Newsweek has published their annual list of the 1, 500 top U.S. high schools, and schools in Georgia make up 51 of them. It’s really a great time for Newsweek to release these rankings because we are just now at the beginning of summer. Many people are looking to relocate and school districts are going to be a big part of the final decision on where to move. You can move now and be settled into your new home before school starts in August. So, the big question is which school districts do you need to be looking into. The high schools that excel include Walton (Marietta), North Gwinnett (Suwanee), Campbell (Smyrna), Riverwood (Sandy Springs/Atlanta), Dunwoody (Dunwoody), Sprayberry (Marietta) – just to name a few.

Interested in what other schools made the cut? Check out the full list from Newsweek by clicking here.

Pending sales of previously owned homes in April unexpectedly saw their biggest monthly gain in 7-1/2 years, a report from a trade group Tuesday showed, supporting views the recession is easing.
The National Association of Realtors said its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in April, rose 6.7% in April to 90.3 from 84.6 in March.

It was the third straight monthly increase and the largest jump since October 2001. The monthly gain took the index 3.2% above its year-ago level in the latest sign the battered U.S. housing sector was stabilizing.

“It’s a very positive and encouraging number. It plays into the ‘green shoots,’ economy stabilization story,” said William Hornbarger, senior fixed income strategist at Wachovia Securities in St. Louis.

Economists polled ahead of the report were expecting pending home sales to rise 0.5%.

The downturn in the housing market touched off a global credit crisis that sent economies worldwide tumbling into recession. Now, signs are emerging that the global economy is beginning to heal.

The association’s senior economist, Lawrence Yun, credited improved home affordability and a new government program that provides an $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers for the surge in buying activity.

The NAR said its Housing Affordability Index, which blends factors like home prices and mortgage rates, was “in record territory” with 30-year mortgage rates hovering around 5% and an abundance of homes on the market.

The last time the trade group’s pending home sales index had risen for at least three straight months was the period from July through October 2004 — a housing boom year.

Copyright 2009 Reuters Limited.

Summer is here! The sun is bright, the weather is warm, and the kids are are out of school. They have the long lazy days of June & July ahead so why not get out and enjoy some fun activities together. Here is a list of upcoming events around Atlanta including park outings, free movies, fireworks, story times, puppet shows and more!

Click here to view the full document!