Atlanta area?

[Wolf mom]

I know nothing about the area.

Is there anything like rural land (5 acre parcels) reasonably priced, within 2 -3 hours around Atlanta? What's it like?

My son & his family are moving there soon & I was wondering.......

[botebum]

Within 2-3 hours? Absolutely! Some really impoverished areas within that range where land can be had very reasonably.

Doug

[lmnde]

The general Atlanta area itself is quite expensive [well - relative to us here in middle or southern GA - in comparison to CA or some of the eastern northern states it's probably very comparable or even cheap], however in middle Ga [about the 1.5-2 hrs south of Atlanta and here in the southeast - if you stay away from the larger cities and looking in the rural communities, you can still buy an acre under or around 5000, and larger pieces of land in the 20-100 acre range between 2-3000 - again all depending on where you are looking. There are also plenty of parcels in 10K+/acre ranges and coastal property is near unaffordable unless you are in a high income bracket.

If anyone in the family is actually working in Atlanta - it is my understanding that traffic and commuting can be quite bad - so if they are planning on commuting from the outlying areas and need to go into Atlanta itself - be prepared to spend hours on the road every day.

I think Meloc [sp?] is from the northern Atlanta area or close by - and also had/s a property for sale there - maybe you want to ask them for more details about the area...

Good luck with looking and welcome to "hot and humid" summers... Lmnde

[Wolf mom]

Thank you. I should have clarified.

My son & wife are the city folk with a house already bought.. I'm the country gal with horse, chickens & garden.

[uncle Will in In.]

If you hear of something cheap in the Pine Mountain area (just for winter use) I'm interested. I love that area. (Interstate most of the way to Atlanta)

[Shadow]

I was born and raised in Canton GA. located about 45 miles north of Atlanta. My brother and all family but my kids and I still live there. Atlanta is spread out past 75 miles out mabey more to the north and with in that 75 mile radius of Atlanta it is expensive. Canton a building lot less than a half acre is 25,000 dollars or more. Traffic is horrible My wife lived in Kennisaw when we married 14 years ago and it was 22 miles to atlanta and took an hour back then. I left there 40 years ago when the commute to Atlanta got bad and it has not improved.
Just my opinion but we hate to even visit my brother because of the traffic and we have about quit doing shows anywhere near Atlanta.
My son is going to Atlanta for training for a couple o months and he is dreading it.
My nephew has just built a new home in Canton and the fees not permits was over $5,000. No way would I move back to North Ga.

[AngieM2]

Ask sancraft, she's about 2 hours out from Atlanta towards Athens GA.

She can tell you the prices going around there. she just priced them for a project she's working on.

Angie

[ann]

Taylor County is about 2 hours south of atlanta. Land here can still be bought for 2 - 5 thousand per acre.

[halfpint]

Go to this map on google and you can see just about everything in this view that is approximately 2 hours from Atlanta:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&om=1&z=8&ll=33.751748,-84.342041&spn=3.365747,5.141602
Chattanooga, TN to the northwest
Greenville, SC to the northeast
Augusta to the east
Macon GA to the southeast
Montgomery, AL to the southwest
Birmingham, AL to the east

Therefore you could actually have your pick of several states and be pretty close to within 2 hours.

If you like hilly to small mountain areas, you will pretty much want to the north of Atlanta, if you want flat, you need to go a little south. Most of the land in the mountains is pretty pricey right now, although you might be able to find a bargain somewhere, just stay far away from the touristy areas - especially Helen and Dahlonega.

If you go to the link above, you can click on the 'satellite' box to get a satellite view. You can zoom in and move the map around with your mouse, or put in a address in the box and it will go to it. Thus if you find an area you like, you can look at the terrain.

[Sherrynboo]

I am in Harris Co just south of Pine Mt Ga. Land here goes for about 5-10,000 an acre and going up all the time. Troup Co, the next county north, is a bit cheaper from what I have heard. Beautiful country though! This is all within 1-2 hours south of Atlanta. My sister lives in Dallas which I think is west of Atlanta and I rarely go to visit due to the traffic.

Sherry in Ga

[oldgaredneck]

we live in Crawford County (western middle Georgia). Land here is extremely cheap,
peaceful rural setting, lots of cows and horse farms. Nearest town is Roberta , three miles away - it is approximately one square mile in size.
We are about three hours south of Atlanta.

[sidepasser]

Troup County is becoming more expensive by the day. Land that sold 20 years ago for 750 - 1000 an acre is now going for 6,000 an acre and don't even try to get anywhere near the lake - land there is going for upwards of 90,000 an acre in the subdivisions if it is lakefront. If not, and in the same subdivision though it runs 40 -75,000 an acre. Get away from the lake and you can find land in the 2,000-3,000 range but will be undeveloped. Tracts of 5-10 acres is getting real hard to find. Developed land with a house of average size (1500 -2000) sq. feet, not brand new sitting on 1 acre runs around 150,000, five acres and that same house may cost you close to 250,000 - 300,000. My cousin's place is gorgeous (house/barn/lake/running water, pasture and all fenced and cross fenced) it is 535,000 and on the market for sale right now.

Heard County to the North is cheaper where it joins Troup County on the south side. Don't know about north of Franklin but hear it is getting more expensive there too.

KIA is killing the property values here...lol..making it so you have to get an inheritance to be able to buy anything...or win the lottery.

[Wolf mom]

Just went on farm & land.com someplace in Ga was 10 acres & 1400 sq ft home with double garage for $185,000. Here in AZ it'd be around $250,000/$400,000 depending what's around it.

To me that's inexpensive when an acre sells for $25,000 where I live.

Thanks all. I'll have to do some looking. Wouldn't it be great if I could retire just by moving?

[melco]

HI
We live in Trenton GA in the NW corner of GA just outsude Chattanooga TN. We are about 2 hours from Atlanta. We have 5acres with horse set up, chickens and garden spots. Our place is for sale. PM me if you want more info.
Melissa

[Zookeeper]

We live near Toccoa, about 1 1/2 hrs. northeast of Atlanta. We bought our land for under $5,000/acre. I have lived all over GA and the price of land varies considerably depending on the area...we moved here from a couple of counties over, where land is going at over $50,000/acre.

Sometimes, the land is cheap because the areas are impoverished, but not necessarily. There is no more work available in the county where land is going for $50,000/acre than there is here...people there are just willing to commute 4 hrs. a day to work in the city, and here...people are little more laid back and not so money-hungry. You have a trade-off in mindset and way of life if you choose to live somewhere more rural, even if your income isn't 6 figures...but I am assuming that is the reason for seeking land in the country.

The areas due north of the city are the worst, IMO...worst for growth, congestion, traffic, overcrowding, and overpriced land and housing. I would look northeast, northwest, or south of the city.

[halfpint]

Zookeeper: my son is in college at Toccoa Falls. That's a beautiful area!
Dawn

[Ramblin Wreck]

Wolf Mom - Lots of good advice above, but I'll throw in a few other comments.

Alabama is less than an hour west of Atlanta, and certain areas there still offer exceptional values. Birminham is only 2.5 hours west, and I would rate the health care available there as good as anywhere in the country, if that is an issue. Huntsville in northern Alabama has much to offer, and if you want some elevation (and if you're used to the temps in the White Mountains you may want it in the South), check out the Mentone/Little River/Fort Paine areas. The Lookout Mountain ridge land is much less expensive than mountain land in NC, Tennessee, or Georgia, and since it is a ridge, it offers much better pasture opportunities than you'll find on most mountain slopes.

Generally, the further away from Atlanta, the better the land prices, especially if you head South. Below the Fall Line, the temps are generally several degrees hotter in each season (here's a link: http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/n...e.jsp?id=h-721. East of Atlanta, just beyond Madison and Social Circle, the land prices can be good if you are not too close to Lake Oconee. Although I love the Augusta area, for some reason there seems to be more racial strife there than is typical in Georiga nowadays. If they ever come together, that area/town has a lot to offer. You may want to check out Aiken, South Carolina, just east of Augusta. It's a great town with a very long horse tradition. South Carolina's upcountry (their mountains in the NW section of the state...a little over 2 hours from Atlanta) once offered some good land values, but I think those days are gone.

Just FYI: I live in Atlanta during the week and go to my family farm about 40 miles NW of town on the weekends. Our family has been in the area since the 1830's.

Good luck and best wishes.