Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward is steeped in history, a fact that bleeds through the neighborhood’s architecture, charm, and street names. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Margaret Mitchell were both born in the neighborhood. Sears, Roebuck, & Co. housed its regional headquarters in the Old Fourth Ward for more than 50 years. Look around, and you can feel the neighborhood’s historic significance.
Living in a legendary area is cause enough for excitement and pride. But Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward neighborhood offers much more than stuff you might read about in history books. Below, we discuss seven reasons residents of AMLI Old 4th Ward, AMLI Parkside, AMLI Ponce Park and other Inman Park apartments love living in this trendy neighborhood.
Atlanta Streetcar
Between 1870 and 1950, streetcars were one of the most common and efficient means of transport in Atlanta. After a 60-year absence from the city’s streets, the streetcar is making a comeback. The Atlanta Streetcar has connected the Old Fourth Ward to downtown Atlanta since it opened in 2014. Plans to expand the network to an abandoned loop of in-town rail tracks are under way. Right now, the streetcar connects Old Fourth Ward’s MLK National Historic Site to Centennial Olympic Park. From Centennial Olympic Park, you can transfer to a MARTA bus or rail line to get almost anywhere in the city.
BeltLine
Central Park, Inman Park, Piedmont Park, and Historic Old Fourth Ward Park provide neighborhood residents with ample green space. For most outdoorsy types, the crown jewel of the neighborhood’s park network is the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail, ideal for cycling and running. This section of the BeltLine offers a relatively uninterrupted stretch of multipurpose recreational trail. It also runs past Ponce City Market and several restaurants with open-air seating, perfect for a post-workout snack.
Ponce City Market
At the core of the neighborhood’s revitalization, Ponce City Market offers an array of services to Inman Park apartment residents. Its fine dining and retail offerings also draw residents of other Atlanta neighborhoods, suburbs, and out-of-town visitors. The mixed-use development makes great use of the iconic Sears, Roebuck & Company building, which as City Hall East was underutilized from the early 90s to 2010.
Community engagement and pride
Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward has a higher-than usual concentration of residents with an infectious joie de vivre. The neighborhood’s history and beauty may contribute to the pride residents feel in Atlanta and their neighborhood, evidenced by participation in events like the Georgia Marathon. Neighborhood-sponsored festivals, including the Old Fourth Ward Arts Festival and Fire in the Fourth festival, have excellent reputations throughout Atlanta.
Local markets
The Freedom Farmers’ Market, operating year-round, draws Old Fourth Ward apartment residents to the Carter Center in droves. Regular visitors come as much for the mouthwatering, ready-to-eat meals as for the fresh, local produce. The Sweet Auburn Curb Market, which played an important role in Atlanta’s early 20th century history, now houses dozens of street stalls and food trucks.
Street art
Like Bushwick in New York and Liberdade in Sao Paolo, Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward is a dynamic street art capital. For six years, street artists from around the world have congregated in the neighborhood for the Living Walls annual conference on street art and urbanism. The conference has helped many in Atlanta develop an appreciation for the beauty street art can bring to a place.
Sunday brunch
The Old Fourth Ward has one of the tastiest brunch scenes in the city. Highland Bakery makes French toast so large and filling it’s hard not to gawk at when served. Home Grown‘s Comfy Chicken Biscuit is considered by many to be the best brunch dish in the entire city. Places like Parish, Thumbs Up Diner, and Two Urban Licks add classic brunch offerings with first-rate people watching to the mix. The neighborhood even hosts the Atlanta Brunch Festival, a celebration of the weekend pastime that has attendees indulging in Bloody Mary’s, mimosas, and decadent brunch bites from all over town.
If you weren’t already excited about visiting, moving to, or further exploring Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward, we hope you are now. We’re thrilled to have a presence in the neighborhood with our AMLI Parkside, AMLI Ponce Park, and AMLI Old 4th Ward Inman Park apartments.
What are your favorite things about living in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward neighborhood? Leave a comment below to let us know.
Like what you just read? Why not subscribe to the AMLI Blog so you don’t miss another post?
View All Posts by Jason Ernst