Atlanta/Decatur

Decatur is a city that, despite being somewhat isolated from the rest of Atlanta, is so close to Georgia's state capital as to not really be separate. While Atlanta is an international city with corporate headquarters, world class convention facilities, and a fast pace, Decatur has retained a small city feel and a slightly slower pace. However, Decatur is closer to Atlanta's business, retail and cultural destinations than many of Atlanta's neighborhoods, so it can easily be mistaken for an in-town neighborhood of Atlanta.

Understand
Decatur is the county seat of DeKalb County. This historic city was founded in 1823 - before neighboring Atlanta. It has beautiful homes, historic places of worship and several institutions of higher learning. Centered on the historic Decatur Courthouse, Decatur has become a hot destination for college students and young professionals who want hip bars, great restaurants, and walkable neighborhoods, as well as for families who are drawn to the excellent independent school district. In addition to the single-family homes in old neighborhoods surrounding the central business district, there are several mid-rise condominium developments in the downtown area, breathing life into the downtown community.

While it may appear to be a typical southern city, Decatur marches to the beat of a different drummer. It declined to become a railroad transportation hub for the southeast in the 19th century, resulting in the founding of Atlanta to its west. Both delegates from DeKalb County voted against secession in 1861. Decatur is one of the few parts of the sprawling Atlanta area that blends a small-town feel with an open-minded, freewheeling, artsy sensibility.

Decatur remains notable for its diversity. Founded by Scottish, Irish, and English immigrants, the city remains majority Caucasian, but there is also a substantial African-American population, a lesbian community and Ethiopian immigrants. North of the city is a Greek-American community, and northeast of the city (around Church St., Scott Blvd./Lawrenceville Hwy. and DeKalb Industrial Blvd.) is a thriving Indian community with restaurants and retail outlets.

Decatur is also notable for its location east of Atlanta's midtown district, and it is surrounded by the city of Atlanta on its south and west sides. Atlanta and Decatur are Georgia's only county seats inside the "Perimeter" interstate (I-285) that encircles the metro area.

Read

 * 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). A first person account of the Civil War in Georgia - including Decatur - by a Decatur resident living in the city during the war.
 * Mason, Herman, Jr. African-American Life in DeKalb County, GA, 1823-1970 (Images of America), Arcadia Publishing (1998).
 * Price, Vivian. Historic DeKalb County: An Illustrated History (Georgia Heritage Series), Historical Publishing Network (2007).  A coffee table book covering 184 years of DeKalb County’s history.

By transit
Downtown Decatur is on the east-west MARTA Blue rail line to. The station is directly behind the courthouse (under Decatur Square) and has two access points. Exit east (Church St.) for the pedestrian and taxi entrance to the station; exit west (Commerce) to transfer to MARTA buses. The city of Decatur includes two additional MARTA rail stations: and. Avondale Station is located at the southern end of the Decatur Heights neighborhood, and not the City of Avondale Estates. Average time from Decatur Station to Five Points Station is 13 minutes. There are connecting MARTA buses to neighborhoods in and around Decatur.

By car
Decatur is accessible from Atlanta via Ponce de Leon Avenue, which is a direct route, but is a slow-moving surface street with many lights. It is also accessible from the Perimeter (I-285) via several exits, and indirectly via I-20. However, parking is limited in downtown Decatur. Street parking is free after 6PM Monday–Saturday and all day Sunday. The city website lists off-street parking lot locations.

By bike
Decatur is also accessible via the PATH walk/bike trail. The trail runs from Atlanta to Stone Mountain through the city of Decatur.

Get around


Downtown Decatur is highly walkable, but like all of metro Atlanta, public transportation is limited and you will likely have an easier time getting around by car. MARTA buses leave from each of the three Decatur rail stations to various points in the county.

Decatur participates in Zipcar, a national program where environmentally-friendly cars are located throughout the downtown area that members may rent by the hour. Locations are posted at.

See

 * The historic Druid Hills neighborhood is located west of the city. This upper-class enclave includes several mansions owned by the Candler family of Coca- Cola fame, historic churches, a picturesque country club and provided the setting for the movie Driving Miss Daisy.
 * Check out some of the historic mansions built by the Candler family. Visit the circa 1917 Callanwolde Fine Arts Center at 980 Briarcliff Rd. (built by Charles Howard Candler); attend the circa 1916 St. John Chrysostom Melkite Church at 1428 Ponce de Leon Ave.  (built for Lucy Candler in the style of a Roman villa - the peristyle court is now the sanctuary); and drive by the circa 1920 Asa Candler Mansion at Emory's Briarcliff campus, 1256 Briarcliff Rd.
 * In addition to the tree-lined estate homes in this affluent neighborhood is historic Olmsted Linear Park. The park consists of 50 acres broken up into six segments along Ponce de Leon Ave. The neighborhood and park were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. in the 1890s. The park is being restored based on Olmsted's original plans.
 * The historic Druid Hills neighborhood is located west of the city. This upper-class enclave includes several mansions owned by the Candler family of Coca- Cola fame, historic churches, a picturesque country club and provided the setting for the movie Driving Miss Daisy.
 * Check out some of the historic mansions built by the Candler family. Visit the circa 1917 Callanwolde Fine Arts Center at 980 Briarcliff Rd. (built by Charles Howard Candler); attend the circa 1916 St. John Chrysostom Melkite Church at 1428 Ponce de Leon Ave.  (built for Lucy Candler in the style of a Roman villa - the peristyle court is now the sanctuary); and drive by the circa 1920 Asa Candler Mansion at Emory's Briarcliff campus, 1256 Briarcliff Rd.
 * In addition to the tree-lined estate homes in this affluent neighborhood is historic Olmsted Linear Park. The park consists of 50 acres broken up into six segments along Ponce de Leon Ave. The neighborhood and park were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. in the 1890s. The park is being restored based on Olmsted's original plans.
 * The historic Druid Hills neighborhood is located west of the city. This upper-class enclave includes several mansions owned by the Candler family of Coca- Cola fame, historic churches, a picturesque country club and provided the setting for the movie Driving Miss Daisy.
 * Check out some of the historic mansions built by the Candler family. Visit the circa 1917 Callanwolde Fine Arts Center at 980 Briarcliff Rd. (built by Charles Howard Candler); attend the circa 1916 St. John Chrysostom Melkite Church at 1428 Ponce de Leon Ave.  (built for Lucy Candler in the style of a Roman villa - the peristyle court is now the sanctuary); and drive by the circa 1920 Asa Candler Mansion at Emory's Briarcliff campus, 1256 Briarcliff Rd.
 * In addition to the tree-lined estate homes in this affluent neighborhood is historic Olmsted Linear Park. The park consists of 50 acres broken up into six segments along Ponce de Leon Ave. The neighborhood and park were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. in the 1890s. The park is being restored based on Olmsted's original plans.
 * Check out some of the historic mansions built by the Candler family. Visit the circa 1917 Callanwolde Fine Arts Center at 980 Briarcliff Rd. (built by Charles Howard Candler); attend the circa 1916 St. John Chrysostom Melkite Church at 1428 Ponce de Leon Ave.  (built for Lucy Candler in the style of a Roman villa - the peristyle court is now the sanctuary); and drive by the circa 1920 Asa Candler Mansion at Emory's Briarcliff campus, 1256 Briarcliff Rd.
 * In addition to the tree-lined estate homes in this affluent neighborhood is historic Olmsted Linear Park. The park consists of 50 acres broken up into six segments along Ponce de Leon Ave. The neighborhood and park were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. in the 1890s. The park is being restored based on Olmsted's original plans.

Music venues

 * Listen to a hot local act at neighborhood institution Eddie's Attic,directly south of the square. Bands usually play an all-ages and an adults-only show. Eddie's Attic is located at 515 N. McDonough (on the second floor of the former Belk's Department Store).

Recreation

 * Bike, run, or walk: The tree-lined streets can make for a great run or bike ride, but central and northern metro Atlanta has steep, hilly terrain. Also, while there are several nice bike paths, many routes are limited to very narrow sidewalks along very dangerous roads.

Festivals
Decatur events and festivals are scheduled through-out the year. Phone +1 404 371-9583 for information.
 * Beach Party - One of Decatur's major annual events - held in midsummer. Ponce de Leon Avenue is closed and tons of sand is dumped on it. Food and drink vendors, as well as a bandstand, supplement the building of sandcastles. Includes a children's play area.
 * Wine Tasting Festival - A maximum of 1,500 people may sample over a hundred wines from around the world. Held in downtown Decatur in late fall of each year, usually the first Saturday in November.
 * Beach Party - One of Decatur's major annual events - held in midsummer. Ponce de Leon Avenue is closed and tons of sand is dumped on it. Food and drink vendors, as well as a bandstand, supplement the building of sandcastles. Includes a children's play area.
 * Wine Tasting Festival - A maximum of 1,500 people may sample over a hundred wines from around the world. Held in downtown Decatur in late fall of each year, usually the first Saturday in November.
 * Wine Tasting Festival - A maximum of 1,500 people may sample over a hundred wines from around the world. Held in downtown Decatur in late fall of each year, usually the first Saturday in November.
 * Wine Tasting Festival - A maximum of 1,500 people may sample over a hundred wines from around the world. Held in downtown Decatur in late fall of each year, usually the first Saturday in November.

Buy
Decatur has pharmacies, jewelry stores and other retail establishments located throughout the city. Decatur does not have a shopping mall or a large retail shopping center. However, Decatur is not short on trendy boutiques. Most are located on or around Ponce de Leon.

Bookstores
Decatur may have more used bookstores than any other community in metro Atlanta. Bookstores selling new books are also listed.

Clothing
Decatur has an eclectic mix of small clothing and accessory stores, from classic casual to artsy and eclectic.

Music
The music shops in Decatur have a good selection of used and new albums and CD's.

Eat
Decatur is known for its outstanding locally-owned restaurants, and patrons travel here from all over metro Atlanta. Despite the presence of Ted's Montana Grill & Ruby Tuesday's, the national chains are not prevalent here. There are over 70 restaurants and pubs—primarily clustered in the downtown area, Oakhurst and north of Decatur. There are also sandwich shops, pasta restaurants and local chain pizza joints that have great food, but they are not listed below.

Downtown (Ponce/Decatur Square)
The restaurants are located on or near picturesque Ponce De Leon Avenue and around the Decatur (courthouse) Square. Here are some of the better restaurants:



SE of Decatur Square
The restaurants are clustered north and south of the railroad tracks. The north side centers on Decatur's old train depot and old ice house, both renovated for adaptive reuse. The south side includes two developments - the larger East Decatur Station at East College Avenue & New Street, which houses restaurants, a pub, coffee house, live theatre, salon and church - and the smaller development at 313 East College Avenue, which contains a tavern and furniture store.

Oakhurst
The restaurants are located in Oakhurst Village historic buildings surrounded by the eclectic Oakhurst residential neighborhood.



N of Decatur Square
These restaurants are located in strip shopping centers clustered near the intersection of Clairmont Rd. & North Decatur Rd.



NE of Decatur Square
While several of the restaurants are excellent, most are located in older strip shopping centers near automobile dealerships and along highways.



Police

 * The Decatur Police Department protects the city of Decatur. The department headquarters is at 420 W. Trinity Place in downtown Decatur. The non-emergency number is +1 404 373-6551, but call 911 in an emergency. * Outside of the city of Decatur in unincorporated DeKalb County, the DeKalb County Police Department has jurisdiction.  The main department's non-emergency number is +1 404 294-2000, but call 911 in an emergency.

Areas to avoid

 * Visitors to Decatur should avoid neighborhoods immediately east and south of Memorial Drive. The primary DeKalb County jail and DeKalb County's new Juvenile Justice Center are located east of Memorial Drive (near I-285). MARTA's Kensington Station (E8), which is west of Memorial Drive, is within walking distance of these facilities. Areas immediately east and south of Memorial Drive, as well as the Kensington MARTA station, are not tourist-oriented and are best avoided even if MARTA has police patrolling their rail stations.

Internet

 * Wi-Fi:
 * Decatur Wi-Fi Access Program (WCG): Decatur began offering free Wi-Fi access to residents, students and visitors.  The initial coverage area includes one square mile centered on Decatur Square, but the program is scheduled to expand.
 * In addition to coffee houses and restaurants listed elsewhere, free Wi-Fi is available at Krystal and McDonald's fast food restaurants.
 * Decatur Wi-Fi Access Program (WCG): Decatur began offering free Wi-Fi access to residents, students and visitors.  The initial coverage area includes one square mile centered on Decatur Square, but the program is scheduled to expand.
 * In addition to coffee houses and restaurants listed elsewhere, free Wi-Fi is available at Krystal and McDonald's fast food restaurants.

Media
Decatur does not have its own daily newspaper, but aside from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other metro papers, the following publications are available in the city:
 * "Decatur Focus", the official publication of the City of Decatur is mailed monthly to residents and available around the city.
 * Decatur Living, a local magazine (published by a local REALTOR) mailed free to Decatur residents.
 * [http://www.neighbornewspapers.com DeKalb Neighbor, county newspaper covering local events, delivered free to DeKalb residents.
 * You can also stop by campuses to read student newspapers
 * The Profile, Agnes Scott College's student newspaper.
 * [http://www.emorywheel.com Emory Wheel, twice weekly, Emory University's student newspaper.