We live just outside the city limits of Kennesaw, GA (formerly named Big Shanty), a city made famous by the Civil War Battle fought at Kennesaw Mountain. It is one of several municipalities of Cobb County and is part of what is commonly known as "metro Atlanta"! Kennesaw, with all its historical markers, has all the advantages of a small town, as noted by its picturesque "Main Street," but also all the advantages of a big city - Atlanta, Georgia, a metro area of over four million citizens and home of the 1996 Olympics as well as the Atlanta Braves (major league baseball), the Atlanta Hawks (professional basketball), the Atlanta Thrashers (professional hockey), the Atlanta Beat (women's professional soccer), and the Atlanta Falcons (professional football).

Cobb County schools are recognized for their outstanding teachers and their excellent physical plants as well as the superior performance of their students. Several new schools have been built in the last few years and new ones are in the planning stages. Our daughter teaches at Bullard Elementary School, one of the new schools. Her school web page is here.

Enclosed malls and strip malls are located in close proximity to all the residential areas of the county, making access to shopping convenient. Also, new retail businesses are continually being built.

Doctors offices are located all around the area and Wellstar Kennestone Hospital is in the northern edge of Marietta, adjacent to Kennesaw.

Our residential area is called Pinetree Country Club Estates, and includes Pinetree Country Club. There are many other residential areas close by. New homes and residential areas are being built and developed in all price ranges. Currently, it's a "buyer's market," and many lovely new homes are available for purchase.

Kennesaw State University, the fastest growing school in the University System of Georgia, as well as being one of the largest universities in the system, is adjacent to Pinetree Country Club Estates. It is a great school and is where both of our children graduated.

Kennesaw State University has a theater and sponsors outdoor concerts at their gazebo during the summer. Nearby Marietta has several theaters for plays and other activities. The Cobb Children's Theatre (to quote from their web site) "was founded to provide quality theatre done by young people for children of all ages. We are a production company composed of middle school, high school, and college students." Two of their recent productions are the musical "High School Musical" and "Guys and Dolls." Several multiple screen movie theaters are located in Kennesaw and many historical attractions are nearby. Most of the major national hotel and motel chains have units in Kennesaw for guests and tourists.

Museums abound in the area. Kennesaw has recently renovated and enlarged the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, which houses the famous Civil War locomotive The Little General, of Disney's "The Great Locomotive Chase" fame. Across from that museum is the Depot Museum. The Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is also located in Kennesaw. Marietta and Atlanta have many other museums for the history buff. Recreation is plentiful in Kennesaw.

Kennesaw sponsors festivals and parades in the downtown area during the year, and residents of the city have a real sense of community.

Churches and synagogues for many faiths are located near where we live The picture is of Kennesaw United Methodist Church, our church.

Overall Crime for the City of Kennesaw is approximately half the state and national rates. Burglary incidents are also approximately half the state and national rates. Violent crime incidents are approximately four times less than the state and national rates. Kennesaw is known as the city which, in the early 1980s, passed a law that all citizens must own a gun. While the law is not enforced, many residents do own guns; and after the law was passed, crime dropped considerably in the city.

The Cobb County Library system is outstanding, with branch libraries located in most of the municipalities of the county. The Georgia Room, located in the Central Library in Marietta, has an outstanding genealogical and historical collection.

The Cobb County Airport at the 320-acre McCollum Field (FAA designation: RYY) is less than two miles from our home. Its 4000-foot runway is long enough for takeoffs and landings of corporate jets (largest aircraft accepted is the Gulfstream V), and there are more than 300 takeoffs and landings each day. It is the fourth busiest airport in Georgia. Many locals keep their private airplanes at McCollum Field.

Visitors and residents of the area have a large choice of restaurants for fast foods or fine dining.

Recreation is plentiful in the area with many recreational leagues for adults and children in softball, football, and other sports. In addition, Allatoona, a Corps of Engineers lake, is less than 10 miles from Kennesaw. Skiing, boating, and other water sports are available there, as are many campgrounds with large sites, mostly bordering the lake. McKinney Campground on Lake Allatoona is our favorite campground.

Sales tax in Cobb County is currently at six percent, as opposed to higher taxes in many of the other counties of metro Atlanta. It was at five percent until January 1, 2006, at which time an additional one percent was added, as voted by the citizens of Cobb County. The money raised from the sales tax is to be used to fund capital improvement projects around Cobb County (including road improvements) and within each of the county’s six cities.

Kennesaw, along with the surrounding community, is a delightful place to live and work. If you are planning on a move to the metro Atlanta area, come look over our area!

The official web page for Kennesaw is located here.