Where to live now in Atlanta 2018

Cascade

Photograph by Caroline C. Kilgore. Listing agent: Regina Crothers, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate

Anyone who mentions “Cascade” could be broadly referring to a number of Southwest Atlanta neighborhoods where the housing styles vary as much as the terrain rolls. About 15 minutes from downtown, Cascade more specifically encompasses Cascade Heights, Beecher Hills, Audubon Forest, Adams Park, Venetian Hills, and other communities bisected by main drag Cascade Road and roughly bordered by Interstates 20 and 285. The area offers an abundance of recreational options and home prices generally cheaper than the just-OTP, gated subdivisions on this side of town.

Younger homebuyers priced out of high-demand, low-supply neighborhoods have been setting their sights more frequently on Cascade’s character-rich, older housing stock, which includes 1940s bungalows reminiscent of Virginia-Highland, or ’60s-era rambling ranches similar to Garden Hills and sections of Sandy Springs. Residents have included sports and political icons and other movers and shakers (Hank Aaron, Andrew Young, John Lewis, Shirley Franklin) who proudly call Cascade home.

Homes

Property values have climbed. Midcentury ranches are being snatched up, renovated, and quickly sold in the $350,000 range. Pockets of newer, affluent housing include Veltre Estates (circa 2006) and the Cascades subdivision (1999), with prices starting at $375,000.

Who lives here?

Cascade has been predominantly black for decades. However, young professionals of all heritages, hungry for charming ITP homes on low-maintenance lots, are now lending more diversity.

Pros

Spanning 135 acres of old-growth forest, the Cascade Springs Nature Preserve has an extensive trail system. Other outdoor options include the John A. White and Alfred Tup Holmes golf courses and the multi-use Lionel Hampton Trail, not far from Cascade’s commercial core. There, find an array of dining options—including the Beautiful Restaurant, a landmark—and a forthcoming mixed-use project called the Point at Cascade.

Con

Veteran real estate agents say many Cascade families opt for private schools.

Resident review

“You can simply go to the grocery store, and you’ll see the changes that are taking place within the community. You’ll witness the diversity.”

— Melanie Boyd, a longtime Cascade resident and Coldwell Banker LC Realtor who’s sold homes in the area for nearly 30 years

Vital stats

Crime (Annual odds of becoming a victim in the Benjamin E. Mays Drive/Tuckawanna Drive neighborhood as defined by NeighborhoodScout.com)
Violent crime: 1 in 171
Property crime: 1 in 34

Georgia School Grade
Benjamin E. Mays High School: D

Crime ratings by NeighborhoodScout.com are based on data collected from more than 18,000 local law enforcement agencies and coded by location. NeighborhoodScout.com is the most widely used neighborhood search engine in the world. It is owned by Location Inc., a leading builder and source of location-based data and tools for businesses and consumers nationwide. NeighborhoodScout areas are based on Census tracts and don’t always exactly mirror neighborhood boundaries.

School grades were provided by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. The office’s Georgia School Grades Reports include “A-F letter grades based on school performance and other useful information about the school, such as performance on statewide assessments, the makeup of the school’s student body, the graduation rate, and additional academic information.” schoolgrades.georgia.gov

This article originally appeared in our February 2018 issue.