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First Round: (3) Midtown versus (14) Edgewood

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Today's second contest pits the cosmopolitan heart of ATL against an up-and-coming neighborhood with quick access to virtually everywhere. Voting for each Curbed Cup pairing ends 24 hours after it begins. Let the eliminations commence!

MIDTOWN:
The 30,000 residents of Atlanta's second largest business district, Midtown, will tell you it's the easiest neighborhood to live a true metropolitan existence, free of gasoline. Midtown hosts a robust dining and nightlife roster, the High Museum and the city's crown-jewel greenspace, Piedmont Park. In 2011, Creative Loafing summarized Midtown's metamorphosis as such: "Impersonal office buildings, imposing parking decks and cold asphalt arteries have given way to high-rise living and an explosion of street life ... Where once there was a wasteland, now there are great restaurants, groceries, specialty shops, townhouses, lofts and ... people." With all its walkability, Midtown can't offer much of the large living spaces and yards many Atlantans crave, and the cost of standalone houses is prohibitive, even on Midtown's fringes.

EDGEWOOD:
Hugged by Reynoldstown and Kirkwood, the neighborhood of Edgewood is an affordable, up-and-coming living option about three miles east of downtown. Which is what prompted one nominator to email: "We love it here in Edgewood!" Nearly a decade has past since the 44-acre, eponymous retail district brought intown Atlanta its first Lowe's — and a boatload of convenience. (In 2004, Jeff Fuqua likened the project to "trailblazing" as then-president of Sembler, the developer). Edgedwood's streets are home to mostly Craftsman bungalows, with a speckling of ultra-modern showplaces, likely built here for the cheap land. Some pockets of the neighborhood still feel sketchy, and the public schools, while improving, remain a deterrent for some buyers.


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