Do normal people live in Buckhead? (Atlanta, Roswell: rental, condos, houses)

[Miami305Kid]

And by normal I mean financially. Is Buckhead only for the richest of the richest or are there people who live there who are middle class as well? I think Buckhead is one of Atlanta's safest and most entertaining neighborhoods so I was wondering if it's possible for a middle class person to live there.

[lastminutemom]

Safest?

Anyway, in the rental housing absolutely, in ownership multi-family housing (especially older condos, but really all condos, not so much town homes or other attached housing) probably, but not so much in single family homes -- upper middle class or higher.

Also, most of the clubs have closed (or will soon) so I am not sure what you mean by entertaining. The area that use to have all the clubs/bars is going to be very upscale housing and retail.

For foot traffic type places, you need to look elsewhere.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by lastminutemom

Safest?

Anyway, in the rental housing absolutely, in ownership multi-family housing (especially older condos, but really all condos, not so much town homes or other attached housing) probably, but not so much in single family homes -- upper middle class or higher.

Also, most of the clubs have closed (or will soon) so I am not sure what you mean by entertaining. The area that use to have all the clubs/bars is going to be very upscale housing and retail.

For foot traffic type places, you need to look elsewhere.

lmm is quite right...while the residential neighborhoods of Buckhead are securely upper-middle to upper class, the commercial, 'multi-use' area is in a major state of upheaval...my feeling is that when the dust settles, it will indeed be as 'high-end' an area as you will find in the SE area of the US...think Worth Ave, Bal Harbour, Turtle Creek, etc.
There will be 'entertainment' there, but it won't be anything like what was there 5 years ago.

[ramblinwreck17]

I agree with the other posters. I own a condo in one of the older building right smack in the middle of the re-development. There is a lot that has been bought out in addition to the "streets of Buckhead" which will really affect the transition once completed. Condos are as affordable as they ever will be right now so it might be a good time to buy there.

[atlantagreg30127]

It also depends on how you define "Buckhead", too. For instance, the area around the Lindbergh MARTA station is referred to as within the Buckhead area by some, and it's much more affordable than say, the Buckhead Triangle area or around Lenox Square. When I moved here in the mid-80s, Lindbergh was considered somewhat of a no-name area. It was in-between Midtown and the official Buckhead reference area. But since Buckhead has expanded and grown so much since that time, the defined area of it has grown as well, and some realtors even refer to Lindbergh as "South Buckhead".

[Miami305Kid]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

lmm is quite right...while the residential neighborhoods of Buckhead are securely upper-middle to upper class, the commercial, 'multi-use' area is in a major state of upheaval...my feeling is that when the dust settles, it will indeed be as 'high-end' an area as you will find in the SE area of the US...think Worth Ave, Bal Harbour, Turtle Creek, etc.
There will be 'entertainment' there, but it won't be anything like what was there 5 years ago.

why are taking away the entertainment? Don't they realize that is one of Buckhead's major appeals?

[ramblinwreck17]

Originally Posted by Miami305Kid

why are taking away the entertainment? Don't they realize that is one of Buckhead's major appeals?

It's all about the $$$. Tearing down the old (and recognized) institutions of the area and replacing them with high end retail and residence.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by Miami305Kid

why are taking away the entertainment? Don't they realize that is one of Buckhead's major appeals?

Locals and TPTB weren't too crazy about the kind of entertainment that had insinuated itself into the CBD.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Locals and TPTB weren't too crazy about the kind of entertainment that had insinuated itself into the CBD.

People were having too much fun. Gotta stop that immediately.

[masonbarge]

"Buckhead" has one rather strict definition, and another looser definition. The strict definition is rather small. I'd define it as the neighborhoods directly adjacent to the intersection of East/West Paces Ferry Road, Roswell Road, and Peachtree.

Realtors (and sometimes inhabitants) have a habit of pushing the boundaries of any desirable neighborhood name as far out as possible. There really isn't a sharp, bright-line border like there is for, say, Brookwood Hills or Ansley Park. (And even with Ansley, you will see houses advertised as "Ansley Park" that are in an adjacent neighborhood such as Piedmont Heights.)

Anyway, the smaller Buckhead, for example, is bounded on the south by West Wesley Road -- "Buckhead starts at the Cathedral (of St. Phillip)" is something I heard in a speech just a couple of days ago.

The larger Buckhead goes as far south as Brookwood Station.

Even in the strict sense, there are currently houses in Buckhead affordable by the middle class. Actually, rather than use the term "middle class", which is going to cause semantic disagreements, I'll just say that there are a fair number of 2-3 bedroom single family houses in the $500,000 range.

In the larger Buckhead area, you could get a decent smaller house in a nice neighborhood for maybe $400,000. I'd call this the upper end of "middle middle" class housing; others might disagree.