Commutes, etc...
I can only say right now that commuting isn't a massive concern due to the fact that it won't be a very long-term thing. Traffic is absolutely expected and not much avoiding it (and after years in LA, no bad traffic in any form would shock me, really)
We've agreed that the max commute shouldn't be too much over 30 miles each way--and we may even wind up finding ourselves buying VERY close to Norcross whether or not the job transfer turns out to be longer than expected. It's all very loose at this point in time until we actually take time to get out there and look around properly. Right now, the top 3 mutually agreeable locales are Decatur, Conyers and possibly Kennesaw--but that's just today--with the research we've done so far.
The priority in living out there is to find a home in an area where we *might* be satisfied in staying long term--with the job location being a secondary consideration. At this point in time, we're just looking at a few cities as options for buying into with an eye on being mostly homebodies--just want a respectable amount of distance between whatever home we buy and those homes near to us. I already work from home office here and I am not a retail shopper/mall person at all--just want to be close enough to Atlanta that we can get whatever entertainment/culture we can when the mood strikes--and a serene/quiet home life for all other time.