A little bit Atlanta, a little bit Decatur, Druid Hills was one of the city's first suburbs, created by Joel Hurt and backed by Coke magnate Asa Candler. Only a name that big could get Frederick Law Olmstead (of Central Park fame) to design the linear park—now on the National Register of Historic Places—that provides a shady refuge to strollers and joggers alike.

Druid Hills retains its turn-of-the-century glory through steepled churches and winding streets of historic Tudor, gothic and Georgian mansions. The neighborhood is so beautiful, the U.S. Department of the Interior dubbed it the city’s “finest example” of late-19th and early-20th-century planning and development. Perhaps it’s no surprise then that this leafy green suburb is home to prestigious institutions like the CDC and Emory University.

With so much brain power in one place, Druid Hills is one of Atlanta’s most affluent areas, boasting private schools to match. Buyers looking for something more budget-friendly than the neighborhood’s historic gems get their pick of stylish condos, townhomes and pockets of new single-family homes.

Most come for the jobs and the real estate, but stay for eats at lively Emory Village, rounds at Druid Hills Golf Club, walks at Lullwater Preserve, and visits to Fernbank Museum and the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, once home to the Candler family of founding fame.