As part of ongoing Best of Atlanta 2022 coverage, Urbanize’s second-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament kicked off last week with 16 places vying for the prestige of being called the city’s greatest.

Now, for each Elite Eight contest, voting will be open for 24 hours. Please, let’s keep the tourney fun and positive, as one neighborhood rises above the rest in very public fashion. The quest to crown a champion resumes now!

…

AVONDALE ESTATES (10)

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

Look out, Atlanta: Avondale Estates garnered the most votes of any Round 1 competitor last week, easily dispatching Kirkwood with 65 percent of the vote tally. Not too shabby, considering K-wood was a Final Four finisher last year.

Yes, we know: Avondale Estates is officially a standalone city and definitely not an Atlanta neighborhood—but cities close to ATL’s core have always been allowed to compete if nominated. In terms of 2022 highlights, Avondale welcomed the centralized park the city’s famed Tudor-style downtown had been lacking, a functional 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 a festival. And the Olive & Pine project continued to take shape as the city’s first medley of a food hall and other uses. No wonder Avondale seems motivated in ’22.

…

EAST ATLANTA (15)

The new Marbut building's balconies, storefronts, and Art Moderne detailing in East Atlanta Village. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

As the old proverb goes: “Tourney patrons who dare count out EAV are cursed fools.” Or something like that. In first round action, East Atlanta booted tight-knit Capitol View from this year’s proceedings, snagging 63 percent of nearly 700 votes. But such success is bound to get harder from here on out.

On EAV’s development front this year, townhome projects that had claimed vacant lots were completely scooped up by buyers, while thoughtful mixed-use building The Marbut came together and other commercial spaces were filled. Elsewhere, a roadway realignment and (skinny) bike-lane installation where Glenwood and Moreland avenues meet should be a cause for celebration. Meanwhile, EAV’s first traditional food hall, the Southern Feed Store, gained its footing on Glenwood Avenue this year (after opening just before NYE in 2021), while a swanky Starbucks is planned for a former Long John Silver’s, a vacant eyesore, and a cool art gallery for an empty church. So East Atlanta-nah-nah-nah, as always, was hardly stagnant.

Now, please cast a vote below!  

(POLLING HAS CLOSED AFTER 24 HOURS. Thanks to all who participated, and congrats to AVONDALE ESTATES, which advances to the 2022 Final Four!)