The Curbed Cup, our annual award for Atlanta’s “Neighborhood of the Year,” kicked off last week with 16 neighborhoods vying for the prestigious (fake) trophy. Now it’s time for Elite Eight action! (Seeding from 1 to 16 was determined by reader nominations this month). Polls will be open for 24 hours, so let the eliminations resume!

Westview (1)

Tournament newcomer Westview has been on a roll thus far, capturing nearly twice as many nominations as any other neighborhood en route to a No. 1 seed—and possibly the Curbed Cup’s everlasting renown.

In opening-round action, Westview booted another newbie, Upper Westside, but dispatching a proven tourney veteran (and 2014 Curbed Cup holder) like Reynoldstown might not be so easy. Both neighborhoods are recent recipients of Atlanta Beltline trails—as the Westside Trial was finished and Eastside Trail extended this year—and close-knit Westview has shined on the retail front, too (Eater Atlanta declared Greens & Gravy its eighth hottest restaurant in the city last month, and more offerings by local proprietors are in the works).

Westview has made great strides toward stability and true vibrancy since recession-era doldrums left it pockmarked with empty homes. And while that means prices are escalating, Westview of 2017 proved that a sharp, renovated house can still be had in a historic intown community for the $200,000s.

Reynoldstown (9)

Reynoldstown’s long-held hopes of becoming a Beltline neighborhood were finally realized in 2017, and while the newest Eastside Trail segment is still nascent and sometimes downright quiet, it has allowed homeowners who bet big on R-town in recent years to breathe a sigh of relief.

Keller Williams

Elsewhere in 2017, a painted, historic train depot trigger the opposite of relief sighs, but then delivered two fine new dining establishments in Muchacho and Golden Eagle. Across the street, Fuqua Development’s efforts for a $250-million mini-city called Madison Yards surged forward (with a planned Publix and AMC Theatre, among much more), as the nearby Atlanta Dairies project by Paces Properties finally got going.

On the residential front, inventive duplexes continued to sprout throughout R-town this year, many in the urban farmhouse or modern style. The Reynoldstown Row townhome venture entered the home stretch and quickly sold units in 2017, while on the cheaper side of things, the Moda project unveiled rare condos that’ll start in the low $200,00s.

Whether all of that translates to “Neighborhood of the Year” status, in the eyes of Atlanta voters, remains to be seen.