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

Old Fourth Ward (2)

The second Final Four matchup pits two tourney veterans—both Curbed Cup holders—in a heated quest for the almost-glory that is The Finals.

As with every year since about 2011, Old Fourth Ward is riding a ton of momentum on the development front in 2017, spanning from new townhome crops west of Boulevard, to a fresh Beltline leg bordering Inman Park, and an innovative dog park/bar concept that would devour a blighted lot but has apparently stalled. And the neighborhood’s list of potentially game-changing proposals—from Ponce City Market’s second phase to New City’s redo of the park-bordering, former Georgia Power site—continues to grow. Plus, the O4W got ice-skating this year.

All of this could help explain how Old Fourth Ward was able to defeat booming Midtown and tourney stalwart Kirkwood in earlier rounds, earning this face-off with the formidable competitor that is West End.

West End (11)

Back in 2015, West End smashed voting records en route to becoming the only non-eastside neighborhood to hoist Atlanta’s Curbed Cup to date.

Mimi Erickson

Now, could the home of #westendbestend pride make history by becoming the first Atlanta neighborhood to bag the coveted fake trophy twice?

Signs toward repeat glory are pointing in West End’s favor thus far. This recent recipient of the Beltline’s Westside Trail (and popular Lean Draft House) booted reigning champ East Atlanta in Round 1 action, then put a 62-percent hurting on perennially strong performer Chamblee.

This year, beautifully renovated older housing stock in West End continued to be a commodity, though some of it moved at prices that stoked gentrification concerns. (The Old Fourth Ward also came under rising-rent scrutiny by national media in 2017).

But the Beltline’s West End arrival, triggering the Lee+White complex with Monday Night Brewing and other adaptive-reuse plans, was a cause for celebration, by and large.