A national group has tapped one of DeKalb County’s cities as nearly the best in America for small business.

Welcomemat Services, a franchise system made up of small business owners across the country, picked Decatur for the second-place spot on its list of “America’s Top 25 Best Neighborhoods for Small Businesses 2016."

Also representing DeKalb, at No. 13, is Brookhaven. The only other Georgia city on the list is Evans, which is outside Augusta.

The list, topped by Lakewood Ranch, Florida, was released Wednesday. Welcomemat Services, which helps small businesses with promotion, determined the winners by polling businesses in the group's ranks.

They were surveyed on topics including “schools, local vibe, family friendliness, walkability, sense of community, etc.,” a news release said. The areas were chosen from the “over 500 ZIP codes Welcomemat delivers to.”

Like DeKalb County News Now on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

About the Author

Keep Reading

A bicyclist rides on the Beltline by Atlanta’s Krog Street Market on Sept. 16, 2025, just before the start of what experts projected would be an unseasonably warm fall. This week’s temperatures are in line with that prediction, as highs are expected to tie or break records. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Featured

Rose Scott signals as "Closer Look" goes on the air in the WABE studio. An Atlanta resident left WABE a $3 million donation, a boost after WABE lost $1.9 million in annual funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. (Ben Gray for the AJC 2023)

Credit: Ben Gray