any native GA folks?

3

3kids

Cathlete
My DH may be transferred and one of the choices is Marietta, GA. We know nothing about this area being natives of PA and NJ and now FL. I'm really nervous about starting over especially in a place I know nothing about. Does anyone know anything about Marietta, its schools, cost of living? We chose that area as a choice because they had the most affordable housing. The website showed some pictures and it looks very charming. We are just excited that we may have a yard!!!! and a basement!!!! Besides the change of seasons, those 2 are the biggest things we miss. Anyway, any info you all could give is greatly appreciated. We're mostly concerned about the schools. Thanks a lot:)
 
Hi 3kids!

I'm not a native Georgian, but we've lived in Atlanta for 26 years and so that almost qualifies me. :)

Marietta is a suburb of Atlanta, about 12 miles northwest of the city center. It's a city itself, and has its own schools (good ones) and has a charming town square. What Atlantans sometimes loosely CALL Marietta, however, is the "Marietta mailing address" area in the surrounding county (Cobb County). The area to the east of the City of Marietta (with that mailing address) is usually known around these parts simply as "East Cobb." It's a very nice area with beautiful housing, great shopping, very large and active churches, good restaurants, and lots of kid activities like sports leagues. Basements, nice yards and tons of trees are a staple around here. We're an extremely green city -- people who are new to Atlanta are often startled by how lush, green and hilly the city and suburbs are. (The hills are actually the very tail end of the Appalachian Mountains, because Atlanta actually sits up on a plateau in the foothills. Our fairly high elevation above sea level is surprising to people sometimes -- I think they expect to get off the plane and see flat cotton fields. :))

Cobb County schools range from good to totally excellent. You should take your time investigating the districts while you're househunting. I would say the very MOST excellent district by reputation is in East Cobb, and includes Mount Bethel Elementary School, Dickerson Middle School and George Walton High School (which US News & World Reports ranks among the top 100 high schools nationally.) Naturally, it's a pricey housing area.

I don't live in East Cobb, by the way, but I'm less than 2 miles away. I live to the east of there, just across the Chattahoochee River in Fulton County. In this part of Fulton County and points north of me, the schools and housing are excellent, too.

And lastly, we do indeed have four distinct seasons, although our Winters are pretty mild by Mid-Atlantic state standards and we have a long Fall. We rarely have snow (1/2" in the forecast sends people running for snow tires and milk ;-)), we occasionally have ice storms (once a year, maybe), but we do have temperatures in the 20's and 30's and sometimes colder in January and February, sometimes into early March. (Then again, it's not uncommon for us to have the gift of a glorious 60-degree sunny day in mid-January.) Spring and Fall are very beautiful because of our dense foliage. Summer is, well, awful -- hot hot hot and very high humidity. Maybe you're acclimated to that being that you're in Florida right now. It's my least favorite thing about living in Atlanta, tied for first place with traffic (which I HAVE to mention in the interest of full and fair disclosure. It's dreadful.)

Feel free to e-mail me or PM me anytime with questions. As I said, I've been here a long time and there are many, many good reasons to choose ATL as home. Please let me know if you do relocate here -- always happy to welcome a Cathe-ite! :)

http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0304/sport/sport-smiley-003.gif Kathy S. http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0304/sport/sport-smiley-001.gif
 
Kathy S.

Thank you so much for all the info. Are you a tour guide or something:) It does sound so beautiful. I kind of figured the summers would be hot but we are used to it. It is already 90 and the AC hasn't turned off yet! We were looking in the East Cobb area because it would be a closer commute for DH to the Air Force Base. We figured the schools were better in the areas of the higher priced homes. Although we think the prices are better there than here. You can't touch a 4 bedroom house around here for under $350k! Amazing for what we bought this house for 4 years ago. So the traffic is bad huh? Not that it is great here, but is it a lot of highway driving to get to places like the grocery store or something? I really appreciate your help. You gave me so much to work with. I wanted someone's opinion who wasn't our real estate rep or job reps trying to "sell" the area. Thanks again. We'll find out within the next couple of months and I will definitely let you know.
 
I am a native georgian...it is hard to find a native around here these days. i can't really give advice on the schools as we dont have children, but i can tell you that the nothern parts of the city are definitely nice and start getting much more hilly. the traffic is pretty bad in atlanta, and hwy 75 which goes through marietta is no exception so the commute is a big thing to consider. you can get a lot for your money in this area compared to the NE. the area that you are considering will be a good area. if you dont mind driving a little from a little farther away, kennesaw is another place to look. again, i don't know how the schools compare, but there are some pretty parts of kennesaw also. it is a bit farther outside the city of atlanta. anyway, good luck finding a place to live in georgia.
 
I lived in Atlanta (Duluth) for 4 years. If you are moving from the north you will love what your money will buy in the South. I really enjoyed Atlanta. You will probably find more Northern's in Atlanta than you think!! Consider the traffic because it is nasty at commute times.

Good luck.
 
Hi. I will also be moving to Georgia in about a year. I visited once 2 years ago and my DH and I fell in love with the area. We are also considering Marietta or Kennesaw. I have already seen a few houses in Marietta. Could you please tell me about some of the pretty parts of Kennesaw. We will be coming down again in December and would like to look around at some more houses. Could you also tell me what the average commute time is from Kennesaw and Marietta? Thanks for your help.

Marcy
 
i am not sure exactly how far kennesaw is from marietta, but kennesaw is a little north of marietta up 75. i live in northern cherokee county right at the jasper border which is much farther north than kennesaw so i don't know particular neighborhoods in kennesaw. i have gone hiking at kennesaw mountain before, and there seem to be some nice houses in that area of kennesaw. you will find much to do in northern georgia. there are lots of places to hike and raft, and many cabin to rent on the weekends in the mountain towns. it really is a beautiful place to live. i am actually going to be moving to southern california, probably next year. i am very excited about this, as i love the dessert and the western topography, however, i will miss the beautiful greenery and hills of northern georgia. good luck on your moves, and definitely take time to look around and explore the area well. drive around at rush hour to get an idea of what that will be like...
 
Thanks everyone for your responses. That's a good idea to drive around at rush hour. My DH goes in earlier and leaves earlier for work here to miss the traffic. Don't know what his shift will be like in GA. You're all really helpful and now the whole idea is not sounding as scary. When you're leaving all of your family/support it's hard and unnerving. I have my DH and he is wonderful but here in an emergency or even just to go out for the night, we have our parents to watch the kids. I think that is my biggest fear. Our safety net for the kids. If they get sick at school or whatever, Dr's appt etc, we do rely on our parents. We will definitely have to find a family friendly neighborhood so we can have emergency help. Thanks again everyone. As the possible move gets closer I'm going to be chewing your ears off and bugging you for more info!
 
Hi totally native Georgian here - born and raised. However, born and raised south to mid GA area.

My DH and I with our 4 DS have lived in our small south GA hometown, Athens, and Augusta. We are now nestled in the mountains of north GA and don't ever want to leave it. I've never lived in the Marietta or Atlanta area, but am there often due to family Dr. appointments and can concur you've been given an adequate description above. The seasons are beautiful and distinct here, however, I'm in the mountains and it never gets quite so hot.
We're about 2-2 1/2 hour drive to Atlanta area depending on the destination - yeah, traffic in and around Atlanta is horrid. But Georgia is beautiful.

Happy home hunting and best wishes...and welcome to Georgia (if you guys decide to move here:) )
 
Hey 3kids !!

I have lived in Marietta for 25 years now. I was born in Sandy Springs, just down the road from Marietta and love the South !!

I too have three kids.My husband and I bought our home in 1985 and have raised our three kids here in the same house. Our oldest starts college this fall. My husband worked for Lockheed for years, and now has his own Tree Business. We love Marietta !! The schools are great and the area is growing and has everything you could ever need !!

Actually my husband and I are about to put our house on the market, 5 bedrooms, three bath brick ranch PLUS a great workout room !! We are wanting something smaller now that one child is off to college so we can afford the expense of College. If you are interested... I would be glad to email you pictures.

You made a great choice with Marietta, after all we do have the
"Big Chicken" as a famous landmark !! You will love here!!
Good Luck,
Annette (Upearly)
 
We've been in Alpharetta, GA for 8 years(orginally from Upstate NY) and love it (except for the traffic) I've always been cold blooded so I love the warm weather.

Go to homefair.com to find cost of living comparisons, school comparisons, etc.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top