Atlanta, GA Real Estate and City Guide

Featured listing example: an urban log cabin in Atlanta, GA

Helpful hints for Atlanta visitors

1. Always fly Delta into the Atlanta area when conducting business. Friendly Southerners will always want to know when you need to be at the airport for your pick up and return flights. It's a good idea to be able to say “I'm departing Delta 1037 at 4:30.” It shows your support of the other Atlanta-based businesses.
2. You'll be asked “would you like a Coke?” This is the same as “would you like a pop?”, “would you like a soda?” or “would you like something to drink?”. The best way to answer is “yes, do you have a ________?” Fill in the blank with something like “diet coke”, “sprite” or “coke”. Try to avoid asking for soft drink products that are not from around here.
3. Don't say “Y'all” if you aren't from the area. It makes you look like you're trying too hard to “be Southern”. Most Southerners like meeting people from other parts of the world and enjoy sharing our part with them.

Other helpful information

• Sorry, but there is NO Tara, but there is a Road to Tara Museum. It looked great in the movie, but it simply does not exist. Sometimes people try to build something that looks like it.
• Ashley Wilkes was shot on Decatur Road. Ashley would not believe Decatur if he saw it now. It's a hip, happening place with restaurants and cool shopping!
• The War is over and has been. You'll only see guys in grey uniforms at re-enactments. Ditto on those wonderful big “hoop” skirts that Scarlett wore.
• Unfortunately, the rebel flag is still flown by nostalgic Civil War buffs. Citizens successfully removed it from the state flag; however, the new state flag looks remarkably like the original First Flag of the Confederacy. The flags in question: the State of Georgia flag since 2003, the First Flag of the Confederacy, the 2001–2003 Georgia flag and the 1956–2001 Georgia flag.

History of Atlanta, Georgia

The Atlanta area was originally settled by the Cherokee and Creek Indians. Our rivers attest to their past with colorful names like Chattahoochee, Ocoee, Chattooga, Oconee, and so on. As the frontier developed, country roads and railroads sought to take advantage of the waterfalls, ridges and dry terrain. A lot of them crossed in the area that is now downtown Atlanta. Because the area was known for its rail terminal, the town was named Terminus for a short period. Peachtree Ridge closely follows today's Peachtree Street. Stone Mountain was a lookout for the Indians and rises over 600 feet above the surrounding area.

Marietta and Alpharetta grew up in the counties named after early Georgians: Cobb County was named after Thomas W. Cobb, and Gwinnett County was named after Button Gwinnett, who signed the Declaration of Independence. Rumor from a worthy source has it that Button Gwinnett attended church in what is now downtown Norcross.

At one point the town's name was changed to Marthasville, before it finally became Atlanta.

The Phoenix is a legendary bird that rises from the flames. Atlanta adopted the Phoenix as a symbol of the city and sees itself as a haven risen from the ashes of Sherman's army. You can find the Phoenix statue in downtown Atlanta near Woodruff Park.

Atlanta is also known for its traffic. It's understandable now that there are over 4.2 million people in the metropolitan area — long-time residents remember when 600 thousand seemed like a lot of folks.

Buying a home in Atlanta: check the title before closing

Whether you buy a Midtown condo, a bungalow near Decatur or an older house inside the Perimeter, the paperwork behind the property matters as much as the kitchen. Many Atlanta homes have changed hands several times since the 1950s, and in older in-town neighborhoods it is common to find forgotten second mortgages, contractor liens, unpaid Fulton or DeKalb County property taxes or HOA assessments still recorded against a house. Georgia is an attorney-closing state, so your closing attorney orders the title work — but investors, cash buyers and people buying at tax sales or foreclosure often order their own report first. A professional title and lien search for Atlanta homes pulls the current owner of record, open mortgages, judgments and liens from the county records, so any problem can be cleared before you sign rather than after you move in.

For the full buying checklist, see our tips for Atlanta home buyers.

Popular things to see and do in Atlanta

• Georgia Aquarium
• Atlanta Ballet
• Atlanta Botanical Gardens
• Atlanta Braves Baseball
• Atlanta Dream Basketball
• Atlanta Falcons Football
• Atlanta Hawks Basketball
• Atlanta History Center
• Atlanta Opera
• Atlanta Symphony
• Alliance Theatre
• Atlanta Thrashers Hockey
• Atlanta transit system (MARTA)
• World of Coca-Cola
• Chattahoochee Nature Center
• CNN
• Cyclorama and Civil War Museum
• Delta
• Emory University
• Fernbank Science Center
• Georgia Census
• Georgia Department of Transportation
• Georgia Museums
• Georgia State Parks
• Georgia State University
• Georgia Tech
• Georgia World Congress Center
• High Museum of Art
• Home Depot
• Jimmy Carter Library
• Margaret Mitchell House
• Martin Luther King Center
• North Georgia hiking
• Philips Arena
• Road to Tara Museum
• Six Flags Over Georgia
• Stone Mountain Park
• The Varsity – world famous drive in
• University of Georgia
• White Water Park
• Zoo Atlanta