in ATL (north side of the city as I work near Perimeter Mall and my wife works from home)? My wife and I moved from Los Angeles and want to rent a nice house before we buy. We are willing to spend upwards of $4000 a month for a nice place. Any thoughts?

It does have to be a house though, as we moved from a house and have LOTS of furniture.

Dunwoody is a very nice town and is in close proximity to Perimeter Mall. So is Sandy Springs. There is an online servie called RentList which lists homes, condos, lofts, etc. The properties are listed by rental agencies. Link below.

Of course you can also search the AJC classifids at

www.ajchomefinder.com

Good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: RentList

Hi,
we are moving to the alpharetta area. Can anyone shed some light on the subdivisions there? I would like to stay where there are lot of activities for kids like swimming and tennis. SO far I have liked the seven oaks subdivision. Are there other subdivisions like this with clubhouse, large tennis areas etc where kids go to NorthView High, Centennial or Chattahoochee?
thnks
Patpri

I would really think twice about Seven Oaks- its beautiful, great amenities, but the only access is McGinnis Ferry- the traffic is horrendus. If you do choose to live there -make sure you drive in and out of at am school time and 5ish

If you do a search for homes in 30005 you will see a lot for sale in Seven Oaks but hardly any in Windward and that is a good indicator- I think.

Try crooked creek, glen abbey, white columns for great amenitites and easier access. Windward holds the U12 nat'l hard court tennis championships each year and has won the fulton county swim meet 5 years in a row.

thanks for the information..this is the kind of thing I wouldnt know coming from out of town..thanks a tonne..
Are the tech. companies around alpharetta easy to get to from the subdivisions you mentioned?

My son lives in Alpharetta off Old Milton Pkwy. He is renting for now & can go to work 1 exit up on the 400 or a back way. He is 15 minutes from work & has every convenience around him. We really liked Alpharetta when we visited him & he said the landscape is really pretty right now. A good place to eat was Real Foods. It's tucked away but a nice place with good food. Their blue plate specials were like southern home cooking & not expensive. Other things on the menu were more "sophisticated" & the staff was excellent.

what is the best high school in Alpharetta? I saw the new Milton and it looks phenomenal and the whole "academy" thing seems to be a good idea. However, I'm hearing a lot of buzz about Northview and Alpharetta HS.
Can anyone give me any opinions please?

I need advice, we applied at a Catholic school in Alpharetta and they have no openings available. I would like to know which is the best elementary school in Alpharetta so I can center my home search around that school. I hope someone reads this message and is able to give me advice. I really like Crooked Creek and the Windward subdivisions, but if the best elementary school is in another subdivision then I will look there. Also, I would like to know if there is a good Charter school. Thank you for your help. :)

Is DH's employer open to telecommuting (a day or two a week) or working from home for a few hours in the morning so he does not have to face 2 daily rush hours? Can he work from 10 to 7 or 6 to 3?

I commuted 30 miles in Atlanta for 6 years. The commute gets worse each year. My co-worker was there from '99 to '04 and also lamented the lengthening commute times over his tenure. There was a trend of moving back inside the perimeter when I left in '99.

I've never been so cold as I was in Atlanta - the first Winter hit 7 degrees! There is nothing to stop the cold fronts coming down from Canada.

It's a great town for tennis and golf. We found an absence of parks / playgrounds in our area as compared to other areas of the country we have lived in.

If I had it to do over, I would live within biking distance of work (or at least have both be convenient to Marta (rapid transit)).

The two best elementary schools in Alpharetta, as I posted in this thread already, are Crabapple Crossing and Mountain Park. Go to www.gppf.org and see for yourself.

Catholic Schools - Blessed Trinity HS and Queen of Angels Elem - they are in Roswell. Gorgeous campus & great schools. Not too far from Alpharetta. The is also Pinecrest in Forsyth and many more. http://www.archatl.com/schools - will list all of the diocese schools.

For those looking in Forsyth - try Cherokee too - there are parts of the county that are very close to Alpharetta and Roswell.

lisamel, our elementary school is Vanderlyn. Consistenly ranks top 4 in the state, top 10% in the nation. Amazing PTA and principal.

disneyrsh, just wanted to offer a correction... Mountain Park is in Roswell, not Alpharetta. Both our kids went there and it is an excellent school although recent years have seen principal turnover (may not mean anything) and introduction of trailers (does mean something).

We have lived in Roswell ten years now. During this time we often considered moving to Alpharetta, esp as my wife's office was moved from the Perimeter to Alpharetta (we are midway so commute did not increase). But we like going to Perimeter (we apartmented there a short time before Roswell) and Chinatown, Buckhead, etc, and Alpharetta is just a bit too far away. Forsyth so much more so.

Where is Chinatown???

Man, I lived there for 9 years and never knew a Chinatown existed in the Atlanta area!

Don't you mean Chambodia? That would be anywhere in Chamblee along Buford highway. I get the *best* deals over there on all sorts of crazy stuff.

Yep, that's right about mountain park. All the school stuff starts to get to be a blur at some point. I will disagree with you on the principal not being a big deal. In our school, she's a HUGE deal. Runs it so well it's amazing. The trailers, well, they're an eyesore, but the teachers in them are fantastic.

THe parents got together here over the summer and wired up high speed wireless internet for the trailers, got the teachers laptops, and landscaped the outsides of the trailers. With 10 foot cryptomeriums! Most of the parents also own local companies here, like IT, landscaping, etc, and are great about pitching in.

Sorry, just getting back to this forum and thread. Didn't mean to blow peoples' minds by referring to a Chinatown that doesn't officially exist... yes, I do mean the Buford Hwy/Chamblee area, although there you go, I have not heard it referred to as 'Chambodia'. A little condescending if you ask me (I know that is not a term you invented).

The area ITP on Buford Hwy was more predominantly Chinese in recent past but is growing into a true polyglot of Chinese, Korean, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Hispanic cultures, to name a few.

BTW we are considering a move to Alpharetta for numerous reasons... our work, worship, shopping and lesire takes us there quite a bit. Anyone have observations as to whether the supposed nationwide slowdown in housing has hit the N. Atl suburbs yet?

ooooooh yeah, it's slowed ENORMOUSLY. Every day my email is full of price changes for that area, I'm looking at the Northview High area for a friend who's now working on Windward parkway.

I'm seeing the slowdown in Dunwoody, as well, although it seems to primarily be affecting the prices of split levels in the Austin/Vanderlyn neighborhood. In 2005/6 you couldn't find a split for under 350, now there are 5 of them from the 300-350 range that are just sitting there. I don't think it's affecting the higher end homes as much; I'm not seeing the 5/4/doors prices drop much.

The houses that seem to be dropping the fastest in the Alpharetta/Chattahoochee/Milton/Northview high school areas are the stucco homes. Nobody wants 'em.

In terms of sheer number of houses on the market, a little higher for Dunwoody, a LOT higher for Alpharetta. It's a good time to buy, I think, but plan on staying there for a while...