Gentrification of Atlanta

[3][4] Much of the city's demographic change during the decade was driven by young, college-educated professionals: from 2000 to 2009, the three-mile radius surrounding Downtown Atlanta gained 9,722 residents aged 25 to 34 holding at least a four-year degree, an increase of 61%.

Metro Atlanta is also one of the fastest-growing areas in the country in terms of both population and job growth and expected to grow by another 3 million between now and 2040.

[23][24][25] The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Atlanta went up from $799 in 2012 to $1,710 in 2022 which resulted in some renters leaving the city seeking a more affordable cost of living.

In the 1970s, after neighborhood opposition blocked two freeways from being built through the Southeast side, the area became the starting point for Atlanta's gentrification wave, first becoming affordable, hip but edgy neighborhoods attracting young people, and by 2000 having become relatively affluent areas attracting people from across Metro Atlanta to their upscale shops and restaurants.

New and more diverse residents were attracted to the neighborhood due to its close proximity to Downtown, Midtown, Inman Park, Virginia-Highland and the airport, its urban vibe, its walkability, and its cultural offerings.

[31] The far Northwest Atlanta is experiencing major pressure from neighboring Cobb County, Buckhead and Cascade Heights, to invest more into the gentrification of the following neighborhoods Riverside, Bolton, and Whittier Mill Village.

West End is the fastest gentrifying in the Southwest, with both downtown and the Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Georgia's largest employer) putting pressure on this area.

Gentrification in the Southwest differs than the eastern side of Atlanta in that there is a larger number of higher income Black professionals and families helping gentrify the area.

But by 2000, college-educated young white adults were buying homes in Southwest Atlanta in highly notable numbers, settling alongside many lifelong residents, attracted by intown status and the "charming affordable bungalows and community spirit".

[33] The Atlanta Progressive News regularly runs stories expressing concerns about the displacement of existing residents and the lack of "affordable" housing as a result of gentrification.

Pittsburgh is a good neighborhood for studying gentrification because like much of NPU-V, it is ground zero for what is expected to be the next wave with planners and researchers working hard to make sure displacement is not so rampant as in other parts of Atlanta.

This involves efforts such as acquiring vacant homes to revitalize them and move in stable working-class citizens with restrictions on future sale price, workforce training, tax stabilization, and education on property values to avoid homeowners selling to flippers.