Living in Chamblee, GA: Atlanta's Most Underrated City
I've been helping buyers across Metro Atlanta for nearly a decade, and Chamblee is the neighborhood I find myself recommending more often than people expect. It's not the first name that comes up when someone says they want to live near Atlanta — that's usually Brookhaven, Decatur, or Midtown. But once buyers actually look at what Chamblee offers — MARTA Gold Line access, one of the most celebrated food corridors in the entire Southeast, established neighborhoods with mature tree canopy, and price points significantly below its immediate neighbors — the conversation changes quickly.
Chamblee is a city in its own right, incorporated in DeKalb County just north of Brookhaven. It's about 14 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta and has been quietly transforming for the past decade from a sleepy railroad town into one of the most dynamic and genuinely interesting places to live in the metro. The Buford Highway corridor running through Chamblee has been called the United Nations of Restaurants — over 125 international dining destinations within a seven-mile stretch — and that's not an exaggeration. You can walk out your door on a Tuesday night and choose between hand-pulled Sichuan noodles, Malaysian street food, Cuban sandwiches, or a fourteen-course omakase experience. That's Chamblee.
Median prices are sitting in the mid-$400,000s to low $500,000s depending on the source and the month — measurably lower than neighboring Brookhaven, which routinely runs $600,000 and up. MARTA heavy rail is walkable from a substantial portion of the housing stock. The Chamblee Rail Trail connects neighborhoods to the station and to Keswick Park. And the antique district along Broad Street has been drawing buyers from across the metro for decades.
Chamblee doesn't have a marketing budget. It doesn't need one. Here's what you need to know.
Chamblee by the Numbers
Market data in Chamblee varies meaningfully depending on which source you pull and which specific sub-area is included in the boundary definition. The city of Chamblee encompasses distinct neighborhoods with very different price points, so understanding the range matters as much as the median.
What the data shows as of mid-to-late 2025:
Median sale price: approximately $475,000–$560,000 depending on source and month (Redfin May 2025: $475K; Rocket Homes June 2025: $560,500; early 2025 estimates ranged $490,000–$550,000)
Days on market: 35–50 days on average; well-priced homes in desirable sub-neighborhoods move faster
Price per square foot: approximately $298
YoY trend: prices have softened 10–12% from 2024 highs — consistent with the broader Metro Atlanta intown correction, and potentially an opportunity for buyers who were priced out at peak
Homes sold: approximately 23–39 per month depending on the season
Active inventory: approximately 53 listings as of mid-2025
What the range actually means:
Chamblee's price spread is wide. At the entry level ($250,000–$400,000), you're typically looking at condos, townhomes, or smaller ranch homes that need updating. In the $400,000–$600,000 range, you'll find the core single-family market — updated ranches, split-levels, new construction townhomes, and bungalows in neighborhoods like Sexton Woods, Huntley Hills, and Keswick Village. Above $600,000, you're in fully renovated or new construction territory, often near the Downtown Chamblee corridor or in Ashford Park on the Chamblee-Brookhaven border.
Compared to neighbors: Brookhaven to the south runs $600,000–$900,000+ for comparable homes. Dunwoody to the north is in a similar range. Chamblee sits measurably below both, which is why buyers priced out of either market consistently end up here — and then stay.
The Housing Stock: What You're Actually Buying
Chamblee's residential character is dominated by mid-century housing — ranch homes, split-levels, and brick cottages built primarily in the 1950s through 1970s when the area developed rapidly as a postwar suburb. The bones in this market are excellent: large lots, mature trees, solid brick construction, and floor plans that adapt well to modern updates.
Key sub-neighborhoods to know:
Sexton Woods — One of Chamblee's most sought-after pockets, close to Keswick Park and the Rail Trail. A mix of ranch homes, two-story colonials, and new construction on infill lots. Prices here tend to run on the higher end of the Chamblee range.
Huntley Hills — Established neighborhood between North Peachtree Road and Chamblee-Dunwoody Road. Home to the Huntley Hills Swim & Tennis Club, which gives the neighborhood a community anchor that buyers value. Ranch homes and split-levels, many updated, some original.
Keswick Village — Charming sub-neighborhood with a mix of original bungalows and newer construction. Adjacent to Keswick Park's 45+ acres. Walkable neighborhood character.
Ashford Park — Straddles the Chamblee-Brookhaven border, with a mix of ranch homes and new construction. One of the most competitive sub-neighborhoods in the area, with prices that reflect proximity to Brookhaven amenities.
Embry Hills — Located near Mercer University and convenient to Buford Highway and historic Chamblee. More affordable entry points than Sexton Woods or Huntley Hills.
Downtown Chamblee / Antique Row corridor — Increasing density of condos, lofts, and townhomes near the MARTA station and Broad Street. The most urban-feeling part of Chamblee, walkable to transit and the historic commercial district.
What buyers need to understand about mid-century housing:
Great bones, real due diligence required. A 1960s brick ranch in Chamblee may have original galvanized plumbing, aging electrical panels, and HVAC systems approaching end of life. Your inspector needs to know mid-century residential construction. The renovated versus unrenovated spread in Chamblee can be $100,000–$150,000 on the same street for comparable square footage — meaning there is both opportunity and risk depending on your situation and your appetite for a project.
New construction townhomes and condos have entered the Chamblee market in pockets near the MARTA station and along the Downtown Chamblee corridor, providing lower-maintenance options at a range of price points.
Buford Highway: One of the Most Remarkable Food Corridors in America
Buford Highway runs through Chamblee as part of a seven-mile international dining corridor that stretches from Brookhaven through Chamblee and into Doraville. With over 125 restaurants concentrated along this stretch, it has been featured in Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, The New York Times, and Southern Living as one of the most authentic international dining destinations in the country. The corridor began developing in the 1970s and accelerated through the 1990s as immigrant entrepreneurs from across Asia, Latin America, and beyond established businesses here. Several restaurants along the corridor have received Michelin recognition.
Describing everything on Buford Highway in a single section is genuinely impossible, but here are anchors worth knowing in and around the Chamblee section:
Food Terminal (5000 Buford Hwy, Chamblee) — Malaysian street food in a sleek, modern space. Created by the founders of Top Spice and Sweet Hut. A logical first stop if you're new to the corridor. Michelin-recognized.
Canton House (4825 Buford Hwy, Chamblee) — Cantonese food and dim sum served daily in a sprawling chandeliered dining room. A corridor institution.
Gu's Kitchen (4897 Buford Hwy, Chamblee) — Family-run Sichuan restaurant serving the street food of Chengdu. The dumplings in house-made sweet and spicy sauce are the move.
Pho Bac (4897 Buford Hwy, Chamblee) — Vietnamese pho and classics. A reliable neighborhood staple.
Havana Sandwich Shop (2905 Buford Hwy) — Cuban sandwiches and empanadas from a family that's been on Buford Highway for nearly 50 years. The chicken-jalapeño empanada is the order.
Nam Phuong (4051 Buford Hwy) — Vietnamese with a menu the size of a novel. The pho is the best thing here.
Sushi Hayakawa — A 14-course omakase experience in a strip mall, two diners per night at $185 per person. Frequently cited as one of the finest sushi experiences in Atlanta, full stop.
Beyond the restaurants, the Buford Highway corridor includes international grocery stores, Asian bakeries, specialty markets, and cultural institutions that have served the surrounding communities for decades. Plaza Fiesta — a 350,000 square-foot retail center on Buford Highway — draws 4.4 million visitors per year from across the Southeast. Atlanta's Chinatown Mall is located in downtown Chamblee on New Peachtree Road.
The honest context buyers need: Buford Highway is a car-dependent strip with surface parking lots, no sidewalk continuity along the full corridor, and the infrastructure character of a 1970s commercial road. If you're buying in Chamblee for walkable access to Buford Highway, verify your specific address — some neighborhoods are closer than others, and "close to Buford Highway" can mean different things depending on where you're coming from. The food is worth the drive regardless.
Downtown Chamblee
Downtown Chamblee: Antique Row and the Historic District
While Buford Highway gets most of the national attention, Downtown Chamblee along Broad Street has its own character entirely — and it's genuinely underappreciated.
Chamblee Antique Row is one of the largest antique districts in the Southeast, with dozens of dealers, galleries, and shops concentrated along and near Broad Street. If you're a buyer who appreciates a neighborhood with actual retail identity rather than generic strip mall chains, this is the kind of thing that makes a difference in daily life.
Downtown Chamblee also has a growing restaurant and bar scene that operates at a different register than Buford Highway — sit-down, neighborhood-scale, locally owned. A few worth knowing:
Southbound — Southern comfort food in a brick-interior space that draws a consistent neighborhood crowd.
Bluetop — A downtown Chamblee favorite with a loyal local following.
Taqueria del Sol — The Peachtree Station location of this beloved Atlanta mini-chain, walkable from much of the downtown corridor.
Hopstix — Asian-influenced comfort food that has built a strong local reputation.
Chamblee Tap and Market — A neighborhood bar and market concept with live music, BBQ, and a community feel.
The city hosts a summer concert series on one day per month from May through August in downtown Chamblee. The annual Taste of Chamblee Festival each October draws thousands of visitors for a weekend celebration of the city's international food culture — one of the more genuine food festivals in Metro Atlanta because it's drawing from an actual food culture rather than manufacturing one.
MARTA and Getting Around
This is one of Chamblee's most significant and underappreciated advantages: Chamblee Station on the MARTA Gold Line provides direct rail access to Buckhead, Midtown, Downtown Atlanta, Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, and points beyond. The station opened in 1987 and is located in the heart of downtown Chamblee, walkable from the Antique Row district and adjacent to transit-oriented residential development.
The Gold Line runs from Doraville in the northeast to the Airport in the southwest, making Chamblee one of the most transit-connected cities in DeKalb County. For buyers who work downtown or in Midtown, or who travel frequently through Hartsfield-Jackson, this is a meaningful quality-of-life asset that Chamblee's price point doesn't fully reflect.
Station amenities: 1,700+ surface parking spaces (under 24 hours is free), MARTA bus connections, regional bus connectors, Zipcar, and a bicycle repair area.
The Chamblee Rail Trail is a 1.96-mile multiuse trail connecting Keswick Park to Peachtree Road, with east-west segments that link neighborhoods to the MARTA station and to each other. Plans for further expansion are in development. It's not the BeltLine, but it provides meaningful non-car connectivity within the city.
Car: Chamblee has excellent highway access — I-85, I-285, GA-400, and I-75 are all reachable within minutes. Drive time to downtown Atlanta is approximately 20–25 minutes without traffic. Hartsfield-Jackson is accessible via MARTA or approximately 30–35 minutes by car. DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK), the second-busiest airport in Georgia and a major general aviation hub, is located adjacent to Chamblee — relevant for buyers who fly privately or work in aviation.
Walk Score: Varies significantly by sub-neighborhood. Downtown Chamblee near the MARTA station is genuinely walkable. Residential neighborhoods like Huntley Hills or Sexton Woods are more car-dependent for most daily needs, though bikeable to the Rail Trail.
Parks and Green Space
Chamblee has nine parks distributed across the city, covering a range of uses and scales.
Keswick Park — The largest park in Chamblee at 45+ acres, with a dog park, softball and tee-ball fields, soccer field, multi-use field, two tennis/pickleball courts, a playground, and 15 acres of green space with walking trails. The Rail Trail connects here.
Arrow Creek Park — Located at 4445 Buford Highway, with a dog park, multi-use fields, picnic tables, and three outdoor pickleball courts.
Ashford Forest Preserve — 30 acres of preserved old-growth forest, meadows, springs, and wetlands across from DeKalb-Peachtree Airport. One of the more remarkable green spaces in a city of Chamblee's size.
Swim and tennis clubs provide another layer of community infrastructure: Huntley Hills Swim & Tennis Club, Gainsborough Swim & Social Club, and Embry Hills Club each serve their surrounding neighborhoods and provide the kind of community anchoring that makes neighborhoods feel stable and connected over time.
Schools in Chamblee
Chamblee is served by DeKalb County School District. Six elementary schools serve Chamblee's neighborhoods: Ashford Park Elementary, Cary Reynolds Elementary, Dresden Elementary, Huntley Hills Elementary, Montgomery Elementary, and Kittredge Magnet School for High Achievers. Two middle schools draw from Chamblee: Chamblee Middle School and Sequoyah Middle School. The high school options include Chamblee Charter High School and Cross Keys High School, with private options including St. Pius X Catholic High School.
Chamblee Charter High School is the standout in this list and worth calling out specifically. It operates as a charter school within DeKalb County and has a strong academic reputation — one of the more competitive public high schools in the county and consistently well-regarded among families choosing Chamblee for school-age children.
Kittredge Magnet School for High Achievers serves gifted students in grades K–5 and draws from across DeKalb County through an application process. It is located in Chamblee and represents a meaningful option for qualifying families.
Research directive: Verify current enrollment eligibility and boundaries directly with DeKalb County Schools at 404-297-2300 or through the district website before making any purchasing decision based on school assignment. Boundaries can and do change, and no real estate website — including this one — should be your source of record on school enrollment eligibility.
Who Buys in Chamblee
After nearly a decade working across Metro Atlanta, here's the consistent pattern I see with buyers who end up in Chamblee:
Chamblee tends to work well for:
Buyers priced out of Brookhaven or Dunwoody who want comparable access and quality of life at a lower entry point
MARTA-dependent commuters — Chamblee Station is a genuine daily-use asset, not a theoretical one
Food-motivated buyers who want the Buford Highway corridor as a literal backyard amenity
Remote workers who want suburban space with transit access for when they need it
Buyers interested in mid-century homes with renovation upside — the bones are excellent and the unrenovated spread is real
Investors: Chamblee has shown steady long-term appreciation, and the combination of MARTA access and Buford Highway makes it a durable rental market
Buyers relocating from cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. — Redfin data shows these are the top metros sending buyers into Chamblee, suggesting people from transit-oriented cities find the MARTA access meaningful
Chamblee is probably not your neighborhood if:
You need BeltLine access — Chamblee is well north of the BeltLine loop
You want Intown Atlanta walkability comparable to Virginia-Highland or Ponce — Chamblee has pockets of walkability but is not that kind of neighborhood overall
You want the most competitive public schools in the county without navigating magnet or charter options
You're expecting a neighborhood with strong name recognition among Atlanta buyers — Chamblee's relative obscurity is part of why the value exists, but it also means your resale pool will be buyers who do their research
How Chamblee Compares to Nearby Neighborhoods
Chamblee vs. Brookhaven: Brookhaven is more established, more polished, and more expensive — typically $150,000–$200,000 more for comparable homes. The commercial districts in Brookhaven have more national retail and restaurant names; Chamblee has more independent and international character. MARTA access in Chamblee is superior for rail — Brookhaven has a Gold Line station as well, but Chamblee's is more centrally located to its housing stock. Buyers who want Brookhaven at a discount look at Chamblee, particularly Ashford Park on the border.
Chamblee vs. Dunwoody: Dunwoody runs higher on price and has a more suburban, family-oriented character with strong DeKalb County school options. Chamblee is more urban in feel, particularly near Downtown and the MARTA station. If school rankings are the primary driver, Dunwoody has the edge. If price point and transit access and food culture matter, Chamblee wins the comparison.
Chamblee vs. Doraville: Doraville is Chamblee's northeastern neighbor and is undergoing significant redevelopment — the Assembly Doraville project on the former GM plant site is one of the largest mixed-use developments in Metro Atlanta history. Doraville has more upside and more risk. Chamblee is more established, more liquid, and has a clearer value proposition today.
The Investment Angle
Chamblee has a credible long-term appreciation story. MARTA rail access, Buford Highway's sustained relevance as a regional destination, ongoing downtown redevelopment, and a price point that sits below comparable transit-connected cities in the metro all point toward continued demand.
For buy-and-hold single-family investors: the mid-century housing stock in good condition is durable and rents well. Demand from relocation buyers — particularly those coming from transit-oriented cities — supports the rental market. Cash flow will be tight at current price points on conventional financing.
For value-add investors: the unrenovated inventory in Chamblee is real. A well-bought unrenovated ranch in Sexton Woods or Huntley Hills can be significantly repositioned. This requires local contractor relationships and a clear-eyed inspection process — same as anywhere with older housing stock.
For condo and townhome investors: the transit-adjacent market near Chamblee Station has consistent rental demand from MARTA commuters and city workers who want suburban space with rail access.
Practical Details
ZIP codes: 30341, 30340 (portions)
County: DeKalb County
City: City of Chamblee (incorporated)
Schools: DeKalb County School District
Population: approximately 30,000
Commute to downtown Atlanta: 20–25 minutes by car; approximately 30–35 minutes via MARTA Gold Line to Five Points
Airport: Hartsfield-Jackson approximately 30–35 minutes by car, or via MARTA Gold Line to Airport station
DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK): General aviation hub adjacent to Chamblee — relevant for private flyers
Flooding: approximately 11% of properties carry some risk of severe flooding over 30 years. Check specific addresses, particularly near lower-lying areas.
Grocery: Whole Foods at Peachtree Station is walkable from portions of downtown Chamblee. International markets along Buford Highway serve much of the city's food shopping. Kroger and other major grocers are accessible by car.
Hospitals: Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital is approximately 4 miles south in Brookhaven. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (Scottish Rite) is in the immediate area.
Ready to Look at Chamblee?
With nearly 10 years and over $50 million in sales across Metro Atlanta, I know Chamblee's market well — including the sub-neighborhood differences that don't show up on Zillow, the renovation decisions that matter, and how to evaluate a mid-century home's true condition versus its listing photos.
If you're considering Chamblee — or trying to decide between Chamblee, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, or Tucker — let's have a real conversation about your priorities and what the market actually looks like right now.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Chamblee, GA
Is Chamblee a good place to live? Chamblee consistently ranks as one of Metro Atlanta's most underrated cities. It offers MARTA Gold Line access, one of the most celebrated international food corridors in the Southeast along Buford Highway, established mid-century neighborhoods, and price points significantly below neighboring Brookhaven and Dunwoody. It's an excellent fit for buyers who prioritize transit access, food culture, and value.
What are home prices in Chamblee? As of mid-to-late 2025, median home prices in Chamblee range from approximately $475,000–$560,000 depending on the data source, with active listings ranging from around $250,000 for condos to over $700,000 for fully renovated or new construction homes. Verify current pricing with your agent using actual comparable sales data.
Does Chamblee have MARTA access? Yes. Chamblee Station on the MARTA Gold Line provides direct rail service to Buckhead, Midtown, Downtown Atlanta, and Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. The station is located in downtown Chamblee with over 1,700 parking spaces, bus connections, and a bicycle repair area. Under 24 hours of parking is free.
What school district is Chamblee in? Chamblee is served by DeKalb County School District. Elementary schools include Ashford Park, Cary Reynolds, Dresden, Huntley Hills, Montgomery, and Kittredge Magnet for High Achievers. Middle schools are Chamblee Middle and Sequoyah. High schools include Chamblee Charter High School and Cross Keys High School. Contact DeKalb County Schools directly at 404-297-2300 to verify enrollment eligibility for a specific address.
What is Buford Highway? Buford Highway is a seven-mile international dining and retail corridor running through Chamblee, Doraville, and Brookhaven. With over 125 restaurants representing cuisines from dozens of countries, it has been recognized by national publications including Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, and The New York Times as one of the most authentic international food destinations in the United States. Several restaurants on the corridor have received Michelin recognition.
How far is Chamblee from downtown Atlanta? Chamblee is approximately 14 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta — about 20–25 minutes by car without traffic, or 30–35 minutes via the MARTA Gold Line to Five Points station.