Two renowned southern cities – which city has the superior real estate?

The parallels between Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, N.C. are staggering. Both cities boast a healthy unemployment rate of 5.3, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with steadily growing labor forces over the last decade. Both are young cities with a median age of 35 which is 2.7 years younger than the national average.  The biggest difference is the sheer size of each city.  Charlotte is more than two times larger than Atlanta at 297 square miles compared to 132 square miles. From a real estate perspective, the Atlanta median home sales price in the month of February 2016 was $178,465, and Charlotte was just behind with $177,650 in the same month.

Where do the comparisons end? With nearly identical economies, it comes down to which city offers a better selection of real estate. Price ranges in Atlanta are more accommodating for budgets of different sizes, as opposed to a higher median sales price throughout the city. Take a look at these interactive affordability maps of Atlanta and Charlotte that shows the difference in price ranges between the two metros. Both metros have areas of higher and lower median sale prices, Atlanta offers a greater range of home prices.

While both cities have a quintessential southern appeal, Atlanta and Charlotte have developed into two very different cities. Atlanta has become more diverse with vibrant communities, and is home to a variety of real estate suitable for a wide range of people. Charlotte offers clean and quiet streets, and a more residential living style in suburban homes.

Charlotte has great real estate options near authentic local cuisine, an almost completely renovated downtown, and the nation’s second largest financial center. Raising your kids is a snap in the Queen City with attractions like Discovery Place, and neighborhoods with ideal family amenities. The area’s historic district, and famous landmarks like the Tryon Plaza and Bank of America Corporate Center, give it a stunning one-of-a-kind skyline.

Atlanta is a high-energy metro with a high concentration of business, thriving neighborhoods, and innovative city-wide projects like the Beltline – a walking, biking, and transit route that will circle the city limits. Atlanta offers what you can find in Charlotte, but also has a wealth of diversity and culture with large college campuses, and gentrified neighborhoods like Old Fourth Ward and Reynoldstown. There’s a lot of unique things to do in Atlanta, such as visiting Martin Luther King’s home, or take a tour of Coca Cola’s headquarters.

At least for the time being, Charlotte real estate doesn’t have an urban center that compares to Atlanta, but the two cities are both growing and their respective real estate markets will continue to improve. If you’re thinking of one of the other, right now Atlanta offers homebuyers interested a wide range of real estate options including great downtown and suburban living.