Love Decatur? Meet Avondale Estates, the Small Downtown Right Next Door

Picture a Saturday on Decatur Square: brunch at Leon’s Full Service, a walk past the old courthouse, oysters at Kimball House in the old train depot. The next morning you’re just east in Avondale Estates, browsing The Book Bird beside the Town Green while the Sunday farmers market sets up.

The question we hear most is, “I love Decatur, but can I get something like it for less?” The friend-to-friend answer: yes, but “less” may look different than you expect, and we’ll show you where.

What is it like living in Decatur?

Decatur is the small city a lot of Atlantans fall for first. Its square is the living room of the town: restaurants, shops, festivals and a MARTA station right there. Leon’s Full Service sits at 131 West Ponce de Leon Avenue, and Kimball House is inside the historic Decatur Depot at 303 East Howard Avenue.

The housing mix includes bungalows and cottages on tree-lined streets, newer infill homes, townhomes and condos near the square. Most of it is close enough to walk or bike to downtown Decatur.

What is it like living in Avondale Estates?

Avondale Estates is a small city just east of Decatur, and over the last couple of years it built a brand-new heart.

• The Town Green has an open-air pavilion and a performance stage, and it hosts a farmers market every Sunday, CBS Atlanta reported in August.
• The Dale is the new commercial development beside the Green, built by Healey Weatherholtz Properties and Fabric Developers through a partnership with the city. Tenants include The Book Bird, a bookstore, coffee shop and wine bar, and Cremalosa, which moved there in November 2025.
• Last Dance is one of the newer dinner spots in town. The Infatuation wrote in October that it “has an excellent menu that colors outside the lines.”

What’s coming to Avondale Estates?

The biggest change on the horizon is a nearly $350 million plan from Avila Real Estate and Hedgewood Homes to build hundreds of new homes, townhouses and apartments across two sites, according to the City of Avondale Estates.

• The Oak Street site covers 13 acres behind the Town Green, with homes, apartments and gardens. The city says many homes are planned with roof decks.
• The College Avenue and Maple Street site covers five acres, with apartments and cottage-style homes.
• New connections include new streets, paths and a trail system tying into the PATH Foundation’s Stone Mountain Trail.

Here’s where it stands. In May 2026, the city said the street grid had been approved through local permitting and that the next approval would be the preliminary plat, an engineered site plan showing lot sizes, building footprints and streets. The city expects about $700,000 in tax allocation district funds to go toward a stormwater feature in late 2026. A tax allocation district, or TAD, is like a city letting a project borrow against its own future tax growth to pay for public pieces such as streets and parks.

For buyers, the for-sale townhomes and cottage homes in the plan could add a new kind of option to a city that has mostly single-family houses today.

How do you get between Decatur and Avondale Estates without a car?

Here’s the hidden connector most newcomers miss: the Stone Mountain Trail. It was the PATH Foundation’s first trail, built to link Olympic venues before the 1996 Games, and today it runs 19 miles from Centennial Olympic Park downtown to Stone Mountain Park, according to the PATH Foundation.

Through Decatur, it becomes a side path running along the railroad, then turns into a rails-to-trails greenway heading east into Clarkston, the PATH Foundation says. Avondale MARTA is one of its main access points. That means you can walk or bike from one downtown to the other.

Decatur adds a few connectors of its own, according to Visit Decatur:

• The Decatur PATH includes the Commerce Drive Cycle Track and runs from Church Street to West Howard Avenue, just past Decatur High School.
• The East Decatur Greenway borders the east side of Legacy Park, running from the Avondale MARTA station to South Columbia Drive. The PATH Foundation lists it at 1.22 miles.

The trail could matter even more over time. DeKalb County has started a Stone Mountain Trail Master Plan focused on the stretch from near Avondale Estates’ downtown and MARTA station east to Stone Mountain Park, Urbanize Atlanta reported, with goals like spur trails and more people-focused spaces along the path. Treat it as a long-range plan for now.

What that means in real life: a home within a few blocks of the trail could put both downtowns, two MARTA stations and a 19-mile greenway within reach on foot. We’ll map that walk for any home you’re considering. It’s an easy way to compare two houses.

Is Avondale Estates cheaper than Decatur?

Not on the typical sale right now. Here’s the snapshot for the three months ending September 2026, from Redfin:

What that means in real life:

• Both small cities hold their value in buyers’ eyes. Avondale Estates homes sold in about 30 days and Decatur homes in about 48, so being ready matters in both.
• “Something like Decatur for less” is still possible. It usually means a smaller home, a townhome, or a street just outside either city’s limits with easy access to both downtowns. DeKalb County’s median sits far below either city.
• New for-sale homes may widen the choices. The townhomes and cottages planned in Avondale could give buyers a new entry point once they’re built.

What surprises people about buying in Decatur?

A “Decatur” mailing address isn’t always the City of Decatur. Many homes in unincorporated DeKalb County have a Decatur address but sit outside the city limits. That changes property taxes, city services and, in many cases, the school district. The way forward: this is also where a lot of the savings live. We confirm the exact jurisdiction on every address before you write an offer, and for school assignment we’ll point you to the district’s own lookup tool so you can confirm it yourself.

Who do Decatur and Avondale Estates fit best?

• People who want a walkable small-town downtown inside the Perimeter. Both cities give you a square or green you can stroll to.
• First-time buyers open to a townhome or smaller house. It can be the most realistic way into these cities.
• People who want MARTA nearby. Both cities have their own MARTA rail station.

Smart ways to shop Decatur and Avondale Estates

• Get your financing ready first. With homes selling in 30 to 48 days, a strong pre-approval helps you move calmly. Georgia buyers can also look at state programs; our plain-English guide to the Georgia Dream program explains how it works.
• See what help you qualify for. Use our down payment assistance finder to see which programs may fit your income and price range.
• Look just past the city lines. Streets with a Decatur address in unincorporated DeKalb can offer similar character for less. We’ll show you the trade-offs, street by street.
• Watch the Oak Street plan. When the new townhomes and cottages are approved, being an early, prepared buyer could help. Our guide to buying with Ju Sells ATL shows how we plan for that.

Questions people ask

What this means for you

If you love Decatur, Avondale Estates offers the same small-downtown feeling with a brand-new town center, and both cities are holding steady with buyers. The savings you’re hoping for may come from a townhome, a smaller house or a street just outside either city line. With hundreds of new homes planned behind the Avondale Town Green, the choices here could grow in the next few years.

If you’re curious which street, which home type and which budget make sense for you, reach out to Julian at Ju Sells ATL and let’s start the conversation.