Where is a good place to live, that's close to Atlanta, GA?

If you are attending UGA Athens would be a great small town to live in. If you aren't a UGA student Athens has nothing to offer you. The town exists soley as support to the school, the student body and faculty.

Most of the small towns near Atlanta (you didn't say how close) have that suburbia feel to them since that is exactly what they are. Suburbs of Atlanta. Marietta is nice. Decatur is real nice, it's also very close to Atlanta. There is also Duluth, Norcross and Lawrenceville. Suwanee and Buford. All of them Suburbia but with town centers and their own identity.

Further south there is Milledgeville, another small college town. Jackson and Macon. Newnan to the west is a very nice small town. So is Peachtree City.

Or you can go north into the mountains. Small towns there are Blairsville, Jasper, Dahlonega, Gainesville, Canton, Ellijay, Blue Ridge and Clayton

Look at Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, Roswell and Marietta

Macon is about 3 hours from downtown Atlanta and Athens is about an hour and a half.
Most of your suburbs inside the perimeter (cities inside the circle the highway 285 makes) are actually pretty urban.
I'd stay away from the west or south side as those have a higher crime rate.
North Atlanta/ Buckhead is expensive but definitely trendy and nice.
Try Alpharetta or Roswell or Sandy Springs. Very nice area with literally a 10 minute drive to downtown

sandy springs or buckhead area
athens is really pretty too

Canton,there are tons of things to do and the houses are a good price and beautiful.....if money is mot a problem....than i suggest buckhead

where are you going to college?

I love Decatur, Georgia, it is about 10 minutes outside of the city.

Also check Marietta (45 minutes from the city) and Sandy Springs (20 minutes from the city).

If you don't have a car, MARTA goes to most places in Metro Atlanta inside the perimeter. Look around I-285 in Atlanta. Good luck!

Good luck!

If I was you I would stay away south from atlanta which is Clayton and fayetve county. Cobb, north fulton is an ok place to live. Also, it also depends on how much money you have to afford a house. I would suggest cobb, north fulton, gwinnet county. Stay away from clayton county because of accredation lost. The traffic here is horrible! SO working close 2 home is the best suggestion. Living in the surburbs where the cheaper houses are a pretty good deal.
Things 2 do.
Atlantic station
Underground station
CIVIC CENTER
DOWNTOWN (WHERE AQUARIUM IS AT)

If you want to be close to both Athens and Atlanta you might want to check out Lawrenceville/Dacula/Grayson Area. My family moved here from SC and wanted pretty much what you have stated. I love where we are. Not too country, Not too fast. We live in a great newly established neighborhood and have even found out in the morning that we slept all night with the doors unlocked. I've come home from work and to my surprise found the doors unlocked by my middle schoolers all day long. Thank God we still have everything. I believe it's because we are really in a great area.

Macon, GA.

the further you are from atlanta the better.
If if you want to move TO georgia, where you are now must be hell