housing

ALPHARETTA: LIVE, WORK AND PLAY TO THE FULLEST

By Geoffrey Smith Assurance Financial gsmith@assurancemortgage.com

Alpharetta is a city positioned as one of the most admired live, work and play communities in the country. And its humble leaders are still hungry for more. The city has a resident population of just over 66,500 people. During the day, more than 100,000 people come and go, working in its many expanding corporate campuses rooted in the tech and financial services industries. And in the evening, everyone gets to play in the electric nightlife buzzing up and down Old Milton Parkway from the high-end shops, bars and restaurants in Avalon, to the packed party scene on main street near City Hall. Avalon is one of the largest and most celebrated mixed-use developments built anywhere in the country over the last 10 years. It is centered around a top-notch movie theater overlooking a large open gathering area used in the summer for concerts and picnics, and in the winter for ice-skating. The east side is bookended by high-rise offices housing among other things, Microsoft’s regional headquarters, and the Hotel Avalon. The west side runs out into smaller, high-end offices and $1 millionplus homes and condos. In between are highend retail shops, restaurants and a spectacular Whole Foods. Downtown Alpharetta is a mix of the old city on one side, where old infrastructure has been smartly converted into modern restaurants and offices, and the new city on the other, which includes a newly constructed cluster of cityblock style buildings hosting restaurants, shops and residential units. Residents, daytime employees, and visitors from neighboring cities and beyond all venture to Avalon and Alpharetta’s downtown district to mingle and enjoy a night out on the town. There is a mixture of everything one could want, from a high-end restaurant like Rumi’s Kitchen in Avalon, to the downtown hangout Truck & Tap which boasts a large beer collection and a different food truck every night serving up the goods out back. Alpharetta was one of the first suburban cities in the country to fully incorporate fiber-optic cables into its standard infrastructure. Laying miles of cable along Old Milton Parkway and Windward Parkway back in the 1990’s, Alpharetta was then thought of as the most connected city in the country. And out of those cables sprouted headquarters, regional headquarters and data centers of some of the largest tech companies in the world. As the needs of employees changed, these campuses have morphed over time where some of them

also include their own dining halls, workout centers and spas. And all take advantage of being close to Avalon and the city center. Since Alpharetta leapt onto the high-end home scene years ago after the development of Georgia’s first gated community, Country Club of the South, the city is now awash in gated golf communities, swim and tennis communities and more dense condos and high-end apartments. The city today boasts just about any style of living you might be looking for. And if you are looking to get active, Alpharetta has that too. The City’s Big Creek Greenway runs along Big Creek and is a paved, multi-use trail spanning the entire city connecting south into trails in Roswell, and north into trails in Forsyth County. And it is in the process of building out its Alpha Loop, a multi-use trail that will run throughout the city, connecting downtown, to Avalon, to the business districts and to the Big Creek Greenway. The Recreation and Park’s Department award-winning facilities for youth sports are complimented by the Wills Park Equestrian Center, which hosts regional and national horse competitions. It is currently undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation to attract some of the country’s top events. Also under a renovation of sorts, is the North Point Mall area. As shoppers preferences have turned more toward outdoor gathering places like Avalon, the city has worked closely with the mall owners and surrounding property owners to repurpose the area. Once seen as a place for high-end shopping with some Class A office centers, the area is being transformed to also include a much larger residential component. The mall is being converted to include apartments and offices, whose residents will in turn visit the retail stores in and around it. The city has plans for more multi-use trails to make it easier for residents to walk and bike throughout the area. Alpharetta’s leaders have proven that they are not resting on their laurels and are always looking for way to improve. At the Alpharetta Business Association’s annual State of the City breakfast, Mayor Jim Gilvin talked about initiatives like realigning the city’s Economic Development Department with the Community Development Department “Because the two go hand-in-hand.” He talked about intersection improvements, road widenings and a new bond referendum that passed and will open up millions of dollars to capital improvement projects throughout the city. Alpharetta is a city where you can live, work and play to the fullest. And whose leaders are humbly focused on keeping it that way.

EXCEPTIONAL REAL ESTATE FOR EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE.

SERVING ALPHARETTA, JOHN’S CREEK MILTON AND ROSWELL

TRACY MORTON

C: 404-784-6970 | O: 678-461-8700 Tracy.Morton@HarryNorman.com

Parkway At Avalon - North Fulton 11800 Amber Park Drive #100 Alpharetta, GA 30009

The above information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted. Offer subject to errors, changes, omissions, prior sales and withdrawals without notice. Equal Housing Opportunity.