Allan_m_p

Hi guys, I have just been offered a relocation from the UK with my company, for a permanent move to Atlanta. Was wondering if there were any people on this site living in and around Atlanta/Suwanee. Wanted to get a feel for the area especially for my kids aged 13 and 9. Will be moving around August this year.

MidAtlantic

I'm further outside Atlanta, so can't give you "on the spot" info. However:

1. It is extremely hot and humid through the summer and arriving in August could be a real challenge!

2. You don't say where you will be working, but you are close to I-85 which goes straight to downtown Atlanta. The traffic is AWFUL.

3. You would be in Gwinnett County School District. The largest school district in GA. It has a decent reputation but there are large variations, so you would need to look very carefully at schools and their catchment areas. The school year starts August 7, 2018 so you may want to take account of that for your move.

4. Overall it's a good area to get to sports events/concerts etc. Most schools would have excellent after school activities for children.

All the best as you plan your future.

Allan_m_p

Thank you for the reply. I will be working for an international company whose regional offices are located in Buckhead. I know traffic can be a nightmare but I am able to work from home as well. We were looking at trying to get the kids into North Gwinnett high as we have heard it is really good, but also good for British kids to make friends. I was not aware of the Aug 8th start of term so will definately have to factor that in. Thanks for your help.

tom169

Get green card sponsorship written in blood (in a contract) otherwise that presumed permanent relocation won't be.

robtuck

Having just spent the full year here - it does get hot and humid through the Summer, but personally love that! Other than the current month and early Feb, it doesn't really get properly cold - but expect chaos if it does even threaten to snow - my county placed us under a curfew recently.

I'm South of Atlanta, but have used offices in Sandy Springs, the traffic through Atlanta is relatively busy, but the nature of that depends on what you are used to - it's not as horrific (in my experience) as the M25 for example. it's a daily crawl, but it does at least crawl. North Atlanta is the local "where it's at" - you'll probably find a decent number of non natives mixed in and Atlanta itself is on something of a boon. Plenty to do in the area and Downtown had some decent offerings as well. trying to think of a relative example in the UK is tough - it's not on obviously big city like New York/London, but it's not a small city either. In fact, that whole area around Buckhead is literally like a second city next to Atlanta.

If you have a school in mind, you need to make sure you find housing in the school district - usually Zillow will list the local schools or most sites will narrow searches by areas.

Pulaski

Counterintuitivly, someone else here on BE, with experience of moving children internationally into the US reported that she thought her children had a better experience arriving mid-year as then everyone, and especially the teachers, would be more aware of their arrival, and perhaps be more aware that they had relocated internationally, from a different school system, than if they arrived on Day 1 at the start of the year and were just lost in the crowd.

For the above and perhaps weather reasons, arrival in early-mid September might be preferrable, and still early enough in the year for a "full school year".

robtuck

Mid September is exactly when we arrived. Depends on the child and year I think. Our eldest was just out of GCSE's and the local school struggled for a few weeks to get the credits sorted, as a result she was put into only two classes for the first semester. However, by January she was up to speed and a year later she has enough credits to graduate already before the final semester is added into the mix. To be honest, much of her output has been self led though - think the Northern side of Atlanta will be much better prepared for International students though.

Younger child of 7 - was behind a bit in UK school and got some poor results early on as very different teaching approach. Again though, maybe as we was obviously new, they turned it around quickly. He has made huge progress in the past year and much prefers the school here I think.

Redwing

I used to live in Buford in Gwinnett county, and I found it a pretty decent place to live. The traffic could be horrible, but then I was normally driving in the opposite direction to the main traffic, and it wasn't too bad for me. I had become used to the hot weather, and it did not get too cold in the winter.

Allan_m_p

Thank you all so much for the advice it is really appreciated. I am indeed used to M25 traffic so anything even slightly better is a bonus. Really great advice for the schools as this is the only thing that makes me nervous

civilservant

I am also further out of Atlanta to the NE (about an hour from the SC border) but can also agree on the temps in the summer and how unbearable they can be.

Personally I would never take a job in Atlanta no matter how much money they offered me, the local morning news is always wrecks and grid lock and from my limited experience driving to the airport I can see why!

starkid433

Hey I am from London too I live in Atlanta, I would suggest trying chamblee or buckhead. its about 20-25 minutes drive south of the 85. Rush hour days can be pretty messy too.

dh010447

I live south of Suwanne on 141. You will not want to commute from Suwanee to Buckhead everyday - the commute will be NASTY. If you don't want to live in Atlanta, you might want to consider Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or Marietta. Take a look at google maps in the morning and try planning a route from these places to your office. Also be aware that there is no public transport to talk of so you will definitely be driving

Redwing

I think you will find that the Downtown Connector is worse than the M25, particularly during rush hour.