Best Atlanta Neighborhood 2024, 1st round: (3) Old Fourth Ward vs. (14) Adair Park

Josh Green

Wed, 12/18/2024 – 17:43

As part of ongoing Best of Atlanta 2024 coverage, Urbanize’s fourth-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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(3) Old Fourth Ward

The distinctive Forth hotel tower, at left, and Overline Residences apartments, as seen from Historic Fourth Ward Park earlier this year. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Synonymous with explosive Beltline development and MLK historical significance, Old Fourth Ward has been a hotbed of supersonic growth and generally more vibrant urban scenarios for what seems like ages now. Nonetheless, this eastside powerhouse hasn’t claimed the (nonexistent) trophy in one of these contests for a dozen years. With a strong No. 3 seed, could that change in 2024?

As usual, O4W happenings this year were too numerous to list here, but a few highlights: Two high-rise hospitality concepts—New City’s diamond-patterned Forth hotel and the Scout Living tower over Ponce City Market—drew back their curtains in 2024, as rare for-sale condos debuted nearby at The Leon on Ponce. Speaking of Ponce, a Complete Streets overhaul came together as an effort to improve pedestrian and bike connections between Boulevard and John Lewis Freedom Parkway. Elsewhere, the Atlanta Civic Center redo edged toward groundbreaking, and the relatively affordable evolution of Boulevard continued to rise.

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(14) Adair Park

Quintessential Atlanta bungalows from the early 20th century are found throughout Adair Park. Adair Park.com

Back in 2021, historic, proud, and feisty Adair Park charged all the way to the Final Four in this hallowed contest of neighborly resolve. And why not? This Southwest Atlanta community has been a darling for Beltline-spurred investment (and yes, displacement) for the better part of a decade. These days, Realtor.com pegs the median home listing price at $445,000 (and falling) in Adair Park, but that still represents a discount over many intown places with comparable perks and charm.

Adair Park this year solidified itself as the launchpad for one of Atlanta’s greatest traditions, the Beltline Lantern Parade, which is permanently a Westside Trail thing now. Elsewhere, a 14-unit, modern-style townhome proposal has come to light that could bring further residential growth. Adair Park pulled off one of the biggest upsets in tourney history in 2021, toppling mighty Midtown. Could it repeat that success against tourney titan O4W in ’24? We shall see.