Decatur () is a city and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johann de Kalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama DeKalb County is a County (United States), county in the Northeast Alabama, northeastern part ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, 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 northeast of

Downtown Atlanta Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The largest of the city's three commercial districts (Midtown Atlanta, Midtown and Buckhead being the others), it is the location of many corporate and region ...

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.

History

Early history

Prior to European settlement, the Decatur area was largely forested (a remnant of

old-growth forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Natio ...

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 The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...

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 The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

Commodore

Stephen Decatur Commodore (United States), Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was a United States Navy officer. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County. His father, Ste ...

. The first settler in the area were farmers or skilled tradesmen of English, Scottish and Irish descent.

American Civil War

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, 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 The Battle of Atlanta took place during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply hub of Atlanta, Union forces ...

, Confederate

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

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.

20th century

In the second half of the twentieth century the metropolitan area of Atlanta expanded into unincorporated

, eventually surrounding two sides of the town of Decatur. Concurrently, the area experienced

white flight The white flight, also known as white exodus, is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the Racism ...

, as many residents fled 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 Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...

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 United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. Decatur is bordered by Avondale Estates to the southeast and

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

to the southwest, and unincorporated DeKalb County elsewhere. The

Eastern Continental Divide The Eastern Continental Divide, Eastern Divide or Appalachian Divide is a drainage divide, hydrological divide in eastern North America that separates the easterly Atlantic Seaboard drainage basin, watershed from the westerly Gulf of Mexico wat ...

bisects the city along the

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

(formerly Georgia Railroad) trackage right of way.

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

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 24,928 people, 8,841 households, and 5,597 families residing in the city. In recent decades, the city of Decatur has become markedly less diverse in racial terms. In 1990, the city's population was nearly 40 percent African American. By 2010, it had dropped to 20 percent African American, and by 2020 it dropped further to just barely 15 percent African American. Between 1990 and 2020, the proportion of the town's population that was white rose from 60 to 67 percent. One exception to this trend is the fact that Decatur's Latino and Asian populations were minuscule in 1990, and though they each only represented just 5 percent of the town's population in 2020, their increases in proportional terms over the thirty-year period were significant.

Education

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 Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

, northwest of Decatur, was located in unincorporated DeKalb County before being annexed by the City of

in 2017.

Public libraries

The DeKalb County Public Library system operates the Decatur Branch and is also the Dekalb County Library Headquarters.Library Locations & Hours
" DeKalb County Public Library. Retrieved on April 11, 2016.

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 The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the Decatur Post Office.

Culture

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 The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, 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.

Transportation

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 PATH Foundation is a non-profit organization that builds of off-road trails in and around the metro Atlanta area for walkers, runners, skaters, and cyclists. The foundation was established in 1991. The goal was to develop a network of off-road tr ...

trails * Stone Mountain Trail * Decatur PATH * East Decatur Greenway

Notable people

* B.o.B. - rapper, singer, songwriter * James Banks III (born 1998) - basketball player * Jarren Benton - rapper * Harrison Butker - NFL

placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

* Jason Carter - politician * Mark David Chapman - killed

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

* 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 Janet Vivian Hooks (April 23, 1957 – October 9, 2014) was an American actress and comedian. She was best known for her tenure on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'', where she was a repertory player from 1986 to 1991. After le ...

(1957–2014) - actor and comedian * Chris Horton (born 1994) - basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

* Joshilyn Jackson - author * Emily Jacobson (born 1985) - saber fencer * Jacquees - singer, songwriter *

DeForest Kelley Jackson DeForest Kelley (January 20, 1920 – June 11, 1999) was an American actor, screenwriter, poet, and singer. He was known for his roles in film and television Western (genre), Westerns and achieved international fame as Dr. Leonard McCoy ...

- 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 Atlanta United FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Atlanta. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won o ...

Amy Ray Amy Elizabeth Ray (born April 12, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls with Emily Saliers. She also pursues a solo career, releasing ten albums under her own name, and founded the independent ...

(born 1964) - singer, songwriter,

Indigo Girls Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duet (music), duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in Primary school, elementary school and began performing together as Secondary school, hig ...

* Joey Rosskopf - professional cyclist * A. E. Stallings - poet and critic, first American Professor of Poetry at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

* Michael Stipe - lead vocalist, R.E.M. * Baby Tate - rapper, singer * Andrew Toles - outfielder for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

* Rock Ya-Sin - NFL cornerback for the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

* Jordan Walker - MLB outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals * James Walraven - serial killer * Devonte Wyatt - NFL defensive tackle for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

Sister cities

Decatur has three

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there ar ...

, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI): * Boussé,

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

* Ouahigouya,

* Trujillo,

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Notes

References

* * Clarke, Caroline McKinney. ''The story of Decatur, 1823–1899''. Dekalb Historical Society (1996). * Gay, Mary. ''Life in Dixie During the War'', Mercer University Press (2001). * Kaufman, David R. ''Peachtree Creek: A Natural and Unnatural History of Atlanta's Watershed'', University of Georgia Press (2007). * Mason, Herman Jr. ''African-American Life in DeKalb County, GA, 1823–1970'' (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing (1998). * Owens, Sue Ellen. ''DeKalb County In Vintage Postcards''. DeKalb Historical Society/Arcadia Publishing (2001). * Price, Vivian. ''Historic DeKalb County: An Illustrated History'' (Georgia Heritage Series). Historical Publishing Network (2007). * Willard, Levi. ''Early History of Decatur''.

External links

; Government * ; General information
Bus schedules
at Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA)
Decatur Library
at DeKalb County Public Library
Decatur, Georgia
at City-Data.com
Decatur, Georgia
at '' New Georgia Encyclopedia'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Decatur, Georgia 1823 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in the Atlanta metropolitan area Cities in DeKalb County, Georgia Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) County seats in Georgia (U.S. state) Planned communities in the United States Populated places established in 1823