In most industries, offices, and families, a few select people seem to know everything before anyone else knows. Not only do they know it first, they are almost always 100% right and almost always willing to share it. I typically like to sit next to those people. And listen intently. And then I may or may not run to an empty corner and rapidly tweet out what they just said.
This list is certainly not the loudmouths of Atlanta. They aren’t the big names of gossip; they don’t retract statements, sell a ton of awful ads attached to them, nor are they full of TMZ types of scoop (not that there is anything wrong with that…).
However, this list is absolutely on heavy rotation. I read each of these sites almost daily and when I skip a day, it never fails that someone knows something before me. AND I HATE THAT.
If you start checking out these sites on a regular basis, I can almost guarantee that within a few weeks of you rattling off Atlanta info learned, you too will have people clamoring to actually listen to what you have to say. Feel free to slide in your own business scoop or elevator pitch when they least expect it.
Aside from that, you will be in the know with all things Atlanta.
This website sounds like it has the potential to be snarky or a little nasty. Au contraire, mon frère.
Nevertheless, it’s always full of great info.
Think of this site as a sincerely nice, very intelligent Southern saleswoman. She isn’t ever going to say anything “ugly” about anyone (bless their hearts), so she leaves out the negative and focuses on everything great about Atlanta this week. And then next week. She does it in a way that you find yourself on your third refill of sweet tea and signing a contract to love Atlanta for the rest of your life.
Why? This is run by the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB), the “official destination marketing organization for the city serving to favorably impact Atlanta’s economy through conventions and tourism. ACVB acts as the liaison between meeting planners, tour operators and more than 850 member organizations to support Atlanta’s $15 billion hospitality industry and generate nearly 51 million visitors each year.”
Oh.
So you see why my savvy Southern saleswoman persona worked? Read it a few times and you will begin to hear her voice. She seems like a lovely woman.
This one is, without a doubt, most people’s favorite. And to say that they have their “noses to the ground” for all things Atlanta related is an understatement of Mercedes Benz Stadium proportions. These folks seem to know it’s happening as it is being formulated into thought molecules.
One of my friends moved to Atlanta a couple of years ago. She watched the Peachtree QT being built. She was secretly so excited because she assumed it was what it looked like: a spa, a mega boutique, or a fabulous restaurant. But those of us that read Curbed had known forever that it was going to be this odd QT without gas. We were walking past the construction when I laughed about the fact that I believed this was going to be the “nicest QT in the world.”
Her jaw dropped. Her smiled faded. “How did I know that?” I gently patted her arm, pulled out my phone, and showed her my bookmarked beloved Curbed icon. I should have done this much earlier. I still have regrets on that one.
However, she is indeed as cool as me now, and she even accepts and loves the fancy QT.
Obsessing about where you live is an overwhelming concern and endless pastime. Straight from their website, Curbed’s mission since 2004 is to “tell great stories, delivered with all the context you need to know about homes, neighborhoods, and cities—while serving up a constant source of inspiration.”
With an emphasis on real estate, the site is so much more than that. Claiming to look at all aspects of city life “as related points on a spectrum,” they have honed in on the concept that “If you love where you live… chances are you feel as strongly about the new park on your corner as you do about your lack of dishwasher.”
This app is a little different from the others in that it functions more like a message board than a website.
You must log in and then enter your address. You cannot “see” information about other Atlanta locations aside from the area in which you live. After you provide information to the site, at that point, you can see posts about neighborhood happenings (as they are happening sometimes), crime, general info, real estate for sale or for rent, help wanted (neighborhood type jobs), items for sale, and “free curb alerts” for a small radius around where you live.
I have a love/hate relationship with this app much like the nosey neighbor who could easily save your cat, mail, and thirsty plants while at the same time knows who, what, and when entered and departed your back door, side door, and front door.
I love the immediate information specific to my zip code and neighborhood. I love being able to quickly type “did anyone hear those sirens?” or “looking for a petsitter next Thursday” but I don’t always like the banter that goes on between that one obnoxious neighbor who uses the forum to state his whackadoo ideas on anything.
The good news is you can mute anyone and there’s much more positive postings than bad. And someone seems to always know the answer to any question posted.
The perfect word that this website uses to describe itself is “hyperlocal.” YES! This small town feel of a paper brings a big sense of knowledge and informative thought provoking small bites of “hyperlocal” news.
Since 1994, Atlanta INtown’s mission has been to help “foster a sense of community. And to makes our city home.”
While the digital paper is what I chose to read daily, “each month, Atlanta INtown distributes 37,000 copies to homes and businesses in neighborhoods that are “inside the Perimeter” including Midtown, Virginia Highland, Ansley Park, Druid Hills, Emory, Decatur, Inman Park, Grant Park, Buckhead and more. Atlanta INtown mails 18,000 copies to homeowners in ZIPS 30306, 30307, 30308, 30309, 30324 and 30329. Also, 19,000 copies are distributed to more than 170 locations in local restaurants, businesses and arts venues.”
The Atlanta Business Chronicle
I saved the sophisticated wise grandfather for last. Imagine a no nonsense gentleman who has taken you in as his protege and intends to teach you everything that you need to know to be successful in Atlanta Business.
This local arm of the American City Business Journals (ACBJ) is the leading online spot to go to find real time information about all aspects of Atlanta business. As a part of the largest publisher of metropolitan business newsweeklies in the United States, this company reaches more than 3.6 million readers each week. Because there is indeed strength in numbers, this site towers over most of the other Atlanta business related sites. If “the biz” says it, not only is it happening, all levels of the Atlanta business world are eagerly awaiting the details directly from this site.
With updates occurring throughout the day, I love scrolling through the headlines knowing that I’m seeing pieces of exciting information regarding movies, buildings, entertainment, and Atlanta life at the same time many of the movers and shakers of Atlanta are seeing it as well.
Atlanta life is meant to be savored and enjoyed and its treasures are worth discovering! Stay informed and enjoy the peachy living ahead.
