Fayetteville and Douglasville... (Atlanta, Villa Rica: HOA, chapel, houses)

[musicgirl]

Hello!
I am looking to re-locate from Memphis, TN, to Atlanta. My husband would be commuting to Atlanta for work, and was looking at the Fayetteville and Douglasville area because it seems closer to the city. Any information on these areas would be greatly appreciated! Also have some questions...We are looking at land on a lake (gated community, amenities, etc.) in Fayetteville and was wondering about the mosquitoes. Being from MS, we really can't stay outside after dark or you will be eaten alive! Memphis is much better as far as the mosquitoes goes...wondering how Atlanta is? Also, I have never lived on a lake so this is probably a stupid question, but, had to ask!! Last question...do you get snow and ice yearly in this area??? THANKS!!

[atlantagreg30127]

One thing to note, Douglasville is a rapidly growing burb of Atlanta and traffic is VERY bad in the town and the immediate area around it. As in, it might take you 20 minutes to get out of that town before you can even get on the interstate to start the slow moving commute to Atlanta (based on location).

As far as bugs - depends on time of year and temp/humidity. We have plenty of those days where you can't go out at night here without covering yourself with Deep Woods OFF, but then there are other times it's not so bad. Yes, living near a lake you will see more mosquitos (and snakes and other critters). Buy and put up several "bat boxes" in the trees around the house and lake, and eventually you'll attract lots of little bats - they love mosquitos and will knock them down in your area a decent amount.

[musicgirl]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

One thing to note, Douglasville is a rapidly growing burb of Atlanta and traffic is VERY bad in the town and the immediate area around it. As in, it might take you 20 minutes to get out of that town before you can even get on the interstate to start the slow moving commute to Atlanta (based on location).

As far as bugs - depends on time of year and temp/humidity. We have plenty of those days where you can't go out at night here without covering yourself with Deep Woods OFF, but then there are other times it's not so bad. Yes, living near a lake you will see more mosquitos (and snakes and other critters). Buy and put up several "bat boxes" in the trees around the house and lake, and eventually you'll attract lots of little bats - they love mosquitos and will knock them down in your area a decent amount.

Thanks Atlantagreg30127!
I figured both Fayetteville and Douglasville might grow pretty rapidly in the next few years. I have to wonder why there aren't more people (very small populations!!) already in those area's, being so close to Atlanta and all?? Already used to an hour commute here in Memphis (traffic is really horrible here as I can imagine there as well, I always add an additional 30-45 mins to my commute on top of what mapquest or my GPS may say, maybe more if you want to include traffic jams and wrecks, etc....)
We have bats in our area so that must be why we don't see as many mosquitoes...I never made the connection! Thanks for the information!

[donnakaren]

You might try the Mirror Lake community west of Douglasville (between Villa Rica and Douglasville). It is very nice. You will not have as much of the traffic as you have in Douglasville, and a lot of people commute from there to Atlanta. Good luck.

[az2ga]

In Douglasville there is a community called Chapel Hills. It is a mix of older and newer homes but for the most part it seems to be kept in good condition. There are several "mini-communities" (I don't know what else to call them!) that bear the Chapel Hills name and the average price of homes are in $300's. Communities amenities include the lake, golf, pools, tennis courts, etc. I believe the association is around $450 (extra for golf privileges). The schools (Chapel Hills Elementary, CH Middle and CH High School) appear (from their test scores) to be at the top of the Douglas County School System. You can verify this (and other school system information) by going to the Georgia Dept. of Education website and clicking on "for parents" and then by clicking on Report Cards. There is a lot of construction in the area so traffic during rush hour can be hectic. The main community is about 2 miles from I-20, but again, you would need to figure in traffic time. I have visited there quite a few times recently and everyone seems very friendly.

In Villa Rica (Douglas County) there is a community called Mirror Lake. Homes average in the mid to high $200's and the community has walking trails, a lake, golf course, playgrounds, tennis, pools. It is very close to I-20 and there is a small strip mall (with Publix, McDonalds, and other stores) within a mile of the subdivision. I expect with growth there will be other stores in the future. I know several people who live in Mirror Lake and they all love it. A majority of them commute into Atlanta and since it is mostly freeway, they don't mind the commute. The neighborhood's HOA is very much on top of things (nothing worse than paying HOA dues and nothing being enforced!). It is about $400 yearly for dues and extra for golf.

Two websites that may be helpful in looking for houses are aremoved I am not a realtor (LOL) but I find those websites useful in home searches.

I don't know much about Fayetteville except that I heard their schools are some of the best in the state.

Good luck!

[Tdiddy0027]

A good halfway point between the two towns is rapidly growing South Fulton county which is also close to Atlanta