Atlanta Leads the Nation in Affordable Living
By Laura Newsome
Over the next 25 years, Atlanta will redefine itself as a city with a population of seven million strong. Spurred on by one of the nation’s most diverse and fastest growing economies, Atlanta’s bright future will be shared by working families, young professionals and Baby Boomer retirees alike. With a population as diverse as its growing economy, city dwellers of all ages, backgrounds and regional persuasions are trading in their tiny apartments and cramped condos for Southern sunshine and Atlanta’s resounding promise of affordable housing.
Whether it be a Midtown loft with a skyline view, or a Craftsman home with a wide open porch, many transplants are finding they can stay true to their original ideals and still save money on their housing payments, taxes and just about everything else for sale in the Atlanta area.
“I would say we offer a great quality of life,” says Lewis Glenn, president of Harry Norman Realtors. “Our cost of living and cost of housing is affordable, and we have a lot of diversity and a pro business atmosphere.” With an abundance of successful industries, from telecommunications and hospitality to finance, biotechnology and entertainment, an increasingly diverse and talented labor pool continues to make the move to Atlanta, confident they will find success in the city’s promising business atmosphere.
Although it’s unclear which came first, Atlanta’s thriving business community and the city’s affordable housing market have grown almost in tandem since the early 1990s, with this year’s new job outlook expected somewhere between 60,000 and 70,000. Home to 17 Fortune 500 companies, big businesses continue to relocate their headquarters and employees to Atlanta because of its excellent quality of life, of which low-cost living is a major selling point.
“When we make relocation presentations to companies thinking about moving here, we don’t sell our company, we sell our city,” says Glenn. “A lot of what they are looking at is being able to provide good housing for their employees.”
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