Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States.
With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger
since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name.
It is an intown suburb of Atlanta and part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, and its
public transportation is served by three MARTA rail stations.
Decatur's official motto is "A city of homes, schools and places of worship."
Prior to 2000, this motto was "A city of homes, schools, and churches."
Residents frequently refer to the unofficial motto of the town, "Everything is greater
in Decatur."
History In 1822 Decatur was founded 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.
The town was named for naval hero Stephen Decatur, and its early roads were named logically
but soon after were renamed in a curious manner: In the 1830s, the Western and Atlantic Railroad
wanted to make Decatur the southernmost stop on its line.
The citizens of Decatur did not want the noise, pollution and growth that would come with
such a major terminal, so they rejected the proposal.
In response, the railroad founded a new city to the west-southwest of Decatur for the terminal.
This town later became the city of Atlanta.
During the American Civil War, Decatur became a strategic site in Sherman's campaign against
Atlanta.
In July 1864 Union general James B. McPherson occupied Decatur to cut off the Confederates'
supply line from Augusta, Georgia.
During the Battle of Atlanta on July 22, Confederate cavalry under Major General Joseph Wheeler
attacked McPherson's supply wagons and the Union troops left to defend the wagons.
A marker at the Decatur courthouse marks the site of this skirmish.
In the last half of the twentieth century the metropolitan area of Atlanta expanded
into unincorporated DeKalb County, eventually surrounding two sides of the incorporated
town of Decatur.
Concurrently many well-to-do and middle class white Americans 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, Decatur has gained a local and national reputation as a progressive
city with a high level of citizen involvement that retains a small town feel despite its
proximity to Atlanta.
Geography
Decatur is located at 33°46′17″N 84°17′52″W. According to the United States Census Bureau,
the city has a total area of 4.2 square miles, all of it land.
Demographics 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 people per square mile.
There were 9,335 housing units at an average density of 2,222.6 per square mile.
The racial makeup of the city was 73.5% White, 20.2% African American, 0.0% 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 households which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 3,336
were a Husband-Wife family living together, 984 of households had a female householder
with no husband present, and 4,063 did not fit into either of the two previously mentioned
categories.
3,263 of all households were made up of individuals of those, 1,814 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 the population was spread out with 25.1% 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% who were 65 years of age
or older.
The median age was 38 years.
There are roughly 44 males for every 56 females.
The ZIP code 30030 has one of the highest percentages of households with same sex couples
in Georgia, 9.20% as of 2000.
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.
Education Primary and secondary schools
The Decatur City School District, which serves the city limits, holds grades pre-school to
grade twelve, that consists of four elementary schools, a fourth and fifth grade academy,
a middle school, and a high school.
The DeKalb County School District, which serves unincorporated areas in DeKalb County around
Decatur, operates the William Bradley Bryant Center in an unincorporated area near Decatur.
List of schools Decatur High School
Carl G. Renfroe Middle School The 4/5 Academy at Fifth Avenue
Glenwood Elementary Clairemont Elementary
Oakhurst Elementary Westchester Elementary
Winnona Park Elementary The district has 224 full-time teachers and
over 2,519 students.
Colleges and universities Agnes Scott College
Columbia Theological Seminary Emory University is located northwest of Decatur,
in nearby unincorporated DeKalb County Georgia Perimeter College
Public libraries DeKalb County Public Library operates the
Decatur Branch.
Government Decatur has a Commission - Manager form of
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 Jim Baskett.
Previous mayors have included Leslie Jasper Steele, Jack Hamilton, Walter Drake, Mike
Mears, Ann A. Crichton, Elizabeth Wilson, William Floyd and Scott Candler, Sr..
The Commission appoints a professional City Manager to carry out the policies, directives
and day-to-day business of the city.
There are also several citizen volunteer boards and commissions appointed by the City Commission
including the Planning Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Historic Preservation
Commission, and others.
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 in Decatur.
Neighborhoods and historic districts Adair Park
South Candler Street-Agnes Scott College Historic District
Chelsea Heights Clairemont - Great Lakes & 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
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 Ave.
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 Dr.
This tree-lined, brick and limestone campus lies within Decatur's Winnona Park neighborhood.
Cora Beck Hampton Schoolhouse and House, 213 Hillyer Pl.
These structures are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Decatur Cemetery, 229 Bell St. Historic cemetery founded in the early 19th Century and locNE
of Decatur Square.
Decatur Railway Depot, 301 East Howard St. Decatur's renovated Railway Depot is now a
restaurant known as "Kimball House".
Old DeKalb County Courthouse, 101 East Court Sq.
The historic courthouse sits in Decatur Square, and contains a small history museum.
Fraser House, Church St. & Bell St. A modest 19th Century structure at the entrance to
Decatur Cemetery.
Glenwood Elementary, the oldest school in the city
High House, North Candler St. and Sycamore St.
This antebellum structure is believed to be the oldest 2-story structure in Decatur.
Historic House Complex, 716 & 720 West Trinity Pl.
Three antebellum homes relocated to Adair Park.
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 Ave.
& Sycamore St. A beautiful granite chapel on historic Sycamore Street that is owned
by First Methodist Church, Decatur. Old Scottish Rite Hospital, 321 West Hill
St..
The historic Shriner's hospital has had an adaptive reuse and now houses restaurants
and an art gallery.
Pythagoras Masonic Lodge, 108 East Ponce de Leon Ave.
A 1924 building designed by architect William Sayward.
Ponce de Leon Court Historic District.
A single street of bungalows and palm trees east of Decatur Square.
Historic Sycamore St. Some of Decatur's largest historic residences line this street.
Old U.S. Post Office, 141 Trinity Place.
Marble-encased former federal building on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 Blvd. 7 acres, mostly wooded with a focus on native plants,
and open to the public
Sister cities Decatur has three sister cities, as designated
by Sister Cities International, Inc.: Boussé, Burkina Faso
Ouahigouya, Burkina Faso Trujillo, Peru
Notes
References Clarke, Caroline McKinney.
The story of Decatur, 1823–1899.
Dekalb Historical Society.
Gay, Mary.
Life in Dixie During the War, Mercer University Press.
Kaufman, David R. Peachtree Creek: A Natural and Unnatural History of Atlanta's Watershed,
University of Georgia Press.
Mason, Herman, Jr.
African-American Life in DeKalb County, GA, 1823–1970.
Arcadia Publishing.
Owens, Sue Ellen.
DeKalb County In Vintage Postcards.
DeKalb Historical Society/Arcadia Publishing.
Price, Vivian.
Historic DeKalb County: An Illustrated History.
Historical Publishing Network.
Willard, Levi.
Early History of Decatur.
External links
Official website