Why We Chose to Call Roswell Home

By Anissa Klisch

Life Changes

In 2016 my husband John and I moved back to Georgia after five years of living in the western suburbs of Chicago. This time around, we didn’t have to seriously consider schools or a big yard. After all, both of our children were full-time college students in Florida.

We made it!  Now we could focus on us and our newly minted, empty-nester lifestyle.

I should point out that before moving up to Chicago, we lived in Johns Creek for 17 years. And, before that, we lived in Duluth. The area between I-85 and GA 141 is familiar territory. I think we both agree it was a fantastic place to raise our family. Houses with decent-sized lots were affordable. Schools were awesome. And there was an abundance of youth athletic programs.

But priorities change.

We had already sold our 1916 American Foursquare in Illinois and were contemplating moving into the city of Chicago. But fate stepped in – as it often does – with a job offer for John back in Atlanta. Hmm? Closer to family? Closer to our children? We couldn’t think of a reason to say no.

But where to go? Our first instinct was to look at something in Brookhaven, possibly Buckhead. Yeah. Let’s be cool city people, just like we’d been planning in Illinois. BUT not only were home prices significantly higher inside the Perimeter, so were the property taxes. Pass. (Did I mention John is a CPA?) Frankly, we really aren’t that cool, anyway.

Now what? We needed to rank what was truly important to us.

Choosing Roswell

First, we definitely wanted a location that made John’s commute into Midtown bearable. Being near GA 400 seemed like the right answer. Sure, it can be a mosh pit at times. You just need to know how to time your trips. (Did I mention that accountants tend to be super good planners?)

Second, we wanted to be able to walk places. From our home in Wheaton, a suburb with a thriving downtown, we could walk just about any place we wanted, including the train station for John’s commute into the city. We knew we couldn’t recreate that exact lifestyle. But, how close could we get?

Third, we play tennis. Not well, but we love it anyway. Also, it’s hot in Georgia. Cooling off in a pool sounded appealing but we didn’t want the hassle of taking care of our own pool. So, add swim/tennis community to the list.

After discussing our newly refined criteria with our real estate agent, she suggested we look at Alpharetta and Roswell. The hunt began. We toured several homes and townhomes ultimately deciding that Roswell’s location just a few miles closer to Atlanta was right for us.

We settled on a relatively new home, built in 2009, in a smaller gated community in East Roswell. The neighborhood has 2 tennis courts, a swimming pool, and the HOA takes care of lawn maintenance. We compromised in that there are only a couple of restaurants within walking distance of our house.

On the other hand, our golden retriever Charlie loves that we can walk to East Roswell Park. He’s a big fan of the dog park there. I am an avid reader and love the fact that East Roswell Library is also within walking distance.

Just a short drive from home is Riverside Park, NOC Roswell Outpost, and the Vickery Creek unit of the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area. We also have great access to the Big Creek Greenway and extensive mountain biking trails (if only we rode bikes, looks fun though).

We can’t walk to a train station, but North Springs MARTA is a 10-minute Uber ride from the house. That’s awesome when we don’t feel like fighting for parking at the airport or if I want to meet John in the city for dinner.

We can easily be in Midtown in 20 minutes, Buckhead in 15, or Alpharetta in 10, but we rarely feel the need to leave Roswell. Everything we love is here.

Interested in Roswell?

Have I piqued your interest in Roswell? I know a few good real estate agents I could recommend. Oh, and our team has put together a video that explores all the facets of this charming city. Check it out. On our website, the Roswell Community page has interesting facts and demographics about this eclectic city.

Anissa Klisch is Sherry & Co.’s marketing and listing manager. If you have questions or are interested in making Roswell your next home, email us at  info@sherrryandcorealestate.com or, give us a call at 678.744.8206.