Druid Hills

The beauty and history behind the Druid Hills neighborhood is fascinating.

Location in the City (Highways)
Druid Hills is a part of the City of Atlanta and Dekalb county. It is most noted for being the home of Emory University and can be accessed by Ponce de Leon and Freedom Pkwy. The neighborhood itself was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, who also designed Central Park in New York.

Family/Kid Friendly (recreation, schools, churches)
This is a great place to raise a family because of the quality schools, green spaces, and overall living space. The homes are old but elegant. They are pricey too. There tends to be a lot of congestion in the area because of the university and the CDC being in the same vicinity.

Shopping
Because this is generally a student intense area there are many places to shop and eat in many price ranges. There are great places to hang out, shop, or eat along Ponce de Leon and through Clifton Rd.

Attractions
One of the greatest reasons to live in this area are the Fernbank Natural History Museum and Planetarium. There is a golf club and other parks to relax and play in.

The Druid Hills area is certainly one of the most delightful neighborhoods in all of Atlanta. It’s the perfect intersection between college students and working professionals. Emory Hospital and Emory University are both located in this area. The hospital attracts healthcare professionals to reside nearby. Similarly, Emory University draws in residents that are students, faculty, and staff members.

Interestingly enough, this does not make the surrounding environment your typical college town. There is an office park (located off of Executive Park Drive) in close proximity, which allures esteemed working professionals to this area as well. The office park is currently undergoing a few renovations and demolitions, which does present a bit of an eyesore. But, because it is tucked away between several side streets, it is not immediately noticeable if you are just passing by.

There are a variety of housing options that correlate to the needs of the diverse residents of Druid Hills. If you are an established professional, looking to relocate, you will find that this neighborhood has quite a bit of older homes in the mid to upper price range. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you are a college student, you will find that there are several really nice affordable apartments to choose from.
In addition, there are numerous nearby amenities that make this neighborhood even more amazing. If you love to exercise, you can seek membership at the rather nice (but expensive) Athletic Club Northeast. Tara Cinemas, a local neighborhood theatre, is a great place for catching hard to find independent films. There are also countless restaurants for dining out. All in all, Druid Hills is an awesome place to check out if you are thinking about coming to Atlanta.

If you are a parent, and you’ve ever taken your soon-to-graduate son or daughter on a visit to Emory’s sprawling campus on a warm spring day, you’ve seen Druid Hills. And if your pride and joy is fortunate enough to attend the prestigious college, you’ve also seen the best Druid Hills has to offer.

An affluent neighborhood that reflects the university both in demographics and cost, Druid Hills lies in DeKalb County, north of Ponce de Leon and east of Briarcliff, just west of Decatur.

If you’re on that campus tour and you happen to see someone who looks like your gynecologist walking his dog, that’s probably because it’s your gynecologist and he’s walking his dog. The neighborhood is home to employees of not only the university, but also many of the doctors and practitioners that work for Emory’s medical center.

Beware, though – when it’s time to get the little prince or princess their pre-college-entrance vaccinations, you’d better play by the rules. Druid Hills also claims the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though an employment and research intelligence boon to Atlanta, the CDC is still a government agency and a behemoth of a bureaucracy, no stranger to public relations gaffes and controversies. I am, of course, being a touch snarky – the CDC operates with the purpose of preventing the spread of infectious diseases and, thanks to the diligence of its employees, most of us will never come into contact with these mischievous microbes. It may be an arm of the Fed, but unless you’re an XDR-infected man with the bad judgment to honeymoon with his wife while doctors hem and haw and generally disagree with each other about your contagiousness, you probably don't have to worry about the CDC airing your dirty medical laundry.

Talk of flu shots and antiseptics aside, the neighborhood houses more than just the sterile (pun intended) gray CDC and Emory edifices. The green space is filled with parks and churches and – in a uniquely Atlantan nod to its history as a suburb – a golf club.

Finally, your proud new Emory freshman is going to need student housing, and Druid Hills has you covered. Though expensive, the area is safe, clean, convenient to the campus, and has ample options for employment, whether it is a part-time student job or post-grad employment. Of course, competition is fierce and if Junior isn’t top of the class, he’s going to have to fight for a coveted med-school slot. Don’t worry – Emory also has a law school. Cheers!