For more than 140 years, Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery has been a final resting place for the city's most famous names — and now, for the first time, ordinary Atlantans can reserve a spot among them.

The historic cemetery, home to figures like singer Kenny Rogers, "Gone With the Wind" author Margaret Mitchell, golf legend Bobby Jones, and Atlanta's first Black mayor, Maynard Jackson, is opening new spaces to the public, though life and death here come with a hefty price tag.

Dr. Richard Harker, CEO of Oakland Cemetery, has overseen the site for eight years and describes it as "the most expensive real estate in America" in the heart of Atlanta.

"I am a historian," Harker said. "I have a Ph.D. in public history. I see something new every day: a new headstone, a new tree, a new monument. It's really pretty neat."

The cemetery is home to 26 mayors, six governors, and thousands of people whose names may not appear in history books but who played important roles in Atlanta's development. Now, residents have a chance to be part of that history — if they can afford it.

Columbarium niches — the smallest plots for two sets of remains — start at $6,000 for a 12-by-12-inch space. That works out to roughly $6,000 per square foot, or $40 to $45 per square inch, making them possibly the highest-priced burial plots in the country. Larger niches can reach $40,000. All payments are one-time, not financed.

Despite the cost, demand has been overwhelming. Of the 270 new spaces made available, 160 — about 60% — have already been sold.

"What I do is I'm helping to take care of this so that people can enjoy it today and for decades to come," Harker said.