<p>Willie Anderson attended the 1996 Atlanta Olympics before his rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals, intending it to be nothing more than a long vacation.</p><p>Instead, he found a new home.</p><p>"It was booming," recalled Anderson, a native of neighboring Alabama. "Everybody was talking about how Atlanta was going to have so many opportunities. A lot of young entrepreneurs were bred here. The cost of living was great.</p><p>"Plus," he added, "when I was 20 years old, this was the place to party."</p><p>Countless pro athletes, many of them hailing from somewhere else, have put down roots in Atlanta. They don't even have to play for one of the home teams to find a reason to stay.</p><p>Many were initially struck by the vibrant nightlife and warm climate, then found an affordable city that features the world's busiest airport and an impressive number of black-owned businesses.</p><p>"I would say Atlanta is the mecca for athletes," said Philadelphia Eagles receiver Terrell Owens, who has a home in the suburbs.</p><p>Anderson opened a Fatburger restaurant in the city's upscale Buckhead district earlier this year. He's also expanding into real estate; his company, Think Big Investments, is developing a downtown apartment building.</p><p>Owens is trying to profit from Atlanta's thriving R&B and hip-hop scene with his own recording studio. No, the five-time Pro Bowler isn't getting behind the mike. But his business, Dirty South Studios, is a place where artists can lay down their own tracks.</p><p>"This is an ideal spot to have a studio," said Owens, who grew up in Alexander City, Ala. "With the music traffic down here, it's a chance for a business like this to succeed."</p><p>It's tough to keep count of the number of athletes, mostly NBA and NFL players, who live in Atlanta. But they can be spotted regularly throughout the city.</p><p>From the NBA, there's Philadelphia's Chris Webber, Cleveland's Eric Snow and Portland's Derek Anderson. The NFL contingent includes Oakland's Charles Woodson, New England's Rodney Harrison, Buffalo's Takeo Spikes and Carlos Emmons of the New York Giants.</p><p>"It's wasn't anything planned," Emmons said. "I came out to visit and in the next couple of days, I was trying to find an apartment."</p><p>Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward, who grew up in suburban Atlanta and played college football at Georgia, believed the trend started in the mid-'90s when the city's annual Freaknik festival was in its heyday. Held on the city's downtown streets, the event was initially for local black college students but developed into a spring-break destination that attracted more than 200,000 partygoers from across the country.</p><p>Eventually, massive traffic jams led city officials to shut things down, but the impact is still being felt.</p><p>"I remember Freaknik growing up and then seeing different athletes end up living here," Ward said.</p><p>Others came for different reasons. Former Atlanta Hawks center Dikembe Mutombo said plenty of current and former teammates have visited his lavish mansion _ and decided to relocate after hearing the price.</p><p>"They were surprised by the costs," Mutombo said. "Eric Snow lives here now. Mark Jackson, who just retired, is coming. Even Allen Iverson asked about relocating here in the future."</p><p>In Atlanta, a million-dollar home can feature seven bedrooms, five-and-a half baths, a full basement and a spacious lawn. The cheaper costs are possible because the city's growth is unrestrained by towering mountains, major rivers or nearby oceans.</p><p>"That leaves the home buyer with more dollars to spend on the tangible features of the house itself," said Jenny Pruitt, who runs a local real estate firm.</p><p>Of course, the area's sprawling growth leads to other problems _ most notably, some of the nation's worst traffic congestion.</p><p>About 90 percent of the 4 million-plus metro residents live in the suburbs, some more than 50 miles from downtown, which leads to daunting rush-hour drives to and from the city. Pollution from all those cars is another concern.</p><p>But that hasn't stopped the influx of wealthy athletes.</p><p>After buying a home, many of them call Tyrone Hill, a 14-year NBA veteran who started Aall Star Landscaping. His company recently planted the grounds of the $4 million estate of New Orleans Saints lineman Wayne Gandy, who requested palm trees in his front yard.</p><p>"With the weather being so consistent, we're able to work nine months out of the year," Hill said. "It's not too many other places you can do that."</p><p>While Atlanta has been plagued by white flight to the suburbs, it still managed to cultivate a reputation for racial tolerance, largely by avoiding most of the ugliness that plagued other Southern cities during the civil rights movement. Last year, Black Enterprise magazine ranked Atlanta as the No. 1 city for blacks to live, work and play.</p><p>"That's why I love Atlanta," Anderson said. "It opens the doors for blacks. We all are doing what it takes to be successful ... no matter the color."</p><p>Owens is impressed with the city's laid-back approach to its sporting celebrities _ whether they're from Atlanta, play in Atlanta or just decided to live in Atlanta.</p><p>"I don't feel more or less than a Michael Vick or Dominique Wilkins or Dale Murphy or Hank Aaron," Owens said. "People aren't star-struck with us outsiders. You can fit in here, and that's phenomenal."</p>
