Our thanks to Laura Raines for permission to reproduce her article about Glenleigh which appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Homefinders section

NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE WEEK: Glenleigh
Residents love the location and family-friendly environment
Laura Raines - For the Journal-Constitution
Sunday, January 21, 2001

"Small town living close to the city" describes what residents like best about living in Glenleigh, a small neighborhood in Mableton.

"My cousin, a real estate agent, found this location for us two years ago," Cathy Strobeck said. "I work in Buckhead and Scott works in Marietta and we wanted something in the middle. Mableton turned out to be perfect."

The Strobecks looked at new subdivisions and lots along Nickajack Road and Cooper Lake Road, but really liked the established look of Glenleigh, a 15-year-old John Wieland neighborhood of traditional homes that has mature trees and shrubs.

The Strobecks knew the swim/tennis facility would be a major plus once they had children, but the prices of the homes and the large wooded lots sold them on the neighborhood.

"This is our first home and we feel like we got a lot of value. We have four bedrooms and our lot backs up to an easement of natural woods and is on a cul-de-sac," she said.

Cathy Strobeck grew up swimming and enjoying all the friends she made at a neighborhood swim/tennis club and has found that again at Glenleigh. "The neighbors are all ages, from grandparents to young couples with toddlers, but they get together often for casual dinner parties and other events," she said.

Living in a 1930s Mableton farmhouse, Joan and Don Gee were looking for more social life and kid-friendly living when they moved to Glenleigh almost eight years ago. They chose a five-bedroom house on a 1.2-acre, cul-de-sac lot with a wooded and flat back yard.

Their boys, 8 and 5, are growing up with friends close by and they've both learned to play tennis. For now, however, Joan has temporarily given up tennis.

"Instead, we're loading the van with neighbors and their kids and heading out to watch games at nearby Milford Park," she said. Several days a week she walks on the new Silver Comet Trail, which is within walking distance of the neighborhood.

"My friend and I can bike to the Publix or Kroger down the street when we just need a few things," she said. She enjoys the convenience of a new movie theater and restaurants on the East-West Connector. There are new stores like Target, Old Navy, Borders and Kohls, and it's not far to Cumberland Mall.

Gee has made time to serve as vice president of the homeowners association because she appreciates living with "a great group of people," and wants to help make some positive changes in the amenities.

With mandatory association dues of $400 a month, the board wants to put up a new wrought-iron fence and shrubs around the swimming pool and tennis courts, update the baths, and add a kitchen and new gas grills to make the area more party friendly.

"This is a very social neighborhood," said Hollis Miller, president of the association. "We go caroling at Christmas, have an Easter egg hunt and Halloween parties for the kids and cookouts at the pool on Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day."

Hollis and Mark Miller chose Mableton 14 years ago for its small town atmosphere and proximity to Atlanta. Also, they felt that they got great square footage (3,000 square foot, plus a basement) for the price and that their home is well-built.

"Until now this area was an undiscovered piece of real estate, but that's no longer the case. Mableton has become a hot spot with lots of new growth," Hollis Miller said. Homes originally priced in the $140,000 to $170,000 range are selling in the low to mid-$200,000s.

"Still, Glenleigh is small enough to know everyone and we all look out for one another. This is a fabulous place to raise kids," she said.

Amy and Blane Segura moved to Glenleigh from a neighborhood down the street, in part because they wanted to keep their three children in the same school district. "My children have grown up here and made so many friends through school, cheerleading, baseball, basketball, tennis and tumbling. They didn't want to go anywhere else, but we needed a bigger house," Amy Segura said.

They found a four-bedroom, two-story home with a large kitchen and a bonus room where the family installed a pool table. Besides having enough bedrooms, the family gained a swim/tennis club and sidewalks.

"We've started playing tennis and the kids roller blade and ride their bikes on the sidewalks. We always liked being part of a small, friendly community, but now we also have a larger house and more amenities," she said.

Realtor and resident Magda Gomez and her husband, Jose Garcia, recently renovated their home, adding a huge sunroom/family room with high ceilings, hardwood floors and a wall of windows. They also remodeled the kitchen to create a more open and airy feeling to the layout.

"When we moved down here nine years ago from the north, we were really impressed at how much more house you could buy for the money. We were thrilled to find this nice traditional home at an affordable price. It was even on a cul-de-sac and had a big yard for the kids," Gomez said.

"But the house got smaller over the years as the kids grew," she said. "We looked at newer houses, but they didn't have the trees and we are really happy with this area. We decided it was better to add on than to move," Gomez said.

Other neighbors have done the same thing, not wanting to leave the location. "Buyers like the bigger lots with trees, the size of the neighborhood, the active homeowners association and the fact that there is only one entrance to cut down on traffic," she said.

"I love my neighbors. On New Year's Day, we had an open house and people were coming and going all day. This has become our second family," Gomez said.

History

Gunpowder Springs, now Powder Springs, was a favorite gathering place for the Creek and Cherokee Indians before white families settled the land after Cobb County was created in 1832.

Robert Mable, for whom Mableton was later named, bought 300 acres in 1843 and established the first school. His antebellum home still stands along Floyd Road and is used as an arts center.

In 1860, Georgia had 1,890 manufacturing establishments and one of those was a woolen mill along Nickajack Creek in south Cobb County, founded by Martin Luker Ruff and Robert Daniell.

John Wieland Homes & Neighborhoods bought land along Nickajack Road to develop Glenleigh, a small swim/tennis neighborhood, about 15 years ago. It is one of several communities the firm has built in the south Cobb area.

In the past several years, the East-West Connector has been completed, making south and west Cobb more accessible to I-285 and I-75, as has the Silver Comet Rail Trail, a favorite recreational path for hikers, bikers and skaters.

Getting there

From downtown, take I-75 north to I-285 west/south to the South Cobb Drive exit and turn right. At the East-West Connector, turn left. At Fontaine Road, turn left. At Nickajack Road, turn right, and then right into the subdivision on Glenleigh Drive.

Households 93
Median sales price $220,000
Property taxes About $2,270 on a $220,000 house with the homestead exemption

Amenities

Schools

Mableton Elementary, K-5, 770-732-5651

Enrollment, 444; student/teacher ratio, 14.1; before/after school care, no/yes; students in gifted program, 4.1 percent; total suspensions, 3; 28.6 percent subsidized lunch; ITBS grade-level equivalency; grade 3, reading, 4; math, 3.8; language, 4.2; social studies, 3.8; science, 3.9; reference materials, 3.8; grade 5, reading 6.3; math, 6.3; language, 6.6; social studies, 6.3; science, 6.8; reference materials, 6.5.

Floyd Middle, 6-8, 770-732-5619

Enrollment, 994; student/teacher ratio, 17.5; students in gifted program, 7.9 percent; total suspensions, 1,308; 34.8 percent subsidized lunch; ITBS grade level equivalency, grade 8, reading, 8.8; math, 8.6; language, 9.5; social studies, 9.2; science, 9.4; reference materials, 9.6.

South Cobb High, 9-12, 770-732-5682

Enrollment, 1,541; student/teacher ratio, 16.9; students in gifted program, 5.3 percent; dropout rate, 4.7 percent; total suspensions, 1,349; 14.8 percent subsidized lunch; three foreign languages, 6-AAAA athletic classification; AP enrollment, 6.2 percent; SAT scores (college prep), 509 verbal, 507 math; percent passing graduation test on first round, language arts, 100; math, 87; science, 73; social studies, 83; writing, 86.

Housing trends in ZIP code 30126 in Cobb County

AJC school guide offered for sale

The Ultimate Atlanta School Guide 2000 edition contains statistics and information on more than 800 public schools in 21 counties in greater Atlanta. Also included is information on more than 100 private schools. Order on the Web at ajc.com/infostore or call the AJC's Stacks Information Store toll-free at 1-866-ajc-stax (1-866-252-7829). Price is $22.45 plus shipping.

Recent home sales

$255,000: 4605 Glyndale Trace. Built on a..1/2-acre-plus lot, this traditional brick and frame home has five bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths; kitchen with breakfast area, stained cabinets; family room with judges paneling, fireplace; separate dining room; separate living room; bonus room; finished basement with boat door; three-car, side-entry garage; sun room with view of dogwoods. Listed for $265,000, sold for $255,000 after 17 days.

$226,875: 149 Belleen Court. Built on a..1/2-acre-plus, cul-de-sac lot, this brick and frame traditional home has five bedrooms, three baths; kitchen with breakfast area, pantry; family room with 17-ft. ceiling and fireplace; bedroom and bath on main; separate dining room; separate living room; library/bonus room; master has tray ceiling, skylights; two-car, drive-under garage. Listed for $229,000, sold for $226,875 after 49 days.

$204,500: 4656 Glenleigh Drive. Built on less than a..1/2-acre corner, wooded lot, this brick and frame traditional home has five bedrooms, three baths; kitchen with bar, breakfast area; laundry room; family room with fireplace; dining room; separate living room; bonus room; 40-ft. screened porch; two-car attached garage; new paint, carpet. Listed for $210,000, sold for $204,500 after 34 days.

OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD SALES

A sampling of residential transactions in the past 18 months