Atlanta annexations and wards
From its incorporation in 1847, the municipal boundaries of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, were extended repeatedly from a small area around its railroad station to today's city covering 131.7 square miles (341 km2).
Prior to 1954, Atlanta was divided into political divisions called wards. The number of wards were increased as the city grew.
List of annexations
Year | Area annexed | Areas annexed |
---|---|---|
1952 | 51,922 acres (21,012 ha) | Lakewood
|
1910 | 5,606 acres (2,269 ha) | Westview
|
1953 | 4,769 acres (1,930 ha) | Greenbriar , et al.
|
1909 | 2,612 acres (1,057 ha) | Reynoldstown, East Atlanta
|
1922 | 2,481 acres (1,004 ha) | Virginia-Highland and Morningside, Ormewood Park
|
1866 | 2,476 acres (1,002 ha) | expand city limits to a one-and-a-half mile radius |
1958 | 1,832 acres (741 ha) | Areas west of Niskey Lake Road in Southwest Atlanta[1] |
1967 | 1,765 acres (714 ha) | |
1889 | 1,547 acres (626 ha) | expand city limits to one and three-quarter mile radius |
1928 | 1,429 acres (578 ha) | East Lake, Chosewood Park
|
1925 | 1,164 acres (471 ha) | |
1950 | 905 acres (366 ha) | |
1904 | 822 acres (333 ha) | |
2006 | 766 acres (310 ha) | Midwest Cascade, Horseshoe Community |
2018 | 744 acres (301 ha)[2] | Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - Egleston Hospital
|
1894 | 665 acres (269 ha) | West End
|
1923 | 411 acres (166 ha) | |
1926 | 408 acres (165 ha) | |
1945 | 355 acres (144 ha) | |
1863 | 286 acres (116 ha) | |
1968 | 270 acres (110 ha) | |
2007 | 266 acres (108 ha) | |
2015 | 200 acres (81 ha) |
Olmestead at East Lake |
1913 | 197 acres (80 ha) | |
1957 | 161 acres (65 ha) | |
1963 | 158 acres (64 ha) | |
1940 | 150 acres (61 ha) | |
1895 | 143 acres (58 ha) | |
2016 | 129.14 acres (52.26 ha) | Northwest Cascade |
1960 | 110 acres (45 ha) | |
1932 | 110 acres (45 ha) | |
2013 | 108.43 acres (43.88 ha) | Cascade Road Landfill |
1916 | 103 acres (42 ha) | |
1969 | 75 acres (30 ha) | |
1915 | 75 acres (30 ha) | |
1854 | 69 acres (28 ha) | |
1976 | 68 acres (28 ha) | |
1973 | 49 acres (20 ha) | |
2003 | 47 acres (19 ha) | |
1962 | 40 acres (16 ha) | |
2008 | 39 acres (16 ha) | |
1970 | 33 acres (13 ha) | |
1930 | 31 acres (13 ha) | |
1949 | 30 acres (12 ha) | |
2009 | 24 acres (9.7 ha) | |
1934 | 24 acres (9.7 ha) | |
1979 | 21 acres (8.5 ha) | |
1954 | 17 acres (6.9 ha) | |
1978 | 17 acres (6.9 ha) | |
2016 | 16 acres (6.5 ha) | University Drive and Spring Valley Lane |
1943 | 13 acres (5.3 ha) | |
1914 | 9 acres (3.6 ha) | |
1965 | 2 acres (0.81 ha) | |
2005 | 1 acre (0.40 ha) | |
2010 | 0.14 acres (0.057 ha) |
Annexations by year
1847
City is incorporated — city limits are a 1-mile (1.6 km) radius from the zero mile marker of the
1854
The 1848 charter only specified election of six citywide councilmembers, but on January 9, 1854, an ordinance was adopted that divided the town into five wards and two councilmen from each ward would be elected to coincide with the completion of the first
- First (yellow): all land west of the W&A Railroad and Whitehall Street. This diverse ward had concentrations of industry and working-class people (such as railroad men) in the northern and western parts but the eastern section was home to some of Atlanta's wealthiest citizens, such as Richard Peters.
- Second (red): land south of Georgia RR between Whitehall and McDonough. This wealthy section included the bulk of the town's wholesalers, warehouses, grocers and hotels. The residential areas included people like Dr. Joseph Thompson.
- Third (green): land south of Georgia RR and east of McDonough. This ward included the new city hall, a number of mills along the railroad and the east many large estates including that of Lemuel P. Grant.
- Fourth (blue): north of Georgia RR and east of Ivy. This ward had two of the roughest sections of town; the red-light district along Decatur Street (including Slabtownbut the northern part was home to mostly small farms.
- Fifth (violet): west of Ivy and north of W&A Railroad. This ward contained the large homes along Fairlie-Poplarwas also largely residential with warehousing along the western part.
1866
On March 12, city limits expand to a one-and-a-half mile radius from Union Depot.[3][4]
1871
During a huge boom of post-war building, two new wards were added from parts of the First, Fourth and Fifth to reflect the changing look of the city.
- Sixth Ward (aqua): established October 1871 as the half of the First Ward north of Hunter St (MLK). This division left the wealthy in the First ward and gave the working-class people to the north two councilmen of their own.
- Seventh Ward (grey): established December 2, 1871, of parts of the Fourth and Fifth. Specifically from the "junction of Houston and Pryor streets, thence through lot nineteen, between blocks three, one and two, five and six, to the city limits; thence northerly along the city limits to Peachtree Street; thence south along Peachtree Street and Pryor Street to the beginning." And the Fourth was extended "from Ivy Street west to Pryor, and from Houston Street south to the railroad, and that Pryor Street shall be the line between the fourth and fifth wards, and Pryor and Peachtree streets between the fifth and seventh wards." This gave the red-light district to the Fourth and created a new Ward of mostly farmers and to the west, fine residences along Ivy and the east side of Peachtree.
1874
A new city charter was approved by Governor Smith on February 28, 1874, which reduced the number of wards back to five and created a bi-cameral council of two councilmen from each ward and a second body of three at-large aldermen was established. Each year one of the aldermen would be up for election and during his last year in office would serve as president of the other body. They acted separately on finances but together for all other business.
The new ward layout was as follows:
- Western & Atlantic Railroad, Foundry St, south around the city limits to modern Peachtree Street
- Georgia Railroad, Whitehall south to city limits then north-east to McDonough (Capital Ave) and up to the railroad
- Third Ward (green) was bounded by Butler (Jesse Hill Dr) and McDonough Streets south to the city limits north-east to Georgia RR, then west to Butler
- Fourth Ward (blue) from Pryor and tracks east on Georgia RR to city limits then north west to West Peachtree and south to origin.
- Fifth Ward (purple) from Pryor and tracks north-east to Peachtree, then West Peachtree to city limits, south-west to Foundry and W&A RR and east to origin
1883
On November 5, 1883, a Sixth Ward (beige) was carved out of the Fourth and Fifth Wards. Its boundaries started at Butler and the
1889
Expansion of city limits to one and three-quarters radius from union depot.[3]
1894
When
1904
822 acres (333 ha) annexed - the southern part of what is now Midtown was already within the 1889 limits, but in 1904 the city annexes most of the rest of what is now Midtown: this is an area bounded by the 1889 circular city limits on the south, and West Peachtree St. on the west, stretching north up to but not including Ansley Park (roughly 6th to 16th Streets), Piedmont Park, the remainder of Historic Midtown east to what is now the BeltLine. this includes a strip of what is now the Old Fourth Ward between the 1889 limits and the BeltLine.[5]
1905
Further expansion of the city limits was part of a long effort.
In October 1897
"North Atlanta" was defined at the time roughly as today's
- today's Midtown between Myrtle St. in the Midtown Historic Districtand Cherry St., now inside the Georgia Tech campus, as far north as 14th St (then called Wilson Ave.)
- most of what is now the Georgia Tech campus, south of what was then 5th Street
- the area west of Georgia Tech, south of Jefferson St., as far west as Ashby St. (now Lowery Blvd.), including today's English Avenue neighborhood
In 1902 a special committee made a new proposal to annex those areas as well as "Bonnie Brae",
In 1905, the
1909
On January 1, 1909, a Ninth Ward was formed out of just annexed
1910
Annexations
Annexation of 3,510 acres (1,420.45 ha; 5.48 sq mi) to the north and west:[11][12]
- Sherwood Forest
- Buckhead
- the area that is now the Georgia Tech campus that was not already part of the city, including the Hemphill Avenue neighborhood
- Bankhead east of the Louisville and Nashville Railroadline
- Remainder of English Avenue(northern part) that was not already part of the city
- Washington Park
- What is now Mozley Park, then called Battle Hill
- Ashview Heights
- remainder of today's West End(western part) that was not already part of the city
- most of Westview
Annexation of 2,011
Annexation of the blocks surrounding Brown Park (now Brownwood Park) in East Atlanta - Moreland east to Stokesland and Glenwood south to the current city limits.[14]
New Tenth Ward
A new Tenth Ward was created. The eastern boundary was McDaniel Street. The southwestern boundary was Whitehall Street to the Central of Georgia Railroad, and from there along the railroad to a point just south of the BeltLine. From there, the boundary ran due west to a prolongation of Holderness Street south of the BeltLine, and from there southwest to the junction of Campbellton and Utoy roads. Then due east along the north boundary of Fort McPherson to the Central of Georgia Railroad. Then south along that railway line to a point between Osborne and Astor avenues, then east to Sylvan Road, then north to the BeltLine, then east to McDaniel Street.[15]
This included:
- New territory from the annexations including Oakland City
- Territory from the Second Ward west of McDaniel Street
- Territory from the Seventh Ward east of the Central of Georgia Railroad
1919
Eleventh Ward created from part of the Ninth Ward (area south of the Georgia railroad line) and from part of the Third Ward. The new ward corresponds to East Atlanta, Ormewood Park, and other adjacent areas.[16]
1922
- Kirkwood[17]annexed (975 acres (394.6 ha; 1.5 sq mi))
- North part of Virginia-Highland and south part of Morningside/Lenox Park annexed (858 acres (347.2 ha; 1.3 sq mi))[18][19]
- Ormewood Park annexed (482 acres (195.1 ha; 0.8 sq mi))[20]
1923
In June 1923 there was a failed movement to annex College Park, East Point, and Hapeville.[21]
1928
- East Lake annexed (717 acres (290.2 ha; 1.1 sq mi))[22]as the 12th ward.
- Chosewood Park annexed. (626 acres (253.3 ha; 1.0 sq mi))[23]
1929
A Thirteenth Ward was created as the section of the Ninth Ward north of St. Charles and east of the
1937
On March 14, 1935, the legislature reduced the number of wards from 13 to 6 and the thirty-nine member city council is cut to eighteen members effective January 1, 1937. The wards were combined as such:
- First: old 2nd & 3rd (south from Central RR to Grant Park)
- Second: old 11th & 12th (southeast: Ormewood, East Atlanta and East Lake)
- Third: old 1st, 5th & 6th (northwest from Central RR around to three blocks east of Peachtree)
- Fourth: old 7th & 10th (from West End to Oakland City)
- Fifth: old 4th & 8th (from Georgia RR up to Piedmont Park and Ansley west of the Belt Line)
- Sixth: old 9th & 13th (everything east of the Belt Line and north of Georgia RR: Inman Park, Druid Hills, etc.)[24]
1952
In 1951, after a failed 1947 referendum and two other failed attempts, the state legislature passed a "Plan of Improvement" by which on Jan. 1, 1952, the city annexed 51,470
Atlanta would in the 1970s again try, but without success, to repeat the process by state legislation to annex what is now Sandy Springs to Atlanta.[27]
1953
Annexation of
1954
The ward system is ended. No longer a bicameral body, only a board of six aldermen with a Vice-Mayor serving as president of the board. All positions were elected citywide. (For post-ward setup, see
Annexations since 1953
Since 1953, multiple small annexations (and deannexations) to the City of Atlanta have occurred, in two periods: 1954–1979 and 2003-2010. No annexations took place between 1979 and 2003.[29]
Multiple small areas adjacent to southwestern Atlanta were annexed including Midwest Cascade, Cascade Glen, and the Horseshoe Community.[30] Sandtown's 2007 petition for annexation was put on hold.[31]
These annexations added a few thousand residents, and approximately three square miles, including areas mostly in the southwest of the city, but also small parcels in the east and north of the city.
Emory University and Centers for Disease Control annexation
In December 2017, the Atlanta City Council approved an annexation request by
Due to the taxable revenue involved, there was a dispute over whether the area would remain in the DeKalb County School District or transition to Atlanta Public Schools.[35] In 2016 Emory University made a statement that "Annexation of Emory into the City of Atlanta will not change school districts, since neighboring communities like Druid Hills will still be self-determining regarding annexation."[36] By 2017 the city agreed to include the annexed property in the boundaries of APS, a move decried by the leadership of DeKalb County Schools as it would take taxable property away from that district.[2] In 2017 the number of children living in the annexed territory who attended public schools was nine.[35] The annexed area ultimately went to APS,[2] and as part of a 2019 settlement Emory would help establish school-based clinics for DeKalb schools. Students in the area will be rezoned to APS effective 2024; they will be zoned to DeKalb schools before then.[37]
References
- ISBN 0-8203-0263-5.
- City Council history
- Stone, Clarence N., Regime Politics Governing Atlanta: 1946–1988, 1989, University Press of Kansas
External links
- Detailed map of Atlanta annexations by City of Atlanta at Georgia State Library digital collections
- Property map of Emory University in 2017, attached to a press release from the university about its formally asking Atlanta to annex it
Maps showing annexation of CDC/Emory University area:
- "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: DeKalb County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 6 (PDF p. 7/22).
Emory Univ
- Indicates the university in the city limits of Atlanta - In comparison: "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: DeKalb County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 6. - Page 6 shows the area of the university as being in the Druid Hills CDP. Detail of Druid Hills CDP
Notes
- ^ "Atlanta Annexation database, case no. ANX-1958-001". Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
- ^ Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
The city's 744-acre addition covers [...] Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
- ^ a b City of Atlanta GIS, Map of Annexations[permanent dead link]
- ^ "March 12", This Day in Georgia History, Digital Library of Georgia
- ^ City of Atlanta annexation database, Case ANX-1904-001[permanent dead link]
- ^ ["Suburbs will not be annexed now: The Rice measure tabled by Council yesterday afternoon", Atlanta Constitution, October 27, 1897]
- ^ John R. Hornady, "Atlanta yesterday, today and tomorrow", 1922
- ^ ["Outside Folks Hot After Rice", Atlanta Constitution, October 24, 1897]
- ^ ["New Limits Outlined for Greater Atlanta", Atlanta Constitution, Apr. 30, 1902]
- ^ Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events, 1880s-1930s, Franklin M. Garrett, p.539
- ^ City of Atlanta annexation database Case ID ANX-1910-004 Archived 2013-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Annexation Map of Atlanta, City of Atlanta, revised 1981 Archived 2013-08-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ City of Atlanta annexation database Case ID ANX-1910-003 Archived 2013-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ City of Atlanta annexation database Case ID ANX-1910-002[permanent dead link]
- ^ Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events, 1880s-1930s, Franklin M. Garrett p.558
- ^ Acts passed by the General Assembly of Georgia, 1919, p.834
- ^ Atlanta annexation database, case ANX-1922-006[permanent dead link]
- ^ Atlanta annexation database, case ANX-1922-003[permanent dead link]
- ^ Atlanta annexation database, case ANX-1922-002[permanent dead link]
- ^ Atlanta annexation database, case ANX-1922-001[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Steps are taken for annexation of three suburbs", Atlanta Constitution, June 30, 1923, p.1
- ^ Atlanta annexation database, case ANX-1928-004[permanent dead link]
- ^ Atlanta annexation database, case ANX-1928-001[permanent dead link]
- ^ Garrett, Vol. II, p.927
- ^ City of Atlanta Annexation database, Case ANX-1952-005 Archived 2013-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 9780820335445.
- ^ City of Sandy Springs, "History"
- ^ City of Atlanta annexation database Case ID ANX-1953-001[permanent dead link]
- ^ 2, 3, 4, 5 City of Atlanta GIS Annexations database
- ^ "City of Atlanta GIS Annexations database". Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
- ^ Atlanta annexations database, case ANX-2006-006 Archived April 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ "Emory University statement on possible annexation". Emory University. August 19, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 11, 2020.