Living in College Park GA: Brunch on Main Street, One Train Stop From the Airport

Picture a Saturday on the south side. You start with brunch at T’s Brunch Bar on Main Street in College Park, then drive over to Hapeville for a coffee at JPresso Café. On Wednesday evening, you swing by Eats & Beats at the East Point Farmers Market for dinner and music.

The first thing people ask about down here is the airport. The friend-to-friend answer: it’s one of the area’s biggest perks and its biggest trade-off, and we’ll help you weigh both on your exact street.

What is it like living in College Park, East Point and Hapeville?

These three small cities sit side by side around the airport, each with its own main street and personality.

• College Park. Main Street is the heart of it, with brunch spots like T’s Brunch Bar at 3699 Main Street and The Breakfast Boys at 3387 Main Street. College Park’s MARTA station sits right by downtown.
• East Point. Main Street has Eat My Biscuits at 2881 Main Street. From spring into fall, the East Point Farmers Market holds Eats & Beats on Wednesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. at Downtown Commons, 2714 East Point Street, with the season running through October.
• Hapeville. A small, walkable downtown with local spots like JPresso Café at 407 N. Central Avenue, opened by Christine Ahn in March 2020.

The housing mix includes older bungalows and cottages, mid-century ranches and newer townhomes, often with more yard for the money than you’d find closer to the city center.

How close is College Park to the Atlanta airport?

Very close. On MARTA, the airport station is the next stop south of College Park, according to MARTA. That makes College Park one of the easiest places in metro Atlanta for frequent flyers and airport workers.

The same train runs north to downtown. If you split time between the airport and the city, it’s worth a look. Our Downtown and Midtown neighborhood story covers what you’d find at the other end of the line.

What is the Gateway Center in College Park?

Here’s the hidden connector most people fly right past. Just west of the airport, College Park has built a whole campus around one free train.

The Gateway Center campus includes the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC), the Gateway Center Arena, the historic College Park Golf Course, hotels, a Class-A office building and places to eat, according to the city. The city calls the GICC Georgia’s second-largest convention center, with metro Atlanta’s largest ballroom, and “the world’s only convention center directly connected to a major airport.”

What ties it together is the ATL SkyTrain, a free two-minute ride between the campus, the airport and the airport’s rental car center, per the city.

• The arena is a 5,000-seat venue owned by the City of College Park and run by the GICC. It’s home to the College Park Skyhawks, the Atlanta Hawks’ G League team, according to the city.
• It’s fairly new. The arena opened in November 2019, REBusiness reported, with about 3,500 seats for basketball and up to 5,000 for concerts.

Think of it as a small downtown built for visitors, a few minutes from College Park’s own Main Street.

What that means for you: a city-owned arena, a convention center and hotels bring visitors, jobs and events close to home. When we look at homes here, we’ll talk about where you’d sit relative to the campus, since being close to the action and being close to event traffic go hand in hand.

Is airport noise a problem in College Park?

It can be, and it depends a lot on the street. Flight paths don’t hit every block the same way, so two homes a few minutes apart can sound very different.

The way forward:

• Visit at different times of day. Stand in the yard in the morning and the evening, when flights are frequent.
• Ask about sound insulation. Since 1984, the airport has run a Noise Compatibility Program with the FAA that includes sound insulation for some homes near the airport, according to the airport’s program information. We can help you ask whether a specific home was part of it.
• Check windows and insulation during the inspection. Upgrades can make a real difference inside.

How much do homes cost in College Park, East Point and Hapeville?

Here’s the snapshot for the three months ending September 2026, from Redfin:

What that means in real life:

• All three come in under the city median. East Point’s typical sale runs about $173,000 below the City of Atlanta’s.
• College Park homes take longer to sell. At about 96 days, buyers often have time to compare, ask questions and negotiate on price or repairs.
• East Point and Hapeville move closer to the city’s pace. Being pre-approved still helps.

Before you shop, look up down payment programs you may qualify for. In a price range like this, assistance can go a long way.

What is Six West in College Park?

Six West is a planned development on 311 acres just west of downtown College Park and its MARTA station, according to the city. It’s one of the biggest pieces of land near the airport, and the city sees it as a long-term opportunity.

Here’s where it stands: it’s planned, not underway. In June 2024, the city’s development authority (the Business and Industrial Development Authority, or BIDA) dropped its residential developer, PMG, in favor of a new one, Nysa, the AJC reported. PMG sued and won a 30-day restraining order later that month, the AJC also reported. A June 10, 2026 BIDA meeting agenda still listed a “PMG Update,” which tells us the situation hasn’t been fully settled.

What that means for you: we don’t know when Six West will start or exactly what it will become. We’d treat it as a possible long-term upside, not something to count on when you buy.

What surprises people about living near the airport?

How much time it saves. Frequent travelers can get from front door to gate faster than people living almost anywhere else in the metro.

The days on market. College Park’s long selling times can feel like a red flag. Often it just means the market is slower here, which gives buyers room to negotiate. We’ll look at why a specific home has been sitting before you make an offer.

Who do College Park, East Point and Hapeville fit best?

• First-time buyers. Prices under the city median, plus possible down payment help, can make ownership more reachable.
• Frequent flyers and airport workers. One MARTA stop to the terminal is hard to beat.
• People who want a small-city main street. Each of the three has its own downtown.

Smart ways to shop the airport cities

• Check your loan and assistance options first. Our plain-English explainer on how Georgia Dream works covers the state’s down payment program, and our answer to whether you really need 20% down covers the loan minimums.
• Use long days on market to your advantage. Ask about price, repairs or closing cost help.
• Visit at flight times. Hear the street before you commit.
• Check the event calendar. If a home is near the Gateway Center campus, look at a busy arena or convention night so you know what traffic feels like.
• Learn the steps. Our walkthrough of buying a home with Julian shows the process from pre-approval to closing.

Questions people ask

What this means for you

College Park, East Point and Hapeville give you prices below the city median, small-town main streets and unmatched access to the airport. Longer days on market, especially in College Park, can give you room to negotiate. Six West could add a lot over time, but it’s a planned project with real uncertainty, so buy for what’s there today.

If you’re curious whether the airport cities fit your budget and your routine, reach out to Julian at Ju Sells ATL and let’s start the conversation.