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| Photo: Courtesy of Thinktree Design Studio • 678.315.3910 and www.JTMPhotographyAtlanta.com |
Moving to a new city is an exciting time, but finding the right community or neighborhood will require some research. The following communities represent what we consider to be some of the most popular places to live in Metro Atlanta. Whether flying solo or with a family, you’re sure to find a neighborhood that appeals to your particular needs or interests.
KEY:
F = Families/Kid-Friendly
YP = Young Professionals
EN = Empty Nesters
NC = New Construction/Newer Homes
HA = Classic Architecture/Historic Appeal
W = Walking Distance to Shopping/Dining
$ = 2009 Average Home Closing Price**
NOTE: Categories help to distinguish each neighborhood and their dominant characteristics. However, some neighborhoods, while not classified as such, certainly offer various elements of each.
**Info provided by SmartNumbers (770-424-5128, www.smartnumbers. com). All numbers refer to single-family detached homes.
Alpharetta
$384,785 / F, YP, NC
Alpharetta offers world-class shopping and entertainment, exceptional dining, award-winning parks and numerous housing options. The Big Creek Greenway, a wide, paved path winding through wooded wetlands for more than six miles, is the ideal setting for a hike or bike ride. The city is also home to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park.
Brookhaven
$622,964 / F, EN, HA
Developed as Atlanta’s first country club neighborhood, Brookhaven features wide winding streets, sweeping lawns and large elegant Tudor, Colonial, English and Georgian style cottage homes. With the 127-year-old Capital City Country Club golf course at its heart, the neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Buckhead
$1,115,423 / YP, EN, NC, HA, W
The shopping mecca of the Southeast, Buckhead’s more than 1,400 retail stores generate more than $1 billion in sales every year. The neighborhood also offers some of the finest restaurants and homes in the Atlanta area: Multimillion- dollar estates, high-rise condominium towers and luxury townhomes.
College Park
$ 81,786 / F, YP, HA, NC
With 867 structures on the National Register of Historic Places, College Park is also home to the largest private school in the United States: Woodward Academy. Called “Georgia’s Global City,” College Park is located near Hartsfield- Jackson Atlanta International Airport, I-285 and I-85, the CSX Railroad and MARTA. Its Georgia International Convention Center is the secondlargest exhibit and meeting space in the state.
Cumming
$278,217 / EN, NC, HA
With its prime location near Lake Lanier, Cumming offers the best of small-town living, but has also seen many new commercial and residential developments. Events for all ages are held every year at the Cumming Fairgrounds, including antique car shows and a Fourth of July celebration.
Decatur
$169,375 / F, YP, EN, HA, NC, W
Home to Agnes Scott College, Decatur offers a great mix of history and modernity. Residents can enjoy the more than 200 shops, restaurants, galleries and performance venues located along tree-lined streets. Events take place throughout the year at the city’s historic downtown square.
Downtown
$Not available / YP, NC, HA, W
With more than 100 restaurants, several shopping venues and more than 20 attractions within a four-square-mile area, Downtown offers its residents an exciting lifestyle. Downtown residents are within walking distance of Centennial Olympic Park, Philips Arena, the State Capitol, Georgia Aquarium, the NEW World of Coca- Cola and much more.
Duluth
$ 304,504 / F, EN, NC
Duluth was named a Tree City in 1989 for its dedication to preserving green space. Its historic downtown features boutiques, cafes and even an old-fashioned soda shop. The town hosts numerous events throughout the year, including its Flicks on the Bricks family film festival and its Summer Stage Concert Series. Duluth offers residential developments that are perfect for growing families, as well as a variety of public and private school options.
Dunwoody
$428,475 / F, YP, NC
A variety of education options are available in Dunwoody, and the winding streets and wooded lots provide a beautiful setting in which to raise a family. The very popular Perimeter Mall area is attracting young singles as well, and developments such as Gramercy Townhomes are great for almost any home buyer, including singles, young couples and families.
Grant Park
$200,461 / YP, HA, W
Characterized by Victorian-era mansions, small cottages and early-20th-century bungalows, Grant Park is Atlanta’s largest historic neighborhood, built around Atlanta’s oldest city park. Residents enjoy local dive Ria’s Bluebird, and popular pub and fish house Six Feet Under, as well as Zoo Atlanta, Oakland Cemetery, and Atlanta Cyclorama.
Johns Creek
$399,038 / F, NC
Johns Creek revels in its youth. The young city has an upscale feel, with its elegant restaurants, shops and larger homes. Work has begun on the Johns Creek Greenway, a network of trails that will connect all city parks, greenways and trails.
Jonesboro
$66,241 / F, EN, NC, HA
Believed to be the approximate location of the Tara plantation from Gone With the Wind, Jonesboro was established on land once belonging to the Creek Indians, and has been experiencing steady growth year after year.
Kennesaw
$211,414 / F, EN, HA, NC
Kennesaw continues to preserve its rich history while looking to the future. Arts, education and culture play a prevalent role in a community that offers a variety of homes and subdivisions. Kennesaw State University attracts nearly 20,000 students to its campus.
Lawrenceville
$140,086 / F, EN, W, HA, NC
Incorporated in 1821, Lawrenceville is the second-oldest city in Metro Atlanta. The revitalized historic downtown area offers a true sense of community, with its brick-paved sidewalks, benches and black street lamps, as well as unique shops, restaurants and coffeehouses. The Morsberger Group’s Cornerstone on the Square offers an opportunity for residential living on the city’s downtown square.
Marietta
$256,968 / F, YP, HA, NC
Beautiful parks, charming streets, 19th-century Victorian homes and historic sites make Marietta a desirable place to call home. Residents enjoy the vibrant downtown square, with its many restaurants, antique shops and happenings. A wide variety of single-family homes, condos, townhomes and flats are available.
McDonough
$152,585 / F, HA, EN, NC
Designated a “City of Character” and a “City of Ethics” by the Georgia Municipal Association, McDonough features beautiful turn-of-thecentury homes and a downtown square that is home to some exceptional boutiques, unique shops and family-friendly restaurants. Main Street hosts annual events such as Music on the Square, the summer concert series, classic car shows and chili cook-offs.
Midtown
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Midtown is a cultural mecca. |
$not available / YP, EN, HA, NC, W
With dozens of entertainment options and some of Atlanta’s finest restaurants, Midtown is a cultural mecca. Its upscale city apartments, both new and old, offer unbeatable locations for businesspeople and artists alike, and its many attractions, including Piedmont Park and the Atlanta Botanical Garden, lure visitors by the thousands.
Newnan
$169,000 / F, EN, HA, NC
Newnan has the charm of a small town with all the benefits of an urban area—the city of Atlanta is only 40 miles away. With six National-Register historic districts, the county seat of Coweta County draws more and more visitors and residents every year.
Peachtree City
$299,967 / F, EN, W, NC
Golf carts are the primary mode of transportation in this planned community, and a 90-mile network of multi-use paths makes it easy and ideal to take the carts everywhere. A 2,000-seat amphitheatre, Lake Peachtree and Flat Creek Golf Course are just a few of the attractions that help this Fayette County city grow in popularity.
Riverdale
$48,014/ YP, NC, HA
Located five miles south of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Riverdale is putting itself on the map and becoming more attractive to Atlanta-area newcomers with affordable housing and community-oriented activities.
Roswell
$332,866 / F, YP, EN, HA, NC
The city of Roswell has it all—from fine restaurants to great theater to some of Georgia’s best schools. This former mill town has retained its quaint Old South historic district and three notable homes—Barrington Hall, Bulloch Hall and Smith Plantation—which are now open for tours. But Roswell is also a modern and welcoming Fulton County suburb, with worldclass shopping, several parks and trails along the Chattahoochee River and new homes for families of any size.
Sandy Springs
$487,536 / F, YP , NC
In the past few years, Sandy Springs has gone from a neighborhood of Atlanta to a booming independent Fulton County city that is home to a number of Fortune 500 companies and thousands of happy families. Easily recognizable by its skyline, which includes the “King” and “Queen” towers of the Concourse at Landmark Center , Sandy Springs offers countless high-end shopping and dining options. Chastain Park Amphitheatre, which has attracted big-name performers since 1973, makes Sandy Springs an entertainment hub as well.
Smyrna
$268,948 / F, YP, NC
Only minutes from Atlanta, Cobb Galleria Centre and Six Flags Over Georgia, Smyrna offers plenty of its own attractions, too. The “Jonquil City” is perfect for families, with its beautiful parks, great Cobb County schools and charming old-fashioned downtown. Several mixed-use communities, such as the homes and shops of West Village, and green space initiatives add to Smyrna’s family-friendly appeal.
Stone Mountain
$70,302 / F, HA
Located at the base of its namesake, Stone Mountain calls to mind the small Southern towns of eras past. Historic Stone Mountain Village, the downtown business district, features revitalized shops and restaurants along its Main Street and hosts a variety of family-oriented activities throughout the year. The four city parks, plus nearby Stone Mountain Park, make Stone Mountain one of the cleanest and “greenest” cities in Metro Atlanta.
Suwanee
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Suwanee has blossomed over the past few decades. |
$299,437 / F, NC
A small agricultural community into the 1970s –-in fact, the first traffic signal wasn’t installed within city limits until 1985—Suwanee has blossomed in the past several decades. Suwanee’s Town Center has emerged as a regional event venue, live-work-play role model, and shopping and eating destination. Furthermore, the city’s award-winning parks and array of nearby amenities, including all the best that Gwinnett County has to offer, make Suwanee a great place to live.
Virginia-Highland
$559,087 / YP, HA, W
Virginia-Highland has long appealed to the city’s trendiest residents, which is evidenced by its nightclubs, galleries and boutiques. Homes range from renovated turn-of-the-century houses to exclusive gated communities, all within walking distance from popular shops and restaurants. Virginia- Highland has a reputation for being a musicians’ haven, and the melodies of local bands permeate all corners of the neighborhood.
Woodstock
$197,327 / F, NC
Woodstock, the fastest-growing city in Cherokee County, is “where modern amenities meet old Southern charm.” Historic Olde Towne pays a continual tribute to Woodstock’s pioneers through vintage shops, constant restoration and old-fashioned Southern hospitality. From summertime demolition derbies at the Dixie Speedway to the lighting of the City Park Christmas Tree in December, Woodstock residents are always finding ways to stay happy; of course, all of those beautiful new homes and excellent schools don’t hurt, either.
