About twenty miles south of Atlanta, Georgia is a shady little suburb called Peachtree City. It's a strange and beautiful little town. The population is officially under 40,000, but because of the inter-connectedness of Atlanta's suburbs it lacks a genuine small town vibe. There are a couple of good bike shops, a plethora of good restaurants, and a half-dozen golf courses. (Golf was quite obviously a central concern when the town was founded.) Peachtree City is very much a planned community. Philadelphians and Bostonians may take such things for granted, but no part of Georgia had seen a planned community before this place sprang up in the 1960s.
The entire city is crisscrossed with multi-use paths. The paths are filled not only with walkers, joggers, children, and dogs on long leashes, but also with golf carts. Yes, golf carts. People here drive them around like cars. Some people in fact own only a golf cart and not a real car. They go grocery shopping in their golf carts. They go out to eat in them. Those lucky enough to work in town commute in them. (It is a driving culture and most people work too close to the city to reasonably take anything other than an automobile.) The paths extend far and wide. The network links together residential roads in such a way that you can cut through areas that would otherwise be dead ends, allowing you to avoid heavily-trafficked streets. A map of the paths can be found here:
http://www.peachtree-city.org/index.aspx?NID=350This place isn't like a "real" cycling town. But if you are a cyclist and you get trapped in Atlanta, this is the best place to be. Georgia in general is a horrible place to cycle. The roads are fine. It's the drivers who are evil. This weird little city on the southside, with its perfectly manicured lawns and distinct Stepford vibe, is the
only place in Atlanta where you can safely straddle your bike and roll around having fun. I realize this doesn't make it a 'Best Cycling City' like Portland or Madison. But I figured that at some point one of our members will end up moving to Atlanta for a job and have no idea what to expect. If you want to ride, Peachtree City is your best option.