Who Lives in Atlanta? A Local Guide to the People Who Call the City Home

Atlanta isn’t just a place on a map—it’s a fast-growing, diverse, and constantly changing city. When people ask “Who lives in Atlanta?” they usually want to understand what kind of community they’re joining, visiting, or doing business in.

Below is a clear, locally grounded look at who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, what neighborhoods are like, and how the city’s people shape everyday life.

Atlanta at a Glance: A Big City With Many “Small Towns”

Atlanta is known for being:

• Racially and culturally diverse
• A major center for Black culture and leadership
• A hub for transplants from all over the U.S. and the world
• Home to students, professionals, families, and retirees

Inside the City of Atlanta alone, you’ll find everything from historic single-family neighborhoods to luxury high-rise condo corridors, and from long-time residents to newcomers who just moved in for a job or school.

The People Who Call Atlanta Home

Longtime Atlantans

Many residents have deep roots in the city:

• Families who have lived in Southwest Atlanta, West End, Cascade, or Kirkwood for generations
• Homeowners who remember Atlanta before the major growth in Midtown, Buckhead, and the BeltLine
• Longstanding communities with strong ties to local churches, neighborhood associations, and civic groups

These residents often carry a strong sense of neighborhood identity and local pride. If you move into one of these areas, you’ll likely see active neighborhood planning units (NPUs), block associations, and community events.

Transplants From Across the U.S.

Atlanta attracts a steady flow of new residents from:

• The Northeast (especially New York, New Jersey, and the DC area)
• The Midwest and West Coast
• Other parts of Georgia and the Southeast

People move here for:

• Jobs in tech, film, finance, and logistics
• Lower housing costs compared with some other large metros
• The busy Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which makes travel easy

You’ll especially notice transplants in areas like Midtown, Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park, Virginia-Highland, West Midtown, and Buckhead.

International Residents

Atlanta is home to a significant international population. While some large immigrant communities concentrate outside the city in places like Doraville, Chamblee, and Clarkston, the City of Atlanta itself includes:

• International students and families around Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, and Emory area
• Professionals working for global companies in Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead
• New Americans connected with consulates, international organizations, and cultural centers

You’ll see this diversity reflected in the city’s food, festivals, and places of worship throughout neighborhoods like Buford Highway corridor (just outside the city), along with many pockets of the city proper.

Atlanta’s Racial and Cultural Mix

Atlanta is widely recognized as an historic and contemporary center of Black life in America, while also being home to many other communities.

Black Atlanta

A large share of Atlanta’s residents are Black or African American, and their presence shapes the city’s identity:

• Historic Black neighborhoods such as Sweet Auburn, West End, Cascade Heights, and Adamsville
• Connections to the Civil Rights Movement, with landmarks tied to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• A strong network of Black-owned businesses, professionals, artists, and civic leaders

Visitors and newcomers often notice that leadership in politics, business, culture, and education has a strong Black presence, especially in city government and community organizations.

White, Latino, Asian, and Other Communities

Alongside Atlanta’s Black majority within the city, you’ll also find:

• White residents across the city, notably in areas such as Virginia-Highland, Morningside, parts of Buckhead, Grant Park, and newer developments along the BeltLine
• Latino communities, including residents with roots in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean; many live both inside the city and in nearby areas, working in construction, service, healthcare, logistics, and business
• Asian communities and families, including people of Indian, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and other backgrounds, particularly visible in the metro’s restaurants, shops, and professional sectors; some live in city neighborhoods, others in nearby suburbs with easy access to Atlanta

The mix varies neighborhood by neighborhood, so the Atlanta you experience in Downtown can feel very different from what you experience in Southwest Atlanta or East Atlanta Village.

Age and Life Stages: Students, Families, and Retirees

Students and Young Adults

Atlanta has a major student and young professional population, centered around:

• Georgia State University (Downtown)
• Georgia Tech (Midtown)
• The Atlanta University Center schools: Spelman College, Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University
• Professional schools and smaller colleges across the city

Students and young adults tend to live in:

• Midtown, Downtown, Home Park, West Midtown
• Near AUC in the West End and surrounding areas
• Around transit-accessible corridors like the MARTA rail lines

They often rely on MARTA, scooters, rideshare, and walking, especially in higher-density areas.

Families With Children

Many families with kids live in:

• Southwest Atlanta (Cascade, Ben Hill, Princeton Lakes)
• Westside neighborhoods going through reinvestment and change
• East Atlanta, Grant Park, Kirkwood, Reynoldstown
• Tree-lined neighborhoods like Morningside, Virginia-Highland, and parts of Buckhead

Families tend to pay more attention to:

• Local Atlanta Public Schools (APS) zoning
• Access to parks, playgrounds, and community centers
• Commute time to work in Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, or Perimeter-area offices

Empty Nesters and Retirees

Some older Atlantans stay in longtime family homes, especially in Southwest and Northwest Atlanta. Others downsize to:

• Condos in Midtown, Buckhead, and Downtown
• Townhomes near the BeltLine or close to MARTA
• Senior-oriented communities within or just outside the city

They may choose areas with easy access to healthcare centers, such as those near Emory University Hospital Midtown or Grady Memorial Hospital.

Where People Live: A Quick Neighborhood Snapshot

Here’s a simple, high-level look at who you’re likely to meet in different parts of Atlanta. These are broad tendencies, not strict rules:

*Real neighborhoods are more diverse and complex than any short description, but this gives a rough sense of patterns visitors and new residents often notice.

What People in Atlanta Do for Work

Atlanta has a broad employment base, so the people who live here work in many different fields. Common sectors include:

• Corporate and Professional Services
  Many residents work in banking, consulting, software, and corporate headquarters, especially along Peachtree Street in Midtown and Buckhead, and in nearby business districts.

• Film and Entertainment
  Actors, producers, crew members, and creative professionals live across the city, often near studios in Southwest Atlanta, East Point, and neighboring areas.

• Tech and Startups
  Tech workers and founders cluster around Midtown, West Midtown, and co-working hubs tied to Georgia Tech and the innovation corridor.

• Healthcare and Education
  Atlanta’s medical centers and universities employ a large number of doctors, nurses, staff, teachers, and researchers who live in surrounding neighborhoods.

• Logistics, Aviation, and Hospitality
  With the airport just south of the city, many Atlantans work in aviation, shipping, hotel, and tourism-related jobs, often living in South Atlanta, College Park, East Point, and nearby communities.

Renters vs. Homeowners

Within the city limits, you’ll find a mix of renters and homeowners:

• High-rent apartment and condo areas like Midtown, Buckhead, West Midtown, and Old Fourth Ward attract many young professionals and newcomers.
• Single-family neighborhoods in Southwest Atlanta, Northwest Atlanta, East Atlanta, and parts of the Westside are a mix of longtime owners, new buyers, and renters.
• Some areas are experiencing gentrification and rising prices, which affects who can afford to stay or move in. This is especially visible in neighborhoods close to the Atlanta BeltLine and major redevelopment zones.

If you’re planning to move here, it’s helpful to walk the streets at different times of day and talk to current residents to get a feel for who actually lives there and what they value.

LGBTQ+ Atlantans

Atlanta is known regionally as an LGBTQ+-friendly city, and many LGBTQ+ residents live and work in the city.

You’ll see strong LGBTQ+ communities particularly in:

• Midtown and surrounding intown neighborhoods
• Parts of the Eastside and central city areas

The city also hosts large LGBTQ+ events and has a variety of inclusive businesses and organizations. For many residents, this is a key reason they choose to live inside the city rather than far out in the suburbs.

How the City’s People Shape Daily Life

Living in Atlanta means sharing space with many different kinds of neighbors. In practice, that looks like:

• Hearing multiple languages on MARTA trains and city buses
• Seeing historical churches next to new apartments and co-working spaces
• Attending neighborhood festivals that showcase Black culture, international food, and local art
• Watching long-established communities and new arrivals navigate changes in housing, transportation, and cost of living

If you’re visiting, you’ll likely interact most with people in Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead. If you move here, your experience will depend heavily on your neighborhood—who lives in Atlanta can feel very different from block to block.

How to Learn More About the People in Your Part of Atlanta

If you already live here or are moving soon, you can better understand who lives in your area by:

• Attending your local Neighborhood Planning Unit (NPU) meetings
• Joining your neighborhood association or community Facebook / message boards
• Visiting nearby library branches, such as the Fulton County Library System locations across the city
• Talking with staff at community centers run by the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation

Main City of Atlanta assistance and information is available through:

• City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office
  55 Trinity Ave SW
  Atlanta, GA 30303
  Main information line: 404-330-6000

These local channels can give you a clearer, ground-level picture of who lives around you and how your neighborhood is changing.

In short, who lives in Atlanta is: longtime families, new arrivals from across the country and the world, students, professionals, artists, workers, and retirees, with a strong Black cultural core and growing diversity. The exact mix you encounter will depend on where you spend your time—each neighborhood tells its own version of the Atlanta story.