Pros and Cons Living in Braselton, GA

One of the questions I get asked the most when people are considering moving to the Gainesville area is what other areas close to Gainesville they should consider and by far one of the most popular places is Braselton. Today we are covering the pros and cons to living in Braselton

The most popular reason that people love living in Braselton is the location. Braselton is a very popular area for people who work in Atlanta but want to live outside of the city and commute because of it’s easy access to I-85 South. The city is a straight shot down the interstate from the Braselton exit, and it’s about a 40 mile drive. Many people chose to live out in the suburbs and commute into the city because the cost of living is obviously much cheaper here. If you look at Braselton on the map, you can see that the town is kind of split into three pods, and it stretches over a good bit of land, without actually being a very big town. The biggest chunk is located along I-85 and Highway 53, then you have another chunk along Highway 211, and then you have a third chunk that kind of combines Buford and Flowery Branch together in the more at the west end of town. 

Braselton has been named the safest city in Georgia several times, most recently at the end of 2020 which is another benefit to living in Braselton. The property crime rate was nearly 5 times lower than the Georgia statewide rate, and there was only one violent crime reported in the town, which is crazy low. Obviously the town’s small population plays a part in this, but that is still quite an impressive statistic. This is definitely an awesome, safe town to raise a family in.

Braselton has a great sense of community which makes it another reason why it is a sought after destination. It definitely has that small town southern charm that many people are looking for. They host a plethora of events and markets throughout the year. During the summer, on most Friday nights, you can head to the town square to see a movie during their “Movie Under the Stars on the Green” nights. They set up a projector and show a movie and people bring picnics, blankets, and chairs and lay out to watch the movie. There are also several antique stores in downtown Braselton, so about three times a year they host the Braselton Antiques and Artisan Festival where you can walk around and shop from local vendors in an open air market style setting. People bring their dogs and wander around and browse through all the different booths and grab food from the food trucks that are there and even if you don’t buy anything, it’s always a fun way to spend a few hours. One of the reasons it has such a great sense of community is that it offers something for everyone, from families to retirees. You will find a ton of neighborhoods that are sought after by families, three different active adult communities, golf course communities and more. 

Which leads us to our next benefit which is that you are so close to many healthcare options. Braselton has a brand new hospital, which is a branch of the Northeast Georgia Medical Center. There is an Urgent Care Center, an Imaging Center, a Diagnostic Clinic… plus a pediatrics office, dermatologist, primary care doctor, eye doctor, joint and spine center, OB/GYN, and more… all within about five minutes of each other, which is why Braselton is sought after by families and retirees. If you need it, Braselton has it. 

Because of all these things, as you can see, Braselton is growing which is another benefit to living in this town. There are a lot of new developments in Braselton, specifically in the chunk of town that sits on Highway 211. They have built a new Chick Fil A, Arby’s, Starbucks, Longhorn Steakhouse, and they are still continuing to develop more restaurants and businesses. Not only do you have large national chain restaurants, but you have a ton of local restaurants like Cotton Calf, Local Station, and Braselton Brewing Company just to name a few. There is also the Chateau Elan Winery and Resort, which is a beautiful place to go and have a wine tasting, spend a day at the spa, book a room, or use for a luxury event. They also host a ton of events that you can sign up for, like cooking classes, afternoon tea, and painting classes. This is a really fun place to take your girlfriends who visit from out of town, or to take your in-laws for an impressive dinner. 

Like any area, there are some drawbacks. One of the biggest downfalls of Braselton is there is practically nowhere to shop. Since the town is kind of sprawled out and doesn’t sit in one little circular area, some parts of town are going to be a lot farther away from some of the bigger box stores, while other parts of Braselton are very close to Flowery Branch and Buford, which have a lot more shopping options. The only true grocery store is Publix in the more northern portion of town, so if they don’t carry something you are looking for or you prefer the options at Kroger or Aldi, or even Walmart, you are going to have to drive to another town for it. Keep in mind, Braselton is a small town so it won’t be that long of a drive to get into Flowery Branch or Oakwood for more options, but you won’t have a grocery store right down the road like you would if lived in another part of town, depending what part of Braselton you live in. There are a few small boutiques in downtown Braselton, but again, if you want to go to Target or the mall to do your shopping, you are going to have to drive somewhere else to do so. Since the town has a pretty odd layout, this will all vary depending upon what part of town you end up in.

Another downside to Braselton is the traffic. You’ll find in Hall County that the roads can’t quite seem to support the growth and speed at which things are being built up. Braselton is no exception to this. Highway 211 goes right through Braselton, and it gets easily backed up with traffic from people trying to get off on the interstate, and because most of it is only two lanes which really slows things down. One downfall of being right on the interstate is that a lot of truck drivers pull off on the shoulder of the exit ramp to park overnight and that can be dangerous. This is because a federal rule went into effect that requires truck drivers to have an electronic monitoring system in their trucks so they don’t put others in danger by driving too long and falling asleep behind the wheel. For whatever reason, this particular exit ramp off Highway 53 onto the interstate is a popular area for truckers to rest since there are limited truck stops along 85.

While some see all of the growth happening around the town as a positive, others feel like Braselton is growing too quickly. What was once a quaint, small town has definitely grown up rather quickly over the years. Many people in not only Braselton, but other close by small towns like Hoschton and Flowery Branch believe that our area is growing to become more of an extension of Atlanta and less of the small towns they once knew. This growth has of course brought more jobs and opportunities to the area though, so it’s all about perspective. 

What do you think? Are these truly cons? I would love to hear what you think about Braselton.

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