The mayor's race has polarized every region of Atlanta, but interviews with dozens of voters across the city show many share the same basic concerns ahead of the Nov. 7 vote.

They're worried that transportation gridlock will stifle the city's growth. They demand more affordable housing and fear the side effects of creeping gentrification. They're concerned about the ongoing federal corruption probe into City Hall. And they want more financial equity, whether it be better city services or simply new incentives for grocery stores to take root.

And looming in many conversations was the prospect that the cradle of the civil rights movement could elect its first white mayor in 44 years.