Suburban Renters Flocked to Atlanta During the Pandemic

The city's comparatively affordable rents and low unemployment rate have attracted new residents during a year when many big cities saw their population growth slow.

1 minute read

April 28, 2021, 6:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Aerial view of Atlanta BeltLine greenway with multistory buildings one ither side

Aerial Stock Footage / Adobe Stock

Unlike the big cities that saw an exodus of residents seeking lower housing costs during the pandemic, the city of Atlanta experienced a major spike in in-movers, according to a mobility report by StorageCafé. Writing in Urbanize Atlanta, Josh Green reports that 2020 sales "smashed records for Georgia MLS, with more recent trends showing the metro Atlanta market still on fire."

The most common out-of-state renters moved from New York City, Chicago, and Charlotte. "Now a study suggests that renting activity in the City of Atlanta spiked over 2019 levels once the lockdown months subsided—and that the majority of new renters in the city [64 percent] actually came from the suburbs." Atlanta proves an attractive market for millennials, who made up 57 percent of new renters. 

A recent Today show report named Atlanta one of its "top 10 cities to live in after the pandemic." Stefani Berkin, president of R New York and author of the report, "hails the Peach State capital as a prime launchpad for startups, a haven for corporate headquarters," and praises the city's Beltline as "a national beacon for equitable, inclusive, and sustainable city life."

Tuesday, April 20, 2021 in Urbanize Atlanta

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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