Metro Atlanta has been growing consistently for the last 100 years to a population of more than 3 million people in the ten county metropolitan area today. Logistic growth since 1990 has been characterized by urban sprawl.

Urban sprawl is studied periodically by market industrialists proposing solutions to manage and decongest evolving traffic impediments. One such solution was the Outer Loop which, proposed in 1967 to Governor Zell Miller, promised to attract new investors and increase economic development. Today, a think tank working out of Gwinnett County is proposing an idea they call the Brain Train, a 12-stop commuter rail connecting Athens to Atlanta running along existing rights of way, which promises improved traffic patterns, environmental benefits as well as economic growth to the participating counties.

What does this mean to you? Sprawl results in more opportunity for private enterprise which brings more people in from beyond the reaches of the metro area, investors from other states as well as people from other continents. This means more demand for real estate, both residential and commercial, along with improved employment opportunities, an enviable situation for any region. As demand for available real estate increases, the value of homes increases, a lesson in classical economics the real estate investor well understands.

With metro Atlantas population forecast to reach six million by 2030, you may wish to invest in a real estate purchase of your own.

To do more research on how this is affecting prices in the local market, visit the Atlanta MLS Search Page.