Where to Buy Cheap Gas in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, like the rest of the South benefits from less expensive costs of living, and the price of gas is no exception to this rule. As of July 6, 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy is flashing a National reading of $2.612 for regular gasoline, which is undercut by the $2.560 Lower Atlantic statistic. Today, Atlantans are paying $2.407 for 87-octane, which compares favorably to both statistics.

Crude oil costs and state gasoline taxes combine to account for 70% of the prices at the pump. Nationally, interstate gas price variance is determined by one's geographic proximity to critical Gulf Coast energy infrastructure and applicable taxation policy at the municipal level.

All retail gasoline sold within the United States is slapped with 18.4 cents worth of Federal excise taxes. Additionally, the Georgia State House levies 4% sales taxes on top of the paltry .124-cent gasoline tax upon fuel purchases. According to the American Petroleum Institute, Georgians pay the least amount in terms of gasoline taxes of any state in the country besides Alaska.

Still, Atlanta drivers must take heed of the basic algorithms that influence price variance at the Peach State Capital and plan accordingly to buy cheap gas.

Atlanta is the "New South" and represents one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in America. The fresh development is characterized by sprawl, beautiful, yet ridiculously large highways that slice through the red clay piedmont, and curious zoning practices that slap together residential and commercial development to forge an abstract cityscape.

ATL gas prices are influenced by prime access to select, economically vibrant centers, along with the gargantuan expressway complexes of the region. Atlanta features one central downtown, along with separate corporate enclaves at a prolific north-south axis. Georgia veterans will recognize these mixed-use neighborhoods as Midtown, Buckhead, and Perimeter, which run from downtown to 285 via the I-75 / 85 Downtown Connector to GA 400.

This guide will proceed to detail where to buy cheap gas in Atlanta, Georgia. Our goal is to attack the proposal from both ends of the spectrum. We will begin by analyzing the most expensive areas to purchase gasoline and finish by presenting viable alternatives for buying cheap gas.

A "Viable" alternative articulates the idea that hightailing from Atlanta to Warner Robins strictly to secure low priced fuel would be foolishness.

Where NOT to Buy Cheap Gas in Atlanta

Never buy gas at Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, or Perimeter - Atlanta, unless you are running on fumes. Gas prices always spike at these well-heeled commercial centers. Downtown to North Atlanta is associated with Coca Cola, electric nightlife offerings, high-rise condominiums, and Old Money at Paces Ferry Road.

Of course, Peachtree Street, the 16-lane I-75 / 85 complex, tolled 400, and the I-285 belt bisect this playground for the elite. The aforementioned roadways are the most important conduits of traffic through the South, outside of I-95.

Atlanta drivers must pay for said convenience.

Citgo kicks off the fireworks by flashing $2.79 at the 14^th Street Bridge across the Connector to Midtown Atlanta, and rival Exxon and Shell stations bookend the high priced Midtown matrix at the residential quarters of Piedmont and Monroe NE.

Interestingly, these Midtown prices are higher than Central Atlanta. In fact, the Downtown Shell is posted up off the Connector ramps at 160 Dobbs Avenue NE, offering $2.59 regular gas.

$2.59 appears to stand as the ultimate price point along the GA 400 / U.S. 19 and I-75 / 85 corridor from Dunwoody to Downtown Atlanta. The Dunwoody Chevron at 5464 Chamblee - Dunwoody Rd behind Perimeter Mall also posts this $2.59 mark.

$2.59 - $2.79 is especially expensive per Atlanta standards and Georgians must avoid purchasing gas at these exclusive developments that fall directly off the area's most heavily trafficked arteries. Tourists will recognize these areas by their notable skylines that tower over the respective roadway approaches.

Smart consumers will note that prices drop precipitously along I-85 between the I-75 entrance and GA 400 towards De Kalb County. GA 237 / Piedmont Road between Buckhead and Midtown at Lindbergh Plaza represents a suitable pocket of affordable gas.

Exxon and Chevron are both hawking $2.39 regular grade gasoline at the vicinity of Piedmont and Lindbergh Drive.

Perimeter shoppers will find that prices break beneath the $2.50 barrier at 285 junctions east of the Mall and plunge through the $2.40 floor in Norcross, Georgia at Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Peachtree - Industrial, and Holcomb Bride Road.

Where to Buy Cheap Gas in Atlanta

Take your pick.

The above Downtown - Perimeter scenario clearly illustrates the fact that cheap gas remains plentiful and may be procured within a 5-mile radius from all points of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Low-priced fuel is the order of the day at DeKalb County, Smyrna / Marietta, and Southwest Atlanta, away from the expressways.

Smyrna and Marietta, Georgia are the most ideal locations in terms of access and safety per Atlanta. Knowledgeable motorists will cross the Chattahoochee or exit 285 into Cobb County at GA 280 / South Cobb Drive or U.S. 41 Cobb Parkway for cheap gas.

Clusters of competitive gas stations mark these two interchanges and peddle cheap gas between the $2.35 - $2.40 price point at the time of this writing. Mobil, BP, Chevron, Shell, and low-priced purveyor Quick Trip all battle for business in Cobb County.

Still, legions of Atlantans may balk at the idea of navigating the notorious traffic of this metropolitan area across town to Cobb County. Southwest Atlanta, Moreland Avenue, and the back roads of DeKalb do present options for cheap gas from all directions of Central Atlanta.

Southwest Atlanta and U.S. 23 / Moreland Avenue, which straddles the Fulton / De Kalb border are indeed, worlds away from downtown. Take heed, these pockets of cheap gas feature decrepit housing and shotgun shacks that remain tucked away in the back quarters of the city.

Moreland, south of 20 is a working class section of Atlanta is a relatively safe, up and coming locale. Gas does retail for les than $2.40 along U.S. 23 / Moreland.

Southwest Atlanta into East Point and College Park well beyond Atlanta - Hartsfield Airport is a dangerous section of ATL that is to be entered at your own risk. I would only recommend that knowledgeable residents of the area track Metropolitan Parkway and Campbellton Road into Pittsburgh and Ben Hill to buy cheap gas.

In fact, officials replaced the SWATS "Stewart Avenue" nameplate with Metropolitan Parkway to mitigate the fallout associated with the U.S. 19 / 41 corridor of prostitution and drug trafficking.

Perhaps the back roads of DeKalb County would be more suitable for the faint of heart. Gas drops beneath $2.40 in Decatur, which is addressed from I-20 to Ponce de Leon.

The Columbia Drive Phillips 66 is moving cheap gas for $2.33. Westbound motorists must exit 20 at GA 155 / Candler Road and backtrack to Columbia via Rainbow Drive to access the area.

Again, DeKalb gas prices gradually fall the further that one navigates away from I-85 and 285 towards Gwinnett County.

Happy Trails.

Where to Buy Cheap Gas in Atlanta, Georgia:

The City of Atlanta, http://www.atlantaga.gov/

Gas Buddy, Atlanta Gas Prices, http://www.atlantagasprices.com/

Automotive.com, Atlanta Gas Prices, http://www.automotive.com/gas-prices/33/georgia/fulton/atlanta/index.html