Decatur was listed as the best suburb to live in Georgia by the website Niche.com, which analyzes neighborhoods and school data.
The 2017 rankings took a number of factors into account with the higher education rate weighted the heaviest at 15 percent, followed by the cost of living, home values and property taxes and public school grades at 10 percent. Other details included in the ranking calculations were the diversity of the homeowners in terms of age, race and economic background, crime and safety in the area, nightlife and commute times.
Reviews of the “city of homes, schools and places of worship” on Niche rave about the top-ranked schools, the number of local food and shopping options and the safety of the area. Decatur has been on a variety of rankings in terms of its food scene with coverage in Bon Appetit and Southern Living.
“Having lived in Atlanta Metro for 20 years including stints in Cobb, Fulton, Gwinnett and DeKalb counties, I believe the City of Decatur is the most ‘complete’ city in Atlanta,” one review said.
| Suburb | Population | Median Home Value | Median Rent | Median Household Income |
| Decatur | 20,605 | $365,900 | $887 | $81,970 |
| Johns Creek | 82,203 | $333,300 | $1,332 | $105,417 |
| Alpharetta | 62,054 | $327,000 | $1,184 | $92,839 |
| Suwanee | 17,291 | $239,400 | $1,215 | $82,440 |
| Roswell | 93,471 | $297,000 | $1,032 | $82,150 |
| Milton | 35,799 | $459,500 | $1,177 | $111,778 |
| Peachtree City | 34,868 | $274,600 | $1,196 | $85,420 |
| Peachtree Corners | 38,446 | $278,600 | $896 | $62,362 |
| Berkeley Lake | 1,796 | $360,900 | $2,167 | $118,571 |
| Avondale Estates | 3,066 | $299,000 | $1,101 | $77,344 |