Talk of the Town - Peachtree Hills November 11 2000

Peachtree Hills is a place to see and be seen. Nestled between Peachtree and Piedmont, the Buckhead neighborhood of 700 houses is brimming with activity. People sit on their front porches and walk the streets taking time to catch up with their neighbors.
"The social life in Peachtree Hills is great," says resident Greg Cohn. "We have made lots of friends in the neighborhood." Cohn, who grew up in Atlanta, says Peachtree Hills reminds him of the neighborhoods of his youth. "We socialize and have dinner with the people who live near us — just like my parents did."
The Tree House, a neighborhood bar and restaurant, is a popular gathering place for Peachtree Hills residents. Owner Jim Kourkoulis says neighbors often come in for a drink before a ballgame or stop by when they are out for a walk. To give the Tree House a neighborhood feel, Jim tries to get to know his neighbors by name, face "or by dog." He encourages residents to stop by with their pets when they are out for a walk and provides bowls of water for thirsty pooches. He also provides a "pet post" inside the restaurant for neighbors to post signs of missing pets. Jim believes that for many residents the proximity to his watering hole is a real selling point: "Real estate agents advertise that their house is within walking distance to the Tree House."
Peachtree Hills is a mix of older, longtime residents and young professionals in search of their first house. The homes in Peachtree Hills are primarily small bungalows and cottages built in the 1920s and the 1930s. The homes were originally built for working-class Atlantans wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of downtown, thus many of the houses are smaller with two or three bedrooms and usually just one bathroom.
The houses may be small but few of them seem destined to stay that way. As the families of Peachtree Hills have grown, so have their houses. "This is the kind of place where you stay and renovate," says Cohn. "It's a real neighborhood."