Less than 40 miles from Atlanta, Cumming has doubled in size in the last 25 years thanks to top-rated schools and proximity to North Georgia mountains and lakes. The city is the only incorporated section of Forsyth County. In 2022, around 7,300 people lived in Cumming compared to 4,267 in 2000, and the number of people in unincorporated parts of Forsyth is closer to 100,000. The Georgia 400 (GA-400) highway helped turn Cumming into a commuter town for Atlanta, and some locals work in the tourism industry generated by Lake Lanier. “We already have a lot of homebuyers moving here for the schools, but with all the new people and things coming to the city, folks are going to be knocking down doors to get a home here,” says Georgia native Billy Johnson, an agent with Lantern Real Estate Group.
Lake Lanier covers approximately 38,000 acres of water and has about 692 miles of shoreline.
The Cumming Visitor Center serves as the go-to hub for information for tourists about local attractions, events, and activities in the city and surrounding areas.
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Sawnee Mountain Preserve and Lake Lanier
Mountains, parks and trails make Cumming a natural playground. Cumming’s eastern edge touches the 37,000-acre Lake Lanier, a fishing and boating spot surrounded by beaches, campgrounds, hiking trails and marinas. The 953-acre Sawnee Mountain Preserve, just north of Cumming, has over a dozen natural trails overlooking the mountains. The preserve also has a trailhead for the Big Creek Greenway, which runs 26 miles from Cumming to Roswell.
Boating on Lake Lanier in Cumming, GA, is a favorite pastime, with scenic views and endless opportunities for fun on the water.
Big Creek Big Creek Greenway is a long path that people walk or bike.
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Restaurants, shops and breweries in Cumming City Center
The 75-acre City Center is Cumming’s main shopping district and filled with locally owned restaurants and boutiques inside red-brick buildings. City Center also has three parks and the Lou Sobh Amphitheater, which hosts events like the monthly Tin Cup Cruise-In Car Show. The Collection at Forsyth and Vickery Village add to the city’s retail and dining scene. Forsyth County began allowing micro-breweries to operate in 2019, leading to a local brewing scene led by businesses like Cherry Street Brewing, NoFo Brew Co. and Stoney J’s Winery.
The Lou Sobh Amphitheatre in Cumming, GA, is a popular venue for concerts, outdoor movies, and community events.
The Cumming City Center, a newly developed mixed-use area, has become a local hotspot for dining and entertainment.
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Year-round festivals at the Cumming Fairgrounds
The city’s biggest event is the 10-day Cumming Country Fair and Festival, held at the Cumming Fairgrounds every summer. The fairgrounds are also the go-to venue for other events, including the 4th of July Celebration, Christmas Parade and Fridays at the Fairgrounds, when food trucks fill the venue once a month from April to October.
A-plus-rated Forsyth County Schools
Forsyth County Schools earns an A-plus from Niche. It also had a 95.8% graduation rate in 2023, the highest rate in the Atlanta metro area. Many Forsyth schools have individual A-plus grades on Niche, including the Alliance Academy for Innovation and Lambert High School. Niche named these schools the third and fourth-best public high schools in Georgia, respectively, for excellent academics, college preparation and athletics. The University of North Georgia has a Cumming branch campus next to Alliance Academy.
The Alliance Academy for Innovation in Cumming, GA, is a state-of-the-art high school focused on career and technical education.
Lambert High School is a public school in Suwanee, GA.
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Forsyth County’s past and present
Racial violence in Forsyth County led to a mass exodus of Black residents in the 1910s and again in the 1980s. Today, the city’s population is 8% Black, 8% Asian and 13% Latino, marking growing diversity in the past 25 years. “As more people and diversity have come here, a lot of that preconception has changed, and it’s something a lot of people take pride in,” says Aditya Bhatia, a former writer for the Forsyth Herald who lived in Cumming for over 14 years. In 2023, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported there were five crimes for every 1,000 people in Forsyth County.
Summers in Cumming are hot and muggy, while winters are cold and wet. As recently as 2024, Lake Lanier had algae blooms caused by sewage waste and fertilizer runoff. Lake Lanier officials and Chattahoochee Riverkeepers conduct year-round tests to check the lake’s safety, which help curb pollution.
Subdivisions in the city and gated homes on Lake Lanier
The median sale for a single-family home price grew from nearly $618,000 in 2023 to $620,000 in 2024. New homes and townhouses can be found in subdivisions throughout the city, and there are gated communities along Lake Lanier. Homes sell within an average of 31 days, compared to the national average of 41 days.
Gorgeous lake homes along Lake Lanier in Cumming, GA, showcase modern architecture, luxury living, and access to breathtaking lakefront views.
Cumming's Lake Lanier neighborhood offers many new construction homes built in trending Craftsman styles.
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GA-400 to Atlanta
GA-400 leads to surrounding cities like Alpharetta and Duluth and to Atlanta, 40 miles away. U.S. Highway 19 also runs through the city and connects to Interstate 285, which forms Atlanta’s outer loop. The closest Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) bus and train lines leave from Sandy Springs and Dunwoody. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is 55 miles away via U.S. Highway 19 and I-285.
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