East Atlanta Village

East Atlanta

Good For : Restaurants, Walkability, Nightlife | Home Cost : $$

Walk Score : 38 Walk Score | 30 Transit Score | 43 Bike Score (go to Walk Score)

If Little 5 Points is Atlanta’s home for “alternative” culture where anything goes, East Atlanta is its hard-working, down-to-earth twin. Centered around an exciting and diverse central business district, “the Village” as it’s colloquially known, is one of the city’s epicenters of culture, with live music at numerous venues and a slew of popular bars, restaurants and shops.

Radiating out from the village along Glenwood Avenue to the east and Flat Shoals to the south, the diversity of the neighborhood’s residents is matched by its housing options, everything from turn-of-the-century Craftsman farmhouses and bungalows, to mansions from the ‘20s and ’30s, to a wide variety of postwar cottages and ranch homes are represented. A number of small streams wind their ways through the backyards of generous lots, and forested tracts of unused land still dot the neighborhood, although more and more are being cleared for new subdivisions.

The streets closest to the center of East Atlanta Village all boast classic Atlanta sidewalks lined with dogwoods and azaleas but beyond about a quarter of a mile from the intersection of Glenwood and Flat Shoals the sidewalks mostly disappear. It doesn’t seem to bother residents however, as many casually stroll the streets, walking with children or dogs, and contributing to a small town vibe that extends to tight knit blocks and sub-communities.

Increasingly a draw for both 20-somethings and young families, East Atlanta has built on a long history of entrepreneurship and resilience and has established itself as one of Atlanta’s most popular and appealing neighborhoods in the 21st-century.