Fairlie-Poplar is the original commercial heart of Atlanta that developed in the mid-to-late 1800s. The district contains many commercial and office buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and various styles including Chicago, Renaissance Revival, Neoclassical, Commercial, Art Deco, Georgian Revival, and Victorian. Many of these buildings have been converted to lofts and apartments...the population of the district is estimated at 5,000. It is a

Fairlie-Poplar has been the subject of recent revitalization that has produced improved brick sidewalks, trees, public art, and streetlamps that create a pedestrian-oriented ambience unique in the City of Atlanta. There is transit access from the Five Points, Peachtree Center(N1), and Dome/GWCC/Phillips Arena/CNN(W1) MARTA rail stations. Centennial Olympic Park bounds the district on one side, and Woodruff Park bounds it on another.

Nowhere else in Atlanta is there such a variety of architectural styles, scale and materials intermingled in a charming pedestrian-scaled environment. Georgia State University has expanded its campus into the district with great success, constructing a new classroom building with ground floor retail and restoring several others...including the historic Rialto Theater.

Residential population is on the rise in the district, and there is a variety of businesses including restaurants, retail, large corporations, family-owned businesses, and university functions.

The restaurants attract huge lunch crowds from nearby office buildings and GSU students. There are a good number of tourists throughout the district, being adjacent to the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, CNN, Phillps Arena, the Georgia World Congress Center, the Georgia Dome, Centennial Olympic Park, The Tabernacle music venue, and the hotel district.

The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and has the following 6 individually listed buildings: Flatiron Building, U.S. Post Office and Customs House, Healy Building, C&S Bank Building, W.D. Grant Building,and Retail Credit Company Home Office Building. Buildings in the district range from 2 to 16 stories and were built between 1868 and 1940.