Castleberry Hill is an Atlanta in-town neighborhood just south of Philips Arena/CNN. The actual neighborhood is larger than the area discussed in this post. Castleberry Hill is the area marked in brown on the map. The area covered in this post is the “business area” down Walker St and back up Peters Street.
Castleberry Hill is a neighborhood of a few small businesses (a law firm, hair stylists and boutique clothes); and art galleries, and loft style and brick condos. No malls, no McDonalds (or other franchise fast food places), no manicured green lawns, no “McMansions with 2 or 3 car garages, no chain retail stores, no supermarkets. In short this is not suburbia. It also is not “trendy” as defined as inside the 285 perimeter by the BMW crowd.
On first glance Castleberry Hill is a gritty place with boarded up, dilapidated buildings. The “business center” has few businesses. The Peters Street Mission gives concern as to the type of neighbors one may run into. For example, a sign on the mission door…NO ADMISSION after 7:00 p.m. UNLESS: 1) You come from the hospital with verification; 2) You just came into town and have a ticket stub verifying travel; 3) You are caught by the police and they request our help).
There are indications that crime is an issue. Threatening signage such as the proliferation of signs that say “NO GUNS, KNIVES, OR OTHER CONCEALED OR UNCONCEALED WEAPONS…” or, the menacing sign to the left do not convey a “friendly” feeling.
Then why do people choose to live in Castleberry Hill? One obvious reason is the proximity to downtown Atlanta provides a minimal commute. (The MARTA Garnett station, which is one station past Five Points is close). An interview with a recent arrival to Castleberry, Cecilia, who with her husband moved to Castleberry Hill six months ago from France provides some incite. (See below video) As can be heard on the video Cecilia sites: location; they found a “nice place to live”; “lots of art exhibitions”; and the area is “more dynamic”. In the video she does talk about crime and says that “for me I have not had a problem but for a women at night, she must be more attentive”.
Just a short walk from the abandoned and boarded up buildings there are comfortable looking loft and brick apartment/condo buildings. These apartments/condos are middle class priced. For example, 2 bed, 2 bath 1300 sq ft condos are listed at $225,000 to $300,000. Some 1 bedroom units are listed under $200,000. There are no high-rise condo or other style buildings in Castleberry Hill.
In a later video (see below) Cecilia also commented on some concerns about living in Castleberry Hill. “The walls are not perfect” (in some of the construction); “the lights on the street at night are not so bright”; “buildings are old when you go down Walker Street”; “you need to pay attention at night (commenting on crime); and while she has had no bad experience herself, “some people do talk about crime problem”.
In summary, Castleberry Hill is not for everyone. My wife and I have been to Castleberry Hill at night several times for art openings and it was a fun exciting feeling. However, in the bright daylight you do see the “warts” and “drawbacks.” A very unscientific, subjective view is that Castleberry Hill has coarsened since we last saw it (or maybe it is just seeing in the day when nothing is going on). However, I still find a strong appeal in the “Urban Chic” vibe that Castleberry Hill projects. If I were young, and single, I would put Castleberry Hill on my list of top places to consider to live in metro Atlanta. I never would consider suburban living due to its commute; and, the loft or brick style condos of Castleberry Hill have more living appeal than the steel and glass high rises you find elsewhere in the city. The clincher, however, is that in a neighborhood where you see posters for offbeat characters like “King Yoshi” or “Minette Magnifigue”, must be a fun place to live. Cecilia is right “more dynamic” is better.