Six reasons to love Home Park

This compact neighborhood in the heart of west Midtown remains somewhat hidden in plain sight
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Home Park
Photograph by Caroline C. Kilgore
Kathy Boehmer
Kathy Boehmer, resident and co-owner of Toscano and Sons

Illustration by Joel Kimmel

Bordered on the north by Atlantic Station and the south by ­Georgia Tech, Home Park is in the heart of west Midtown. And yet the compact neighborhood remains somewhat hidden in plain sight—well, as hidden as a neighborhood can be when it abuts a premier university and a sprawling outdoor mall and entertainment complex, and is home to both a doughnut shop and a pizzeria with cult followings. “It’s a residential area, but if you go to the right part, you have a view of a big city. It’s the best of both worlds,” says Kathy Boehmer, co-owner of Virginia-Highland’s Toscano and Sons Italian specialty market, and a resident of Home Park for nearly two decades.

Quick commutes
Two of Midtown’s main thoroughfares—10th and 14th streets—traverse Home Park, and the Connector borders it to the east. So it’s not a stretch to say Home Park is minutes from just about anywhere intown.

Atlantic Steel Home Park
Atlantic Steel, 1950

Photograph by Bill Wilson Photography/Kenan Research Center, Atlanta History Center

Community mix
Atlantic Steel closed in 1998, and today’s residents are a mix of newcomers and descendants of plant workers. Many worshipers at the Al-Farooq mosque on 14th Street live nearby, and before Friday services, the sidewalks are often filled with women in colorful hijabs.

Bright lights
Georgia Tech attracts some of the nation’s brightest innovators. It also offers some stellar views. “I love to walk there with my dog and just look at the skyline,” says Boehmer.

Stroll to shop
Home Park residents have all manner of retail within easy walking distance, thanks to nearby Atlantic Station, home to Dillard’s, Target, the Gap, H&M, Ikea, and even a Publix.

Antico
Photograph by Caroline C. Kilgore

Good Eats
Here, find two of Atlanta’s foodie destinations: Antico Pizza Napoletana, which regularly has lines out the door, and Sublime Doughnuts, which specializes in over-the-top flavors like maple bacon cheddar. Locals love Silver Skillet and Rocky Mountain Pizza Company.

Rocky Mountain Pizza
Photograph by Caroline C. Kilgore

Small scale
A tidy grid of what Boehmer calls “lots of little streets” limits infill development but not curb appeal. Find small bungalows, narrow roads that feel like alleys, and even a hidden bike path linking 10th and 14th streets. Many homes were built a century ago for workers at the Atlantic Steel plant, which stood where Atlantic Station is now.

This article originally appeared in our November 2015 issue.

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