Best Overall Neighborhood

Where trees are hugged and cemeteries are romantic, Grant Park has the potential to be a zoo - well, outside the confines of the zoo, that is - but it's surprisingly quaint and quiet. Creatives and neighbors collect at the park, some happy to wait on sunny mornings for a seat at Ria's Bluebird. Plus, the Beacon just opened, one of the few developments in recent years of explosive gentrification to add to a neighborhood's charm. less...

Pharmacy? Yep. Grocery store? Yes, and an organic one at that. Bars. Lots. A psychologist to talk about your feelings? Yeah, and in the same building as a dentist. Good neighborhoods have life’s daily needs in close proximity and are easy to walk around. LITTLE FIVE POINTS has all that, plus a strong dose of genuine Atlanta grit. Thanks to a grant from ArtPlace America, there’s now performance art in the streets. MARTA’s a 10-minute walk away, bumping it even higher in the rankings for a well-rounded neighborhood. www.littlefivepoints.net. less...

Ah, DECATUR. The apple of an urban planner's eye. The most family-friendly of locales that doesn’t involve sitting in traffic on I-75. Homeowners there weren't as hard hit by the recent economic tsunami, the schools are considered top-notch, and a well-staffed police force keeps tabs on goings on in its neighborhoods. City officials' plans to make a pedestrian-friendly square and downtown area have noticeably paid off, allowing residents and visitors to follow fare at such standout restaurants as Watershed and Cakes and & Ale, with choice drinks nearby at Brick Store Pub and the Grange. Can't drive home? Take MARTA, which has a stop below the square. Summer brings a seemingly endless array of public events to entertain the city's estimated 29,000 residents, including the nationally known book festival that's attracted such talents as Rick Bragg and Salman Rushdie. And while the urban ’burb might catch flak from hardened intowners for its sometimes stroller mentality, it's still the kind of place you’d secretly like to call home. Decatur, you marvelous son of a bitch, you win again. www.decaturga.com. less...

Sitting on the border of Cobb and Cherokee counties, many of MOUNTAIN PARK’s 250 cottages were built in the early 20th century as summer retreats for Atlanta’s elite, who gave the homes names such as “Park-Ur-Carcass” and “Shack-Toe-In.” Designated as both a wildlife refuge and a waterfowl nesting area, Mountain Park sits 23 miles from downtown Atlanta and is framed by rolling hills and two lakes. Residents now are doing their best to maintain the neighborhood’s charm despite infringing subdivisions, and Mountain Park’s recycling program and anti-pollution projects set an eco-friendly example for its neighbors.
www.mountainparklife.com.

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