Best area in the surrounding ATLANTA region

Have you looked around Lake Lanier?

No, I haven't. Going to do some research. Pretty safe area?

I think it was Jim South who once wrote that he loved Atlanta - the only problem was if you drove 25 miles in any direction, you would still be in Georgia...

ADG

not sure if Jim South said that or not at one time, but I say it constantly on gfy...and it is the truth....Atlanta is a wonderful diverse city with great food, music and arts, but if you venture out of Atlanta in any direction 20 miles or more you are entering some of the most bible thumping conservative redneck countryside in the united states

there was an article in Creative Loafing (a wonderful atlanta alternative newspaper that beats the LA Weekly hands down) a few years back about how Georgoe Bush won so much of Georgia when almost all of Atlanta voted democrat. They went into the hills of Georgia and interviewed some people, the most common reaction/response? "We voted for bush cause he hates dem fags too"

as far as areas outside of atlanta, there are many beautiful places....but the best thing we have found is 10 miles outside the perimeter near Stone Mountain....we have lived south of atlanta, in downtown Atlanta, in east atlanta and now we are in Tucker, which is 2 miles from Stone Mountain, and we love it

if you are looking for something nice, by water and away from the city, then lake lanier is nice...but I would aim more for Rocky Top Mountain, Allatoona Lake or Woodstock

Tucker, where we live, is wonderful...it has the feel of a nice small town and is far enough away from everything so you don't get any traffic....the town even has a small town "main street" complete with a soda fountain and main street fairs every 2-3 months

there are a lot of great places to live "in" atlanta without actually being the perimeter....but definitely stay away from places like Little Five Points, Dunwoody, Lenox, Buckhead etc...they are all so overpopulated and trendy right now it is crazy

Jace, awesome info thanks. We are worried about the bible thumping a bit but it would be more of a home-base and we wouldn't be going in on PAC meetings and town events and such.

I live in WOODSTOCK, the most quiet and peaceful place I've ever lived, and you get way more for your money as far as real estate is concerned.

Hey Brad I've been in the COBB county area for the last twenty years. It's on the NW perimeter of metro Atlanta and if you are looking at property investments then the south and west part of the county still have great potential for appreciation.

The south part of the county has an area called Vinings just inside the I-285 perimeter, very nice and established, but just outside is an area called Smyrna, where Julia Roberts is from, is an area going through a complete makeover. This growth is extending northward to Marietta and west to Austell.

Also the very North of Cobb county and Northwest Cherokee county, Woodstock & Canton which are anywhere within 5-10 miles of Lake Alatoona are great areas.

FYI the U.S. census is predicting that the NW quadrant of metro Atlanta will be the 7th Fastest Growth area of the United States in the next 10 years. Great area but the traffic SUCKS!
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My aunt's place in Marietta is nice...the neighborhood is nice...but I honestly don't know much more about the town.