Here now, it's a Round Two faceoff between burgeoning communities on flipsides of downtown Atlanta. Reynoldstown's nominators declared the (eventual) Beltline neighborhood kings of 2014 mojo, but another (eventual) Beltline neighborhood named West End had themselves a merry little year as well. Only you can decide who's right. This week, we're featuring two match-ups apiece on Monday and Tuesday — with the polls left open for 24 hours — and by Wednesday, only four competitors will be standing. Now, let the eliminations continue!
(2) REYNOLDSTOWN:
Surprisingly, East Atlanta made its tournament debut just this year, but Reynoldstown rained on that parade in the form of nearly 1,500 votes (of 2,882 total) — good enough to barely advance. You can't throw a rock in R-town without hitting some transformative new development, be it the new Elan complex facing the Edgewood Retail District or WonderRoot's plans for a historical (and architecturally pretty) school on Memorial Drive (which is positioning itself for an eventual makeover, too). Like its competitor today, Reynoldstown is abuzz with Beltline fever, and in many ways, it could echo recent changes in the Old Fourth Ward in coming years. Just don't call it O4WII.
(10) WEST END:
For the second year in a row, powerhouse Decatur ran into the buzz saw that is a neighborhood feeling like it's on a roll. Last year, Cabbagetown eliminated Decatur. And in 2014, the honors went to West End, which seized more than 55 percent of 1,162 votes. West End's tony residential architecture could surprise a lot of people, but its connections to the Beltline (it claims the trail's zero-mile marker, after all) and relative affordability (hello, sub-$200,000 completed renovations) are becoming better known by the day. What's more, this culturally and artistically rich neighborhood can brag about being the only place west of downtown to host an Atlanta Streets Alive festival.
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