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Belvedere Park, Georgia

Belvedere Park is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 15,113 at the 2020 census.

Geography
Belvedere Park is located at 33.74889°N, -84.25972°W (33.748855, -84.259617). It is bordered by:
 * the Atlanta neighborhood of East Lake to the west
 * the cities of Avondale Estates and Decatur to the north
 * the Candler-McAfee CDP to the south

According to the United States Census Bureau, Belvedere Park has a total area of 5.0 sqmi, all land.

History
Belvedere Park emerged beginning in 1952 as a planned community with schools, parks, and a shopping center. It continued to grow and expand throughout the decade.

Housing tracts
In 1958, the Atlanta Journal advertised houses in Belvedere Park for between $11,000 and $14,800. One ad proclaimed: "“Buy a Home in Belvedere Park with a 100% GI Loan - A Complete Established Community of Distinction and Quality Convenient to Everything.”" A majority of homes in Belvedere Park are one-story and while some are traditional red brick ranch homes, contemporary style houses were also built. Homes were built by the Embry Brothers. Adair Realty and Loan, a powerful real estate company in Atlanta during the early to mid 20th century, represented Belvedere Park.

Belvedere Motel
The Belvedere Motel, operated by the renowned Dinkler Hotel Corporation, opened with telephones and large screen televisions in every room. The motel claimed to be “dedicated to your traveling comfort” — additional amenities included a playground and a shuffleboard court.

Opening of Rich's
In 1959, the second branch of Rich's Department Store was opened in the Belvedere Shopping Center (the first branch was opened at Lenox Square Mall). Rich's added an air of metropolitan living to the suburbs.

In 1963, Towers High School was opened and is still in operation today. Midway Park on Midway Road is a popular recreational center. It has several fields for baseball and football and a public swimming pool.

Demographics
Belvedere Park first appeared as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. Census.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,113 people, 6,086 households, and 3,251 families residing in the CDP.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,945 people, 6,524 households, and 4,527 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,801.9 PD/sqmi. There were 7,010 housing units at an average density of 1,406.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 13.16% White, 82.38% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.69% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.48% of the population.

There were 6,524 households, out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.7% were married couples living together, 31.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.43.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $36,144, and the median income for a family was $37,207. Males had a median income of $29,134 versus $26,323 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $15,524. About 14.1% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.4% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education
It is within the DeKalb County School District.
 * Elementary schools: Peachcrest (in the CDP) and Snapfinger (outside of the CDP)
 * Middle schools: Mary McLeod Bethune and Columbia (both outside of the CDP)
 * High schools: Towers High School (in the CDP) and Columbia High School (outside of the CDP).

Economy
The community's economy contains Belvedere Plaza, which had the second suburban Rich's department store (after Lenox Square in Atlanta), currently a market for Afro-centric sales products.

title: Belvedere Park, Georgia


text:
Candler-McAfee, Georgia

Candler-McAfee is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. It is located east of Atlanta approximately 10 mi east of Downtown Atlanta and to the south of Decatur, Georgia The population was 23,025 at the 2010 census.

Geography
Candler-McAfee is located to the east of the city of Atlanta, Georgia and is bounded by:
 * North: Glenwood Avenue
 * West: 2nd Avenue
 * South: I-20
 * East: I-285

The Belvedere Park CDP is to the north and Panthersville CDP is to the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 7.0 sqmi, of which 0.04 sqmi, or 0.29%, is water.

Landmarks
The area is home to DeKalb Fire Station 26 and its water tower. East Lake Golf Club is on the northern boundary of Candler-McAfee

Demographics
Candler-McAfee was first listed as a CDP in the 1980 U.S. Census.

2020
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 22,468 people, 8,685 households, and 5,191 families residing in the CDP.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 28,294 people, 9,030 households, and 6,926 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,054.2 PD/sqmi. There were 9,415 housing units at an average density of 1,349.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 3.31% White, 95.17% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.

There were 9,030 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 33.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.46.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males.

At the height of the mortgage crisis, in 2007, the CDP poverty rate exploded to 27.5%, one of the highest rates in the country. The years since have seen improvement; the median income for a household in the CDP was $38,152 in recent data as of 2020, and the median income for a family was $40,368. Males had a median income of $30,218 versus $25,887 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $15,092. About 10.9% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.

Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods in the CDP:
 * East Lake Terrace, between Glenwood (N), McAfee (S), Parker (W) and Candler (E)
 * Mark Trail Park
 * Eastwyck Village
 * Columbia Valley
 * Glendale Park
 * Springwoods
 * Spring Valley

Education
It is in the DeKalb County Public Schools. Zoned schools:
 * Elementary schools: Columbia, Kelley Lake, Ronald E. McNair, Snapfinger, and Toney (all in the CDP)
 * Middle schools: Ronald E. McNair (in the CDP) and Columbia (outside the CDP)
 * High schools: Columbia High School (in the CDP) and Ronald E. McNair High School (outside the CDP).

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta operates area Catholic schools. The K-8 school St. Peter Claver Regional School is in Candler-McAfee.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Candler-McAfee, Georgia


text:
Chamblee, Georgia

Chamblee is a city in northern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, northeast of Atlanta. The population was 30,164 as of the 2020 census.

History
The area that would later become Chamblee was originally dairy farms. During the late nineteenth century, an intersection of two railroads was constructed in Chamblee; one carried passengers from Atlanta to Charlotte, North Carolina, while the other ferried workers and goods back and forth from a factory in Roswell to Atlanta. A settlement known as Roswell Junction emerged at the intersection, and the United States Postal Service decided to establish a post office there. However, feeling the name of the settlement was too similar to nearby Roswell, they randomly selected Chamblee from a list of petitioners for the new post office name. Chamblee was incorporated in 1907.

During World War I and World War II, Chamblee served as the site of U.S. military operations. During World War I, the U.S. operated Camp Gordon, home to 40,000 servicemen. This influx of new people created a building boom in the town. Camp Gordon was closed after the war and then re-opened as Navy Flight Training Center at the advent of World War II.

Immediately after World War II, Chamblee experienced growth in blue-collar industry and residents due to its proximity to the newly opened General Motors plant in neighboring Doraville. Manufacturing plants also located along the newly constructed Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. By the 1980s, much of the city's industrial base had downsized or eroded; in its place sprang up multi-ethnic businesses that catered to the immigrants and refugees moving to Chamblee and Doraville en masse due to the cities' affordable housing. By the time of the 1996 Summer Olympics, Chamblee had emerged as a multi-cultural city inhabited by a large immigrant community.

During the first decade of the 2000s, the city grew as it refined its image, constructing a new city hall in 2002. In 2010, Chamblee annexed an area directly to the northwest that includes Huntley Hills and a resident population of approximately 5,000. It also renamed Peachtree Industrial Boulevard to Peachtree Boulevard, and took steps to revitalize its downtown. In 2012 the city had an annexation proposal that was voted down by a small margin. In November 2013 the city had another annexation proposal that was passed by voters. Following the annexation, the city and neighboring Brookhaven had a dispute in 2014 over which city would annex the Century Center development. The courts gave Century Center to Chamblee.

According to 2020 Census data, Chamblee effectively tripled its population since 2010. It started the decade with roughly 9,800 residents and ended it with more than 30,000, mostly due to two annexations. The only city to gain more residents in that time was Atlanta, and only two Georgia cities — Morgan and Pendergrass — grew at faster rates in the 2010s. City leaders have credited Chamblee's location as a transportation hub, with close proximity to two interstates, a MARTA station and the DeKalb–Peachtree Airport, as a key reason for the city's growth. In the early 2020s Chamblee attracted multiple mixed-use developments and office projects.

Geography
Chamblee is south of Dunwoody, southwest of Doraville, northeast of Brookhaven, and north of Interstate 85. The city is located at 33.8875°N, -84.30528°W (33.887552, -84.305326). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 sqmi, all land.

Mass transit
GRTA Xpress / RTA commuter buses and MARTA heavy rail subway and buses serve the county.
 * Chamblee (MARTA station)

Pedestrians and cycling
The Chamblee Rail Trail is situated in Chamblee. It offers a short but useful paved pathway through downtown, passing under busy Peachtree Boulevard.

At its northern end, sits the city's largest park, Keswick Park, and just two blocks from the trail's southern end is the Chamblee MARTA Station off Peachtree Road. Natural landscaping and trees keep the route pleasant, while many businesses and restaurants are just steps away.

Work is underway to extend the trail along the former Roswell Railroad spur, bringing the pathway east to Pierce Drive, with long-term plans in the works to link the pathway into the rapidly-developing regional trail network and the Atlanta Beltline. Currently, there are plans for the construction of a multi-use trail, known as the Peachtree Creek Greenway. The goal of the greenway is to provide residents with close-to-home and close-to-work access to bicycle and pedestrian trails, serve transportation and recreation needs, and help encourage quality of life and sustainable economic growth. The trail will connect the cities of Atlanta, Brookhaven, Chamblee and Doraville.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 30,164 people, 11,526 households, and 5,488 families residing in the city. The racial and ethnic composition of population was 31.23% white. 13.36% Black or African American, .19% Native American, 8.62% Asian or Pacific Islander, 3.13% with one or more races unidentified. 43.48% of Chamblee residents are Hispanic or Latino.

From 2010 to 2020, the population inside Chamblee had tripled. Influx into Chamblee was spread among identified ethnic groups. More Asian and African-American people moved into Chamblee compared to the other races.

2010 census
As of the 2010 Census Chamblee had a population of 9,892. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 45.0% white (19.0% non-Hispanic white), 7.0% black or African American (6.2% non-Hispanic black), 2.1% Native American (0.2% non-Hispanic Native American), 8.0% Asian (1.8% Vietnamese, 1.6% Asian Indian, 4.6% other Asian), 33.5% from some other race (0.2% non-Hispanic from some other race) and 4.1% reporting two or more races. 58.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,552 people, 2,673 households, and 1,849 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,043.3 PD/sqmi. There were 2,730 housing units at an average density of 869.8 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 45.36% White, 3.71% African American, 0.91% Native American, 13.98% Asian, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 31.45% from other races, and 4.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 56.37% of the population.

There were 2,673 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.57 and the average family size was 3.65.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 17.9% from 18 to 24, 41.0% from 25 to 44, 12.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 161.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 176.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,992. Males had a median income of $22,024 versus $22,368 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,492. About 15.8% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over. In addition, 16.7% of families reported a household income higher than $100,000.

Neighborhoods

 * Downtown: Downtown Chamblee has been preserved has an early 20th-century railroad community. Many of the buildings are of historic vintage, and the district has architectural similarities to other similar former railroad communities, such as Decatur and Norcross. Much of the downtown businesses are devoted to Chamblee's antique industry, but that has been changing. The district has attracted significant commercial development since 2000, including lofts and townhomes. The Chamblee MARTA Station and City Hall are both located downtown. Massive economic development including the Town Center Initiative and downtown revitalization projects, have turned Downtown Chamblee into a mecca for foodies. A recently opened brewery and distillery flank downtown Chamblee. A new Chamblee signature event called, Taste of Chamblee, debuted in the mid 20 Teens, showcases the food of the Chamblee area.
 * Buford Highway Corridor: The Buford Highway community is home to one of the highest concentration of foreign-born residents in the country, including Mexican, Central American, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese. The area attracted many Latino workers during the construction boom that preceded the 1996 Olympic Games. Asian business owners were attracted to the stretch of highway by cheap leases and reliable traffic flow. The more than 1,000 immigrant-owned businesses are owned by and patronized by a wide variety of ethnic groups, including Korean, Mexican, Chinese, and Vietnamese, and Indian, Bangladeshi, Central American, Somali, and Ethiopian. The DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce calls the area the "International Corridor."
 * DeKalb–Peachtree Airport: DeKalb–Peachtree Airport is the third-largest payer of property taxes in DeKalb County, responsible for an estimated 7,300 jobs, and generates approximately $130 million in income for local residents. PDK, as the airport is commonly called (each public-use airport has an official Department of Transportation code of letters and/or numbers), has averaged 230,000 operations-takeoffs and landings-annually for more than thirty years. PDK is the second-busiest airport in Georgia, behind only Hartsfield-Jackson. A multitude of private and public airlines/pilots fly out of PDK every day. PDK's economic development, the Globe, is home to small businesses invested in the airline trade.
 * Sexton Woods: Partially in Chamblee and partially in neighboring city Brookhaven, Sexton Woods is mixed neighborhood of 1950's ranch style homes and more recently new craftsman style infill housing. Sexton Woods is bordered by Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Harts Mill Road, and Ashford Dunwoody Road. Sexton Woods is also the home of Chamblee Middle School, located on Chamblee-Dunwoody Road until 2006.
 * Keswick Village: Adjacent to Sexton Woods, Keswick Village, originally built in 1950, is a neighborhood of renovated original homes and craftsman style infill housing. It is adjacent to Keswick Park, the second largest park in the city.
 * Clairmont Park: Residential neighborhoods along Clairmont Road, south of Peachtree Boulevard, near Peachtree Dekalb Airport.
 * Huntley Hills: Huntley Hills is a neighborhood established in the early 1960s, though the first house was built on Plantation Lane in 1950. Huntley Hills Elementary School is located in the middle of the neighborhood. Huntley Hills Elementary has a Montessori program added during the 2000–2001 school year and was opened on August 21, 1964. Huntley hills also has a wide range of special needs programs for children ranging from high to low disorders.
 * Beverly Hills/Beverly Woods: Beverly Hills/Beverly Woods is a neighborhood established in the early 1950s in a portion of Chamblee that annexed into the city in 2013. Many houses in this area were built as housing for the Doraville GM plant employees that worked nearby. This neighborhood borders Chamblee-Tucker Road, Shallowford Road, and Beverly Hills Drive. Mostly Mid Century ranch style and split level houses with minimal infill housing as of 2017.

According to Biz Journal, the Atlanta metropolitan area is home to an "... estimated 50,000 Chinese-Americans...." This suburb of Atlanta, Georgia is home to a Chinatown that was built in 1988,  and is one of the first of the "New Chinatowns" according to the World Journal. Although the city of Atlanta itself does not have a "Chinatown", Chamblee's Chinatown mall is referred to as "Atlanta Chinatown." The neighborhood is part of the Buford Highway international market area and is located near the Chamblee MARTA station and New Peachtree Road. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC), refers to this "Chinatown Mall" as "... Atlanta's place for Chinese culture." According to the official website, "Atlanta Chinatown" is located at 5379 New Peachtree Road. According to the Huffington Post, this Chinatown is an example of a "modern Chinatown", with Albany, Las Vegas, Dallas-Richardson, and North Miami Beach, Florida referenced as similar examples, with regard to the quality of Chinese food. There is an annual Chinese New Year event that is held to celebrate the festival. The author further states that Atlanta's Chinatown is "... unlike many older cities" which exists in an urban setting. Atlanta's Chinatown according to her is "... in a strip mall" setting. Bonnie Tsui further states in her book that the new Chinatowns rely on the Chinatown being built before the Chinese population comes, as she quoted about Las Vegas' Chinatown.

The Atlanta Chinatown market opened on August 8, 1988, and was further expanded in 1996 with an influx of new immigrants from Beijing. According to the previous source, Atlanta's Chinatown has bakeries, restaurants, cosmetics, bookstores, a newspaper office, and many other Chinese-oriented stores.

According to Biz Journal, Atlanta Chinatown was completely redone in the year 2000 by developer Peter Chang, who purchased the old "Chinatown Square Mall". The plans call for "...the 65,000-square-foot mall [to include] a Chinese food court which contains 7 vendors, two dine-in restaurants, several offices, a supermarket, gift shops, a bookstore, jewelers, a video rental store, a beauty salon and other retailers. It will be part of the International Village project, a 375-acre live and work community with a global theme that is being developed by local business leaders, the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, DeKalb County and the city of Chamblee." According to this article, the plans are to make Atlanta Chinatown a tourist destination rather than it just being another shopping mall.

Government and infrastructure
The City of Chamblee operates under a mayor and council-city manager form of government. The Chamblee City Council is composed of a mayor and five council members. The city is divided into four council districts and one at-large district. One council member is elected from each of the four districts and one council member is elected from the city at large. The council members who are elected for the four districts must live in the district that they represent but all five council members are elected by a city-wide vote.

The Council enacts ordinances, establishes policy, adopts the annual budget, and establishes the ad valorem tax rate for each year. The City Manager is responsible for implementing the policies set forth by the council, overseeing all City employees, and managing the day-to-day operations of the city.

2024:

Interim City Manager: Chuck Button

Mayor: Brian Mock

Council Members: Elmer Veith, Leslie C. Robson, John Mesa, Paul Stovall

Mayor Pro Tem and Council Member: Jimmy Furst

The Federal Bureau of Investigation Atlanta Field Office was previously located in Chamblee. Its current location, on the grounds of Mercer University Atlanta Campus, elsewhere in DeKalb County, opened in 2017.

Public schools
The DeKalb County School System serves Chamblee.

Elementary Kittredge Magnet School for High Achievers is in Brookhaven.
 * Huntley Hills Elementary School, a public Montessori school (Chamblee)
 * Dresden Elementary School (Chamblee)
 * Ashford Park Elementary School (Brookhaven)
 * Montclair Elementary School (Brookhaven)
 * Montgomery Elementary School (Brookhaven)

Middle schools
 * Chamblee Middle School
 * Sequoyah Middle School (Doraville, serves a section of southern Chamblee)

High schools Henderson High School served residents of Chamblee until closed in mid-1990s.
 * Chamblee Charter High School
 * Cross Keys High School (Brookhaven, serves a section of southern Chamblee)

Private schools

 * St. Pius X High School

In the 2005–2006 school year the administration of Sophia Academy, previously in Sandy Springs, sought to establish a new campus and did a capital campaign. Construction began circa 2007. The new campus, in DeKalb County, was annexed into Chamblee. Sophia merged into Notre Dame Academy in Duluth, Georgia effective August 2017.

Post-secondary

 * Interactive College of Technology

Public libraries
DeKalb County Public Library operates the Chamblee Branch. Embry Hills Library is located in Chamblee.

Tourism, Hospitality, and Development
Buford Highway (also Buford Highway Corridor, DeKalb International Corridor, and in the 1990-2000's as the DeKalb County International Village district), is a community northeast of the city of Atlanta, celebrated for its ethnic diversity and spanning multiple counties including Fulton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The area generally spans along and on either side of a stretch of Georgia State Route 13 (SR 13) in DeKalb County. It begins just north of Midtown Atlanta, continues northeast through the towns of Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville, and Norcross. Most properties along the corridor are in the form of strip malls, retail businesses surrounded by large parking lots, and large apartment complexes. The largest strip malls are the Northeast Plaza, Plaza Fiesta and the Buford Highway Farmers Market complex.

Twin towns – sister cities
Chamblee is twinned with:

 * 🇺🇦 Kovel, Ukraine

title: Chamblee, Georgia


text:
Clarkston, Georgia

Clarkston is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 14,756 as of the 2020 census, up from 7,554 in 2010.

The city is noted for its ethnic diversity, and is often referred to as "the most diverse square mile in America" and "the Ellis Island of the South." In the 1990s, refugee resettlement programs identified Clarkston as a good fit for displaced persons of many backgrounds. The rental market was open, residents were moving farther out from the Atlanta urban core, and Clarkston was the last stop on a transit line into the city. At present students attending Clarkston High School come from over 50 countries; the local mosque (Masjid al-Momineen, or Mosque of the Faithful in English) has a diverse and sizable congregation; and over half the population is estimated by some to be foreign born.

History
A post office called Clarkston has been in operation since 1876. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the place in 1882 as the "Town of Clarkston", with municipal corporate limits extending in a one-half mile radius from the Georgia Railroad depot. The community was named after W. W. Clark, a railroad official.

Geography
Clarkston is located at 33.81028°N, -84.24°W (33.810304, −84.239877).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 sqmi, of which 1.0 sqmi is land and 0.94% is water.

Clarkston is on the Eastern Continental Divide.

Mass transit

 * MARTA Bus 120 connects to MARTA Blue Line rail service at Avondale
 * MARTA Bus 125 connects to MARTA Blue Line rail service at Kensington

Pedestrians and cycling

 * Stone Mountain Trail

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,756 people, 3,727 households, and 2,341 families residing in the city.

2010 census
As of 2010 Clarkston had a population of 7,554. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 13.6% white (13.1% non-Hispanic white), 58.4% black or African American (57.9% non-Hispanic black), 0.2% Native American, 21.6 Asian (4.8% Vietnamese, 16.8% other Asian), 2.1% from some other race and 4.1% from two or more races. 2.8% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,231 people, 2,469 households, and 1,587 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,856.3 PD/sqmi. There were 2,622 housing units at an average density of 2,486.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 19.44% White, 55.66% African American, 0.11% Native American, 12.57% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.56% from other races, and 9.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.61% of the population.

In 2000, Clarkston foreign residents included African (4%), Arab (1%), West Indian (1%), Asian Indian (1%), Other Hispanic or Latino (1%), and Central American (1%) immigrants.

There were 2,469 households, out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.2% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.54.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.0% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 40.0% from 25 to 44, 13.4% from 45 to 64, and 3.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,436, and the median income for a family was $38,056. Males had a median income of $27,604 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,304. About 19.5% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education
DeKalb County School System operates Clarkston's public schools.

 * Indian Creek Elementary School
 * Jolly Elementary School
 * Freedom Middle School
 * Clarkston High School

All the schools are located outside of the city limits of Clarkston.

Atlanta Area School for the Deaf is a State funded school in Clarkston.

The Clarkston Campus of Georgia State University's Perimeter College is just south of the city limits. Georgia Piedmont Technical College, part of the Technical College System of Georgia, is in Clarkston.

Public libraries
DeKalb County Public Library operates the Clarkston Branch.

Refugee resettlement
Georgia is among states that receive the highest amount of refugees for resettlement, and has resettled more than 37,000 refugees since 1993. Clarkston receives a large portion of these refugees, but arrivals have gradually declined yearly since 2016. In 2016, then Georgia Governor Nathan Deal issued and then reneged on an executive order attempting to cease influx of Syrian refugees into the state. Additionally, as of 2019 federal funding for refugee programs has decreased and executive orders have been issued that allow states increased authority to limit resettlement, which has resulted in the downsizing of several Georgia resettlement organizations.

Organizations that aid the resettlement of refugees in Clarkston include:

 * Friends of Refugees
 * Fugees Family
 * International Rescue Committee of Atlanta
 * New American Pathways
 * World Relief Atlanta

In television

 * Clarkston was featured in season one of "Good Girls" Netflix series (the fictional supermarket "Fine & Frugal" was shot in Fresh Food Town in the Tahoe Village plaza).
 * Clarkston is the setting of the episode "Make Ted Great Again" in the second season of Queer Eye in 2018.
 * Clarkston is featured in the episode "It's a Greens Thing" in the first season of Vivan Howard's PBS cooking show Somewhere South in 2020.

title: Clarkston, Georgia


text:
Decatur, Georgia

Decatur is a city in, and the county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. With a population of 24,928 in the 2020 census, the municipality is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple ZIP Codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear Decatur as the address. The city is served by three MARTA rail stations (Decatur, East Lake, and Avondale). The city is located approximately 5 mi northeast of Downtown Atlanta and shares its western border with both the city of Atlanta (the Kirkwood and Lake Claire neighborhoods) and unincorporated DeKalb County. The Druid Hills neighborhood is to the northwest of Decatur.

Early history
Prior to European settlement, the Decatur area was largely forested (a remnant of old-growth forest near Decatur is preserved as Fernbank Forest). Decatur was established at the intersection of two Native American trails: the Sandtown, which led east from the Chattahoochee River at Utoy Creek, and the Shallowford, which follows today's Clairmont Road, and eventually crossed near Roswell. A site for the DeKalb County courthouse was designated in 1822 in what would become downtown Decatur; the city of Decatur was incorporated on December 10, 1823. It was named for United States Navy Commodore Stephen Decatur.

American Civil War
During the American Civil War, Decatur became a strategic site in Sherman's Atlanta Campaign. In July 1864, Major-General James McPherson occupied the town to cut off the Confederates' supply line from Augusta. On July 22, during the Battle of Atlanta, Confederate cavalry under Major-General Joseph Wheeler attacked McPherson's supply wagons and the Union troops left to defend the wagons. A historical marker at the old courthouse marks the site of this skirmish.

"We attacked Decatur on the 22d and took the town driving out a Brigade of Infantry and a good deal of Dismounted Cavalry. Our Brigade really took the town, tho' it was supported on both flanks by a Brigade of Cavalry dismounted. The fight lasted about two hours and was very hot for a while. The Yankees had the hills and houses on us and fought very well for a time. Our dash was made to distract attention while Hardee made the real attack on the enemy's flank. We captured over a hundred prisoners and killed and wounded about one hundred and fifty. Our loss about seventy killed and wounded."

20th century
In the second half of the twentieth century the metropolitan area of Atlanta expanded into unincorporated DeKalb County, eventually surrounding two sides of the town of Decatur. Concurrently many citizens fled the area to more distant suburbs. The 1960s and 1970s witnessed dramatic drops in property values. However, more recently the city has regained economic vigor, partially thanks to several long-term downtown development plans that have come to fruition, making Decatur a trendy small mixed-use district with easy transit to downtown Atlanta. Over the past twenty years, it has gained a local and national reputation as a progressive city with a high level of citizen involvement.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.2 sqmi, all land. Decatur is bordered by Avondale Estates to the southeast and Atlanta to the southwest, and unincorporated DeKalb County elsewhere.

The Eastern Continental Divide bisects the city along the CSX (formerly Georgia Railroad) trackage right of way.

Major roads and expressways
Decatur is 'inside the perimeter' (I-285) and north of I-20.

Mass transit

 * Avondale MARTA Station
 * Decatur MARTA Station
 * East Lake MARTA Station

Pedestrians and cycling
PATH Foundation trails
 * Stone Mountain Trail
 * Decatur PATH
 * East Decatur Greenway

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 24,928 people, 8,841 households, and 5,597 families residing in the city.

2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 19,335 people, 8,599 occupied housing units, and 4,215 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,603.6 PD/sqmi. There were 9,335 housing units at an average density of 2,222.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 73.5% White, 20.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.9% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population.

There were 2,541 (29.5%) households which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 3,336 (38.8%) were a husband-wife family living together, 984 (11.4%) of households had a female householder with no husband present, and 4,063 (47.2%) did not fit into either of the two previously mentioned categories. 3,263 (37.9%) of all households were made up of individuals of those, 1,814 (21.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city, 25.1% of the population was under the age of 19, 5.2% from 20 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. There are roughly 44 males for every 56 females.

The median income for a household in the city was $73,602. Males had a median income of $73,089 versus $58,580 for females. The per capita income for the city was $42,926. About 12.20% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education levels for Decatur are above average for the Atlanta area, with 56% of residents having obtained a bachelor's degree or higher, and 27% having obtained a graduate degree or higher.

Decatur and adjacent areas are popular with the lesbian community thanks in part to the Indigo Girls, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The pair met in elementary school and started making music together in high school in Decatur. They both went on to Emory University and laid down roots in the community.

Primary and secondary schools
City Schools of Decatur, which serves only students within the city limits, holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of a pre-K early childhood learning center, five lower elementary schools, two upper elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. Decatur High School is the district's sole high school. The Decatur City district has 224 full-time teachers and over 4,400 students from pre-K through grade 12.

The DeKalb County School District serves unincorporated DeKalb County.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta operates St. Thomas More School in Decatur; it opened on September 1, 1950. At first it only had elementary grades and its initial enrollment was 150. A dedicated elementary building opened in 1955, and an addition for kindergarten classes with two rooms was placed in 1994. St. Peter Claver Regional School has a Decatur mailing address but is in nearby Candler-McAfee CDP.

Colleges and universities

 * Agnes Scott College
 * Columbia Theological Seminary
 * Georgia State University's Perimeter College
 * DeVry University
 * Emory University, northwest of Decatur, was located in unincorporated DeKalb County before being annexed by the City of Atlanta in 2017.

Public libraries
The DeKalb County Public Library system operates the Decatur Branch and is also the Dekalb County Library Headquarters.

Government
Decatur has operated under a Commission-Manager form of government since 1920. The Charter of the City of Decatur establishes the City Commission as the governing and legislative authority of the City government. A five-member City Commission is elected for four-year terms on two-year cycles. Two members are elected from the south side of the city, two from the north side and one is elected at-large. At their organizational meeting each January, the Commissioners elect a mayor and mayor-pro-tem from among their own membership for a one-year term. The mayor is not a separate elected office. The current mayor is Patti Garrett. Previous mayors have included Leslie Jasper Steele (1915), Jack Hamilton, Walter Drake, Mike Mears, Ann A. Crichton, Elizabeth Wilson, William Floyd, Jim Baskett and Scott Candler, Sr. (known as Mr. DeKalb).

The Commission appoints a professional City Manager to carry out the policies, directives and day-to-day business of the city. The current city manager is Andrea Arnold. There are also several citizen volunteer boards and commissions appointed by the City Commission, including the Planning Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals, and the Historic Preservation Commission.

State representation
The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice has its headquarters in Avondale Estates, near Decatur. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has its headquarters near Decatur, in an unincorporated area.

Federal representation
The United States Postal Service operates the Decatur Post Office.

Neighborhoods and historic districts

 * Adair Park
 * South Candler Street-Agnes Scott College Historic District
 * Chelsea Heights
 * Clairemont - Great Lakes and Clairemont Historic District
 * Clairemont Gateway Association
 * Decatur Heights
 * College Heights
 * Downtown Decatur
 * EverGreen Forest
 * Glennwood Estates
 * Lenox Place
 * MAK Historic District
 * Midway Woods
 * Oakhurst
 * Parkwood
 * Ponce de Leon Heights
 * Ponce de Leon Court Historic District
 * Ridgeland Park
 * Sycamore Street
 * Westchester Hills
 * Winnona Park Historic District
 * Dearborn Heights

Festivals, special events and arts
Decatur has a thriving art and festival scene. The Decatur Arts Alliance hosts the Decatur Arts Festival each May, in addition to installing public art around the city, providing gallery space for local artists, producing YEA!, which is an event for young emerging artists, and supporting arts and arts education throughout the City.

Decatur holds the annual AJC Decatur Book Festival, which claims to be one of the largest independent book festivals in the United States. It has featured thousands of famous authors, book signings, speeches, and attracted upwards of 85,000 people in 2019.

Decatur is home to Eddie's Attic, which is a live music venue hosting shows almost every night.

Decatur is known for its frequent festivals, which include the annual Decatur Arts Festival, Summer In The City, Decatur BBQ, Blues & Bluegrass Festival, the Decatur Book Festival, the Decatur Maker's Faire, The Decatur Craft Beer Festival and the Decatur Wine Festival. Other events throughout the year include parades, Concerts on the Square, wine crawls, art walks, runs, and races.

Public art in Decatur includes Celebration (artist Gary Price), Valentine (artist George Lundeen), Thomas Jefferson (George Lundeen), Commodore Stephen Decatur (artist unknown), Roy A. Blount Plaza, and Living Walls Murals (various artists).

Dining, breweries and distilleries
Decatur is known for its food scene and was named one of the South's "Tastiest Towns" in 2012. In 2016, the New York Times called it "Atlanta's gastronomic equivalent of Berkeley or Brooklyn".

Points of interest
Decatur's downtown area and residential neighborhoods are filled with historic structures and sites of interest. This list primarily consists of structures on the National Register of Historic Places, but many remain privately owned and may only be viewed from the exterior.
 * South Candler Street-Agnes Scott College Historic District, 141 East College Avenue. This district is on the National Register of Historic Places. It includes both the college campus and surrounding historic homes, and is book-ended by the Winnona Park Historic District to the east and the MAK Historic District to the west.
 * Clairemont Historic District, north of Decatur Square
 * Columbia Theological Seminary, 701 Columbia Drive. This tree-lined, brick and limestone campus lies within Decatur's Winnona Park neighborhood.
 * Decatur Cemetery, 229 Bell Street. This historic cemetery was founded in the early 19th century and is located northeast of Decatur Square.
 * Glenwood Elementary, the oldest school in the city
 * Historic Oakhurst, in southwest Decatur. An early 20th century town annexed by Decatur, Oakhurst still has its own business district surrounded by bungalows.
 * MAK Historic District, McDonough, Adams and Kings Highway. Decatur's first local historic district is full of early 20th century American Craftsman-style homes and has been used by Hollywood for films.
 * Methodist Chapel, Commerce Avenue and Sycamore Street. A granite chapel on historic Sycamore Street owned by Decatur First United Methodist Church.
 * Old Scottish Rite Hospital, 321 West Hill Street (Oakhurst neighborhood). The historic Shriners' hospital has had an adaptive reuse and now houses restaurants and an art gallery.
 * Ponce de Leon Court Historic District. A single street of bungalows and palm trees east of Decatur Square (off Ponce de Leon Avenue).
 * Winnona Park Historic District, in southeast Decatur. This district is on the National Register of Historic Places for its residences and is also the home of Columbia Theological Seminary.
 * Woodlands Garden, 932 Scott Boulevard. Seven acres, mostly wooded with a focus on native plants, and open to the public.

Notable people

 * B.o.B. - rapper, singer, songwriter
 * James Banks III (born 1998) - basketball player
 * Jarren Benton - rapper
 * Harrison Butker - NFL placekicker for the Kansas City Chiefs
 * Jason Carter - politician
 * Mark David Chapman - killed John Lennon
 * Paul Delaney (born 1986) - basketball player in the Israeli National League
 * Rebecca Latimer Felton - first woman Senator
 * Ian Garrison - professional cyclist
 * Ghetto Mafia - hip hop group
 * Omari Hardwick - actor
 * Keri Hilson - singer, actress
 * Kiera Hogan - professional wrestler
 * Jan Hooks (1957–2014) - actor and comedian
 * Chris Horton (born 1994) - basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
 * Joshilyn Jackson - author
 * Emily Jacobson (born 1985) - saber fencer
 * Jacquees - singer, songwriter
 * DeForest Kelley - actor, screenwriter, poet, and singer
 * Alec Kann - professional soccer player
 * LightSkinKeisha - rapper
 * McClain - girl group
 * China Anne McClain - actress, singer
 * Sierra McClain - actress, singer
 * S.P. Miskowski - author
 * Efrain Morales - soccer player for Atlanta United
 * Amy Ray (born 1964) - singer, songwriter, Indigo Girls
 * Joey Rosskopf - professional cyclist
 * A. E. Stallings - poet and critic, first American Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford
 * Michael Stipe - lead vocalist, R.E.M.
 * Baby Tate - rapper, singer
 * Andrew Toles - outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers
 * Rock Ya-Sin - NFL cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens
 * Jordan Walker - MLB outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals
 * James Walraven - serial killer
 * Devonte Wyatt - NFL defensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers

Sister cities
Decatur has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
 * 🇧🇫 Boussé, Burkina Faso
 * 🇧🇫 Ouahigouya, Burkina Faso
 * 🇵🇪 Trujillo, Peru

title: Decatur, Georgia


text:
Doraville, Georgia

Doraville is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 10,623.

History
Doraville was incorporated by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, approved December 15, 1871. From its development until the 1940s, Doraville was a small agricultural community that served the interests of a larger surrounding farming area.

At the end of World War II, Doraville was on a main railroad line and had a new water system. General Motors selected Doraville for a new assembly plant. Doraville grew in the late 1940s and the 1950s as a result. In the late 1940s, plans for Guilford Village, the first subdivision, were announced by Southern Builders and Engineering Company. The 112-home subdivision at Tilly Mill and Flowers Roads was to cover some 58 acres. In 1950, Doraville's population was 472. By 1964, its population was 6,160 and its land area was 1,722 acres. Part of the population growth during that period was because of the annexation of Northwoods in 1949 and Oakcliff in 1958.

By the 1980s, Doraville and neighboring Chamblee attracted immigrants relocating to the Atlanta area who settled along Buford Highway. The result is one of the largest Asian communities in the country. Many Latin American countries are also represented. 56% of residents speak a language other than English as a first language. The Doraville MARTA Station was built in 1992, destroying the few buildings that remained of Doraville's downtown. The GM Doraville Assembly Plant closed in 2009 and was demolished in 2015.

Geography
Doraville is located at 33.90528°N, -84.27389°W (33.905302, -84.273870). Doraville is northeast of Chamblee, southeast of Dunwoody, southwest of Norcross and Peachtree Corners, and northwest of Tucker.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.3 km2, of which 0.01 sqkm, or 0.11%, is water. Crooked Creek, a tributary of the Chattahoochee River, runs through Doraville.

The City of Doraville is located in DeKalb County. It has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) and average monthly high temperatures range from 53 °F in January to 90 °F in July.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,623 people, 3,231 households, and 2,026 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,862 people, 2,998 households, and 1,981 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,747.0 PD/sqmi. There were 3,102 housing units at an average density of 864.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 46.35% White, 14.77% African American, 1.28% Native American, 12.67% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 20.62% from other races, and 4.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 43.44% of the population.

There were 2,998 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.24 and the average family size was 3.62.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 14.9% from 18 to 24, 38.7% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 127.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 134.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,641, and the median income for a family was $41,903. Males had a median income of $23,681 versus $22,165 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,048. About 9.6% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Since the closure of the GM Assembly Plant, Doraville's economy has carried on with a mix of small, medium businesses. Many small ethnic restaurants can be found along Buford Highway and Peachtree Industrial Blvd. Doraville is the corporate home of Serta Simmons Bedding.

Government
Doraville has a council–manager government, consisting of a city manager, city council, and mayor. The city is organized into three districts, with each district electing two city council members. Doraville also has a municipal court with authority over moving violations and local ordinances.

The current city manager is Chris Eldridge and the current mayor is Joseph Geierman. Geierman began his term in 2020 after serving on the Doraville City Council. Geierman is the first openly LGBT Mayor of Doraville and the fourth openly LGBT mayor in Georgia.

Architecture
Doraville has three distinct neighborhoods that all have a variety of post World War 2 styles. Northwoods has bungalow, mid-century, and split-level styles. Oakcliff has primarily 1960's ranch-style and split-level architecture. The oldest neighborhood is Tilly Mill where bungalow and ranch styles are prevalent. Modern infill homes have been built in Northwoods and Tilly Mill neighborhoods.

Primary and secondary schools
DeKalb County School District serves Doraville and includes the following elementary schools:
 * Cary Reynolds Elementary School (Brookhaven)
 * Chesnut Elementary School (Dunwoody)
 * Hightower Elementary School (Doraville)
 * Huntley Hills Elementary School (Chamblee)
 * Doraville United Elementary (Doraville)

Middle schools include:
 * Chamblee Middle School (Chamblee)
 * Peachtree Charter Middle School (Dunwoody)
 * Sequoyah Middle School (Doraville)

High schools serving sections of Doraville include:
 * Chamblee Charter High School (Chamblee)
 * Cross Keys High School (Brookhaven)
 * Dunwoody High School (Dunwoody)

Public libraries
The City of Doraville operates its own library, in addition to providing local educational programing, in collaboration with DeKalb County.

Mass transit
For mass transit, the city is served by the Doraville MARTA station and is connected to the Gwinnett County Transit system.

Pedestrians and cycling
Doraville has an older sidewalk network. Beginning in 2016 the city increased work repairing older sidewalks and installing new sidewalk segments.

Parks
The Doraville Parks and Recreation Department Manages a variety of facilities, including Honeysuckle Park, Fleming Arena, the Paul Murphy Boxing Club, Autumn Park, Brook Park, Chicopee Park, English Oak Park, Flowers Park and Bernard Halpern Park.

Notable people

 * Atlanta Rhythm Section, 1970s Southern rock/adult contemporary band, formed in Doraville at Studio One recording studio. The band's first top 40 hit, "Doraville", peaked at #35 on the Billboard charts in 1974. "Doraville" was an uptempo song from the Third Annual Pipe Dream album which paid tribute to the friendly environment of the Atlanta suburb. The town was described in the 1974 song as "a touch of country in the city". Their 1980 album was titled The Boys from Doraville.

title: Doraville, Georgia


text:
Druid Hills, Georgia

Druid Hills is a community which includes both a census-designated place (CDP) in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, as well as a neighborhood of the city of Atlanta. The CDP's population was 14,568 at the 2010 census. The CDP formerly contained the main campus of Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); however, they were annexed by Atlanta in 2018. The Atlanta-city section of Druid Hills is one of Atlanta's most affluent neighborhoods with a mean household income in excess of $238,500 (making it the ninth most affluent, per that metric).

History
The planned community was initially conceived by Joel Hurt, and developed with the effort of Atlanta's leading families, including Coca-Cola founder Asa Candler. It contains some of Atlanta's historic mansions from the late 19th and early 20th century. Druid Hills includes the main campus of Emory University, which relocated to Atlanta in 1914.

Druid Hills was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and was one of his last commissions. A showpiece of the design was the string of parks along Ponce de Leon Avenue, which was designated as Druid Hills Parks and Parkways and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1975. The remainder of the development was listed on the Register as the Druid Hills Historic District on October 25, 1979. Later the Park and Parkways district was consolidated into the Druid Hills Historic District. The other historic districts in Druid Hills are:

 * Emory University District, added in 1975
 * University Park-Emory Highlands-Emory Estates Historic District, added in 1998
 * Emory Grove Historic District, added in 2000.

By 2015 there was a bill in the Georgia Legislature which called for annexing more of Druid Hills into Atlanta.

In 2016 Emory University's administration stated that it intended to petition the university to be annexed into the City of Atlanta, along with the CDC area; in 2017 the university leadership formally submitted its petition. The City of Atlanta annexed Emory's campus effective January 1, 2018, a part of its largest annexation within a period of 65 years; the Atlanta City Council voted to do so the prior December.

Geography
Druid Hills is located at 33.78722°N, -84.32611°W (33.787205, -84.325974).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 4.2 sqmi, of which 0.04 sqmi, or 0.48%, is water. The CDP's northern boundary is the South Fork of Peachtree Creek; the CSX track and the Decatur city limits are the eastern boundary; the DeKalb County line is the western boundary; and the southern boundary is the Atlanta city limit.

The Druid Hills neighborhood of Atlanta is bounded by the Druid Hills CDP (i.e. unincorporated DeKalb County) on the north and east; the Morningside/Lenox Park, Virginia-Highland and Poncey-Highland neighborhoods of Atlanta on the west; and the Candler Park neighborhood of Atlanta on the south.

The Chelsea Heights neighborhood is located in the eastern part of the CDP at the Decatur border, and participates in the Druid Hills Civic Association.

Demographics
Druid Hills was first listed as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. Census.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,429 people, 3,579 households, and 1,977 families residing in the CDP.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,742 people, 4,627 households, and 2,040 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,040.4 PD/sqmi. There were 4,830 housing units at an average density of 1,152.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 84.15% White, 6.0% African-American, 0.16% Native American, 7.34% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.43% of the population.

There were 4,627 households, out of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 55.9% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 13.0% under the age of 18, 30.2% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $62,953, and the median income for a family was $106,196. Males had a median income of $57,017 versus $45,458 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $34,829. About 2.3% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Emory University, including its hospitals, is the third largest employer in Metro Atlanta as of 2007/8. The CDC is also an employer of note.

Commercial areas include Emory Village, a small node first developed in the 1920s at the terminus of the streetcar line to Emory. A revitalization of the area was completed in 2011 with new sidewalks, street furniture and two new roundabouts.

The other, larger commercial areas fall just outside the community's boundaries, such as the Clairmont Road corridor in North Decatur, the Sage Hill shopping center in Atlanta's Morningside/Lenox Park, and the Ponce de Leon Avenue corridor just west of Druid Hills in Atlanta's Poncey-Highland/Virginia-Highland.

Arts and culture

Druid Hills is home to The Atlanta Boy Choir on S. Ponce de Leon Ave. and Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, housed in the Gothic-Tudor style former estate of Charles Howard Candler, president of Coca-Cola and eldest son of Asa Griggs Candler, Coca-Cola's co-founder.

Parks

 * Baker Woodland, Emory University, between Fishburne Dr. & South Kilga Cir. Forest of oak, tulip poplar, beech, and hickory trees - contains over 100 plant species.
 * Burbanck Park, Oxford Rd. & Clifton Rd. 1.2 acre natural park which borders Peavine Creek. It is named after Madeline and William Burbanck, Emory University professors who owned the property.
 * Fernbank Forest, Fernbank Museum of Natural History.
 * Fernbank School Park, 157 Heaton Park Dr. This DeKalb County 12 acre park is located west of the CSX railroad tracks. It includes a multi-use field and court, playground, picnic area and walking trails.
 * Hahn Woods, Emory University, Houston Mill Rd. (at South Peachtree Creek). Nature preserve with trail and viewing platform over the creek.
 * Medlock Park North Druid Hills subdivision, Nine little league baseball fields with concessions, playground and a running/cycling trail which follows Nancy Creek.
 * Olmsted Linear Park, Druid Hills, Ponce de Leon Ave. 50 acre of six distinct parks, strung along Ponce de Leon Avenue like a necklace. They were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 19th century. Each of the six parks has its own name: Deepdene, Dellwood, Shadyside, Springdale, Virgilee and Oak Grove (formerly Brightwood).
 * Wesley Woods Forest, Emory University.
 * Princeton Way Park, a small neighborhood park that is surrounded by the interior homes of Princeton Way. The park is equipped with picnic tables, swings, slides, a sandbox, short walking trails, and an informal baseball setup.

Government
The neighborhood organization, the Druid Hills Civic Association (DHCA), gives input to two authorities since the community is divided between the city of Atlanta and unincorporated territory in DeKalb County.

The Atlanta part is an official recognized neighborhood of Atlanta, which in turn is part of NPU N. Officially, DHCA exercises its input into planning and other city processes by giving input to the NPU.

DeKalb County does not have an officially designated role for the community within the county government in the way the City of Atlanta does (though there are five large geographic districts for the election of county commissioners), so the DHCA gives input to the unitarian county government in Decatur.

The United States Postal Service operates the Druid Hills Post Office at 1799 Briarcliff Road NE in the North Druid Hills CDP in unincorporated DeKalb.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's main offices were formerly located in the CDP. The City of Atlanta annexed the CDC effective January 1, 2018.

Transportation
Public bus transportation is provided by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, while Emory University runs an extensive fleet of shuttles, called the "Cliff".

Healthcare
Emory University Hospital and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - Egleston Hospital are in the Druid Hills area.

The City of Atlanta annexed Egleston and Emory University effective January 1, 2018. Prior to the annexation, Egleston was in Druid Hills CDP, as was Emory Hospital.

Primary and secondary schools
The non-Atlanta portions of Druid Hills are in the DeKalb County School District. Most residents are zoned to Fernbank Elementary School (in the Druid Hills CDP) while some are zoned to Briar Vista Elementary School. All residents are zoned to Druid Hills Middle School (in the North Decatur CDP ), and Druid Hills High School (in the Druid Hills CDP ).

The Atlanta sections (the Emory/CDC annexation) are in Atlanta Public Schools. The zoned schools are Springdale Park Elementary School, D. T. Howard Middle School, and Midtown High School (formerly Henry W. Grady High School). The Emory/CDC annexation was scheduled to be moved into APS from DeKalb Schools in 2024.

The Paideia School is a nearby preK–12 private school  in the city of Atlanta.

Colleges and universities
Emory University is a private university formerly located in the Druid Hills CDP. The City of Atlanta annexed Emory effective January 1, 2018.

Religion

 * Churches:
 * Atlanta Metropolitan Cathedral, 999 Briarcliff Rd.
 * Atlanta Primitive Baptist Church, 1367 S Ponce De Leon Ave.
 * Emory Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 1886 N Decatur Rd.
 * Church of the Epiphany (AEC), 2089 Ponce De Leon Ave.
 * Druid Hills Baptist Church (CBF), Ponce de Leon Ave. & N. Highland Ave.
 * Druid Hills Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 1026 Ponce De Leon Ave.
 * Druid Hills United Methodist Church (UMC), Ponce de Leon Ave. & Briarcliff Rd. - built 1955, Ivey and Crook, architects
 * Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church (UMC), 1660 N. Decatur Rd.
 * The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon), 1450 Ponce De Leon Ave.
 * St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church, 2045 Ponce de Leon Ave.
 * Saint John's Lutheran Church (ELCA), 1410 Ponce de Leon Ave.
 * St. John Chrysostom Melkite Church, 1428 Ponce De Leon Ave.
 * The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, 1287 S. Ponce De Leon Ave.

Villa International, a Christian ministry that consists of a two-story 33-room guest house for visiting academics and medical staff from multiple countries, was established in 1972 to provide a welcoming environment in response to the suicide of an African academic in 1966. The initial cost to establish it was $300,000, and by 2020 it gained the nickname "Little U.N." from its guests. The City of Atlanta annexed Villa International effective January 1, 2018. Prior to that date it was in the Druid Hills CDP.

Synagogues are located in adjacent Virginia-Highland, Morningside/Lenox Park and North Druid Hills, the latter having one of the largest concentrations of Orthodox Jews in Metro Atlanta.

Notable people

 * Cully Cobb, founder of the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University

title: Druid Hills, Georgia


text:
Dunwoody, Georgia

Dunwoody is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. As a northern suburb of Atlanta, Dunwoody is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. It was incorporated as a city on December 1, 2008 but its area establishment dates back to the early 1830s. As of 2019, the city has a population of 49,356, up from 46,267 in the 2010 census.

History
The Dunwoody area was established in the early 1830s and is named for Major Charles Dunwody (1828–1905), an extra "o" added with the incorrect spelling of the name on a banking note. Charles Dunwody originally returned to Roswell after fighting in the Civil War, in which he fought for the Confederates. One of Dunwoody's most historic buildings dates from 1829. The Ebenezer Primitive Baptist Church, at the corner of Roberts Drive and Spalding Drive, is still active to this date and is also the home to one of the city's oldest cemeteries, where many of the founding fathers of Dunwoody are buried. The first public school, Dunwoody Elementary, first stood near the center of the city at the intersection of Chamblee-Dunwoody Road and Mount Vernon Road. It was in continuous operation from 1911 to 1986. A fire destroyed the school's cafeteria in 1966, which was on the corner of Womack Road and Chamblee-Dunwoody Road. On that site today, the Dunwoody branch of the Dekalb County Public Library now operates along with the North Dekalb Cultural Arts Center. In 1881, the Roswell Railroad opened and ran along what is now Chamblee-Dunwoody Road north to the Chattahoochee River. It operated for 40 years, and in 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt made a campaign whistle stop in Dunwoody along the way to Roswell, Georgia.

On account of the railroad, Dunwoody developed into a small crossroads community. The community continued to grow and prosper even after the railroad shut down in 1921. Dunwoody remained rural until suburban residential development was initiated in the 1960s. In 1971, the Spruill family sold a large portion of their property for the construction of Perimeter Mall, with the completion of Dunwoody Village occurring the same year.

In early 2006, a study was conducted by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government of the University of Georgia, to determine how feasible it would be to incorporate Dunwoody as a city. Critics claimed that incorporation of Dunwoody, as in the incorporation of Sandy Springs in 2005, would take away a great deal of tax revenue from the rest of the county, leading to shortages of services, tax increases, or both for everyone else in the county, as has happened in Fulton. Citizens for Dunwoody, Inc. was the non-profit advocacy group begun by Senator Dan Weber to promote the effort.

The bill for incorporation was withdrawn from the Georgia General Assembly for further study in 2006 and passed only the lower house in 2007. In 2008, the bill of incorporation was re-introduced by Senator Weber, and due to increased pressure, it passed in the senate as well as the house. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed the bill allowing the residents to vote for a city of Dunwoody on March 25. The referendum for cityhood, which took place on July 15, was approved by an overwhelming majority of voters. The Dunwoody City Charter was later ratified by the Georgia General Assembly, and on December 1, 2008, after a three-year movement, Dunwoody officially became a city.

Geography
Dunwoody's geographic center is at 33.94278°N, -84.31778°W (33.942751, -84.317694). According to the United States Census Bureau, Dunwoody has a total area of 34.1 km2, of which 33.5 km2 is land and 0.6 km2, or 1.72%, is water. Dunwoody lies at the northern tip of DeKalb County, bounded by the Fulton County line on the north and west, Interstate 285 on the south, Peachtree Industrial Boulevard on the southeast, and the Gwinnett County line on the northeast. Late on April 8, 1998, a major tornado tore through parts of Dunwoody, running east-northeast from Perimeter Center and into Gwinnett County. Thousands of homes were damaged, hundreds seriously, and several dozen were condemned. In addition, tens of thousands of native forest trees were downed. The vast majority of the tornado's damage occurred here, leading it to be called the "Dunwoody tornado", the most vivid in local memory until the 2008 Atlanta tornado.

Districts and neighborhoods
Dunwoody Village is the historic heart of the community, and the location of the iconic Dunwoody Farmhouse. The distinctive Colonial Williamsburg architectural style of the district originated with the construction of Dunwoody Village Shopping Center in the 1970s, for which the district gets its name. Since then, all other construction in the area followed suit, giving Dunwoody a unique architectural identity and sense of place. Perimeter Center is the major edge city and neighborhood that has formed around Perimeter Mall. The mall was developed in 1971, spurring major office, residential, and commercial developments in the decades since. It is one of Metro Atlanta's largest job centers, employing hundreds of thousands of people each day. Perimeter Mall and approximately 40 percent of the Perimeter Community Improvement District, is a self-taxing district of shopping and office buildings (including several high-rises), are both located in Dunwoody. The western part of Perimeter Center edge city spans the Fulton county line into Sandy Springs. The tallest building in Dunwoody is the 34-story Ravinia 3, at 444 ft. Perimeter Center is located at the intersection of two major highways, GA 400 and I-285. The Dunwoody Transit Station provides public transit to the district.

Georgetown was developed in the early 1960s. It is located near I-285 and borders with the city limits of Chamblee. Overdevelopment in Georgetown was one of the main reasons for the initiation of Dunwoody's incorporation movement, with many new apartments being approved for the area, even in some single-family residential areas. Georgetown, one of the most walkable areas of the city, contains both single-family residential subdivisions and its own retail district. This includes Kroger, who also owns and manages the property.

The Williamsburg commercial district is located on the eastern edge of Dunwoody, adjacent to the Dunwoody Panhandle of Sandy Springs. Shopping areas include Orchard Park Shopping Center, Mt. Vernon Shopping Center and the Williamsburg at Dunwoody Shopping Center. The centralized dining and shopping covers the intersection of Mt. Vernon, Dunwoody Club Drive, and Jett Ferry Road.

Winters Chapel is located at Dunwoody's border with Peachtree Corners. The district shares a name with its main road, which travels through Fulton, Gwinnett and DeKalb County and was an important 19th century route connecting Decatur and Roswell via Holcomb Bridge Road. The district is named after Winters Chapel (now Winters Chapel Methodist Church), which has resided at its present location since the 1870s. The church itself is named after an instrumental founder, Jeremiah Winters. The area is a prime location for light commercial and retail redevelopment opportunities due to good demographics and traffic counts. Two parks, connected by sidewalks, dominate Winters Chapel. The 3/4 mile long, meticulously groomed, linear park running along DeKalb County's Twin Lakes water reservoir on Peeler Road is popular with walkers and joggers. Windwood Hollow Park, at Lakeside Drive and Peeler Road, offers tennis, a children's play area, a picnic pavilion, and a short trail.

Tilly Mill is named after the pioneer Tilly family, who owned a late 19th-century farm and mill on land bisected by Tilly Mill Road, which connects Dunwoody to Peachtree Industrial and Doraville. Landmarks in the area include the Dunwoody campus of Georgia State University's Perimeter College and Dunwoody's signature park, Brook Run. Brook Run, on North Peachtree Road near its intersection with Tilly Mill Road, boasts many wooded walking trails, a children's play area, a dog park, a Veterans Memorial, and a community garden. The 103 acre site will see major improvements as Dunwoody plans for its future. Also in Tilly Mill is the Marcus Jewish Community Center, an Orthodox synagogue, and a significant portion of Dunwoody's Jewish population.

Highways

 * Interstate 285, also called The Perimeter, runs along the city's southern border.
 * A limited access portion of Georgia State Route 141 runs along the southeastern border.
 * Georgia State Route 400, while in neighboring Sandy Springs, is very close to the city's western border.

Mass transit
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) provides subway and bus service to Dunwoody and the surrounding area.

MARTA subway stations in Dunwoody are concentrated in the western part of the city. The Dunwoody station is the only station within the city limits, although Medical Center, Sandy Springs station, and North Springs station are very close to the western border. All stations in the area are served exclusively by the Red Line.

While some routes serve the outskirts of the city, there are three main bus routes, one of which leaves from the Dunwoody Station (Route 150).
 * Route 103 - Peeler Rd./N. Shallowford Rd.
 * Route 132 - Tilly Mill Road
 * Route 150 - Perimeter Center/Dunwoody Village

Pedestrians and cycling

 * Dunwoody Trailway
 * Georgetown Gateway (Proposed)
 * Perimeter Multi-Modal Trails (Proposed)
 * PATH400 (Under construction)
 * Winters Chapel Corridor Multiuse Trail (Proposed)

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 51,683 people, 20,482 households, and 12,620 families residing in the city.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 46,267 people, 19,944 households, and 11,723 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,421 PD/sqmi. There were 21,671 housing units at an average density of 1,582 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 69.8% White American, 12.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 11.1% Asian American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.6% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.3% of the population.

There were 19,944 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.0.

The population was spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18, 2.0% from 18 to 21, 62.3% from 22 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $87,252, and the median income for a family was $106,777. Males had a median income of $78,778 versus $51,081 for females. The per capita income for the city was $45,484. About 6.2% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government
The city has a council-manager form of municipal government. Its first mayor was Ken Wright. The current mayor is Lynn Deutsch, elected in November 2019. The city manager is Eric Linton.

Dunwoody's city hall is located at 4800 Ashford-Dunwoody Road from early 2018, after the property was purchased by the city in 2017. The city was renting a space in a Perimeter Center office building at 41 Perimeter Center East for several years prior. City Hall was originally at a temporary location in the city of Sandy Springs for most of the city's first year.

Dunwoody operates its own police force of 64 officers, as well as departments over zoning and land use. The city receives services from DeKalb County including: DeKalb County Schools, Dekalb County Fire & Rescue, sanitation, water, and sewage.

Economy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has its headquarters in the Perimeter Center and in Dunwoody. In 2010 the newspaper relocated its headquarters from Downtown Atlanta to leased offices in the Perimeter Center for financial reasons. There are a number of other local media organizations serving the Dunwoody area which primarily provide local news: the Dunwoody Crier, Dunwoody Reporter, the Aha Connection, and a podcast What's Up Dunwoody.

InterContinental Hotels Group operates its American corporate offices in Dunwoody. The restaurant chain Krystal has its corporate headquarters in the city.

Top employers
According to the City's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Primary and secondary schools
The DeKalb County School System (DCSS) operates local public schools.

Elementary schools operated by DCSS in Dunwoody include:
 * Austin Elementary School
 * Chesnut Charter Elementary School
 * Kingsley Elementary School
 * Vanderlyn Elementary School

Middle and high schools operated by DCSS in Dunwoody include:
 * Dunwoody Elementary School
 * Hightower Elementary School (serves Doraville, feeds into Peachtree Middle and Dunwoody High)
 * Peachtree Charter Middle School
 * Dunwoody High School

Private schools
Dunwoody Christian School

Colleges and universities

 * Georgia State University, Dunwoody Campus (formerly Georgia Perimeter College and previous to that, DeKalb Community College North Campus)
 * American InterContinental University (AIU Dunwoody), just across the county line in neighboring Sandy Springs
 * Troy University, Atlanta site

Public libraries
DeKalb County Public Library operates the Dunwoody Branch.

Notable people

 * Ryan Seacrest, host of American Idol, Wheel of Fortune
 * Erin Andrews, ESPN reporter, lived in Dunwoody while working for Fox Sports South
 * Bret Baier, Host of Special Report with Bret Baier
 * Harris Barton (born 1964), former professional football player, San Francisco 49ers
 * Black Lips, "flower punk" band
 * Alex Caskey, professional soccer player, Seattle Sounders FC
 * Emily Jacobson (born 1985), American saber fencer
 * Sada Jacobson (born 1983), Olympic fencing silver and bronze medalist
 * Charles London (born 1975), quarterbacks coach for the Atlanta Falcons
 * Robert Duncan McNeill, director and actor, known for Star Trek: Voyager
 * Robin Meade, anchor CNN Headline News
 * Fran Millar, former Georgia politician 1998-2018
 * Kip Pardue, actor
 * Pat Swindall, lived in Dunwoody while serving in the US Congress.
 * Corey White, former NFL cornerback
 * Jeff Williams, poker player
 * Cindy Wilson, singer, songwriter and a founding member of new wave rock band The B-52s, lives in Dunwoody
 * Sally Yates, former U.S. Attorney General
 * Matt Porwoll, Emmy and Sundance award-winning documentary cinematographer (Cartel Land, 2016)

Parks

 * Brook Run Skate Park

title: Dunwoody, Georgia


text:
Gresham Park, Georgia

Gresham Park is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 7,700 at the 2020 census.

Geography
Gresham Park is located at 33.70333°N, -84.31444°W (33.703357, -84.314366). It is bordered by, on the:
 * North: I-20, across which is the Longdale Park area of unincorporated DeKalb County
 * Northwest: by the East Atlanta neighborhood of the city of Atlanta
 * West: unincorporated DeKalb County, to the west of which is southeast Atlanta
 * South: Constitution Road and Clifton Church Road, across which are the Bouldercrest and Cedar Grove areas of unincorporated DeKalb County
 * East: Flat Shoals Road and Clifton Church Road, across which is the Panthersville CDP
 * Northeast: at Flat Shoals Blvd. and I-20, to the northeast of which is the Candler-McAfee CDP

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.8 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
Gresham Park was first listed as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. Census.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,700 people, 3,149 households, and 1,667 families residing in the CDP.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 7,432 people, 2,797 households, and 2,397 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,252.1 PD/sqmi. There were 3,362 housing units at an average density of 1,095.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 8.4% White, 89% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.

There were 2,797 households, out of which 24% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% were married couples living together, 37.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.8% were non-families. 16.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.39.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 31.3% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 5.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.5 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $35,502, and the median income for a family was $33,938. Males had a median income of $27,063 versus $22,365 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,151. About 16.1% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.2% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education
It is in the DeKalb County Public Schools. Zoned schools:
 * Elementary schools: Barack H. Obama EMST (most) and Ronald E. McNair DLA (some) (both outside of the CDP)
 * Middle schools: Ronald E. McNair (outside of the CDP)
 * High schools: Ronald E. McNair High School (in the CDP)

title: Gresham Park, Georgia


text:
Lithonia, Georgia

Lithonia (, AAVE: ) is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The city's population was 2,662 at the 2020 census. Lithonia is in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

"Lithonia" means "city/town of stone". Lithonia is in the heart of the Georgian granite-quarrying and viewing region, hence the name of the town, from the Greek, for “stone”. The huge nearby Stone Mountain is composed of granite, while the Lithonia gneiss is a form of metamorphic rock. The Stone Mountain granite is younger than, and has intruded the Lithonia gneiss. The area has a history of rock quarries. The mines were served by the Georgia Railroad and Atlanta, Stone Mountain & Lithonia Railway. Some of the rock quarries have been converted to parkland, and the rail lines to rail-trail.

Lithonia is one of the gateways to the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, which is largely contained inside Stonecrest, Georgia.

Geography
Lithonia is located in southeastern DeKalb County at 33.71278°N, -84.10583°W (33.712658, -84.105897). Interstate 20 passes just south of the community, with access from Exits 74 and 75. Lithonia is 18 mi east of the center of Atlanta. Some areas in extreme southern Gwinnett County use a Lithonia postal address near the county line.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.3 km2, all land.

History
In 1805, Lithonia began as a small crossroads settlement of farmers. The town grew with the coming of the Atlanta Augusta Railroad in 1845, which allowed the granite quarrying industry in the area to flourish.

Lithonia is the birthplace of the Lithonia Lighting company, one of North America's largest manufacturers of commercial, institutional, industrial and residential light fixtures, which was founded in the city in 1946 but moved to nearby Conyers in the 1950s.

New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, a megachurch which is known for many high-profile funerals, is located in Stonecrest, GA, near Lithonia.

Lithonia Historic District

The Lithonia Historic District consists of a commercial core surrounded by residential areas, with a period of significance spanning from 1845 to 1964. Stylistic influences in the district include Second Empire, Queen Anne, Folk Victorian, Neoclassical Revival, English Vernacular Revival, Craftsman, and Colonial Revival. The district is bisected by the Georgia/CSX Railroad, which runs perpendicular to the historic commercial core's primary thoroughfare, Main Street. The commercial area extends south from the intersection of Main Street and the railroad, covering a two-block area. The commercial buildings are primarily brick and local granite masonry, with little decorative detailing. Commercial styles include single retail, multiple retail, and retail and office types. Within the historic district, there is some non-historic infill construction such as the 1968 Lithonia Plaza shopping center. The residential areas consist architecture typical of late 19th- to mid 20th-century types and styles. Residential neighborhoods also feature locally quarried granite and gneiss. House types and styles include the central hall Georgian cottage, gabled-wing cottage, Queen Anne cottage, New South cottage, pyramid cottage, bungalow, Ranch house, I-House and Queen Anne house.

Landmark properties include the Masonic Lodge (1916), The Lithonia Women's Club (1928), the Lithonia First United Methodist Church (1910), Antioch Baptist Church (1911), Lithonia Presbyterian Church, The Union Missionary Church (1911), the Bruce Street equalization school (c.1953), and The Seminary (1895). Contributing sites in the district include two cemeteries, two parks, the former Georgia Railroad Quarry, and the ruins of the Bruce Street School for African-Americans (1938).

The district is significant under National Register criterion A (association with historic events) and C (architecture), with areas of significance in Architecture, Black and European Ethnic Heritage, Community Planning and Development, Industry, and Transportation.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,662 people, 938 households, and 524 families residing in the city.

2010 census
Lithonia's city population was 1,924 at the 2010 census, over 799 households, and 560 families residing in the city. The population density was about 1,924 inhabitants per square mile (1,068.9/km2). There were 892 housing units at an average density of 1,129.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 84.3% Black, 8.5% White, 0.05% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 1.42% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.8% of the population.

There were 799 households, out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.3% were married couples living together, 22.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 34.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 76.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over there were 63.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $53,397, and the median income for a family was $54,792. Males had a median income of $29,500 versus $24,788 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,605. About 12.6% of families and 18.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.8% of those under the age of 18 and 25.7% of those 65 and older.

The unincorporated communities located outside the city limits make up almost 75% of the population estimated at over 15,000 inhabitants. Neighborhoods are broken into two ZIP codes: 30058 which includes the City proper, and communities directly outside the city limit, and 30038 located south of Interstate 20 which includes some of the most affluent neighborhoods in DeKalb County.

Shopping
Lithonia is near to a super-regional shopping center, the Mall at Stonecrest (also known as Stonecrest Mall), and serves as the northernmost point on the Arabia Mountain Path. Much of the mall's available property has yet to be developed.

Hospitals
The three main health facilities in Lithonia are:
 * Hillandale DeKalb Medical Center is the newest addition to the DeKalb Medical family of hospitals.
 * Kaiser Permanente runs two community health clinics in Lithonia: Panola Road Clinic, and the Stonecrest Clinic.
 * East DeKalb Health Center

Education
DeKalb County Public Schools operates public schools. Lithonia Middle School is the only school located in the city limits of Lithonia.

The schools that serve the city limits of Lithonia are: Stoneview Elementary School in Stonecrest, Lithonia Middle School, and Lithonia High School in Stonecrest (formerly Redan CDP).

Elementary schools in the wider surrounding area:
 * Edward L. Bouie Sr. Elementary
 * Marbut Elementary
 * Shadow Rock Elementary
 * Rock Chapel Elementary
 * Princeton Elementary
 * Redan Elementary
 * Flat Rock Elementary
 * Fairington Elementary
 * Stoneview Elementary
 * Panola Way Elementary
 * Murphy Candler Elementary
 * Browns Mill Elementary
 * Wynbrooke Traditional Theme School

Middle schools in the surrounding area:
 * Lithonia Middle School
 * Redan Middle School
 * Salem Middle School
 * Miller Grove Middle School
 * DeKalb Academy of Technology and Environment

High schools in the surrounding area:
 * Lithonia High School (Primary Zoned High School)
 * Martin Luther King, Jr. High School (Secondary Zoned High School)
 * Miller Grove High School (Relief High School)
 * Arabia Mountain High School (Magnet High School)

Universities

 * Luther Rice University of Theological Studies
 * Strayer University

Public libraries
DeKalb County Public Library operates the Lithonia-Davidson Library the main library source in Lithonia, which was once privately owned until being incorporated into the DeKalb County Public Library system in 1947.

Other libraries in the Lithonia area include:
 * Salem- Panola Branch
 * Redan- Trotti Branch
 * Stonecrest- Klondike Branch

Parks

 * Browns Mill/Recreation Center
 * Bruce Street Park
 * Davidson-Arabia Mountain/Preserve
 * Fairington Park
 * Lithonia Park
 * Mystery Valley Golf Course
 * Redan Park (included Disc Golf, Tennis course, baseball and football fields, pavilion and family kids play areas)
 * Southeast Athletic Complex
 * Rock Chapel Park
 * Salem Park

Postal service
Lithonia's main post office is located on Stone Mountain Street in the heart of Lithonia. Many drop boxes and postal services storefronts are located throughout the communities of Lithonia.

Redan post office located directly outside the city limits of Lithonia provides an alternative to postal drop off and pickup service.

United Parcel Service (UPS) and FedEx also provide alternative postal service to Lithonia.

Transportation
MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) provides connecting bus service to and from Lithonia, and GRTA Xpress (Georgia Rapid Transit Authority) provides commuter bus service to downtown Atlanta from a community park and ride lot.

In popular culture
The city was the title subject of the 2024 Childish Gambino song of the same name, Lithonia.

title: Lithonia, Georgia