Duluth and Cumming

Hi V.,
I personally don't think you could go wrong with either. I have ived in Duluth for the last 17 years. I've had children in 2 Elementary Schools ( Berkeley Lake and Charles Brant Chensy) and a daughter who went to Duluth Middle and will be attending Duluth High in the fall. While I loved Berkeley Lake, I'm not so fond of Chesney. That being said Duluth is a wonderful place to live. We love it here and will be looking to move to a larger house soon...but we really want to stay in Duluth. I have family and friends who live in Cumming. They love it...I love visiting them, it is a growing area. I think the schools are decent. I don't know how they compare with Gwinnett County schools, but my sisters kids go to school in cumming and they seem to be learning the same things my kids are. One thing you might think about is that Duluth is closer to the city. I'm not sure what type of employement you will be looking for, but I am only about 20-25 minutes from Atlanta...Cumming is further out...I wouldn't want to commute from Cumming! ( Or really Duluth for that matter - although Duluth would be closer!) Good luck and let me know if you have any questions or need any further info!

We decided on Cumming. I lived here 10-11 years ago and then moved back to my old house that I owned (I was living with someone else at the time when I lived in Cumming in the 90's). Anyway, when I got married and moved to my husband's house, he wanted to move to a new area and I just knew he would love it up here in Cumming and I was right. The people are great. There is plenty to do and the schools are great. And there is housing in just about any price range you need. Oh, and let me add, I am from PA. There are quite a few people living here from up north :)

We just moved to Georgia in September. I spent HOURS on the internet researching before the move. We settled on Suwanee. It is just about 15 minutes from Duluth and was ranked in the top 10 small towns to live in last year. We LOVE it. Most areas of Suwanee are filled with young professionals with children.

You didn't mention how old your kids are. I would recommend going to www.greatschools.net before settling on an area and do some research. This is how we settled on Suwanee. All the elem schools in Suwanee scored above state average last year. I haven't checked this year but we are very pleased with our decision.

Hi V.,

I actually grew up in Duluth. I attended Duluth Middle and graduated from Duluth HS. When my husband and I were deciding where to buy our house the number one thing I looked at was schools, as I am a teacher. I taught in Gwinnett County (Duluth) for 5 years. Gwinnett is the largest school district in the state of Georgia. They have some excellent schools, but nearly all of them are over-crowded. After teaching in the county for 5 years I decided I didn't want my kids to go to Gwinnett schools because it is just too big, I've seen so many kids get "lost" in the crowd. I interviewed in Forsyth County (Cumming) Schools and I was thoroughly impressed with the school system. It is one of the few public school systems that I would send my kids to, right now they attend the private school where I teach. We ended up not moving to that area bacause we couldn't find a house we liked in our price range at the time. Gwinnett and Forsyth counties actually are next to one another. Duluth has quick access to I-85 and Cumming has access to GA400. You might also want to consider Johns Creek, it is the area that lies between Cumming and Duluth, where Fulton County touches both counties, but part of it is in Forsyth County, it is considered South Forsyth when you are looking at schools. Personally, I prefer the Forsyth area, it is still developing, but still has the luxuries of shopping, restaurants, etc., so it isn't terribly crowded. The school system is much smaller, it is growing, but not too fast. It is ranked 4th in the nation for using technology in the classrooms. Hope this helps. If you have any other questions let me know.

A.

Duluth (north Fultun) is nice but i wouldn't move to Duluth (Gwinnett). the area is not as nice as it used to be but you cannot go wrong in Duluth/Johns Creek area which is North Fulton County. i don't know much about Cumming but i do know that it is developing quickly.

Hey V.,

I moved to the south part of Cumming about 7 to Forsyth County being the 1st or 2nd fastest growing county every year since then, we have everything we need here, now.

Forsyth County has the lowest property taxes of any county I'm aware of. We have the top ranked schools. The most crime we have in Cumming is someone getting stopped for a DUI. You will make a ton of money on your home if you buy here and sell in few years since our county is growing so fast.

We have great restaurants, numerous choices for grocery stores, Starbucks, numerous parks for the kids, a new AVENUES outdoor mall, Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, Old Navy, TJ Maxx, Ross, Kohls, DSW, etc. We have a brand name outlet mall 15 minutes north of here. What else could you ask for?

My oldest daughter just finished Kindergarten at Daves Creek Elementary. Their parent-teacher conferences included the child leading PowerPoint presentations on the computerized white board and reading FAR above their grade level.

You are a 30 minute drive to downtown Atlanta if you need some big city life. You are a 30-45 minute drive to the mountains. 5 minute drive to one of the largest lakes in the southeast (Lake Lanier).

By the way, I LOVE NYC (only for visiting on a girls' weekend away).

With all of that being said, you should take into consideration the commute for work. That could be a HUGE determining factor on where you should live.

Good luck with your choice.

Interesting choices.. And a good bit of distance apart.

Have you thought of Flowery Branch? Still small enough to be great for families, and close enough to the "big city" for anything you might want there.

Of course I am biased. I have lived there for over 20 years and sell real estate all over NE GA.

If you are stuck on the other two cities.. it would depend on your pocket book. Duluth is older.. and not something I would have thought as kid friendly. Cumming is expensive.

If you need some off line advice (no obligation) send an email to ____@____.com our website is www.SellingCondosToCastles.com and yes, my DH has sold castles.

ps.. I speak fluent Yankee

My husband and I grew up in Gwinnett County and while years ago it was a great county to raise a family and the schools were excellent, that is not the case now. We currently live in South Forsyth and have lived here for 9 years. My kids attend Sharon Elm. ALL the south Forsyth schools are EXCELLENT- and the quality of life is wonderful. We have close shopping, restaurants, and a neighborhood full of families. South Forsyth was ranked one of the most affluent counties in the nation and also there are not a whole lot of rentals (apartments) and not a lot of low income students. So, the schools are filled with parents volunteering their time and donating their money to make them the best. Gwinnett County's crime and other problems are growing towards the outlying cities, like Duluth. The part of Duluth that is considered Gwinnett Place Mall area is HORRENDOUS! I would not venture there after dark- and it is so gross we don't got there during the day either! The part that feeds into the new Johns Creek Elm (St. Marlo area) may not be so bad. But I believe that their taxes may be a lot higher than Forsyth's. As for traffic, it sucks EVERYWHERE in Atlanta. My husband works in Austell, 55 miles away from where we live. He leaves at 5:30 and is there by 6:30 and then leaves for home at 3:30 and is home by 4:45. He has done this commute for 7 years now. The key to traffic is either work from home or have flexible hours. Hope this helps- Good luck in your search!

K.

It depends on what part of Duluth you want to move to. Like most cities, there are nice wonderful areas in the city, and then there's the "not so nice" area in the city. Before buying a house, visit the area first. Buford isn't that bad. My son went to school in Buford, and I had a great experience there. Cumming is the same way. But just like Duluth, all parts of Cumming isn't as up to date as you might like. Some areas do get crowded. That's the joy of living in the metro area. The only way to run from traffic is moving further up north in Georgia, which will be a gas killer. I would say visit both areas first before signing your name on the dotted line. Check out the schools and see their ratings. You could wind up in a great community in both areas. Just depends on your feel of the place.

I'm going through the same thing. I'm moving to Macon, but no one seems to be able to give me advice on this site about it. :( However, I have been going on the internet, then traveling down for one big visit to see if I like the areas. I've considered Warner Robins too. I know you live in New York, but I would get names and directions to these places and just visit them in one whole trip. That way you'll have your OWN experience and view of the two cities.

The other replies are right, it all depends on what part of the two areas you are looking to move. My husband and i moved from NYC about 3 years ago and are very happy with the move. Although it was an adjustment we are so happy that we made the move for our children, we also have 2 young children. That being said we live in the southern most point of Cumming across the street from Alpharetta and next to Duluth. We decided based on schools. Two of the top 10 High Schools in GA are in the area. Northview for Fulton county, and South Forsyth for Forsyth county, if you can get in these areas you will most likely be very happy. The people are very friendly and the local establishments are very child friendly. You can still have a yard and don't have to live in the country. Good Luck. When you get here, welcome to the south!