TJR, I am next door to Duluth in Lawrenceville. Moved here form metro Boston 16 years ago.
Gwinnett County is booming. When we moved here, it was about 400,000 people. Now close to 3/4 million. It's the single biggest political entity in Georgia. Iit is relatively well governed. The county has a AAA bond rating; one of only a handful of counties in the United States that can claim such. The tax base is very strong, the politicians reasonably fiscally responsible (shocking, isn't it?).
The school system is very good. Under some pressure because of the growth, and because of the fiscal conservatism, they tend to fall behind on new school construction. My son's elementary school is huge, has 1700+ students. Class size is typically 18 to 20 for the younger grades, and 24 to 28 for the older grades. They are struggling a bit with all of the English as a Second Language students (I suspect that's an issue in nearly every metro area these days). We are in the Peachtree Ridge cluster and my son will go to Peachtree Ridge High School in about four years. Regarding perceptions vs. northern schools: I went to a highly regarded public school system in central New Jersey. My wife went to a well regarded school system in suburban Boston. Our opinion is that our son is getting a better education in Gwinnett than we got up north.
Southerners are very polite and make good neighbors. Neighbors were never a big part of our lives in the northeast. Down here, some of them are like our family. We count on them, they count on us. Very caring environment. Most homes are in swim/tennis subdivisions (pool, playground, tennis courts, clubhouse), but you can find homes that aren't in neighborhoods like that if you desire a more independent lifestyle.
There are a lot of nice conveniences. Most stuff (stores, malls, public buildings, roads) is new and in good shape. The county park system is incredible. The soccer and baseball fields are impeccably maintained, and there are a lot of them. Very good youth leagues for all of the major sports, including hockey. The county is committed to buying land to keep greenspace available for residents.
I also like Georgia as a state. Atlanta and Fulton County aside, the state government manages to remain reasonably committed to the freedom of its citizens, and seems to keep corruption under control.
Downsides? All the growth has added quite a bit of traffic. The area has lost most of its rural roots, and it's pretty solid 'burbs as far as the eye can see. Although property values are stable right now, the last fifteen years saw a moderate run up in prices. Crime has crept up with the growth. Some parts of Gwinnett, notably the southside of the county, have substantial gang problems.
Questions? Feel free to email.
) Again, j/k!
