Summerhill

From Turner Field to Georgia State: How Summerhill Got Here

Summerhill is one of Atlanta’s oldest neighborhoods, established in the 1880s as a working-class community just south of downtown. For decades it was the center of Black civic and commercial life on the southside. Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run at the stadium that anchored the northern edge. When the Braves left for Cobb County in 2016 and the Olympic-era Turner Field went dark, a lot of people assumed Summerhill would stall out. The opposite happened. Georgia State University bought the stadium and built a campus around it. The Carter development brought mixed-use retail, restaurants, and hundreds of new housing units to Georgia Avenue. Five years ago that stretch was quiet. Now you’ve got Wood’s Chapel BBQ smoking brisket, Junior’s slinging slices, and Eventide pouring beer all within a few blocks of each other.

What makes Summerhill different from the neighborhoods north of I-20 is that the investment here is still early enough to feel like it’s building toward something, not already peaked. Longtime residents are part of that conversation. Community land trusts and affordable housing covenants are woven into several of the newer projects.

Housing Stock: What’s Actually on the Market

The original housing is small-lot bungalows and shotgun-style homes from the early 1900s. A handful are still in original condition, trading in the $280K-$350K range. These are gut-job candidates: old wiring, single-pane windows, uneven foundations. If you want to put sweat equity into a 1,200-square-foot bungalow, they exist, but they go fast.

The bulk of current inventory is new construction townhomes. Three-story plans with rooftop decks, garages, and modern finishes start around $400K and climb past $600K. You’ll also find apartments and condos in the mixed-use buildings along Georgia Avenue.

Price Tiers: What Your Budget Gets You

Under $350K: An original bungalow that needs a full renovation. Expect 900-1,200 square feet, a small lot, and a to-do list measured in months. These are increasingly rare.

$400K-$550K: A new construction townhome with 1,400-1,800 square feet, three bedrooms, a rooftop deck, and a garage. This is where most buyers land. You’ll get clean finishes and modern systems but tighter lot lines and shared walls.

$550K-$700K: Larger townhome floorplans or end units with more natural light and slightly bigger footprints. Some have four bedrooms or upgraded finishes: quartz, hardwood throughout, built-in storage. A few standalone new builds hit this range too.

Schools in the Area

Summerhill is served by Atlanta Public Schools. D.H. Stanton Elementary and Parkside Elementary are the closest APS options. Charter schools including KIPP South Fulton and Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School also serve the area. If you’re buying with kids, check the latest APS zoning maps. They’ve changed more than once in the past five years.

Getting Around: MARTA, Bikes, and Drive Times

Georgia State MARTA station is roughly a mile north, making it realistic for daily commuting if you work downtown or along the east-west rail line. The 21 bus runs along Capitol Avenue and connects to Five Points. Driving downtown takes about 10 minutes, and Midtown is 15-20 minutes depending on traffic.

The SE Beltline Southside Trail runs through the western edge of the neighborhood, linking you to Grant Park heading east and Peoplestown heading south. Sections are still under construction, but what’s open is already heavily used by runners, cyclists, and dog walkers. Bike infrastructure beyond the trail is mixed. Boulevard and Capitol Avenue have marked lanes in spots but aren’t comfortable for casual riders.

What’s Changing Right Now

The Carter development isn’t done. Additional retail and residential phases are still rolling out along Georgia Avenue, and Georgia State continues to expand with student housing and academic buildings. South of Georgia Avenue, the character shifts quickly to smaller-scale residential. That transition zone is where the most interesting buying opportunities are, with original homes on streets that haven’t seen heavy development yet but sit within walking distance of everything new.

The Real Tradeoffs

On Georgia State game days, the stadium crowd floods into the neighborhood. That means traffic, noise, and packed restaurants on fall Saturdays. If you love college football atmosphere, that’s a feature. If you want quiet weekends, it’s a serious consideration.

Grocery access is limited. There’s no full-service grocery store in Summerhill proper. Most people drive to Kroger on Moreland or the options in Grant Park. This has been a consistent complaint for years, and while there’s been talk of a grocery anchor in one of the mixed-use projects, nothing has materialized yet.

Property crime is higher than the intown average, though it has improved as density and foot traffic have increased along Georgia Avenue. Construction disruption is ongoing and will be for the next several years. If you move here now, you’re buying into the trajectory, not a finished product.

Where to Focus Your Search

The blocks along and just south of Georgia Avenue offer the best walkability. You can get to restaurants, the trail, and the stadium on foot. If you want more of a traditional residential feel, look at the streets between Connally Street and Martin Street, where original bungalows sit on slightly larger lots and the pace is slower. Fraser Street and Richardson Street have some of the best tree canopy left in the neighborhood. For new construction, the townhome clusters closest to the Carter development hold value best because of proximity to the commercial activity.

Data sources: Zillow, Redfin, Walk Score. Prices reflect 2025 market conditions and are subject to change.