As part of ongoing The Best of Atlanta 2024 Coverage: Urbanize's fourth annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament begins with 16 spots vying for the prestige of being named the city's best neighborhood. (Note: Rankings from 1 to 16 were determined by reader nominations this month – so no pitchforks please.)
For each first round competition, voting is only open for 24 hours. Please let's keep the tournament fun and positive as one neighborhood stands out from the rest in the public eye. Eliminations begin now!
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(4) East Atlanta
The airy main interior of ABV Gallery.Photography by Dave Roland; Designs, Kronberg Urbanists + Architects
Normally at year-end neighborhood tournaments it is a difficult matter, East Atlanta collected enough reader nominations this year to secure a No. 4 spot. Which makes sense given the buzz around several EAV projects this year (and possibly the most raucous East Atlanta Strut festival ever in September). Acclaimed artist Greg Mike transformed a 1980s village church into a modern-Gothic temple of creativity, while a vacant corner in East Atlanta commendably revealed old-fashioned designs for small-scale mixed-use developments. Elsewhere, regular village investors Pellerin Real Estate are bringing an infill project of dozens of new homes to a site where there was previously little more than a gap in EAV's vibrancy. Not too shabby.
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(13) College Park
The institute's newly renovated facade at 3605 Main St. in College Park. The Promise Career Institute; Photos by Noel Mayeske
It proudly marks its first tournament appearance since 2022 (when it was unceremoniously sent off by Howell Station in the first round). College Park has traditionally fared better in these criteria-free competitions, especially when haters rally around the fact that it's not a neighborhood but a city. (ITP cities are allowed, as always.) Development wins this year included a $40 million school renovation with a lot of heart and purpose, the Promise Career Institute, which revitalized the former College Park High School to become a launching pad for vocational training. Previous nominators have described this candidate best: “College Park is like a little Mayberry, but close to downtown…Diversity, art, green space, affordability, accessibility, opportunity, amenities – we have it all, plus a tight-knit community that “It’s like a family.” Myself and others who have been here for years.”