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The Story of Midtown

Sep 21, 2020

The Midtown Atlanta of today is a pleasant, percolating blend of residences and businesses, culture and retail, hotels and restaurants, greenspaces and high-rise power plays, all connected by shaded walks and bike paths, with trees along the way. The success of having the middle of one of the world’s most broad-shouldered and enterprising cities turn out like this represents an astounding achievement. It just doesn’t go this well everywhere.

Anyone who’s traveled widely, whether for business or family or pleasure, can testify that the core of a bustling city, though it might contain career opportunities, is not very likely to be an attractive place to live. That’s got to change, because the talent that drives today’s economy doesn’t compromise on quality of life as readily as generations past. Thankfully, Atlanta has no need to catch up to this trend, because the live-work-play community we see in Midtown today has been planned, prepared, and provide-for, for more than 40 years.

Inventing What a City Should Mean

It was a beginning of sorts, or maybe a re-birth that inspired this decades-long initiative. The buzz began on college campuses across the nation in the mid-70s – there was something suddenly cool about living in Atlanta. Careers were taking off there. And from within that youthful awakening, a fearless few glimpsed the opportunity to rediscover city living as a standard of sophistication and success to rival and balance the suburbs. 

Since then, creating a livable, loveable, commercial and residential community has been the full-time job of the Midtown Alliance, the non-profit, membership organization formed in 1978 by a coalition of Atlanta business and community leaders. The success of their vision and diligence is all around the fortunate folks who choose condos in Midtown today. And the value of Midtown Atlanta real estate has been driven in no small part by their efforts.

A Viable Alternative to the Suburbs

At the time the Alliance was formed, a midcentury, suburban trend was already two decades old. In Atlanta, there flourished a standard for single-family homes so attractive that its porches, lawns, and pools magnetized young executives. Corporate headquarters in New York, L.A., and Chicago knew well that when you transferred a rising corporate star to Atlanta, you’d better be ready for him or her to stay there, because leaving was rarely an option once they’d tasted Atlanta living and the value of property here.

Luxury condos have since then replaced those mini-mansions as the magnets for rising stars of the digital economy. Creating an environment where condos are embraced in pedestrian and bike-friendly streetscapes, canopied by trees, and connected to every form of recreation and renewal, indoors or outdoors, this is the triumph of Midtown.

The Sheer Relevance of Midtown

The master plan that set these visions in motion is now in its third generation. Blueprint Midtown III is the owners’ manual for the live, learn, work, and play community that emerged. It’s been said that the biggest difference between Blueprint Midtown and other cities’ master plans is that this one got implemented. Among its accomplishments was the largest rezoning in the city’s history, and more than $6 billion in new investment.

The quality of life in Midtown has attracted people who continue inventing the 21st century. If you’re interested in the energy and direction of the future, we’d like to discuss that. For more information on how to own at 40 West 12th, visit https://40west12th.com/contact/ or contact us at 404.347.3838.