Stone Mountain is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, in the United States.
The population was 5,802 at the 2010 census. Stone Mountain is located in the
eastern part of Dekalb County and is a suburb of the Atlanta metropolitan area.
It lies near to but does not include the geological formation Stone Mountain.
History In 1822, the area that now makes up the
city of Stone Mountain was made a part of the newly formed DeKalb County. A
post office was created in 1834 on the old Augusta Road, and Andrew Johnson
built a hotel along the road in 1836. At around the same time, Aaron Cloud built
an observation tower at the summit of the mountain. Visitors to the mountain
would travel to the area by rail and road, and then hike up the 1.1-mile
mountaintop trail to the top, where Cloud also had a restaurant and club.
By 1839, a general store was added, and a village was established under the name
New Gibraltar. The name was officially changed to Stone Mountain by the Georgia
legislature in 1847. The town is named for nearby Stone Mountain. During the
Civil War, Stone Mountain village was destroyed by men under the command of
General James B. McPherson on July 19, 1864.
Post-Civil War history The Ku Klux Klan was revived at Stone
Mountain in 1915, and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech
consequently includes the line "let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of
Georgia." Geography
Stone Mountain is located at 33°48′19″N 84°10′17″W.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.6
square miles, of which 0.62% is water. While the city of Stone Mountain itself
is in DeKalb County, some of the town's mailing addresses are in Gwinnett
County. Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 5,802 people, 2,587 households, and
1,386 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,500 people per
square mile. There were 2,587 housing units at an average density of 1,577 per
square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 75.2% African American, 16.8%
White, 0.4% Native American, 3.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.5% from other
races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.3%
of the population. There were 2,587 households out of which
38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.2% were married
couples living together, 27.7% had a female householder with no husband
present, and 36.8% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of
individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 9.5%
from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were
65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.8 years. For every 100 females
there were 66.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.7
males age 18 and over. In the 2000 census the median income for
a household in the city was $38,603, and the median income for a family was
$40,888. Males had a median income of $28,302 versus $28,854 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $16,130. About 9.3% of families and
11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those
under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Economy The mountain has contributed to the
city's economy both through its continuing status as a tourist
attraction and its former use as a granite quarry.
Arts and culture Stone Mountain is the site of a famous
giant carving commemorating the military leaders of the Confederacy, as well as a
state park and museum, including a tourist railroad. The City of Stone
Mountain is also home to the ART Station Contemporary Arts Center and Theatre
Company as well as the Stone Mountain Arts Incubator Program.
The 1996 Summer Olympic Games tennis, archery and track cycling tournaments
were held in Stone Mountain Park. Wade-Walker Park is located at the
intersection of Rockbridge Road and Stone Mountain Lithonia Road.
Education The schools serving the City of Stone
Mountain and nearby areas in DeKalb County are operated by the DeKalb County
Public Schools. Nearby areas in Gwinnett County are served by the Gwinnett County
Public Schools. The Administrative and Instructional
Complex of the DeKalb County School District is located in an unincorporated
area near Stone Mountain. The DeKalb County Public Schools East DeKalb
Campus, a district facility, is also located in an unincorporated area near
Stone Mountain. DeKalb County Public Library operates
the Stone Mountain-Sue Kellogg Library. Notable people
Marshon Brooks, professional basketball player for Emporio Armani Milano of the
Italian League Domonic Brown, professional baseball
player for the Philadelphia Phillies Kelley Cain, professional basketball
player for the New York Liberty Kevin Cone, professional football player
for the Cleveland Browns Noureen DeWulf, actress; raised in Stone
Mountain Donald Glover, actor, writer, comedian,
and rapper; raised in Stone Mountain Raury, professional rapper/musician
Jim Goad, author and publisher; resides in Stone Mountain
Phil Gordon, professional poker player Andrew Goudelock, professional
basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers
Bruce Irvin, professional football player for the Seattle Seahawks
Connie Johnson, professional baseball player for Chicago White Sox and
Baltimore Orioles and a star for the negro league Kansas City Monarchs
DeQuan Jones, professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic
Wally Joyner, retired professional baseball player
Kenny Ladler, professional football player for the Buffalo Bills
Lisa Lopes, deceased member of R&B group TLC; resided in Stone Mountain during
her lifetime Uhaa Nation, professional wrestler
billed as from Stone Mountain, currently performing in WWE NXT as Apollo Crews
Kenneth Parcell, fictional character also hails from Stone Mountain and
frequently refers to it; the actor is actually from nearby Conyers
Brandon Phillips, professional baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds
David Platt, author, pastor Cyhi the Prynce, hip-hop artist signed
with G.O.O.D. Music Jake "The Snake" Roberts, pro wrestler,
was billed "From Stone Mountain Georgia" Richard T. Scott, American figurative
painter, worked with Odd Nerdrum for a time, currently working from New York
and Paris Silentó, rapper, and creator of "Watch
me whip/nae nae" Grady Thomas, former member of the bands
Parliament and Funkadelic; resides in Stone Mountain
Rozonda Thomas, member of R&B group TLC; resides in Stone Mountain
Hugh Thompson, Jr, Vietnam War veteran known for his role in saving many
civilian lives in the My Lai Massacre Theodore Van Kirk, navigator of the
Enola Gay when it dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima
Josh Wolff, Major League Soccer player References
External links City of Stone Mountain official website
Main Street Stone Mountain New Georgia Encyclopedia
Golden Ink. About North Georgia: Stone Mountain
Stone Mountain at City-Data.com