As affluent east Cobb faced build-out, subdivisions started cropping up on the county's west side.

But some families, looking for a sense of place and a slower pace, began checking out what the county's six cities had to offer. Once-bustling downtowns, abandoned years ago because of competition from suburban malls, began finding life again.

Acworth's downtown development director, Sherry Levine, calls it "the Mayberry effect." After years of pushing into the suburbs, people long for a place where you don't have to drive far to shop or get a bite to eat. People wanted to get out of their cars.

A few years ago, the north Cobb city's Main Street was a collection of empty storefronts and derelict buildings. Like most of Cobb's municipalities, the downtown rolled up its sidewalks at night. But that is changing.

In Acworth, where a popular Cajun restaurant often has a waiting list, downtown shops are staying open later to catch the crowds. Older buildings are being gutted for tea rooms and gift shops. Levine said e-mail lists compiled by some of the shops show visitors coming from large subdivisions like Brookstone three miles west and from other parts of the county.

The same thing is happening at the Marietta Square, where ethnic restaurants are drawing people at night. Turkish and Thai eateries recently joined an eclectic mix of restaurants featuring fare from Slovak to Australian. One of the city's earliest fire stations, which opened in 1915, has been turned into a Celtic pub.

Smyrna, the county's second-largest city, led the movement when it leveled 35 acres a decade ago for a new town center. This year, the last phase opened, with a mix of shops, restaurants and town homes above them.

While Smyrna included new housing in its redevelopment plan, families in Acworth and Marietta are restoring homes in the cities' historic areas. Beth Tippins, Marietta's downtown coordinator for economic development, said people are tired of fighting traffic and want to walk places.

"A lawyer in town told me he loves living here because he can run home for lunch," she said. "It's so much nicer to work and play close to home."