No special rush. Starting to make retirement plans for 10-12 years out. Our kids live in Ackworth, Marietta, & Woodstock.  Grandkids are in the oven.

We live in SW GA and don't know squat about N. GA.  Would really like a mountain view home that is "baby-sitting" close enough to the kids.

Might consider where the kids live but really wanted more rural and more mountain view.  Wifey and I are country folks, not city folks.

We want to settle on an area and then get to know it over the next few years. Possibly snap up a bargain if it pops up.

We've been to Lookout Mountain GA (we liked but too far); Ft Oglethorpe/Ringgold (we liked but too far); Blue Ridge (too touristy and too far);  Ellijay (ok except questions about where nearest hospital and borderline on distance, and a tad touristy); Jasper (we're considering but would like closer); Calhoun (not hilly view enough); and Fairmont (meh, just didn't float our boat but can't tell you why;  no direct route to kids but would reconsider).

What area have we not hit that you suggest we check out?

Help me GA HTF, you're my only hope.

Brownie

I think jasper would work and there's a good rifle club there

Thanks Rob. What is the terrain in Cherokee County?  Any rural decent scenery?

Ball Ground is just south of Jasper. Land prices are increasing quickly but it's a fantastic little town. We're building up there now.

We're going to scout out the terrain in Ball Ground, Canton, & Woodstock today on the way home. Just going to scope out if it's flat, hilly, etc.

Cleveland, near Yonah mtn, or north up US 129.

I did some research before buying a house there. The county is populated by a high retirement age group, but the county is somewhere around 27,000 people. There is Nacoochee Valley, Yonah Valley, off of SR75 towards Helen, or 75 Alt., or the Tesnatee/ Tollgate area. Low population density as the county is primarly national forest.

Slow growth and property costs are still relatively low, but will increase as development is headed this way.

My front porch is starting at Yonah mtn and Pink mtn.

This is a slow town. Driving is usually 10mph lower than the speed limit- takes getting used to, but most aren't in a hurry.

Cleveland

White County

ETA- oh you said north Georgia. I thought you meant NORTH Georgia.

Cherokee is rolling hills with a lot of rock.  The County's motto is where Metro meets the Mountains but you won't find any good mountain views unless you catch a glimpse of some foothills further north in Jasper or Gilmer Counties.

Commute from Jasper to Cherokee is anywhere from 0 to 30 minutes depending where you live in Jasper.  Add about another 30 minutes to your drive time for Gilmer.  If you kids are living in Woodstock you can be at there house within an hour in good traffic from either county.

Just a side note, If you are retired military, North Carolina is only about 90 minutes from Woodstock and NC doesn't tax military retirement income

I looked at a nice house on the mountain but it was too far from the wife's job. I ended up in Dahlonega.

Thanks for the feedback.  Cleveland would be nice but distance kills that choice for us.  And I did say North GA but it isn't North GA to you.  For us in SW GA, everything North of Macon is North GA.  

Also thanks for the suggestion on NC.  Did serve in mil a long time ago but not retired from it.

As I stated earlier, the move is 10-12 years out.  Job demands will not allow me to move out of my current AO for that period of time.  Also I will be required to live within the boundaries of the state upon retirement to qualify for continued post-retirement, part-time employment.  So NC and TN are out.

It's looking like Jasper is the best candidate for the future move so far.

We'll start visiting the AO as often as possible to get familiar.

Thanks All!  It helped more than you know.  

Medical care has been part of our considerations as well.

We want rural.  I want to be able to shoot a rifle off the back porch and not have neighbors close enough to complain; and my wife's panel of doctors close enough that I don't have to go with her.

+1 for Jasper and Ball Ground is also nice   We scoped out a lot of towns in N. Georgia before we decided on Jasper.  We built a house here 3 years ago and we really enjoy the area.

Terrain in Pickens county has rolling hills and low mountains.

I moved to canton in 1989.  I would consider cherokee hilly but not really many mountain views unless you are in extreme north cherokee county.

There is a brand new Northside hospital located between hwy 120 and 140 in Canton so medical is close by.

Feel free to IM me with any questions.

My in laws just bought a big place on 5 acres in Cleveland, with gold mine property on both sides of them.
It's about an hour North of us here in Cumming.

I'd love to retire up there someday.

We live in Canton - closer to Waleska. We may move further north in a few years when I retire - maybe Jasper.

I think I'm probably just north of you. BG address but not in the city.

OP, if you like Jasper area look into the Talking Rock area just south of Carter's Lake. It's rural as can be but everything you want within a 15 minute drive.

Also if the Ball Ground area is to your liking, but your wanting more rural, look into the Mica community off of Yellow Creek Rd. The community is easily reached from Ball Ground and in the northeastern corner of Cherokee bordering Pickens, Forsyth and Dawson Counties.

Finally the hidden undeveloped gem of Cherokee is on the north central side and it's a small community called Salacoa.

This place is situated in a
valley below Pine Log Mountain in Lake Arrowhead and borders Bartow, Pickens and Gordon Counties.

Salacoa is the one rural place in Cherokee that has remained almost the same, for the last 30 years. Large established farms, secluded sizeable lots of prime land and very few residential structures.

Access Salacoa via 140 out of Canton or 108 from 515 in Ball Ground. It's also accessible from Hwy 411 and Hwy 20 from Cartersville.

https://www.anyplaceamerica.com/directory/ga/cherokee-county-13057/valleys/salacoa-valley-322326/

My family has lived in Ball Ground forever and I've resided there since the 80s. It has grown like crazy since getting the sewer system implemented, but has not lost it's small town charm.

Salacoa deserves a look, I'm thinking once you see it, you will be hooked.

Thanks for that info!  We will definitely scope it out next time we're up there.