Top 5 Best Atlanta Suburbs
Metro Atlanta is big. Really big. It is the 8th largest metropolitan area in the entire United States. So, when you are moving here from somewhere else choosing just where to settle down can feel daunting.
Today, my goal is to make that decision a little less daunting by tell you what I believe are the top 5 best Atlanta suburbs. Obviously “best” is subjective, so let me tell you my though process: all 5 are places where people are not only moving to, but are also excited about moving to, places within an hour or so of downtown Atlanta, and places that have something either unique or special about them. I also wanted to choose suburbs across a variety of price points.
So, if you are trying to decide where to move in Atlanta, this is the video for you. I’m Tim Trevathan with Tim Trevathan Homes and Keller Williams Realty. I help people just like you who are moving to Metro Atlanta find a great home for your family. If you are moving to the area, feel free to reach out by phone, text, or email. My website, or a Zoom meeting, practically any way possible!
All right, let’s dive right in. If you are somewhat familiar with Atlanta, bear with me just a moment but if you are brand new to the area, here is some helpful geographical info before we get started.
Today I’m going to focus on what I believe are the top 5 best suburbs on the northern-ish side of Metro Atlanta since that is the area I live in, work in and am most familiar with. I also believe they are truly 5 of the best places to live in the entire metro area.
Quick note: like I said, Metro Atlanta is big. I encourage you to live on the same side of town as your job if possible! There are great cities and towns on all sides of the city.
The 5th best suburb in Atlanta is Lilburn. Now, this one isn’t on many of the best places lists. Yet. If things go per Lilburn’s plan, it will be all over the best places lists before too long and I believe now is the time to buy in Lilburn. Admittedly, Lilburn is several years, probably closer to a decade or more, behind its neighbors when it comes to revitalization and development. But times are changing and Lilburn is a small city with big plans that are being realized piece by piece.
Right now, if you move to Lilburn you won’t have as much to enjoy in your hometown as your neighbors in Duluth, Norcross, Buford or, well, most of the surrounding areas. You’ll also have to leave Lilburn for most of your shopping or dining out. So why am I calling Lilburn a top 5 best suburb? Because of the plans the city’s Development Authority has been crafting the past few years and that are finally becoming reality.
The city built a splash-pad last year at its downtown park, and there is also a popular Mexican restaurant uniquely situated next to the park in a converted double decker bus. There are plans for several new buildings to go up over the next few months that will bring many more retail and dining options to the downtown area and that will be walkable for those in the downtown area, locally known as Old Town and just a few minutes drive from the rest of Lilburn.
Much of Lilburn is districted for Parkview High School, which is continually a very well performing high school and the middle and elementary schools that serve the Parkview cluster. In fact, the Parkview High School cluster is one of the reasons many families cite when asked why they chose Lilburn.
It is also popular for its proximity to downtown Atlanta. If you work in the downtown Atlanta, Lilburn is one of the shortest commutes you can have when living OTP. In fact, a lot of people move to Lilburn from Decatur and other areas inside the perimeter because they want to trade city life for suburban life but don’t want to be too far from the city for work or entertainment purposes.
Perhaps most importantly, Lilburn has great community spirit. The people here love it despite its current lack of shopping and dining, and the city does a great job of hosting community events all year long at City Park in downtown Lilburn.
Also, compared the suburbs that have already undergone a development boom, housing is a good bit cheaper in Lilburn. Like I said, if all goes per Lilburn’s plan, now is the time to buy in Lilburn as its increasing popularity will likely drive prices up.
For the 4th best suburb, I have to go with Duluth. It is hard to find a city with more city spirit than Duluth, Georgia. Duluth does a wonderful job of making full use of its great downtown area and partnering with the downtown businesses and restaurants to host frequent community events.
Duluth has one of the best downtowns in all of Metro Atlanta. There is a wonderful variety of shops and restaurants plus a great green space, fountain, and playground. If the turnout at the city-hosted events is any indication of how much Duluth residents love their city, they really love living here.
Duluth has spent a lot of time and money over the last several years to improve the city and make it a place residents want to call home and the hard work has paid off. Another great thing about Duluth is its diversity. It is home to the largest Korean community in Georgia and if you would like to learn more about that, I have a great video going in depth on the best Korean communities in the area. I also have a couple videos take a close-up look at Duluth that I’d encourage you to check out after this.
Duluth can have bad traffic, like any area around Atlanta, but there are a lot of secondary roads that give you options to beat some of the traffic once you learn your way around town.
If you want to be in the suburbs, but can’t afford Johns Creek, Alpharetta, or Suwanee prices, Duluth is a great place to consider calling home. There are a lot of nice homes here, but you’ll notice that the price points are a bit more affordable.
Next on my top 5 best suburbs list is Woodstock. Over on the northwest side of Metro Atlanta, in 2020 Money Magazine named Woodstock one of the top 50 places to live in the United States. That’s impressive. Over the past several years, Woodstock has transformed from a quiet small town that felt very rural to a bustling city that offers all the amenities of suburbia while keeping some of that small town charm. Because Woodstock has only recently become a sought-after place to live, you will find standard suburban neighborhood type homes, but can also find homes on a few acres of land if you prefer to have more space.
Woodstock has a great downtown atmosphere, and you’ll find more than 30 locally owned shops and restaurants. There are also many parks in the area as well as easy access to Lake Allatoona for boating and other water sports, as well as 23 miles of hiking and mountain bike trails at the city’s Rope Mill Park. If you want to be on the northwest side of Metro Atlanta, you’ll definitely want to take a look at Woodstock.
2nd on my top 5 best suburbs in Atlanta list we’re going to hop over to Alpharetta. I’ll be honest with you, Alpharetta is not a cheap city to call home and you won’t find a whole lot in the typical starter home price range.
But Alpharetta is a great place to live. Great schools, wonderful swim and tennis neighborhoods, and a city that hosts great community events. Quick note: if you don’t like HOAs, you’ll have to look a bit harder for a home in Alpharetta. The city is full of HOA communities, and most residents enjoy the amenities provided and feel like their HOA helps protect their home’s value.
Alpharetta is a pretty good distance from downtown Atlanta, so keep that in mind if you need to commute down there for work. You may want to look into heading into work either earlier or later than the typical 8:00 am start time so you can try and avoid some of the traffic.
On the plus side, Alpharetta is a short drive from Lake Lanier and only about an hour or so from North Georgia which makes a day trip to a Dahlonega vineyard or an Ellijay apple orchard an easy weekend activity.
But where Alpharetta really shines is its amenities. First, there are the shops and dining options at the Avalon, the place to see and be seen in Alpharetta. I have a video devoted to the Avalon that will give you all the details of this Alpharetta hot spot.
There’s also Wills Park. This city run park is easily one of the top parks, if not the top park, in the entire metro area. It offers park activity you can think of, including an equestrian ring where rodeos and other equestrian events are hosted on a regular basis. There are tennis courts, pickle ball courts, a swimming pool, a disc golf course, a playground, a dog park, and more.
The Alpharetta High School cluster consistently earns high praise as well. In 2022, Alpharetta High School was the #399 best high school in the entire country, out of almost 24,000 public high schools and was the 9th best high school in the state.
Alpharetta is a great place to call home.
The top suburb on my top 5 best suburbs list is Buford. Buford is the epitome of small-town charm and hometown feel not far from all the amenities of living in a metro area.
Homes within the Buford city limits are quite desirable, and I don’t see that desire going away any time soon. Why? The schools. Buford is in northern Gwinnet County but has its own school system. The Buford City Schools are public schools that feel very much like private schools in many ways. They have wonderful parent involvement and community support, great academic performance, great athletic performance, and well-maintained facilities. It is no surprise that Buford High School has been the top ranked high school in the state more than once.
If you decide you want to live in Buford and start looking at homes, do be aware that not all homes with a Buford address are inside the city limits. Some are in unincorporated Gwinnett County and are districted for Mill Creek High School, Lanier High School, or Flowery Branch High School, all which are well performing schools too.
Buford city residents love events like the annual homecoming parade, or the concerts and other events hosted at the Buford Community Center. Buford is also only minutes from Lake Lanier, and many residents enjoy renting a boat on the weekend or keep their own boat at one of the nearby marinas.
It is hard to find a downside to Buford, but there is one: home prices. Like Alpharetta, it is hard to find a home in Buford, especially in the city limits, in the typical starter home price range.
Metro Atlanta is a great place to call home, and one of the best ways to make it feel like home is to find a suburb you love and are excited to call home. I’d be honored to walk through that process with you! My contact information is on the screen and if any of these 5 suburbs caught your attention and you’d like to learn more about it or see if there are any available homes that would be a fit for you please get in touch! I’d also love to hear from you if there is another suburb you’ve heard of and would like to learn more about.
Have a great day and I look forward to welcoming you to Metro Atlanta.
