Longtime Atlanta residents have noticed a trend over the last several years. As the swell of suburbanization has subsided, leading to a new influx into the city center, several things have happened: new homes have been built; old homes have been restored; and already existing footprints have become home to an ever-increasing array of modern skyscrapers. But one thing is become clear: these desirable areas of town are being quickly snatched up, and as a result, property values are increasing. You can only fit so many people in one area, after all.
With Buckhead dominating the north, with Midtown and Downtown filling up, and with the peppering of SOLD signs in the trendy enclaves of the east, the next logical direction is South.
Grant Park is one such part of town. Named for the massive piece of green space that anchors the neighborhood, the stately lawns and abundance of fixer-uppers have drawn people over the last couple of years, and quickly, the area has experienced its own Renaissance (it’s never too shabby living within walking distance of the Zoo, either).
But venture farther south, and you’re likely to encounter a few neighborhoods even some of the natives haven’t heard of. Places like South Atlanta, and Lakewood Heights. Situated between I-85/I-75 and the large surface street of Moreland Avenue, access to these parts of town isn’t hard to come by. Our bet? As the city keeps growing, people are going to have to live somewhere. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if, 10 years from now, Lakewood Heights carried the gravitas of Reynoldstown or Inman Park to the north.
For the time being however, there are some deals to be found in this neck of the woods, interspersed with patches of green space that have defined these neighborhoods for generations. If a ground-floor investment in the next up-and-coming part of the city is something that piques an interest, a look around might be in order.