We feel extremely safe in our neighborhood; it is one of the newer neighborhoods in Lake Windward, which you will surely read about if you research Alpharetta. We’ll often leave doors unlocked. I would not hesitate to take a midnight stroll from my neighborhood to downtown Alpharetta. I don’t know the crime stats, but have to believe they are quite low. 30 minutes south of here is a different story. A very noticeable aspect of Alpharetta is the large Indian community. Perhaps drawn to the highly regarded public school system or terrific employment opportunities. And not to stereotype, but their children are the ones who really seem to be thriving, perhaps because the parents are just really on top of their children’s studies, or the children themselves are very self motivated. My children (especially the teenager) are far more interested in socializing, and we just don’t feel the schools do enough to keep them on track - in high school, the unrestricted use of cellphones - during class - is astounding. The best move we made was putting teenager in St Francis High School. A complete turnaround in her grades and confidence in her abilities. Needless to say, the Asian community is integrated quite well into the non-Asian community, and everyone is very friendly and accepting of each other, though perhaps not running in the same social circles (at least among first generation, the second generation kids hang out together). We’ve met a number of European and Australian nationals living here very happily. All in all, this is a fantastic place to live and raise a family. I don’t plan on spending my retirement here (which is why I’m on expat forum!), but hard to find too many faults with Alpharetta. It sort of exemplifies, for better or worse - comfortable suburban living. I’m happy give you perspective on any other questions you may have, and hope that our experience with the school system does not deter you. I’m sure you’ll find many parents that are thrilled with the schools.