Virginia-Highland Real Estate

Virginia-Highland

Virginia-Highland sits on Atlanta's east side, a couple of miles north of Downtown and just east of Midtown and Piedmont Park. The neighborhood takes its name from the intersection of Virginia Avenue and North Highland Avenue, its commercial and social center. The Eastside Trail of the Atlanta BeltLine runs along the neighborhood's western edge, Ponce de Leon Avenue forms its southern boundary, and Briarcliff Road marks its eastern edge near Druid Hills. Reaching Virginia-Highland from SRA Signature Realty's Tucker office generally means heading in on Lawrenceville Highway or LaVista Road toward Ponce de Leon Avenue or North Druid Hills Road.

A Streetcar Suburb That Fought a Freeway

Most of Virginia-Highland's houses and streets were built between 1909 and 1926, as a streetcar suburb of Craftsman bungalows, English vernacular cottages, and American Foursquares. In the 1960s, the Georgia Department of Transportation proposed routing Interstate 485 directly through the neighborhood. Residents organized as the Virginia-Highland Civic Association in 1971 and successfully stopped the project, a fight remembered as an early and influential case of Atlanta neighborhood preservation. Both Virginia-Highland and its Atkins Park section are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and Atkins Park Restaurant, open since 1922, holds one of the oldest continuously issued liquor licenses in the city. In 2020, Southern Living named Virginia-Highland one of the South's best neighborhoods, citing its walkable streets and community feel.

Parks and BeltLine Access

John Howell Memorial Park, opened in 1988 on land originally cleared for the never-built freeway, and Orme Park, set along Clear Creek, give the neighborhood two distinct green spaces within walking distance of most homes. To the west, the Eastside Trail connects Virginia-Highland to Piedmont Park and the rest of the BeltLine trail network, popular for walking, running, and biking. A short walk or ride along the trail also leads to Ponce City Market, the redeveloped former Sears building that holds shops, offices, apartments, and a food hall. Along the neighborhood's streets, a partnership with Trees Atlanta has also given Virginia-Highland an informal arboretum of labeled trees. Near the neighborhood's eastern edge on Briarcliff Road, the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, housed in a historic Gothic-Tudor style mansion, and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, a short distance further southwest, round out the area's cultural offerings beyond its parks and trails.

Shops, Restaurants, and Summerfest

North Highland Avenue's small business district grew up around three former streetcar stops, Virginia Avenue, St. Charles Avenue, and Amsterdam Avenue, and mixes bookstores, home goods shops, and a wide range of restaurants and bars in low-rise storefronts. Many of these buildings retain their early twentieth-century brick and storefront details, adapted over the decades from the corner groceries and shops of the streetcar era into their current uses. Each June, the neighborhood hosts Summerfest, an arts and music festival paired with a road race that ranks among the larger art festivals in the Southeast, drawing artists, musicians, and visitors to the streets around Virginia and North Highland Avenues for the weekend.

Homes and Neighborhood Feel

Craftsman bungalows with deep front porches remain the neighborhood's signature home, often set close together on small, walkable lots shaded by mature trees, with details like tapered porch columns and multi-pane windows common throughout the older sections. English cottage and Colonial Revival homes fill in many of the side streets, and a scattering of newer construction and townhomes has been added over the years. The combination of walkable retail, nearby parks, and direct BeltLine access shapes much of daily life here, from a walk to coffee on North Highland to an evening stroll through Orme Park.

• Walk or bike the Eastside Trail toward Piedmont Park and Ponce City Market


• Browse the shops and restaurants along North Highland Avenue


• Relax at John Howell Memorial Park or Orme Park


• Have a drink at Atkins Park, open since 1922


• Join the arts, music, and road race at June's Summerfest

Frequently Asked Questions

How far is Virginia-Highland from Downtown Atlanta?

Virginia-Highland is about two to three miles north of Downtown, close enough for a short drive or a ride along the BeltLine's Eastside Trail toward Midtown.

What neighborhoods border Virginia-Highland?

Virginia-Highland borders Poncey-Highland and Midtown to the south and west, Morningside-Lenox Park to the north, and Druid Hills near its eastern edge along Briarcliff Road.

What kind of homes are typical in Virginia-Highland?

Most homes are Craftsman bungalows, English vernacular cottages, and American Foursquares built between 1909 and 1926, with some newer infill and townhomes mixed in.

Is Virginia-Highland on the Atlanta BeltLine?

The Eastside Trail runs along the neighborhood's western edge, giving direct access into Piedmont Park and toward Ponce City Market and Old Fourth Ward.

What is Virginia-Highland's Summerfest?

Summerfest is an annual arts and music festival held each June along North Highland Avenue, paired with a road race, and counted among the larger art festivals in the Southeast.