Suburban Towns of Atlanta (Roswell, Marietta: cul-de-sac, lofts, houses)

[FlipperrX]

Which suburbs of Atlanta, if there are any, are truly 'real' towns, other than Decatur? What I mean is, are they all just a big smattering of cul-de-sacs where the majority of houses appear similar? Or do any of them actually have a downtown district, a historic district, a place where you know you are really in a different town instead of just another development with a glamorized name? I'd like to know because when i come up to visit Stone Mountain, tour Atlanta's sites, or go to Six Flags, I may want to take a side trip to check them out. Otherwise if they are your 'run of the mill' suburban development type towns, I will do my best to avoid them. I really would not be missing anything in one of those types of places, because as far as I am concerned, they look nearly the same no matter what part of the country you are in, other than Florida or any other region where palm trees are abundant. Thank you

[tikigod311]

Yes, lots of places.

Marietta has a sizable and active historic town square.
On the southside, Newnan, Senoia, Griffin and McDonough have nice downtowns and historic districts.

I know there is a lot more, but these are the ones I am familiar with.

[ATLTJL]

Lots of historic downtowns.

Few on the scale of Decatur, but you will find downtowns in:

Norcross
Duluth
Suwanee
Roswell
Marietta

And aside from downtowns, you can find other interesting things, like the tons of ethnic businesses in Chamblee.

Most of the better known suburbs of Atlanta have their own distinct feels. But most of them also have Panera, Chilis, and Publix as well.

[Newsboy]

Newnan, Marietta, Cartersville, Canton, Roswell, Buford, Gainesville, Lawrenceville, Conyers, Covington, McDonough, Senoia, College Park all have very nice town centers that harken back to a day when Metro Atlanta wasn't so big.

[roxyrn]

Roswell has a historic district with three homes/plantations open for tours- the Bulloch House was the birthplace of Theodore Roosevelt's mother. Canton Street is lined with restaurants and shops (check out Alive After 5 on the third Thursdays from April-October when it is filled with bands, venders, activities). The Chattahootchee Nature Center is just down the road and there are lots of activities along/in the river including bike riding, kayaks, canoes.

[cittic10]

You might find this other recent thread on new-jerseyish towns useful...
//www.city-data.com/forum/atlan...luth-city.html

[JoeTarheel]

Almost all Atlanta suburbs have a downtown (usually an historic one) that is worth visiting. They might be sitting amid a sea of subdivisions and shopping centers, but they certainly exist. Decatur, Newnan, and Marietta are some of the best ones in my opinion, but there are lots of smaller historic downtown areas like Fairburn, Vinings and College Park as well.

[cabasse]

woodstock has a surprising new-urbanist downtown built up around a tiny amount of historic shops. i also drove through college park and east point a couple of days ago... between the downtowns of each, plus a few rehabbed warehouse lofts and other density in between, that is easily the third largest suburban "downtown" after decatur and marietta.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by cabasse

woodstock has a surprising new-urbanist downtown built up around a tiny amount of historic shops. i also drove through college park and east point a couple of days ago... between the downtowns of each, plus a few rehabbed warehouse lofts and other density in between, that is easily the third largest suburban "downtown" after decatur and marietta.

Easily, along with Hapeville, the area has a culture and identity all it's own that is distinctly industrial and working class. Of course, a lot of people on these boards are scared silly at the thought of ever stepping foot in those areas. This used to cause me a large amount of chagrin, but not any more: There's barely a hipster to be found in the Tri-Cities.

[cabasse]

my partner and i almost moved into an awesome house in east point not too far from woodward academy... but it's so far from the center of gravity of the metro atlanta blob somewhere around dunwoody... and he plays tennis with friends even further north than that. would have been too much driving.