For example, land that is selling for $350,000 per acre ($8.03 per sf) in North Fulton may be bought for $35,000 per acre (80 cents per sf) in South Fulton, the brokers say. But retail and office ventures lag behind South Fulton County's 100-million-sf industrial inventory.

To solidify the residential component, elected county officials have approved zoning for 15,000 new homes over the next few years. Atlanta developer John Wieland, a high-end builder, already is constructing the company's fifth neighborhood venture, The Regency, in the Cascade Road area. Torrey Homes is building Oakley Township, a 930-home community, on Oakley Industrial Boulevard.

Cincinnati-based North American Properties also has its 1.2-million-sf, $125 million Camp Creek MarketPlace under construction. The 1,200-acre Southpark, developed by M.D. Hodges Co. of Atlanta, is now selling dirt for residential development to complement the area's strong industrial real estate base.