The accolades keep coming for Avondale Estates.

Recently voted the “Best Small Town Beer Scene” in America for the third year running, as determined by USA Today reader votes, the DeKalb County city of around 4,000 residents was the only place in Georgia—and one of only two cities in the Southeast—to land on another national ranking this week compiled by Opendoor, a digital real estate company.  

Avondale Estates made Opendoor’s second-annual list of the top 15 most Family-Friendly Cities in the country—latching on to the No. 15 spot for the second year in a row.  

Opendoor’s focus was on U.S. cities and towns that offer exceptional access to outdoor amenities, plus a small-town feel with big-city amenities in close proximity.

Analysts found that 89 percent of Avondale residents live within a 10-minute walk of five public parks in the area. The most notable recent addition to that greenspace roster came last year, with the opening of Avondale Estates’ new 2-acre Town Green.

Opendoor

A separate Opendoor report in June found that 57 percent of Atlantans prioritize access to outdoor amenities such as parks, playgrounds, and bike paths in determining where they want to live.

Opendoor’s unique methodology for determining family-friendly cities involves analyzing and averaging the number of OpenStreetMap “family friendly” tags within three miles of all addresses in cities where Opendoor Brokerage operates.

Those tags include words such as "community center," "drinking water," "garden," "kindergarten," "museum," "park," "picnic site," "playground," "school," "swimming pool," and "supermarket."

Birdhouses dotted around the Town Green echo Avondale Estate's Tudor-style downtown next door. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Avondale's famed Tudor-style downtown and new, nearby greenspace. Google Maps; Urbanize Atlanta

Of course, Avondale’s decorated 2023 run began in the very first days of the year when it toppled Castleberry Hill to become the second-ever Best Atlanta Neighborhood tourney champion, laying claim to the (virtual) Golden Urby Chalice of Champions.

Avondale Estates Mayor Jonathan Elmore said in a prepared statement today his city is honored to be considered a top family-friendly place in the U.S., which he called “a testament to the dedication of our community [as it] continues to grow and evolve, all while maintaining its cherished small-town essence.”

Opendoor’s full 2023 Family-Friendly Cities list is as follows:

  1. Somerville, MA
  2. Berkeley, CA
  3. Cliffside Park, NJ
  4. Arlington, VA
  5. Watauga, TX
  6. Chandler, AZ
  7. Denver, CO
  8. Portland, OR
  9. Valley Stream, NY
  10. Garden Grove, CA
  11. Coral Gables, FL
  12. Bellaire, TX 
  13. Ann Arbor, MI
  14. Mission, KS
  15. Avondale Estates, GA

...

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