As part of ongoing Best of Atlanta 2023 coverage, Urbanize’s third-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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(4) Decatur

Downtown Decatur has long prized its walkability. Shutterstock

As with every year-end Urbanize tournament to date, Decatur took advantage of lenient rules that allow ITP cities and cruised to an honorable No. 4 seed, as based on number of nominations. And why not? It’s been an eventful year in DeKalb’s county seat. Projects range from a crafty corner infill venture that we’ve been told this week is officially a go (more soon) to a colorful batch of for-sale affordable housing (recently painted in rainbow hues) to a relatively large hotel development that would add exactly zero new parking spaces downtown. Other changes in Decatur’s year that was included a fresh public soccer pitch at a MARTA station and a new permanent shuttle system around the city that’s totally free, looping in nearby Oakhurst.  

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(13) Reynoldstown

Remnants of the former steel plant are apparent throughout Reynoldstown's new Breaker Breaker, but especially with this steel archway entry on Wylie retained from the site's industrial days. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

For a solid decade, small-but-mighty Reynoldstown has been synonymous with waves of BeltLine-influenced investment and change, transforming industrial properties and vacant lots into things unimaginable in generations past. That does present challenges, obviously, but like the quality of a Comfy Chicken Biscuit, you can’t deny the persistent new energy. 2023’s most buzz-worthy addition has to be Breaker Breaker, the easy-breezy BeltLine pitstop that’s part of growing Empire Stein Steel. Also along the BeltLine (surprise!) an all-affordable stack of rent-capped homes has recently topped out, while a truly unique motel conversion gets underway for Atlantans who need a boost most. Elsewhere, that penchant for flashy duplexes shows few signs of slowing. Surprisingly, R-town has never climbed beyond the Elite Eight in this hallowed quest for ATL greatness. Could '23 be the year that changes? Only time—and your votes—will tell.