BubbleChog

ITP means Inside the perimeter- Inside the 285 circle

We live 1 exit down 285 from perimeter mall and when we moose up timings to coincide with work getting out, it can take 45 mins to get from the Mall to our house which is less than 3 miles away

Pulaski

Really?

BubbleChog

Its amazing the urban wildlife here, they hide among all the trees

zargof

Ahh... that explains it. Perimeter Mall isn't Decatur, it's Dunwoody. East Cobb wouldn't be too bad then. I don't know much about the schools there, but I have a friend who lives in the area and they think the schools are definitely better than those in Fulton County.

I've just moved to South Forsyth County as I got a new job in the area and the schools around here are excellent.

Trickster78

Is south Forsyth cumming? How long would that commute be to the perimeter mall? Looked like about 40 mins on Google, is that realistic with traffic?
Another odd question - from Google Earth Atlanta seems very 'woody' as in tree heavy. Are there many green spaces/fields? Will we have to drive everywhere?!

BubbleChog

It's VERY woody. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_tree_canopy

Yes you will have to drive everywhere, partly because of the distance and partly because wandering around in 90F+ heat with 60% humidity is not fun.

zargof

Yes, and bit further south including parts of Alpharetta. I've not really done that drive in traffic, but it's one of the main routes into downtown Atlanta, so traffic will be bad. Not sure on the time. One thing I hate though is we have to get the kids on the bus at 6:50 in the morning, which is insane. But if you left straight after that then you would miss a lot of the traffic.

Yes to lots of trees, yes to lots of green spaces and parks, not so much fields though. Yes to having to drive everywhere.

Hanco

If you are a couple of miles or more from work, I would assume driving essential. Then there's shopping to get, and need to get between shops... Driving needed!

I survived without a car for two months but the office was near home, and Uber is pretty good here. I also found great support from work colleagues and very kind people in a church who were extremely generous with their time and help.

But the above post makes a really good point about the heat AND combine that with humidity in high summer. Even walking is hard really... You need a change of clothes when you get where you walked to. I literally did have clothes/shirts at work for the times I walked or cycled. They thought I was mad, and maybe I was but ... And this is worth remembering... You will likely put weight on here! Anything you can do to help fight that is a good thing. I love it here, climate, people, opportunity. Good luck!

Hanco

Haha... Seen deer here, and some unusual wild creatures, occasional (1 is too many) roaches (yuk!)

Anyone coming to Atlanta should visit Lake Lanier. We have friends with places there. Wonderful! Even if it rains warm rain, going out on the boat (glasses of fizz and canapés... or jet ski fun (wow). Just be careful of occasional idiots. There are deaths every year... Great place though if you are mostly sensible about speed and booze together.

lawss74

My only concern is making sure that we choose the right option when it comes to the education. We were looking at Alpharetta which looks beautiful however it looks like the boys would go to a public school which I don't mind however if the boys need an education that will assist them when or if we go back, they will need to private and it appears that the private schools are in Buckhead? Is that correct?