Cumming/Lake Lanier

Cumming, a unique community located close to the shores of Lake Lanier in what is considered "northern Georgia," is a bedroom community 40 minutes from Atlanta that offers vacation lifestyle. Cumming's luxury neighborhoods not only have upscale homes, but they also provide residents access to private golf, tennis and swim clubs, and the lake with all its attractions.

A car is a necessity. Perhaps a boat as well. There is a Marta bus that runs to Atlanta, but most local residents drive. The lifestyle is easy but, as in many suburban communities, life will likely center around the home. You'll want to keep those cars gassed up, though, because there are so many great places to go, including the beaches, inlets and "fingers" of the 38,000-acre lake.

Lake Lanier was built in the 1950s to supply water for Atlanta as well as hydroelectricity, navigation and flood control for the city and its residents. Some events were held at the lake during the 1996 Olympics, and today more than 7.5 million people visit the lake each year. The lake's islands produce an annual animated Christmas light show from November through January that is one of the largest in the world.

Forsyth County was named after John Forsyth, Governor of Georgia from 1827 to 1829 and Secretary of State under Presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. During the 1950s, with the introduction of the poultry industry, the county had steady economic growth but remained largely rural. By 2008 it had been ranked for several years among the top ten fastest-growing counties of the United States. The county's proximity to Atlanta and the Blue Ridge mountains, and bordering 37,000-acre Lake Sidney Lanier, has attracted many new residents. More than 60% of the current population either lived elsewhere in 1987 or had not yet been born.