• The Georgia Aquarium - 11 million gallons of fresh and salt water tanks with 100,000 species of fish and marine mammals, and reptiles. At one time, this was the largest aquarium in the world and still is the largest outside of Asia.
   
• Nearby is the World of Coca-Cola museum - Coke is headquartered in Atlanta and has built a fascinating museum with hands-on exhibits and multimedia displays. A favorite it the opportunity to sample soft drinks from around the world.
   
• Not far from the downtown core is the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. National Park. King grew up in Atlanta and used the city as home base for his famous Civil Rights efforts. Visitors can see the burial site for King and his wife Coretta, a museum, and the Ebenezer Baptist Church where he and his father preached. Atlanta is home to a great deal of history. It was a pivotal city during the Civil War and was burned as such. Much of the famous movie Gone With The Wind is set in Atlanta.
   
• The CNN Center - where the famous cable news station began and still broadcasts, is downtown as well and boasts shopping and dining but the famous tours have been halted due to Covid.
   
• Other city attractions include the Atlanta Zoo and, just outside of the city, Six Flags Over Georgia - a major theme park with 11 roller coasters and 3 water rides.
   
• Downtown is home to several well-respected universities, including Georgia State, Spelman, and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

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As we mentioned, the downtown of Atlanta is only a small part of the metropolitan area. A short drive away lies the Lake Lanier reservoir, where you can find beaches, resorts and boating opportunities. Much of the metropolitan area lies in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains offering camping and hiking opportunities. A bit farther away to the northwest are the great Smokey Mountains. To the east lie the great port cities of Savannah and Charleston with popular Atlantic Ocean beaches all around- perfect for family vacations or weekend getaways.

• The MLB Atlanta Braves won the 2021 World Series of professional baseball. That was their fourth time winning the big show. The Braves play at Truist Park, about 10 miles from downtown in Cobb County.
   
• The NFL Franchise, the Falcons, regularly performs well in the NFC East division. Their stunning, new Mercedes Benz Stadium is in downtown Atlanta just blocks from Olympic Park.
   
• The Hawks are Atlanta’s NBA franchise and play at the multipurpose State Farm Arena located downtown between the Mercedes Benz Stadium and Olympic Park.
   
• For sports enthusiasts, downtown Atlanta is home to the College Football Hall of Fame just off Centennial Park.

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Fulton County includes downtown Atlanta, but also the suburban areas just to the north and just south of the city. Picture a sort of rectangle running right through downtown and just outside the limits and you have Fulton County in mind. The county seat is in Atlanta itself- Georgia is divided into largely self-governing counties with the metro Atlanta region forming its own loose alliance for regional cooperation.

Within the county are several incorporated towns you may have heard of, including: Alpharetta, Roswell, Mountain Park and Sandy Springs.

Fulton County boasts a wide range of housing opportunities from downtown urban living to upscale and middle class suburban housing. County schools are well rated- scoring an A- on Niche.

As home to the city center, you would be close to famous Atlanta landmarks such as the Coca- Cola museum (Coke started here) and the famous Atlanta aquarium and zoo. The city is also home to thriving arts communities with theater, symphony and one of the nation’s epicenters of Hip-Hop, R&B and indie rock.

As a star city of the south, Atlanta rightfully prides itself for its diversity. The area was at the forefront of the nation’s civil rights movement - Martin Luther King Jr. hailed from Atlanta. As it grew, Atlanta earned the nicknames Black Mecca and The City Too Busy to Hate. The city and surrounding counties boast one of the nation’s largest concentrations of Black middle and upper income residents. This is in no small part due to the abundance of education and job opportunities.

Atlanta is the corporate home of Coca-Cola, The Home Depot, UPS, CNN, and Delta Airlines. From this concentration of talent and education is growing a vibrant tech and goods-distribution economy.

A person moving to Fulton County can expect to be near the heart of the action and, with the right real estate agent, access to a variety of housing options.

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What about Gwinnett County- why move there?

Are you looking for outdoors activities, lots of water and a close proximity to downtown Atlanta? Gwinnett County may be your next home.

Designated by boosters as “Atlanta’s playground,” this suburban county lies adjacent to the city to the northeast along the Chattahoochee River. One of the main attractions is Lake Lanier- a 58 square mile man-made reservoir famous for boating and resorts. The giant lake is home to a variety of parks. In addition to boating, you can find ample hiking, camping, horseback riding opportunities. The locals love the sand beaches and travel guides suggest lodging and dining to fit almost any budget if you don’t want to day-trip.

Gwinnett is suburban living that’s designed for easy commute into the city. It’s a great place to raise a family. The schools rate an A- on Niche and, in addition to the lake, there are several family-centric attractions including adventure parks with ropes courses in the trees, a “grand prix” go-cart park, large county parks and even a Medieval Times dinner and show.

If you want the bright lights and hustle of the city, several highways provide easy access to downtown Atlanta. These are just some of the reasons Gwinnett County is one of the fastest growing places in the Atlanta metro area.

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Cobb County lies to the west of Atlanta, within easy commute, and has it’s center in Marietta, Georgia. Cobb County ranks as the most educated county in Georgia and 12th in the US. As a result, the county ranks among the top 100 wealthiest counties in the country. Not unexpectedly, the Cobb County school system is the highest ranked in the metro area and 18th in Georgia- a solid A on Niche.com

With the right real estate agent, you can find your dream home in Cobb County as the area continues to grow.
Cobb County is a great place to mention that mountains feature in the Atlanta metro scenery. The region lies in the southernmost foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, making it accessible for hikers and nature lovers. Maybe that’s why the county was once ranked as having the lowest obesity rate in Georgia!

Marietta in particular and Cobb as a whole are home to much of the attractions to see and learn about the Civil War. The Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield was the site of a major conflict that visitors can hike and learn. Marietta has the Marietta Museum of History and the Gone With the Wind Museum focusing on the film and the book.

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Clayton County rounds out the original five core counties of the Atlanta metro area. Lying just to the south of Atlanta, Clayton is the smallest county in all of Georgia, but home to its biggest economic engines.

The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is America’s busiest airport and one of the worlds’ largest in terms of passengers. As such, Clayton is home port for Delta Airlines and a hub of national and international passenger and air freight flights that employs over 60,000 people.

Clayton County has a rich history, including being home to one of the largest Civil War battles fought in the Atlanta area - the Battle of Jonesboro. Atlanta and most of the immediate area was burned during the Civil War and has been rebuilt and reimagined, one of the reasons the city and it’s metro areas have become such a major draw for major corporations and people looking for a fresh start.

Housing prices range from sub-$200k to over $800k and schools are ranked a C by Niche.

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DeKalb County lies directly west of Atlanta and boasts an extensive network of highways all making the commute to business centers in Atlanta and the county accessible. It is the most urban-oriented of the core counties in terms of housing and is particularly called home by several thriving communities of middle and upper class African Americans.

The county also serves as an education hub - no fewer than nine colleges have campuses there including Emory University, Georgia State, and two seminaries- Columbia Theological and Luther Rice.

This county also features suburban or small town options for housing. The county is home to Decatur, Ga (often thought to be larger than it is because so many zip codes touch the town and are listed as Decatur addresses.) Decatur is home to a thriving arts scene and hosts several arts festivals throughout the year.

DeKalb is also home to Stone Mountain Park- a 3200 acre family-friendly park that offers 15- miles of hiking trails, a skyride to the top of Stone Mountain, golf courses, camping and lodging, and a regular schedule of festivals.

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Cherokee County is further out than the others, but is fast becoming home to new communities. The township of Woodstock in Cherokee County is the fastest growing, thanks to easy access to highways to tech and other employment in Atlanta and Fulton counties. Cherokee also lies on the edge of the mountains, affording quick access to incredible hiking and other outdoors activities.

There are five historic cities in the county: Ball Ground, Waleska, Canton and Holly Spring in addition to Woodstock. That makes for housing options ranging from townhomes to rural mini- farms.

As the county becomes more and more a part of the Atlanta metro, it’s growing its own funky vibe. Here you will find farmers markets, gardens and shopping that you would expect in small towns. But they have also done a great job inviting wineries and redeveloping old warehouses and mills into craft breweries and arts venues.

An example of this is the Mill on Etowah. This was a factory producing denim built in 1900. Today it has been redeveloped into shops, a craft brewery, dining and attractions such as a skating rink.

Cherokee schools are rated an A by Niche.com. Single family houses can be had from $300,000 and up and that includes several communities of new construction.

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