Best neighborhoods in Atlanta

I love Atlanta. The southern charm fuses with city life, which makes it different from any other city. I feel like I know a good bit about Atlanta, and the following are my favorite neighborhoods:

one. Dunwoody. Well of course, this is the best place I've ever lived! If you know me, you know I'm a big advocate for Dunwoody. It's like a big, small town. I constantly see people I know, but there are also 50,000ish residents within the city limits. There are only two main grocery stores, a handful of big churches, one middle school, and one high school. There isn't too much traffic (relative to most other parts of Atlanta), and the big city is only 20ish minutes away. It has it's own "downtown" district where you can find the best mall in Georgia (in my opinion), and any store you could possibly want. Overall, I think it's a great place to raise families and great if you want a safe area to live in.

two. Inman Park. For those who don't know, the story behind Inman Park is that when Atlanta was being built up, Inman Park was one of the first suburbs. People loved this new radical idea, because they could live in a "country" home with a yard just outside the city, but take public transportation into Atlanta for work. Later on, Inman Park became a poor area that was overrun with violence and crime. In the 1970s, there was a big push to change the image. Now it has parks and a wonderful festival every spring in order to revive the area. You'll notice that their "logo" is the butterfly, to denote their death to life transition. The homes are beautiful and I think it's great that they saw the potential for this neighborhood. It's a true testament to what city revitalization can do.

three. Downtown Norcross. This place is such a secret, but a really neat place. If you keep going back on Holcomb Bridge you eventually run into a cute trackside town known as Norcross. The houses are historic bungalows that have also been revitalized. The city center has a park, shops, and the best coffee shop ever (Northern Star--sorry sbux!).

four. Piedmont Park. I realize this is rather close to Inman Park, but I love this area too. The park is so beautiful and the side streets are fun to explore. The best part is, the students who live around there go to Grady (which is right across from the park). I can't even imagine being able to walk out of class and just go over to the park. If you've never been to the park, I highly suggest it! It's a great place for walking or enjoying a concert.

four and four quarters. Downtown Decatur. Between all the great restaurants, Eddie's Attic, and all the festivals that go on in the square, Decatur is fun place. They've done a nice job of mixing in old architecture with new. Though the main square is mainly older, they have several new commercial and corporate buildings that line the streets. The best part is, marta goes right into the center of the square.