OT - Tell me about Duluth

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but is there area north of there that I could move to that is "country"?

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how far are you willing to commute?

I have lived in Gwinnett on and off my entire life, and I think the closest town/city to my hometown that would be "country" would be loganville...which is about 20 miles from duluth.

Ok. So I moved from South Georgia to Gwinnett last year. Here is my opinion on some things. First, I was familiar with the area as my wife's family live here and we visited often. Gwinnett is still growing more crowded, but it is still a mix of communities and land. You can pass three subdivisions and then a spread with goats and horses. So you can find an area that you like. I had to move in a subdivision, but there is an area I would have loved to moved into that is more "south Georgia style". My kids went from a Class A school the largest highschool in GA. It was/is a huge transition. The school here is much better, but much harder. My kids do homework every night. Sometimes from the time they get home until bed (they are taking several AP college-level courses). The hardest part of the transition is the school is so large, new kids are not even recognized as new. They are just someone you don't know. So your kids with have to outgoing to make friends. I live in the Dacula area. The commute to Duluth is not bad, because I go through it on my commute to Roswell which is bad (1:15 each way), but I get to work from home twice a week. It's Atlanta, shopping traffic lots to do. Still plenty of places to get out (hunt fish, etc) if you can find them. I love it here, but I miss the 10 acre land and larger house I had to leave behind. My kids could list pros and cons, but ultimately they are much happier. Athens is not far away for games and hopefully for when they are in college one day. If you get serious about moving, we can speak personally and I can recommend some areas that may suit you based on your ability to buy where I could not.

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Broncothor

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good insight...im actually in Kingsland/St Marys right now and live in a subdivision so it aisnt like im on a plantation...i just like my proximity to the "country" when i feel so inclined to ride a dirt road or fish in the river or whatever...my kids are younger...oldest being in MS...6th grade...he actually welcomes the idea of change...they have all been in the house we live in since they were born so it would be culture shock...but...we love the N Georgia landscape...and the proximity to Athens/Family/Atlanta/Blue Ridge/North Carolina would be nice...i also found a job in Norcross as well...it would be a huge shift in our life but, money down here is peanuts compared to that area and I need more...my current job is great for down here but has very very limited upward mobility...may be time for a change in latitude...i would miss SthGa though...and the beach...i don't know...its tough

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20 minutes aint bad...how is the traffic coming from there?

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Not sure since I've never gone that direction.

And bronco hit the nail on the head. There are some areas that are so grown up you can't even move, and 2 miles down the road you'll pass pastures and farmland. Honestly yall might just want to take a Sunday afternoon and drive around a 20 minute radius of your new workplace and see what you like.

There are also certain pockets in Gwinnett. Norcross is a heavy hispanic area. There's an area up around there that has a lot of koreans. Snellville is becoming extremely african american-heavy. Loganville is probably as "country" as there is, I think. Grayson and southern Dacula has a lot of whites that have moved away from Snellville.

I sat on 285 for two hours Fri and traveled a grand total of 13 miles. Got on 78 due to gridlock and traveled towards Monroe. Strip mall after strip mall. You can't distinguish one city from the next. You could live in Morgan Co and find a rural setting similar to S Georgia but counties north and west are over populated shite shows. Stay where you're at and keep your health.

I moved from Charlton County, so I know your area well. You will miss the beach and the offshore/inshore fishing if you do that. However, Lake Lanier is much more beautiful than I had imagined and we really enjoy boating around on it. I was playing golf Saturday and heard at least 6 gunshots from people who hunt in the land between the people (my brother-in-law calls it Funnel Hunting, because the deer only have certain paths they can take around the residential). There are also numerous hunting clubs within an hour that I have been checking out but not joined yet (feel free to invite me fellow ranters). Younger kids will make it easier as the Middle Schools are smaller. Several middle schools may funnel into one highschool up here.

Spent most my childhood living in Duluth and going to school in norcross. If it comes to a choice id choose Duluth every time over norcross. For you especially.

I wouldn't recommend loganville unless you're cool with a 30 min drive minimium and crossing over 85 2x a day. It's "country" but really I just find it under developed. Duluth is exactly as it's described here but, IMO, it's got good options. You don't want to do the neighborhood thing I guess but suwanee and Alpharetta have some nice areas to at least consider. You can keep going toward Buford and it gets a little more sparse (not next to mall of ga but along PIB). If you really wanna keep going go up to Hamilton mill. Urban sprawl hasn't caught up all the way to there. You live close enough to 85 you can use that to commute and traffic won't be awful considering it usuall stops beyond Duluth.

Just don't do norcross. My guess is you'd hate it.

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So Alpharetta for a job in Gwinnett?

How is Dacula?...is it blown up?

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Alpharetta's in N. Fulton and is only 10-15 miles from Duluth. There are lots of young families in the area so lots for kids to do. Good schools, close to Lanier, great golf courses. You can avoid 400 commuting so that's a plus.

Don't know much about Dacula. There are pockets of Gwinnett that you'll want to avoid unless you're really into cultural diversity.

Johns Creek is also nice

Don't speed through Duluth.