Urban Agriculture (Atlanta, Decatur, Buckhead: HOA, coop, house)

[Headed Nowhere]

I'm looking to move to the Atlanta area by the end of the year. Having grown up in the country, on a working farm, I am struggling with the idea of big city life but the job is making me move. So... I have to make the best of the situation.
Are there any areas that are AG friendly?
What would it take to be able to keep 3-6 hens, a hive of bees, and a decent sized vegetable garden?
Do any neighborhoods have community gardens or farmers markets?

[DoubleZ OTP]

Originally Posted by Headed Nowhere

I'm looking to move to the Atlanta area by the end of the year. Having grown up in the country, on a working farm, I am struggling with the idea of big city life but the job is making me move. So... I have to make the best of the situation.
Are there any areas that are AG friendly?
What would it take to be able to keep 3-6 hens, a hive of bees, and a decent sized vegetable garden?
Do any neighborhoods have community gardens or farmers markets?

Most places ITP (Inside The Perimeter, I-285) are urban ag/backyard chicken friendly, including the City of Atlanta itself. This is due in part to a lack of HOAs and a generally more permissive/do-what-you-want culture. Each municipality will have its own rules and regulations, but I wouldn't expect any problems with a few hens. Your future neighbors would probably appreciate the extra eggs! Same goes for beekeeping, as far as I'm aware.

OTP (Outside The Perimeter, I-285), it's more of a mixed bag, and policies vary considerably by county and city. Many places are cool with backyard chickens, but some are not. Some places allow X chickens per XXXX area of land. Additionally, many neighborhoods have HOAs which prohibit backyard chickens and backyard bees; this is most often the case in newly-built HOA neighborhoods on the outskirts of Metro Atlanta.

Many neighborhoods have community gardens and/or neighborhood farmer's markets; most of these are ITP in and near the city. Neighborhoods such as Grant Park, Poncey-Highland, East Atlanta, and Decatur, among many others, are admired for having both community gardens and neighborhood farmer's markets.

[Datdudebrah]

Good post above and some more info about City of Atlanta's programs here:

https://www.aglanta.org/

[Listennow32]

I have a friend of mine that lives in the middle of southwest Atlanta who has a chicken coop with 6 hens and a large vegetable garden. It’s definitely possible. If anywhere Atlanta is the place to do that.

[cparker73]

Just to illustrate what is possible in the "big city," this $2 million house off of Wieuca Road in Buckhead steps from Saks 5th Avenue at Phipps Plaza has had goats in its front yard for years. Good luck with an HOA in the burbs with not even having sod in the front yard let alone farm animals. On the larger estates in Buckhead, people actually keep horses.


kush pictures

[arjay57]

Agree with the posters above. I'd stay in or close to the city if you are interested in urban agriculture.