Midtown Atlanta
Midtown Atlanta | |
---|---|
Neighborhood | |
Coordinates: 33°47′12″N 84°22′46″W / 33.7868014°N 84.3795169°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
County | Fulton County |
City | City of Atlanta |
Council District | 2 (most) |
NPU | E |
Neighborhoods |
|
Area | |
• Total | 3.8 sq mi (10 km2) |
• Midtown Core | 0.9 sq mi (2.9 km2) |
• Midtown Core and Historic Midtown | 1.4 sq mi (4.9 km2) |
Source: Midtown Alliance | |
Population (2011 est.)(Greater Midtown) | |
• Total | 41,681 |
• Density | 11,000/sq mi (4,200/km2) |
• Midtown Core | 12,916 |
Source: Midtown Alliance | |
Daytime workforce | |
• Midtown Core | 43,347 |
• Greater Midtown | 81,418 |
Student population (college/university) | |
• Midtown Core | 43,347 |
• Greater Midtown | 81,418 |
ZIP Codes | 30308–30309 |
Website | Midtown Alliance |
Midtown Atlanta, or Midtown, is a
Midtown has the highest density of art and cultural institutions in the Southeast,[3] notably including the Fox Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center, the High Museum of Art, the Center for Puppetry Arts, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Museum of Design Atlanta. Midtown attracts more than six million visitors annually,[4] mostly in connection with large annual events such as the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, Atlanta Pride, Music Midtown, and Georgia Tech athletic games.[5] Since the 1990s, Midtown has also been a primary area for high-density development due to the area's mass transit options, urban street grid, and desirability.[4]
Geography and nomenclature
The definition and meaning of "Midtown" have varied over time, expanding from an original concept of a small neighborhood midway between Downtown and Buckhead. Boundary definitions vary by source. In many cases, Midtown is a quasi-legal entity for zoning, law enforcement, and tax purposes. It is defined by the City of Atlanta to include the business district along Peachtree Street as well as
The Midtown Alliance defines a larger, "Greater Midtown" area of approximately four square miles. This includes the area within the city's definition, but splitting it into the sub-areas Midtown Core and Midtown Garden District, i.e.
The area has gone by other names in the past. An 1897 source refers to the area as North Atlanta, which would later be the name of today's city of
History
The southern half of Midtown between 8th Street and North Ave was originally purchased by
After the Civil War, Peachtree between what is now 8th and 12th streets was still about a mile beyond the city limits, which ended at Pine Street.[16] After the American Civil War a shantytown named Tight Squeeze developed at Peachtree at what is now 10th Street. It was infamous for vagrancy, desperation, and robberies of merchants transiting the settlement.[17][18] As Atlanta grew ever further outwards from its historic center, mansions were constructed along Peachtree Street and the area around 10th was known as Blooming Hill.[19]
Cross streets were built and residential development began around 1880. Piedmont Park was established with the
In 1904, the development of
The Downtown Connector freeway opened in the 1950s, and the blocks between Williams Street and Techwood Drive were demolished to make way for it. In 1959 Lenox Square and in 1964, Ansley Mall opened, and the Tenth Street shopping district went into decline. By the late 1960s, Peachtree Street between Eighth and Fourteenth Streets had become a center of hippie culture known as The Strip[21][19][22]
Large-scale commercial development began with
The 2000s decade saw the construction of numerous high-rise condo buildings in Midtown, such as the Spire, Viewpoint, and 1010 Midtown. In 2006, then-Mayor Shirley Franklin set in motion a plan to make the 14-block stretch of Peachtree Street a street-level shopping destination.[23][24] The 2004 opening of the Seventeenth Street Bridge over the Downtown Connector reconnected Midtown with the west side of the city and to the Atlantic Station mixed-use development, which was built on the former site of the Atlantic Steel company.
The Midtown Alliance, a group of volunteers, employees, and business and community members, was formed in 1978 in order to work towards improving the overall quality of life in Midtown and transform it into an ideal place for people to actively live, work, and play. Activities of the Alliance include improving neighborhood safety, developing area arts and education programs, and building community leaders. The master plan from the Alliance, called Blueprint Midtown, is credited with fueling the economic resurgence that has helped the once downtrodden Midtown area transform over the past number of years into a popular neighborhood.[25]
A 2011 Creative Loafing article claimed that:[26]
No part of the city has evolved more dramatically over the past two decades ... Impersonal office buildings, imposing parking decks and cold asphalt arteries have given way to high-rise living and an explosion of street life ... Where once there was a wasteland, now there are great restaurants, groceries, specialty shops, townhouses, lofts, and ... people.
Architecture and historic districts
In the early 1980s, Midtown Atlanta was a blighted area mainly consisting of parking lots. By 1987, One Atlantic Center was built on the corner of West Peachtree Street and 14th Street, which kick-started the redevelopment of the area. Some contemporary buildings of note are:
- High Museum of Art by Richard Meier and Renzo Piano
- One Atlantic Center by Philip Johnson
- 1100 Peachtree
- 1180 Peachtree
- AT&T Midtown Center
- Four Seasons Hotel
- Promenade II
- Spire
- ViewPoint
- 1010 Midtown
In the area surrounding
Historic districts include the
Parks and recreation
Midtown's focal point is the expansive greenspace of
The BeltLine is a 22-mile-long (35 km) trail circling the older neighborhoods of central Atlanta which will be developed in stages. The BeltLine Eastside Trail connects Piedmont Park (at the intersection of 10th and Monroe) to the Inman Park MARTA station at DeKalb Avenue.[29] The "Art on the BeltLine" project has resulted in the installation of several contemporary art pieces on the trail.
Economy
Midtown Atlanta is a commercial district in its own right, containing 22 million square feet (2,000,000 m2) of office space,
Midtown is also home to a share of
Retail
Immediately adjacent to Midtown on the southeast side along the BeltLine are the large
Arts and Culture
Midtown is known by many residents as Atlanta's "Heart of the Arts". It is the home of the Ferst Center for Arts, Fox Theatre, the Woodruff Arts Center, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the Richard Meier- and Renzo Piano-designed High Museum of Art, as well as the Atlanta Ballet, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Center for Puppetry Arts, and other arts and entertainment venues. Recently, the Woodruff Arts Center and its campus were expanded. Future additions will include a new Atlanta Symphony Center.
The High Museum of Art has collaborated with major art museums to house temporary collections of masterpieces, most notably the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Across the street from the High is Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA), the only museum in the Southeast devoted exclusively to the study and celebration of all things design. Midtown is the home of the Atlanta campus of Savannah College of Art and Design, which is located in historic buildings throughout the district.
Midtown's Piedmont Park is a popular venue for cultural festivals in Atlanta. Every spring, when the native dogwoods are in bloom in Piedmont Park, is the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, an arts and crafts fair. Piedmont Park is the finish line of the Peachtree Road Race, held annually on Independence Day. As ground zero for the Atlanta arts community, Midtown is home to the annual Atlanta Arts Festival, which brings artists from across the country to Piedmont Park. Piedmont Park is the home of the Southeast's largest multicultural festival, Festival Peachtree Latino, which celebrates Hispanic-American culture with arts and crafts, family activities, sporting events, a parade, dance demonstrations, ethnic foods, and a live music stage featuring international performers from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.
Midtown is the home of Atlanta's major music festival, Music Midtown, which was revived in 2011 after a five-year hiatus. At the corner of 8th Street and Spring Street, near the Midtown MARTA station, Midtown hosts the Peachtree Music Festival, a one-day, two-stage music festival blending indie rock bands with electronic DJs. In the fall, the Atlanta Pride festival attracts the LGBT local and regional community while the week-long Out on Film gay film festival highlights films by, for, and about the LGBT community.[51]
Education
Residents are zoned to schools in the Atlanta Public Schools.
- Virginia-Highland Elementary School (VHE)
- David T. Howard Middle School
- Midtown High School
In addition, the campuses of
Transportation
Midtown Atlanta is served by Atlanta's rail rapid transit system,
Midtown Ecodistrict
Ecodistricts are being implemented in leading cities around the world and Midtown has just completed a process to create Atlanta's first ecodistrict.
The Midtown Ecodistrict was created in 2012 as a platform for the community to collaborate on initiatives that results in improved environmental and economic performance. The program focuses on measurement on sustainability methods throughout the company. Green operational practices in the areas of energy, water, transportation and waste were implemented in an effort to make Midtown one of the most livable, vibrant and sustainable districts in the country.
In 2014, Midtown Alliance (who created the ecodistrict) decided to highlight business and buildings in Midtown that have made a significant commitment to green practices. This district is heavily urbanized (buildings, shops, skyscraper and hotels). Midtown also serves cyclists and pedestrians with 5 miles of bike lanes. The restaurants established in Midtown are recycling and composting at least 95% . 50 recycling cans have been installed.
See also
- Midtown Mile
- 1010 Midtown
- The Varsity
- Junior's Grill
- First Presbyterian Church Of Atlanta
- Out on Film
- Atlanta Black Pride
- Opera Nightclub
- Margaret Mitchell House & Museum
- West Midtown
- Gentrification of Atlanta
References
- ^ "Midtown Atlanta" (PDF). Midtown Alliance. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- ^ "Midtown Demographics", Midtown Alliance site, published 1/24/2013.
- ^ "Arts & Attractions". www.midtownatl.com. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- ^ a b c Midtown Alliance, Midtown Market Report, 2007, (Archived 2007-10-21 at the Wayback Machine). Retrieved June 3, 2009.
- ^ "Georgia, Georgia Tech sold out". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- ^ "Demographics", Midtown Alliance
- ^ "Neighborhoods", Midtown Alliance
- ^ "Demographics", Midtown Alliance
- ^ "Neighborhoods", Midtown Alliance
- 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; and 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.
- ^ "City limits extended to take in Pittsburg, Reynoldstown, Bellwood and North Atlanta" in John R. Hornady, "Atlanta yesterday, today and tomorrow", 1922
- ^ "Outside Folks Hot After Rice", Atlanta Constitution, October 24, 1897
- ^ 1963 map of urban renewal, City of Atlanta Archived 2013-05-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Search for "Uptown Atlanta" in Google Books, search for publications through 1965
- ^ "National Park Service: Edward C. Peters House". National Park Service. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- Atlanta ward system
- ^ Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events, 1820s-1870s, p.746, Franklin M. Garrett
- ^ Wicked Atlanta: The Sordid Side of Peach City History, p.19, Laurel-Ann Dooley
- ^ a b c d Tommy H. Jones, "Margaret Mitchell House: Historical Context"
- ^ Tommy Jones, "Midtown History", Midtown Local Historic District site Archived 2012-01-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b The Strip.
- ^ Mankin, Bill. We Can All Join In: How Rock Festivals Helped Change America Archived December 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Like the Dew. 2012.
- ^ a b "Expert: Peachtree Poised to Be Next Great Shopping Street". Midtown Alliance. Archived from the original on May 30, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2007.
- ^ "Mayor to Retailers: Peachtree Is Open for Business". Midtown Alliance. Archived from the original on May 30, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2007.
- ^ "Business Coalition wants new master plan for Ga. 400". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. December 12, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2007.[dead link]
- ^ "Midtown, "Ultimate Neighborhood Guide", Creative Loafing, retrieved November 7, 2011". Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
- ^ AIA Guide to the Architecture of Atlanta: University of Georgia Press, 1993
- ^ Atlanta Preservation Center's SoNo/Midtown Commercial District Tour Guide: APC
- ^ Thomas Wheatley, "Beltline gets $5 million for Piedmont Park-DeKalb Ave. bike trail", Creative Loafing, 2010-06-19
- ^ MIDTOWN ATLANTA: Business Archived 2007-10-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
- ^ Equifax Company Profile. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ^ EarthLink Contact Us. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
- ^ Invesco, Corporate Headquarters. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
- ^ Coca-Cola United States. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
- ^ Locations. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ^ AT&T, BellSouth Deal to Affect Atlanta Office Market. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
- ^ Sams, Douglas. "Carter's moving HQ to Phipps Tower." Atlanta Business Chronicle. December 14, 2012. Updated on December 17, 2013. Retrieved on May 23, 2013.
- ^ "Contact Us Archived 2010-01-29 at the Wayback Machine." Arcapita. Retrieved on February 25, 2010.
- ^ "Corporate Office Contact Information." Jason's Deli. Retrieved on February 25, 2010.
- ^ "Google Offices." Google. Retrieved on July 12, 2009.
- ^ King & Spalding - Offices: Overview Archived 2009-04-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
- ^ Atlanta location. Retrieved September 2, 2014
- ^ "Southeast's largest Whole Foods set for April debut in Midtown". February 20, 2019.
- Consulate-General of Canada in AtlantaRetrieved on July 28, 2009.
- ^ "Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency website Retrieved on August 24, 2009."
- ^ "Consulate General Atlanta." Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved on July 28, 2009.
- Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Atlanta. Retrieved on July 28, 2009.
- ^ "Welcome to the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast." Israel Diplomatic Network. Retrieved on July 28, 2009.
- The Atlanta Journal and Constitution. Friday June 23, 1995. Business p. 3H.
- Atlanta Business Journal. March 4, 2002. Retrieved on May 21, 2013.
- ^ "OUT on Film Wraps up Its Annual Celebration in Atlanta's Midtown District". Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
- ^ "Official MARTA website". Retrieved October 1, 2008.
- ^ "Tech Trolley". GT Parking & Transportation. Archived from the original on July 17, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
External links
Midtown Atlanta,
Georgia.
- Midtown Atlanta, information/marketing site by Midtown Alliance
- Midtown Neighbors Association, residential neighborhood association
- A 19th century history of what is now Midtown Atlanta