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 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.
History 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.
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, 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.
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, the area experienced white flight, 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 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. In the early 2000’s, Decatur and East Atlanta had a reputation for LGBTQ-centricity. Because of gentrification, the city has now been attracting more straight young urban professionals instead.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , 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.
Neighborhoods and historic districts
Adair Park Chelsea Heights Clairemont - Great Lakes and Clairemont Historic District Clairemont Gateway Association Decatur Heights College Heights Dearborn Heights Downtown Decatur Emory Parc Manor 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 South Candler Street-Agnes Scott College Historic District Sycamore Street Westchester Hills Winnona Park Historic District
Demographics +Decatur, Georgia – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)11,73313,80616,79664.66%71.40%67.38%Black or African American alone (NH)5,5053,8583,83930.34%19.95%15.40%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)2936360.16%0.19%0.14%Asian alone (NH)2965541,3171.63%2.87%5.28%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)69120.03%0.05%0.05%Other race alone (NH)56441530.31%0.23%0.61%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)2184161,4811.20%2.15%5.94%Hispanic or Latino (any race)3046121,2941.68%3.17%5.19%Total18,14719,33524,928100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Decatur had a population of 24,928. The median age was 39.5 years. 28.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 82.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 74.6 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 9,946 households in Decatur, of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.6% were married-couple households, 14.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 11,205 housing units, of which 11.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 18.2%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 17,100 68.6% Black or African American 3,896 15.6% American Indian and Alaska Native 54 0.2% Asian 1,323 5.3% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 12 0.0% Some other race 362 1.5% Two or more races 2,181 8.7% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 1,294 5.2%
Diversity trends
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 15.6 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.Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved June 8, 2010. Decatur High School is the district's sole high school. The Decatur City district has 224 full-time teachersSchool Stats , Retrieved June 8, 2010. and over 5,700 students from pre-K through grade 12.
The DeKalb County School District serves unincorporated DeKalb County.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta operates Saint Thomas More Catholic 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. - Despite the Decatur address it is not in the city limits. Compare with the Candler-McAfee CDP limits map. - Compare with the Claver address.
Colleges and universities Agnes Scott CollegeAgnes Scott College, Retrieved June 8, 2010. Columbia Theological SeminaryColumbia Theological Seminary, Retrieved June 8, 2010. Georgia State University's Perimeter CollegeGeorgia Perimeter College, Retrieved April 1, 2013. 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."Library Locations & Hours." DeKalb County Public Library. Retrieved on April 11, 2016.
Government
+ Presidential election results in Decatur Year Democratic Republican Others202088.6% 14,09510.3% 1,6331.2% 184201685.0% 11,03611.4% 1,4763.7% 474
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 Tony Powers. Previous mayors have included Leslie Jasper Steele (1915).
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."Contact." Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. Retrieved on August 8, 2010."Official Zoning Map." City of Avondale Estates. Retrieved on August 8, 2010. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has its headquarters near Decatur, in an unincorporated area."Directions." Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved on March 4, 2014. "The GBI Headquarters is located at: 3121 Panthersville Road Decatur GA, 30034"
Federal representation The United States Postal Service operates the Decatur Post Office."Post Office Location - DECATUR ." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on August 8, 2010.
Culture
Festivals, special events and arts Decatur has a significant 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 emerging young 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), 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.