Visitors to the spring Atlanta Home Show this weekend may be surprised to find a corner of the Georgia World Congress Center crowded with folks from more than a dozen city neighborhoods jostling for their attention.

The intowners are anxious to show off their Power Points, brochures and photo spreads that highlight the special characteristics of their home turf.

Alison Church / Special (ENLARGE)

Scott Smith took the lead in spreading the news about the Westview community.

RELATED LINKS: • More neighborhood photos • More about the Atlanta Home Show • See more Home & Garden stories

They're all part of an exhibit on "Atlanta's Secret Places," designed to introduce show-goers to those "hidden" residential areas that offer amenities, affordable housing and the perks of living inside the city limits.

The project is sponsored by Councilwoman Mary Norwood and the Neighborhood Housing Coalition in the hopes of convincing more people to move intown.

"It makes all the sense in the world to have employees of companies in the city who go to the Home Show see for themselves what's going on in the intown neighborhoods," said Norwood, who put the word out that she was looking for neighborhood residents to create a display and man a booth at the show.

"I didn't know if we'd get five or 50," she said. "So far, we have 16, from Adamsville and Collier Heights to East Atlanta. These are communities that people don't usually know too much about."

They'll know plenty about Derek Duckworth's Adair Park neighborhood if they talk to him at the show. Duckworth and neighbors from three adjacent communities — Capitol View, Capitol View Manor and Sylvan Hills — joined forces to come up with a presentation that highlights the assets of their area.

"We share a lot of the same qualities and amenities," said Duckworth, who lives in a renovated 1919 house. "We are all centrally located, close to downtown, along the Beltline [the planned loop of transit, trails and parks], and a few minutes from the airport. We don't necessarily have the same styles of houses: Adair Park has more Craftsman bungalows and Capitol View has more Victorians. But we all appreciate the older qualities of the neighborhoods."

Duckworth's presentation will highlight the area's popular Perkerson Park, skyline views of downtown and the proximity to the airport. "We don't just want to point out the new or remodeled houses," he said.

The key to the exhibit is that it's being staged by the people who know these neighborhoods best, said Norwood. "They will be at home talking about the features and benefits of living intown, of being near transit and the Interstates, and about their parks and libraries."

The exhibit includes experts in real estate, banking and home buying who will provide information on available houses, mortgages and the details of buying a house.