Inman Park, Atlanta

Arguably one of the most beautiful in town neighborhoods in Atlanta, Inman Park has been a neighborhood with character and flair for decades. The north east Atlanta community is located west of Moreland avenue and North of Dekalb avenue. Inman Park shares a border of North Highland avenue with Old Fourth Ward. This community is perhaps most famous for its hipster slash bohemian slash alternative neighborhood referred to as “Little Five Points.” Little Five Points is polar opposite to everything that Yuppie Buckhead and North West Atlanta stands for.

There may be the highest concentration of mom and pop record stores in Inman Park than anywhere else in the south east! My favorites are Moods Music and Wax n Facts, two establishments serving the area for years. If you are an Atlanta History buff, Inman Park offers a unique glance into the past with its historic homes along Elizabeth St. and Euclid Ave. dating back to the 1920s and 1930s. Residents in this community are also very active and involved. A long standing community radio station, WRFG 89.3, is located in this community on Austin Ave. This station is unique in that it is totally community funded and has been a supporter of local artists and activists since the 1970s.

Inman Park is known for it's beautiful homes and wide spaces. I love because of the mature trees and winding roads. Many homes have been renovated and the neighborhood is under constant improvements. When I drive through I can't help feeling a sense of peacefulness and urban chic.

It is a family friendly place with a lot of open spaces. If you have small children it is important to have a home with a fenced yard because it is too easy to run into the street. The people are friendly and there are plenty of activities to get involved in. The Inman Park pool is a popular place during the summer to cool off.

There are several shops and restaurants around to frequent. They are locally owned and operated. I especially love the small town feel even though it is only a few minutes from downtown Atlanta.

It's a quick commute to a downtown office and any sporting event or concert. There are regular neighborhood festivals, fairs, and concerts to keep you busy throughout the year.

Inman Park is one of the nicer communities and neighborhoods in Atlanta for a number of reasons. Some of the more obvious reasons include the fact that it is located very close to downtown and all the advantages downtown have to offer, its located near major intersections and thoroughfares, and there is plenty of green space for residents to take advantage of.

The other niceties about Inman Park are the beautiful historic homes that have been converted for multiple family use, which makes living in Inman Park more affordable for many more people. Neighborhood spirit is readily evident in the way the neighborhood is maintained and all the family friendly flags waving from many porches. There are a number of conveniences for daytime and nighttime that residents of Inman can take advantage of. There are not too many groups that this neighborhood would not be recommended for. I think every body can find something to love about Inman Park.

For all Hotlanta's faults – muggy, buggy, sweat-through-your-shirt summers, a blundering and insufficient police force and award-winningly atrocious traffic congestion – it is possibly the only metropolis in the world that could give rise to the urban utopia that is Inman Park. Today’s Inman Park stretches far beyond the several acres of grandly restored Victorian mansions – many of which have been divided into duplexes, triplexes and other exes – and hundred-year-old trees of its original namesake suburb (Atlanta’s first, developed in 1888).

Here you can walk or bike (driving is for outsiders) along streets lined with boutique and specialty shops manned by smiling locals and stocked with handmade, “upcycled,” Fair Trade and vintage goodies; pick up fresh produce from an impromptu stand; post up on a patio with a $10 cocktail made with organic lavender; or join a band of sweaty bootcampers for a romp in Freedom Park. Have a dog? Perfect – so does pretty much everyone else, and with the park nearby and retailers happy to keep water bowls and pup-approved treats readily available, it’s no wonder you have to watch your step when leaving the sidewalk (plenty of residents appear too proud to poop scoop).

Atlanta’s dismal police record doesn’t really apply here, and crime is surprisingly minimal for an area that’s a stone’s throw from several neighborhoods you wouldn’t want to walk through at night. Chalk it up to a near-militant (in a good way...mostly) neighborhood association and Inman Park’s very own security patrol. Needless to say, the area is popular with families, single professionals, retirees and pretty much anyone who refuses to shop at Wal-Mart and can afford to drop $100 on boutique wines and free-range pork chops at Savi when they don’t feel like trekking to the international market five miles away.

But it’s not all vintage BMW drivers and the rest of the Tour of Homes crowd (part of the annual Inman Park Festival, which draws about a thousand people who wish they could live in Inman Park to its perfectly manicured streets each spring) who get to enjoy the “small town downtown.” After all, I too live here – in a charmingly chipped and repainted 1920-something duplex – for a measly $500 a month. All it takes is a couple of roommates to split the rent and a willingness to live closer to Little Five Points than to the historic Trolley Barn - which is actually preferable for a hip young thang like myself. Plus, I'm still eligible to buy one of those coveted butterfly flags (yes, the neighborhood has its very own, very fruity logo) for my front porch - or, rather, our downstairs neighbor's front porch...Cheers!