DEL.ICIO.USApartment of the Week: The Columns at Pilgrim Mill
Life in a global community
For the AJC
Sunday, February 22, 2009
After 24 years in Savannah, Beth Faris, 59, a gifted facilitator of 7th and 8th grade language arts at Little Mill Middle School, was ready for a change. A good friend had moved to Forsyth County from Savannah, and told Faris she’d be happy teaching here, so Faris came for a job fair. One interview with the principal of Little Mill and Faris got the job. Now she needed a place to live.
Apartment resident Beth Faris loves the diversity of the residents at The Columns at Pilgrim Mill.
Directions from downtown Atlanta:
Take I-85 north to Ga. 400 north. Take Exit 16 (Pilgrim Mill Road) and turn right. Then turn left at Freedom Parkway. The apartments will be on the right.
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Finding a new home: Faris made several trips from Savannah looking for a house to buy or even rent. She just wasn’t finding what she wanted when someone recommended she check out The Columns at Pilgrim Mill in Cumming. “I took a look and decided this was the right spot. It’s just 8 minutes away from my job and the apartments were brand new. Although like all apartments, people come and go, I find that this is also a very tight community as far as everybody kind of watches out for everyone else. You have privacy when you want it, but if you don’t, you just go for a walk or sit on your porch. That’s different from having a single-family house.” Another difference is that Faris enjoys not being responsible if anything goes wrong. “All I have to do is call the office, and they take care of it,” she said. “That’s pretty nice.”
Like living in a global community: This was Faris’ first time living in an apartment and she found it to be a very positive experience. “All last year I would host a very eclectic group of neighbors at dinner parties. I met people living here who were from El Salvador, from Spain, from South America, from South Africa - all teachers and all moved in around the same time I did. I had never experienced anything like that before.
“The dinner table conversation would often be in Spanish because the husbands or wives of the teachers might not be fluent in English. It was so intriguing and interesting. Even though I don’t speak Spanish, I felt like I understood most if not all of what they were saying,” she remembered. Building this kind of community made the move from her home in Savannah easier. Though many of those people have moved, Faris enjoys the people from many walks of life who are living there - teachers, young people, older people, single and married, even some of her students live in the community.
Decorating her new home: Faris’ son graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design and he has provided her with artwork for her new home. “His friends have been very generous as well, so my apartment is like a mini-gallery,” Faris laughed. “When people come in, I take them to see the artwork.”
At a glance: Faris chose a two-bedroom apartment so she’d have an extra bedroom for company. Her corner floor plan includes a large living room with a dining room and kitchen adjoining. “It’s just perfect for me,” she said. “I sit on the porch when I want company, and it actually feels very luxurious. There’s plenty of closet space including huge walk-in closets in the bedrooms and a coat closet in the foyer. Everything’s carpeted except the kitchen and baths, there’s lots of wall space for my paintings and since I’m on the ground floor, when I pull up, I can go right into the house.”
The Columns at Pilgrim Mill
Address: 2090 Columns Drive, Cumming
County: Forsyth
Information: 770-886-0500; Columns at Pilgrim Mill
Year built: 2007
Rent (subject to change): one-bedroom (798-943 square feet) $725-$800; two-bedroom one-bath (1,133 square feet) $825-$875; two-bedroom two-bath (1,228-1,273 square feet) $850-$975; three-bedroom two-bath (1,461 square feet) $1,000-$1,200
Fees: application: $50; security: $150 (refundable); $150 administrative fee; pet: $150 (refundable) and $150 (non-refundable)
Pet restrictions: No pet over 50 pounds fully grown; no aggressive breeds
Managed by: ECI Management
Number of units: 238
Amenities, unit features and services: Gated community; private entrances; mountain lodge-style clubhouse; swimming pool and outdoor entertainment center; business center; fitness center; picnic areas; playground; laundry center; garage parking with remote entry; 9’ ceilings, crown molding, built-in microwaves, refrigerators with ice makers; large walk-in closets; washer-dryer connections; patios and balconies; garden tubs, tile bathtub surrounds; high speed Internet; 24-hour emergency maintenance
Units for disabled: Yes
Public transit: No
Public schools: Chattahoochee Elementary, Little Mill Middle, North Forsyth High
Find more Atlanta school information on the ajchomefinder school guide.