Atlanta, Georgia is made up of many neighborhoods that span the two counties. Officially, there are 242 neighborhoods in the city, but we’re not quite sure how many there really are because it seems many more than that some days.
If you’re planning to visit Atlanta, you’re probably going to be concerned with the more popular neighborhoods, so we’ll concentrate on those here.
Where would any city be without its downtown district? Where the main businesses are, where commerce and government offices are located and where there are a few choice residential developments to serve those employers. If you like being in the center of the action, Downtown is where you want to be.
Midtown Atlanta is another prime choice for those with the money to live here. It’s green thanks to Piedmont Park, pleasant, thanks to upscale neighborhoods and plenty of retail and entertainment venues and within easy reach of the rest of the city. It’s a great place to live if you have the resources.
Virginia Highland is known as Va-Hi by locals and is a historical residential neighborhood. It’s full of bungalows, Tudor-revival homes and has plenty of character. There are also some great little apartment blocks that are just bursting with character.
Candler Park is an offbeat part of the city that is full of character. The park itself has a pool and golf course and is bordered by twentieth century houses and independent stores and businesses. It’s a nice, quirky neighborhood and well worth a visit if you’re nearby.
Inman Park was the first streetcar suburb in Atlanta. If you want to see prime Victorian real estate, this is the place to come. With parks, a goose pond and a range of interesting businesses in Little Five Points, it’s a great place to spend an afternoon wandering.
Cabbagetown is said to be named after the primary diet of mill workers in early Atlanta. The neighborhood still has the Fulton Cotton and Bag Mill as its centerpiece, but the building is now full of trendy, expensive loft apartments rather than machinery. The rest of the neighborhood is suburbia with a hip twist.
The Old Fourth Ward has seen some changes of late that includes street improvements and the addition of some restaurants and nightlife. There is also a plan for a new version of streetcar to be installed around the area. This is where Martin Luther King Jr. used to hang out and so there is some good history here.
Buckhead is one of the larger neighborhoods in Atlanta that stretches from Midtown up to Interstate 285. It includes lots of residential, commercial and business districts all centered around Lennox Square Mall. That mall alone makes Buckhead worth a visit as it is widely regarded as the best shopping in the South.