Top 5 Neighborhoods Families Love in Gainesville Area

I constantly get asked what are the best neighborhoods for families in the Gainesville area and one of my favorite things to do is learn more about a families needs and then point them to some recommendations. Today, we are covering the Top 5 Neighborhoods families love in the Gainesville area.

1. Sterling on the Lake, Flowery Branch

Sterling is a hugely popular neighborhood because of its family friendly atmosphere. Homes were first constructed in 2004 and they are still building more new homes to this day. This is a huge neighborhood that’s broken down into 9 different “villages,” all with a ton of variety- from ranch homes, 2-storey, townhouses, two luxury “villages” in the neighborhood, and even a 55+ section. This gives the neighborhood a lot of charm and prevents that cookie-cutter look. This neighborhood was the first of its kind in the area when it was first started back in 2004. 

Currently, homes go anywhere from around upper $200’s up to the $650 mark. This includes both resale homes and new construction. There are still many lots that are ready to be built on, and currently at the time of filming this video, there are 6 homes that are resale or new construction and haven’t been spoken for already.

The amenities here are incredible. The neighborhood sits on a 75 acre lake that you can go fishing or canoeing on,  and there are trails and parks that connect the different villages that make up the neighborhood. The clubhouse has an infinity-edge swimming pool, a two-story waterslide, 24-hour fitness center, 27-seat movie theater, meeting rooms, and a full caterer’s kitchen. In total, there are four pools, four playgrounds, a basketball court, plus bocce and pickleball courts, too. The Spout Springs Library also sits at the entrance of the neighborhood. How convenient would it be to drive your golf cart up to the library in the summer to pick out a new book to read by the pool? Needless to say, there is plenty to do without ever having to leave.

One of the most popular features that people love  about Sterling on the Lake is its location. It is only about a five minute drive to the local elementary school, and ten from the middle and high school. You are also only about 5 minutes away from Target, Publix, Chick-fil-a, and a ton more stores and restaurants depending where in the neighborhood you live. And this community hosts amazing events throughout the year like the ever popular Harvest hot air balloon festival which always draws a big crowd. 

2. Reunion Country Club

Reunion is a beautiful golf course community that sits in Hoschton, right where Flowery Branch ends, and homes were first completed back in 2002. Similar to Sterling on the Lake, homes were built in the early 2000’s and the area became widely popular, so they continued to build new construction homes throughout the last 20 years, which means the age of homes in the neighborhood varies. The most recent builds were completed in early 2020, and you can still currently build a new home as well. You’ll see homes going for mid-upper $300’s to upper $500’s. 

Reunion is home to the popular 18-Hole Mike Riley designed Championship Golf Course that anchors the neighborhood. The neighborhood is also home to a  historically designed Reunion Hall Clubhouse, Village Center and Gathering Hall that highlight the community’s quaint “Americana” look and feel. You’ll notice that the homes in the neighborhood also have that beautiful “Americana” style, and the architecture of them is really stunning and not your typical cookie cutter home either. Some of the other amazing amenities in this neighborhood are the Junior Olympic sized Swimming Pool, Kids Water Park and Slide and the popular Tavern restaurant. There’s also a full fitness center, tennis courts, and racquet club.

I like to refer to Reunion as a the quintessential americana neighborhood. This neighborhood is full of families of all ages and you will see a constant flow of kids on golf carts riding to and from their friends homes. If this is the type of thing that bothers you, well, this is not the neighborhood for you. In addition to the wonderful amenities, the HOA hosts awesome events throughout the year that always draws in a ton of neighbors. 

The neighborhood also sits in a really great area, with tons of restaurants and shopping in Flowery Branch just a few minutes away, plus easy access to all of the great stores and restaurants, as well as health care, in the Braselton/Hoschton area. You’re only 10 minutes from I-985, and ten minutes from Highway 211.

3. Braselton

Now stick with me, the neighborhood is called Traditions of Braselton but it’s actually located in Jefferson although it’s really close to Braselton. Confused? It’s always been a little confusing to me but no matter the name of the neighborhood all you need to know is that it’s a great choice that you should check out. Traditions is a golf course community and much like Sterling and Reunion, homes first started going up in the early 2000’s, 2004 to be more specific, and they are still currently building new construction homes to date.

There are 10 different builders for this neighborhood, so that gives buyers tons of different options and also a wide variety of price ranges. This also means there are still many lots available to build on. Homes go anywhere from the low $200’s up to mid $700’s. There are 24 different floor plans available, so plenty of options from ranches with 3 or 4 bedrooms, a bonus room or a basement, to two stories with 4 and 5 bedrooms, with the option of an additional bedroom or basement. There’s definitely something for everyone!

Again like all of the other neighborhoods we have talked about so far, the amenities are amazing. There is a Junior Olympic sized pool, water slides, playgrounds, tennis courts, a gym… the whole nine yards. The 18 hole golf course is a beautiful focal point of the neighborhood, as is the newly renovated clubhouse that has a full service restaurant and  dining room. The neighborhood is only four minutes away from Gum Springs Elementary, which is the school your kiddos will be zoned for if they attend public school, and the middle and high schools are both pretty close as well. You have easy access to downtown Braselton and 985, as well as the city of Jefferson, which is a really great area. Braselton is nestled between Gainesville and Winder, which are bigger towns with tons of shopping and restaurants, so you have tons of options to both the north and south of you.

4. Mulberry Park

Mulberry Park is another great swim and tennis community and it is located in Braselton. A  fun fact about this neighborhood is that it sits right on the intersection of four different counties! You’ll find homes in Hall, Barrow, Jackson, and Gwinnett in this neighborhood.  Majority of the homes were built between 2003-2006. They added more homes to the neighborhood in 2015, and started building again in 2020. Most of the new construction homes are two story floor plans, and they range in price from the upper $200’s to mid $300’s. They have just recently sold out of lots for new construction homes, so to get into this neighborhood, you will have to find a resale home.

This neighborhood is in an incredible location- you are right next to a ton of new restaurants, like Longhorn Steak House, Starbucks, Moe’s Arby, Chick-fil-a, and one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, Monterey’s. You can also take advantage of the Braselton Life Path, which is a 10 foot wide sidewalk that people drive the golf carts on or walk on, and it connects the neighborhood with all of those awesome restaurants that are nestled around the neighborhood, and it connects to you a few other neighborhoods in the area as well like Chateau Elan, and even the hospital. Speaking of, you are also just minutes from the North East Georgia Medical Center Braselton campus, as well as right by 985. This is a really fantastic location if you like to have quick and easy access to tons of different amenities right at your fingertips.

5. Mundy Mill

Much like Sterling on the Lake, Mundy Mill is a large neighborhood that is broken down into smaller “communities” within the neighborhood. You can buy both spec homes, which are new construction homes that have just been built but have not been owned by anyone else yet, or you can pick out your own lot, floorplan, and go through the whole building process from the ground up. Construction first started on this neighborhood in 2007, and when the entire neighborhood, it will hold 1200 homes. Currently, 900 of those have already been built. There is only one builder in this neighborhood, but there are a ton of options for floor plans for both ranches and two stories, and upgrades as well. Resale in the neighborhood for homes that already have a current owner will run anywhere from $250-350, and brand new homes will be on the upper end of that. 

Mundy Mill is located just off Highway 53 just inside the Gainesville city limits. You are just minutes from Oakwood though, so awesome access to all of the grocery stores, shopping, and restaurants in Oakwood, as well as the University of North Georgia Gainesville Campus (that’s actually located in Oakwood, confusing, I know.) This means you’re also only a 5 minute drive from 985, as well as about a 20 minute drive from Downtown Gainesville. 

Mundy Mill also is no exception when it comes to the awesome amenities- they currently have two beautiful pools, and they’re currently building a third in the next phase. They also have tennis courts, play grounds, and three pavilions where you can have cookouts or birthday parties or use the outdoor fireplaces. The neighborhood is zoned for Gainesville city schools, and the public elementary school is in walking distance of the front of the neighborhood and there is a daycare just outside of the neighborhood as well… it doesn’t get more convenient than that!

If you have more questions about Gainesville and everything around it, head to my YouTube channel where I post all kinds of videos talking about just that.