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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COLLEGE PARK (5)

An example of College Park's charming residential architecture. Courtesy of Jonathan Phillips

Highest home sale of 2022: $1.45M, for a five-bedroom sprawler, one of the city’s largest houses

Lowest: $63K, a three-bedroom 1940s cottage

Median sales price decrease year-over-year: -26.4 percent (November)

Always a motivated competitor in year-end, criteria-free tournaments, College Park charged into the Elite Eight in last year’s Best Atlanta Neighborhood tourney—only to be toppled by swingin’ Summerhill, the eventual 2021 runner-up. Now College Park is back, and by the sound of nominations, she’s as motivated as ever. “College Park [is] like a little Mayberry, but close to downtown,” wrote nominator Michaela61. “Near the airport. Lots of little restaurants and the Six West development [is] coming.” Added nominator Noel: “Diversity, arts, greenspace, affordability, accessibility, opportunity, amenities—we have all that [in College Park] plus a close-knit community that's like family for myself and others who have been here for years.” Another chimed in, simply: “College Park… Love the restaurants and the people.”

Interesting College Park happenings in ’22 included the rise of South Park Cottages, described as the first Black-developed micro-community in the United States. And the Gateway—a nifty pedestrian bridge and trail project between CP’s charming downtown and the airport—got the official green-light to move forward.

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HOWELL STATION (12)

Aerial photo of the Westside Paper project, a 1950s warehouse renovation, in the skies over Howell Station this year. Urbanize Atlanta

Highest home sale of 2022: $899K, for a five-bedroom new-build

Lowest: $340K, for a Church Street fixer-upper

Median sales price increase year-over-year: 75.7 percent (November)

A nominator named Grant calls Howell Station the “BEST kept secret in Atlanta,” but with median home prices in the historic Westside nabe (and adjoining Knight Park) reaching $650,000 in November, it appears that word may have gotten out. Not long ago, Howell Station was truly under-the-radar for most Atlanta denizens, but projects such as Westside Paper, soon to be the area’s latest adaptive-reuse, mixed-use destination, are changing that. Ditto for the latest segment of the BeltLine’s Westside Trail, a neighborhood amenity that was the only new BeltLine section to open this year.  

We’ll let eloquent nominator Alice Brown Pickett take it from here: “Revitalized greenspace and restored homes offer a refreshing respite [in Howell Station] to the nearby rush of city life,” Pickett writes. “Bordering the BeltLine and vibrant mixed-use developments, the Howell Station neighborhood is sought after by a diverse group of old and new Atlantans who enjoy walking with their children and dogs while chatting with neighbors in the street, on porches, and in backyards. The many activities offered by the neighborhood association include fun for all ages and concern for the needs of the community. Those are some of the reasons Howell Station deserves to be 2022’s Best Atlanta Neighborhood.”

Now, please cast a vote below!  

(POLLING HAS CLOSED AFTER 24 HOURS. Thanks to all who participated, and congrats to Howell Station.)