As part of ongoing Best of Atlanta 2022 coverage, Urbanize’s second-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament is kicking off with 16 places vying for the prestige of being called the city’s greatest. (Note: Seeding from 1 to 16 was determined by reader nominations this month, so no pitchforks, please.)

For each Round 1 contest, voting will be open for just 24 hours. Please, let’s keep the tourney fun and positive, as one neighborhood rises above the rest in very public fashion. The eliminations begin now!

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KIRKWOOD (7)

Holiday (and Stranger Things) festivities at the reviving industrial complex that is Pullman Yards. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Highest home sale of 2022: $1.35M, for a five-bedroom, Craftsman-inspired residence on Murray Hill Avenue

Lowest: $125K, for a two-bedroom condo fixer-upper

Median sales price decrease year-over-year: -2.8 percent (November)

A Final Four finisher in last year’s Best Atlanta Neighborhood battle, Kirkwood’s close-knit, prideful, controlling nature typically makes it a formidable foe in year-end, criteria-free tournaments. Happenings throughout 2022 could provide extra motivation.

For the first time since 2019, K-wood saw all three of its main neighborhood festivals (Lanta Gras, Spring Fling, and the Wine Stroll in September) come back in full swing. The neighborhood’s direct connection to the BeltLine is fully under construction, thanks to the PATH Foundation. And while million-dollar (and up) houses became increasingly prevalent this year, cheaper housing options continued to sprout across Kirkwood, including new boutique condo building Pullman Flats. Which helps explain why median home sales prices actually dipped in November, versus 2021 numbers.  

Can Kirkwood march toward glory and avenge its 2021 loss to eventual champion Mozley Park? Only time (and votes) will tell.   

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AVONDALE ESTATES (10)

Plans for a covered patio at Avondale Estates' forthcoming Olive & Pine project. Olive & Pine/Oakhurst Realty Partners

Highest home sale of 2022: $1.2M, for a five-bedroom traditional three blocks from Avondale Lake

Lowest: $100K, a brick-clad fixer-upper near the MARTA tracks

Median sales price decrease year-over-year: -31.1 percent (November)

Yes, yes, of course, Avondale Estates is its own sovereign city and definitely not an Atlanta neighborhood—but cities close to ATL’s core are fully allowed to compete, per the tournament bylaws, and some of Avondale’s 3,600 denizens were more than happy to nominate it. No wonder. In 2022, Avondale welcomed the centralized park the city’s famed Tudor-style downtown had been lacking, a lovely 2-acre greenspace called simply Town Green. Just west of there, Avondale’s brewery district continued to gain traction, with its ’Dale Ale Trail linking all watering holes together and providing inspiration for an October festival. And the Olive & Pine project continued to take shape as the city’s first medley of a food hall and other uses.

Only a half-dozen homes without contracts are available for sale across this entire DeKalb County city right now. Maybe that means it’s a hard place to leave. But is it well-suited for Best of Atlanta hardware this year? We shall see.

Now, please cast a vote below!  

(POLLING HAS CLOSED AFTER 24 HOURS. Congrats to Avondale Estates for the 2022 tournament's second upset, following Poncey-Highland.)