Discovering the Atlanta BeltLine

If you’re not involved with the Art on the BeltLine project, an avid runner, a walker of dogs or someone looking for a good night’s sleep, you might have missed out on all of the progress that’s been happening on the Atlanta BeltLine over the last few years. It’s also possible that you have no idea what I’m talking about. Don’t worry. You’re not alone.

Only a few months ago did the trail where an abandoned railroad line once carry freight through our city pique my own interest. A surprisingly warm afternoon in February, just a month after Atlanta’s snowpocalypse, I found myself out wandering around Ponce with some friends looking for some geocaches. Luckily, our urban exploration led us to a BeltLine entrance on its northeast corridor behind Paris On Ponce. I’ve been driving by City Hall East everyday for the better part of a decade and I too was clueless about the 22 mile loop that intersects a road I use multiple times a day.

Initially, we were just going to cross the bridge over North Ave. and turn around, but our curiosity got the better of us and we ended up following Atlanta’s own yellow brick road all the way to N. Highland Avenue. From the art installation to the graffiti to the overall amazement that something this big was sitting right under our noses, I was compelled to dig deeper.

Most people that have been following the progress of the BeltLine are familiar with the $2.8 billion redevelopment plan to build parks, multi-use trails, affordable housing and eventually transit to connect 45 different neighborhoods inside the I-285 perimeter. Though I’m interested in what the BeltLine will become and how it will affect the growth of Atlanta, I was also interested in what the old railroad line is in it’s current state.

Purge ATL Atlanta BeltLine Series
Part 1 of 3

Photo Credit: Tim Song