Living on the Edge – Development Areas in Metro Atlanta

The city of Atlanta has a relatively small physical footprint. It covers only 339 square kilometers (131 square miles), and its population is near 420,000, making it the 39th-largest central city in the United States.

Yet Atlanta’s metropolitan area, which is the eighth-largest in the United States with nearly 5 million people, is a hotbed of growth. Metro Atlanta now covers 28 counties and 140 municipalities. Atlanta’s growth in the 1990s outpaced all major metropolitan areas except Phoenix, Ariz. All of this growth means there is significant development throughout Metro Atlanta: offices, retail, multi-family housing, light industry and warehousing and distribution centers.

Metro Atlanta’s development is concentrated around its well-developed highway network. Atlanta is circled by I-285, an interstate highway known as the Perimeter that enables intercity automobile and truck traffic to bypass the downtown core.

The northern side of I-285, between I-85 and I-75, is frequently referred to as the Golden Triangle. It passes through parts of Doraville, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and East Cobb County, which has long been a major development area for large office projects and many retail properties.

In addition to several large regional shopping malls, led by Perimeter Mall and Cumberland Mall, the Perimeter area spanning Dunwoody and Sandy Springs is becoming the site of new communities that combine retail and restaurants with apartments, condominiums and townhomes. The nearby Dunwoody and Sandy Springs stations of MARTA, Atlanta’s subway system, connect to Buckhead, downtown Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Other major development projects are also taking place in these areas:

North Fulton – North Fulton stretches north along the Georgia 400 toll road from the Atlanta city line to Forsyth County and includes the cities of Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Milton. The North Fulton area has a population of 200,000 and includes 13,000 businesses that employ more than 160,000 people. North Fulton is home to four Fortune 500 companies and is a major operations center for 14 Fortune 1000 companies. Even with its development, the area still has land available for new offices, manufacturing and warehousing and distribution facilities.

Gwinnett County – Gwinnett County is northeast of Atlanta along I-85, the major route connecting Atlanta to Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and the Middle Atlantic states. Only 30 minutes from downtown Atlanta, Gwinnett is easily accessible to scenic Lake Lanier and the North Georgia mountain resort areas via I-985. The county is within a 90-minute drive to Athens, Ga., home of the University of Georgia, along Georgia Highway 316. One of the fastest-growing counties in the nation, Gwinnett is home to 750,000 people. Gwinnett also boasts the Mall of Georgia, the state’s largest shopping mall, three Fortune 1,000 companies and 60 major office parks.

Cobb County – Cobb County is northwest of the city along I-75, which connects Atlanta to major cities in Florida and the Midwest. It is home to 680,000 people, four Fortune 500 companies and a strong industrial base. The county is also home to Kennesaw State University, which has become one of the state’s largest universities in the last decade.

Cumming – The seat of Forsyth County, located north of Fulton County on Georgia 400, Cumming grew at a rate of 49.2 percent in the 1990s, nearly double the state’s growth rate of 26.4 percent.

Peachtree City – Located in Fayette County, just south of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Peachtree City is home to numerous major global manufacturers in a variety of industries. The Federal Aviation Agency, National Weather Service and Department of Defense also have offices in the city. One million people live within a 30-minute drive of Peachtree City, giving its businesses access to a vast labor pool.

Clayton County – At 370 square kilometers (143 square miles), Clayton County is the second-smallest county in size in a 10-county region south of Atlanta but the fifth-most populous. It provides a small-town lifestyle but is expected to grow to nearly 300,000 people by 2030. Clayton State University is Georgia’s only four-year college that also houses a regional technical institute. Clayton County is home to the Gateway Village Project, a business campus near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport with access to the I-75, I-85 and I-285 highways.

Henry County – With seven interchanges on I-75, Henry County is an ideal business development location. It is easily accessible to downtown Atlanta, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and a road network to reach Georgia’s ports in Savannah and Brunswick in addition to other fast-growing cities in the Southeast. Henry County boasts an abundance of available quality buildings and excellent incentives and cooperation from county and city governments.

< Return to the Atlanta Notes Page >

Atlanta ROI*