Some information to consider:

1.  My work - shifts could be early or late (0430 to 1300 or 0800 to 1630 or 1530 to midnight) more than likely 1530 to midnight for me.
2.  I will be working near the airport if I move up
3.  My salary will be 6 digits, but I am paying off a lot of debt and will be for the next 2 years due to divorce (worth every penny of the 60k)
4.  My new spouse is a school teacher and will be at home not working if at all possible for the next 3-5 years raising our children
5.  I would prefer an area with decent sized homes in the 600-1000 range, the lower the better and the bigger the lot or acreage the better
6.  A close rifle range would be a bonus.
7. Taxes - ad valorem preferably lower than where I am now in chatham county....
8. Arfcommers.... Good ones nearby is a plus!  


I already have a preferance to the west/SW  I 75 cooridoor, but have not limited myself to it.   Gas for commuting prices are not really a concern.  I am good with up to an hour commute.
Spouse likes hills/mountains etc, and a home with a basement would be a bonus... so long as it does not flood...

You won't like the taxes but I'd suggest something in the perimeter if you have the income to support it.

I like the Brookhaven area a lot, used to live there.  Convenient access to I-85, I-285, and MARTA. Look at the 30319 zip code

East cobb.... Live in west Cobb and you will see why. Its just Nicer here... pm for details

I live in Brookhaven and love it.  Convenient to everything and it's not Fulton county so the taxes are reasonable.

I need a six figure salary.

Coweta/Newnan down 85

+1 to Newnan/Coweta

Not too far from Atlanta only about 30 min south. Plenty of open land, Grantville has a shooting range.

Don't feel bad, only taken me 22+ years to get there!  lol!  And it's quite overrated.  I only included it everyone here would have a baseline of my economic situation.  When you factor in a spouse at home it's the same as having 2 $50K incomes, but with more tax....

Highly recommend Newnan/Coweta County also.

When we moved here (12 years ago) my wife said she wanted to move to "a modern Mayberry". We looked around Atlanta and fell in love with the Newnan area.

I live in Jasper County near Jackson Lake and love it.  I am 45 minutes from Macon, I am 1 hour from downtown Atlanta, one hour from Gwinnett,  and one hour from Athens. Charlie Elliot Wildlife Center is 15 minutes and it has a 50 yard and 100 yard range with 10 booths on each.  We have 5,000+ acres of Oconee National Forest with plenty of hunting and camping choices.  Piedmont National wildlife refuge is just around the corner.  Of course the hunting and camping at Charlie Elliot.  The Ocmulgee hiking trail is in Japser County.  The Sherriff is happy with armed citizens, and he does not destory confiscated guns....He sells them on the front yard of the jail.  The closest Wal-mart is in Covington 25 miles away.  

Property is very affordable.  It is not hard to find a 3 bed 2 bath home on 15 acres for less than 125K, and quite easy to find a 3/2 mobile home on 6 or 7 acres for 40-50k.

Stockbridge, Ellenwood area meets all the qualifications.  Nothing happens here, DeKalb range 10 min away, low taxes, bunch of Half Fawn members nearby.
 Nice new houses too plus some great older ones with lots of land.

Peachtree City, good schools and a short commute to the Airport. If you work at the Airport, you do not want to live on the northside of Atlanta

I really like Marietta and west Cobb. Paulding is a little cheaper near Hiram and Dallas.

Add in Peachtree City to that as well, it's a little closer (South Fayette County) and the schools are good (or were when I went there). I wouldn't come any closer to ATL than Peachtree City. You also want to be on the South Side if you are going to be working at the airport, if you are on the North Side you'll have to come through metro ATL to get their.





Peachtree City/Newnan will put you on the very southern edge of the suburbs.



eta: http://www.peachtree-city.org/





 

Yes, but cheaper to live in West Cobb if land is something you want. Paulding gets even cheaper, but the commute gets long.
West Cobb is growing pretty good now. They are now working on a 117 acre park out of Dallas Hwy.

Everyone has recommended that you live outside the perimeter.  I strongly discourage this.  Traffic is a NIGHTMARE at times.  Really, it depends on where your job is.  I love living ITP and wouldn't move outside of it given a choice.  There are some very nice, affordable houses to be had in 30319 zip code.  Check it out, you won't be sorry.  Two minutes from the MARTA rail, 5 minutes to 285 and 85.
Google Maps

This is a nice area but also very expensive.  And you have to pay Fulton County taxes, the worst in the state.  Or is that Dekalb?  Same thing either way.

We live OTP in the Smyrna/Vinings area and never have to deal with traffic.  20 min to airport.  There are many nice areas away from Atl, problem is you will be in terrible traffic if going towards the city between 6:30 am and 9:30 am and away from the city between 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm.

ALSO the camp creek parkway short cut will avoid most of the heavy traffic and take you straight to the airport.




 

Sandy Springs is nice.
Great Police dept as well.

Most important question.  Which direction is your BOL?  ITP will not be a good place to be in when TSHTF, I don't care what you have in the safe.  You want OTP, even if you are working, you want the wife and kids to have an easier time heading to the BOL.

I'm up in Cherokee, been here for almost 9 years, and have done the airport commute thing for those 9 weekly for flights.  With the schedule you listed, unless you get the primo 0800 to 1600 shift, traffic won't be that bad.  I can leave my house at 0600 and stroll in for a 0800 flight with ease (and a heavy foot).  Several indoor ranges in the area, about a 1.5 hour drive to Creekside (less with that heavy foot), and a short distance away from the hills the wife wants.  Houses ain't bad, especially with the economy.  Land ain't cheap, but it ain't bad.  You looking to buy or rent?  I have a 3 bedroom, 2 bath with full basement and 1.29 acres I have rented out right now for 1250 a month.  I think we are renting it on the lower end, not sure, but my tenants are good, pay on time and have been here for 2 years with no indication of moving, so we're not messing with the rent on 'em.  I am sure you can find something around the price you are looking for.  You want to avoid the floods, look for hilly land.  It ain't real hilly on the southside.  

Don't sweat the commute.  Find a good school system for the kids, a place in the direction of your BOL, and something quiet the wife will like, especially if she is staying at home.

Edit:  I'm from Tucker, and have been trying to get my mom out of there for the last 9 years.  I told her, SHTF, and I call you that the balloon went up, you better start heading this way, with a wife and 2 kids, I can't come get you.  Being that close to the shithole we call Atlanta doesn't sit well with me, and that is one less thing I would want to worry about.

Good luck,
b

Douglasville/Winston Area....

ETA: no seriously man, 30 minutes from creekside with no traffic. Houses are in a good price range if you know where to look. decent schools. And if nothing else.... I'm here and I got guns....

All of the Fayette schools are pretty good academically, but the area suffers from a bit of "rich kid" syndrome––teenagers driving around in the new BMWs their parents bought for them, and the massive entitlement mentality that comes with it.

The golf cart paths fucking rock.  Much better for riding a bicycle than the streets, IMO.

+1.

Also, the Senoia/Sharpsburg area may be worth a look.