Best Places30534, GA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 30534, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
30534 ranks 7,888th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 30534
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
30534's strengths and weaknesses
Where 30534 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Household income$101,432 median, better than 81% of zip codes
Where 30534 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Short commute31.3 minutes each way, better than only 23% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 29% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 30534
A household needs to earn about $104,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 30534 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $101,432; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 30534's effective rate of 0.61%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 30534
30534's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 30534.
Who works in 30534, and how
Work in 30534 centers on retail trade and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 30534
30534 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 75% of zip codes and more late-night spots per resident than 81% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 30534 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 30534, month by month
30534 sees roughly 76 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 54, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 43° | 33° |
| April | 75° | 62° | 50° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 71° |
| October | 77° | 64° | 53° |
Flying in and out of 30534
Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International sits about 56 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 51.5 million passengers in 2025, with 278 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 30534
Schools across 30534 average a C+, better than 45% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Silver City Elementary SchoolA− · 61% proficient
- Matt Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Ball Ground Elementary SchoolB · 46% proficient
Top middle schools
- Creekland Middle SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Liberty Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- Dawson County Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
Top high schools
- Creekview High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Lumpkin County High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- North Forsyth High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 30534 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
30534 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 30534 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 30534 suits
Families
Schools land around the 45th percentile and crime safety beats 68%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 87% of zip codes and 15% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 30534
Is 30534 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 30534 ranks 7,888th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, tree cover, and what local pay buys, and lowest on an overheated housing market and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 30534 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $406,800. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $101,432 median income, cost of living beats 87% of zip codes.
Is 30534 safe?
Yes, 30534 is safer than 68% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $240 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 30534?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 54 with lows near 33. That works out to about 76 pleasant days a year, more than 38% of zip codes.
Is 30534 good for families?
Schools beat 45% of zip codes, crime safety beats 68%, and childcare runs $664 a month.
Compare 30534 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 30534. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 30534 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
30534 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 30534: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 30534: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 30534: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 30534: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
30534 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.