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Who has Atlanta's highest Walk Scores?

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The greenest homes are not just energy-efficient, they're location-efficient meaning they will be found in neighborhoods with stores and amenities within walking distance.

Buying a house in a walkable neighborhood is not only good for the environment, it's good for your health [burn calories not fossil fuels, baby!]. And the community and local economy where you live benefit, too. It also may be good for the resale value of your home. According to the National Association of Realtors, “Buyers want it all within walking distance. The next hot market could be homes in walkable neighborhoods.”

Walk Score is a righteous new Internet mapping tool that helps buyers and real estate agents find homes in walkable neighborhoods by showing a map of what's nearby and calculating a Walk Score for any property.

So I wanted to explore where high-scoring walkable neighborhoods in Atlanta are found through a little competition amongst my site visitors. To make it worth your while, the site visitor with the highest Walk Score gets a $50 cash prize.

Here's how we roll stroll:

  • Visit WalkScore.com and input your home address. Calculate your Walk Score and post it with your address in a reader comment to this post [click the "Post a comment" link below].
  • Homeowner with the highest Walk Score is the winner and gets extra greenbacks this Christmas.
  • Homeowners within 1/2 mile of a MARTA Station get 10 points added to their Walk Score.
  • Winner must be the legal owner of record for the home they submit.
  • Winning address must be a legal non-commercial residence able to receive mail from the US postal service, because that's where I'm snail-mailing the check.
  • Refer visitors to the competition and, if you refer the winner to the site, you will receive a $25 cash prize.
  • You receive the $25 referral fee if winner will confirm that you referred him/her.
  • In the event of a tie score, the home with the most stores and amenities under one mile wins.
  • If there is a tie on stores, amenities and score, the participant who posted the earliest wins, so post today!
  • Post your results by Dec. 20, 2007.
  • All decisions are final.

Walk On, Brothers and Sisters!

Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at 06:24PM by Registered CommenterBurke Sisco in | Comments8 Comments

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Reader Comments (8)

Hi Burke,

Our walk score for our house in Clarkston is 58. Add 10 points for Marta and we come up with 68! Not bad I'd say.

Hope your family is well.

Georgia
November 29, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterGeorgia Rowswell
Georgia -

Your home is close to the Clarkston bike path, too. Future versions of Walk Score promise to factor proximity to bike paths for higher ratings.

Thanks for sharing. So far you're the uncontested lead in the race for the cash!
November 29, 2007 | Registered CommenterBurke Sisco
Yeah! I got a 66 (probably because of the new complext at Sidney Marcus & Piedmont) plus Lindbergh is just at a 1/2 mile - I think a 76 is rather admirable, don't you!?!?

-Kevin
November 29, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterKevin
Hey Burke,
I like your site content.My walk score is only 42. and I am right in the middle of Decatur. I am surely 10 minutes from the East Lake MARTA (I walked there last week). I have also walked to the library in downtown Decatur, to eat dinner at several restaurants, and to the hardware store more than once.
Let's compare EcoBroker notes sometime when you are in town. I got my designation last month.
November 30, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterChris
Chris -

I find it surprising that your score isn't higher. Decatur is, without a doubt, one of the most walkable communities in the metro Atlanta area.

Congrats on joining the EcoBroker ranks.I think your timing is excellent. I got my certification a little over a year ago. 2007 has been a tipping point for green lifestyles with a growing awareness every month. I'm now averaging one contact a day from potential clients looking for a greener home.
November 30, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterBurke Sisco
Burke,

This is a pretty cool thing you are doing. When I bought my house in 2001 I was specifically looking for a part of town where I could walk to the grocery store, restaurants, bars, etc. It looks like I found it! My walk score is 94. I live in Poncey Highland.

While I am more than a half mile from a MARTA station, I am a half mile from the BeltLine. Does that count?
December 1, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterRob Brawner
Rob -

Wow. 94 is a great score. According to WalkScore.com, you live in walker's paradise.

I don't know about bonus points for proximity to the BeltLine since it's not active, yet. Perhaps a partial credit?

Anyone else have an opinion?
December 1, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterBurke Sisco
My house got a 69. I live less than 1/2 mile from the Arts Center Station, so my combined score is 79. Convenient pedestrian access to destiantions is the reason I chose to live in this neighborhood in the late 70's -- and for the past 10 years, the number of accessible destinations is increasing every year.
December 5, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterSally Flocks

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