In a city known for rising from the ashes, it comes as no surprise to residents Atlanta is bouncing back from the economic downturn with vigor. The recession hit this alpha world city’s financial and real estate sectors particularly hard, but investment has been returning for the past several years and, paired with strong population growth and reasonable business costs, has lifted Atlanta’s growth potential above the U.S. average.

“Steady job growth in key industry clusters makes metro Atlanta an attractive place for new businesses looking to expand or relocate here,” says Brian P. McGowan, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Metro Atlanta Chamber.

The largest economy in the South by real gross domestic product, Atlanta is growing in industries such as advanced manufacturing, biosciences, clean technology and information technology. PNC Financial Services Group predicts Atlanta will be a top performer in 2015, and the Atlanta Regional Commission forecasts the metro Atlanta area will add 1.5 million new jobs by 2040.

This transportation and logistics hub is home to the headquarters of 16 Fortune 500 companies — including Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, The Home Depot and UPS — and the busiest airport in the world, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Along with one of the largest transportation and economic development efforts currently underway in the United States, the city is adding new sports facilities, museums and shopping and entertainment districts.

“The area’s robust higher education network is also a major asset,” McGowan says. “There are 66 colleges and universities in the metro Atlanta region, which provide a steady pipeline of talent and research opportunities for area companies.”

The Atlanta BeltLine, the most comprehensive redevelopment project currently underway, will provide a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit along a 22-mile historic railway corridor circling downtown Atlanta. First conceived in a master’s thesis by a Georgia Tech student in 1999, the BeltLine is intended to connect 45 neighborhoods, both rich and poor, by 2030.

Progress on the estimated $4.8 billion project has been slow since the work plan was approved by the Atlanta City Council in 2006, with only four sections of the trail and four new or renovated parks now open. But residents of the “City in a Forest” are already flocking to these segments for events such as the Atlanta BeltLine Running Series and Art on the Atlanta BeltLine. Throughout the course of the project, approximately 3,000 acres of underutilized land will become available along the corridor for both public and private redevelopment.

On a smaller scale, the Atlanta Streetcar Project completed its 2.6-mile, 12-station Downtown Loop in 2014. The $70 million project (funded by commercial property tax investments) links attractions such as Centennial Olympic Park, Georgia State University and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights with hotels, offices and retail businesses in the downtown area. In March, voters will face a referendum on the sale of $150 million in bonds to improve other infrastructure throughout the city, including roads and sidewalks.

Buckhead Atlanta © Buckhead Atlanta

One of the most anticipated projects to reach completion is Buckhead Atlanta, a luxury office, retail and residential complex in the city’s Buckhead neighborhood. Comprising six city blocks, the development features 300,000 square feet of upscale retail, restaurants and cafés; 100,000 square feet of office space; and 400,000 square feet of high-rise residential units. More than a dozen shops and restaurants — including luxury brands Hermès, Moncler and Theory — opened in 2014, with more expected throughout 2015.

Buckhead Atlanta developers aim to offer shoppers an experience rivaling that of New York’s Fifth Avenue or San Francisco’s Union Square, complete with cushy amenities like a “bag valet” to put shoppers’ purchases in their cars before they head to dinner. Visitors can even take advantage of a concierge valet service that will take their car for an emissions inspection, detailing, repair or gas fill-up while the customer shops.

Other major developments include replacement of the 20-year-old Georgia Dome — which, along with the 21-acre Centennial Olympic Park and 3.9 million-square-foot convention center, makes up the Georgia World Congress Center — by 2017. In 2014, both the $97 million College Football Hall of Fame and the $30 million National Center for Civil and Human Rights, commemorating the contributions of Georgians to the struggle for African-American freedom and equality, opened within the complex.

Currently, city officials are seeking proposals to redevelop the Atlanta Civic Center, with goals of turning the 20-acre campus into a “24-hour urban environment” with retail, offices and film and television studios. It’s yet another sign of the commitment to revitalization represented by the city’s motto: “Rising again.”

SCENIC DRIVES

Winding through the North Georgia mountains on GA 515 and GA 52, the Appalachian Foothills Parkway passes vineyards, waterfalls and gently rolling farmland. Start where Interstate 575 ends in Canton and stop off along the way at scenic areas such as Amicalola Falls, the Blue Ridge Mountains and Chattahoochee National Forest on the 60-mile drive.

Originally an Indian trail, the historic Piedmont Scenic Byway runs through the Ocmulgee Forest east of Atlanta for 21 miles. Cutting through the pine forests of the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, the trail passes Civil War battlefields and sites used during Gen. Sherman’s March to the Sea, historic plantations and Creek and Cherokee encampments. The drive along GA 11 affords the opportunity for water activities such as fishing and boating on the Ocmulgee River.

History and literature buffs will enjoy the pretty route along Highway 41 to Macon, which passes the Road to Tara Museum — based on the famed house from Gone with the Wind — in Jonesboro. Heading south on US 41 for 50 miles, this drive winds through rolling hills dotted with cherry trees and provides the opportunity for sightseeing in old town squares and plantation homes on the way.