Alpharetta
Alpharetta literally means first city in Greek. Originally, Alpharetta was the "first city" in what was then Milton County. In fact, before being named Alpharetta, the name was Town of Milton, which is a little confusing given that, as of 2006, there is a City of Milton adjacent to Alpharetta today.
Anyway, that was all back in the 1850’s, and while Alpharetta was not the first city in North Fulton (Roswell was), today Alpharetta is arguably the first city. Look at it this way, Roswell has two exists of GA-400 and Alpharetta has three!
All municipal rivalry aside, Alpharetta has developed itself into a city with good services, low crime and nice parks and recreation facilities. The new Encore Park, currently under construction, will become the northern home of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Prospect Park, also under construction, will bring exclusive shopping the Alpharetta to complement North Point Mall.
While the lifestyle is pleasant (except for the traffic, which is always the knock on the Atlanta area) it is the jobs and schools which ultimately make people want to live here. Alpharetta is the commercial and corporate heart of North Fulton. The areas along North Point Parkway and Windward Parkway are home to dozens of corporate headquarters from IBM and Equifax to ADP and Choicepoint to Siemens and Verizon.
As of 2007, approximately 120,000 people call Alpharetta their workplace, which is more than three times the number who call it their home. Alpharetta has indisputably become the first city of commerce in North Fulton. This means that everyday, thousands of people commute into Alpharetta and then home again in the evenings to the surrounding "bedroom communities."
The public schools in Alpharetta are some of the best in the state anchored by Centennial, Chattahoochee and Alpharetta High Schools with a scad of quality middle and elementary schools feeding those high schools. Additionally there is a variety of quality private schools from which to choose including Mt. Pisgah.
At the end of the day, Alpharetta has become the city of choice for so many because it scores high on all the housing decision criteria: well run government, relatively new housing stock and a variety of housing types, close to work, good schools, many shopping and dining options and not too too far from Atlanta and Buckhead for "big city adventures" or to the airport if you have to travel for work or pleasure.
Nine Reasons to Buy a Home in North Fulton
There are several considerations buyers take into account when moving. The right home, the commute, community, access to shopping and entertainment. But one of the biggest reasons home buyers choose a particular area is for good schools. So here are nine reasons for buyers to search for a home in North Atlanta, because nine Fulton County [...]
Posted by: Bob Strader, March 11th, 2010 | LiveInAlpharetta.com
Posted in Alpharetta Real Estate, Johns Creek Real Estate, Milton Real Estate, Roswell Real Estate, Schools | No Comments »
Interview with Alpharetta City Councilman DC Aiken
I had the opportunity to sit down with Alpharetta City Councilman DC Aiken and ask him about the city, how it is faring in the current economy, what projects are going on, what’s happining with Prospect Park and Westside Parkway and his take on the likleyhood of Milton County.
Part 1
Part 2
DC Aiken is an Alpharetta City [...]
Posted by: Bob Strader, March 6th, 2010 | LiveInAlpharetta.com
Posted in Alpharetta Real Estate, Local Information, Local Market Conditions | 2 Comments »
Alpharetta Real Estate Market Stats: It’s local
I just wanted to put a few numbers together to illustrate that we have to temper what we hear on the news about the housing market. Lately a lot of people have been pointing out to me that the number of homes sold for January 2o10 has gone down, unexpectedly, from units sold in [...]
Posted by: Bob Strader, February 26th, 2010 | LiveInAlpharetta.com
Posted in Alpharetta Real Estate, Johns Creek Real Estate, Local Market Conditions, Milton Real Estate, Roswell Real Estate, Schools | No Comments »
Luxury Home Builders and Home Buyers in Alpharetta and Milton - The Chicken or the Egg?
I’ve written several posts in the past about builders who are buying up developed lots in Alpharetta, Milton and Cumming out of foreclosure and building homes in the lower price ranges. It makes perfect sense, with the tax credits and persistent demand for new construction among buyers. Home buyers almost always gravitate towards [...]
Posted by: Bob Strader, February 24th, 2010 | LiveInAlpharetta.com
Posted in Alpharetta Real Estate, Foreclosures, Milton Real Estate, New Construction | No Comments »
Best Schools in North Fulton (Says Atlanta Magazine)
Atlanta Magazine came out with their Best Schools issue , listing what they have determined is the best Elementary, Middle and High School in each metro Atlanta county. The criteria they used to determine the best was based on the percentage of students who exceeded expectations in the most recently available CRCT results. High [...]
Posted by: Bob Strader, February 4th, 2010 | LiveInAlpharetta.com
Posted in Alpharetta Real Estate, Johns Creek Real Estate, Milton Real Estate, Schools | No Comments »
The BIG Number
$17,000,000
The price reduction on the47,000 sq. ft. Le Reve Estate in Cumming, GA. Reduced from $45,000,000 to $28,000,000.
Posted by: Bob Strader, January 31st, 2010 | LiveInAlpharetta.com
Posted in Alpharetta Real Estate, Forsyth, The Big Number | No Comments »
North Fulton Home Sales: Market Update
Here Comes The Sun
It’s been a long cold lonely winter… And there have been a few news reports recently stating that home sales declined from November to December last year and this means the recovery won’t happen or the light at the end of the tunnel is much further away. The reason is kind of [...]
Posted by: Bob Strader, January 26th, 2010 | LiveInAlpharetta.com
Posted in Alpharetta Real Estate, Crabapple, Local Market Conditions, Milton Real Estate, Roswell Real Estate | No Comments »
North Fulton Homebuyers Take Advantage of Tax Credit
Homebuyer Tax Credit Update
Last year there were many First-Time Homebuyers in Alpharetta and Milton that purchased homes . And quite a few that didn’t make the deadline or just weren’t in a position to do so. In addition to those, there were many other homebuyers that wished they could have taken advantage of a [...]
Posted by: Bob Strader, January 19th, 2010 | LiveInAlpharetta.com
Posted in Alpharetta Real Estate | No Comments »
