by Laila Salaam

Created on: October 31, 2008   Last Updated: November 12, 2010

An overview of Atlanta's neighborhoods

When I moved to Atlanta, two-and-a-half years ago, I was so confused I didn't know what to do. I came here knowing only a few people, but they were too busy to give the tour and I needed to learn my way around-fast. I got lost so many times that within the first few weeks I figured out more about getting around in downtown than most people know after a few years.

I have learned that just because it says Peachtree it doesn't mean I'm on the right road. Even though I'm living in a nice house, in a nice neighborhood, if I tell someone I live in Peoplestown they won't even come to visit me. But if I tell them I live in the Grant Park area (literally two blocks outside of my neighborhood lines), they are all excited to come see the place.

The City of Atlanta, the actual city, not including its outlying areas and surrounding cities, according to the United States Census Bureau (July 10, 2008), has a population (as of 2007) of 519,145, while the Atlanta Metropolitan area has a population of 5,278,904. The Atlanta metropolitan area is, statistically, the ninth largest metropolis in the United States. Atlanta has a very diverse demographic of people with one of the largest concentration of African Americans in the nation (55.7%).

Within the City of Atlanta there are multiple neighborhoods, some of which have been give official boundary lines and names. Just a few of the neighborhoods include Midtown, Inman Park, Virginia Highlands, Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Grant Park, Pittsburgh, Little Five Points, Cabbage Town, East Lake, and a number of other neighborhoods.

The city's various neighborhoods that have been assigned names by the city planners are noted by signs that announce the neighborhood names and the street signs also tell you what neighborhood you're in.

Over the past few years a lot of the neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area of Atlanta have received a lot of attention and have been targeted by the city for cleanup. This had significantly improved the living conditions in these neighborhoods. One of the most improved areas includes several neighborhoods that are in what is now called the Beltline area.

In an effort to create a more inviting downtown and surrounding area and to attract pre-retirement and baby boomers, the city has created a development plan that will soon bring a community train and more sophisticated living conditions to the Beltline area. This effort, however, may displace a large number of families who have lived in that area for a long time.

Sources:

http://www.atlantaga.gov/
http://en.wikipedia.org

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