Metro Atlanta

Austell is Cobb's ultimate paradox - the county's smallest city, with an official population around 6,000, is also the closest to Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Marietta Redevelopment Director Gary Mongeon is anticipating a lot of action out of this year's Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) referendum, which passed in September. As he puts it, "There's a ton of stuff going on in Marietta right now."

It's difficult to imagine a more successful example of many different cultures melting together seamlessly than DeKalb County.