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East Lake (Atlanta)
Encyclopedia
East Lake is a neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia
, situated in DeKalb County
.
It is the eastern-most of the 238 neighborhoods in the City of Atlanta http://www.atlantaga.gov/government/planning/neighborhoodlist.aspx. East Lake is bordered by:
East Lake lies mostly within the 30317 zip code.
), East Lake has enjoyed a rebirth in recent years.
East Lake is on part of a plantation owned by Civil War Col. Robert A. Alston, whose home, known as Meadow Nook, still stands across from the East Lake Golf Course. This antebellum
home was built in 1856 for his South Carolina
bride, and was occupied, but not destroyed, during the American Civil War
. It is the second oldest home in Atlanta, and one of the few that Union General William T. Sherman
and his troops did not burn.
In 1892, the East Lake Land Company was chartered and land was acquired and divided up into lots. A.C. Bruce was president of the East Lake Land Company and was instrumental in getting a street car line built down a right of way (now East Lake Drive), which started running cars every 20 minutes in 1893. This helped to increase the demand for the small cottage lots, many of which were bought by Atlantans, around the lake to escape the city during the summer months. By the recession of 1896 it became a failed development. The large covered pavilion and beach served as an amusement park, during the years up to 1900.
In 1899 Asa Candler
, who was then building Coca-Cola
into a national icon, started using agents to secretly buy up the land around the lake and surrounding area. The Atlanta Athletic Club
(AAC) began looking for land to build a country location in 1902, and was stirred by Mr. Atkinson (one of Candlers Agents) to buy 280 acres (1.1 km²). In 1904 the Atlanta Athletic Club at East Lake opened. A street line from Atlanta through Kirkwood, served the location. The Pavilion was removed in 1907 to make way for the first clubhouse. The first clubhouse and golf coarse were not completed til 1908. Golf was not the primary recreation at that time. Lawn bowling, tennis, boating and wading were all the craze.
East Lake was incorporated as a town in 1908, with Thomas Paine as the first mayor.
In 1912, an auto road was constructed from Ponce de Leon Avenue to the gates of East Lake Country Club, making East Lake even more accessible. By 1916, a $10,000 school building had been erected on Fourth Avenue, making East Lake the perfect suburban neighborhood. According to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article in May, 1916, demand for East Lake homes was "almost to boom proportions".
In 1928, East Lake was annexed into the City of Atlanta.
The AAC moved from Atlanta in 1966, selling both its East Lake and downtown Atlanta properties and purchasing its current site in northern Fulton County
(now Johns Creek
). A new club soon bought the property, establishing what is now known as East Lake Golf Club
.
During the 70's a notorious public housing project, The East Lake Meadows, was built at the former site of the second course at East Lake, west of Second Avenue. A violent crime wave took over the development, and the community saw crime rise, as quality of life and housing values declined. In 1995 a private group led by developer and former resident Tom Cousins entered into a partnership with the City of Atlanta to raze the Meadows and rebuild a new mixed income development, The Villages of East Lake. With the Meadows demolition, crime began to rapidly decline, and the community began a renaissance as the 20th century ended.
Sparked by an already active community association, established in 1975, residents of the 1960s, 70's and 80's protected and preserved the neighborhood as it is known today.
In the late 1990s, young urbanites, moved by profit, eagerly bought the charming homes and changed residential character of the area, subjecting East Lake to a dramatic property value inflation of 230%. With the recession of 2007 property prices have been rolled back, but nothing near the much lower median values of 1998 to 2000. Many homes now see an upside down value. Time will adjust this variant.
and Alexa Stirling
, and Johnny Weissmuller
, winner of 5 Olympic gold medals and the first movie Tarzan, who swam at East Lake.
Accomplished amateur golfers Watts Gunn, Charlie Yates, and Tommy Barnes have been residents, along with GA Tech Coach Alexander and Coach Bobby Dodd. Georgia Tech
's Bobby Dodd
.
Civil Rights activist Hosea Williams
was a resident of East Lake.
, the home course of golf legend Bobby Jones
, is the site of PGA
's annual Tour Championship
. It was reconstructed in 1995 by noted golf course architect Rees Jones
.
The Charlie Yates Golf Course http://www.charlieyatesgolfcourse.com/ is adjacent to the East Lake Golf Club and is open to the public. It was designed by Rees Jones in 1998.
(APS).
All area residents are zoned to East Lake Elementary School, Coan Middle School http://www.eastlake.org/resources/schools.php,
and Henry W. Grady High School
, http://www.eastlake.org/resources/schools.php.
Charles R. Drew Charter School is a local APS-affiliated charter school
. Children of East Lake residents are given first opportunity to enroll at Drew.
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, situated in DeKalb County
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
.
It is the eastern-most of the 238 neighborhoods in the City of Atlanta http://www.atlantaga.gov/government/planning/neighborhoodlist.aspx. East Lake is bordered by:
- Knox St./Pharr Rd. and the DecaturDecatur, GeorgiaDecatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
neighborhood of OakhurstOakhurst, GeorgiaOakhurst is a historic neighborhood in the southwest corner of Decatur, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. It is located south of downtown Decatur and approximately six miles east of downtown Atlanta. Oakhurst primarily consists of residences built in early 20th Century and neighborhood...
to the north; - 1st St. and the Atlanta neighborhood of KirkwoodKirkwood (Atlanta)Kirkwood is a neighborhood in eastern Atlanta, Georgia that was designed by architect, Will Saunders. It is situated entirely in DeKalb County and near Lake Claire, East Lake, and Oakhurst. Kirkwood is bound on the north by DeKalb Avenue and on the south by Memorial Drive...
to the west; also, the Villages at East Lake on the west side of East Lake are a separate neighborhood; - Candler Road and the Belvedere ParkBelvedere Park, GeorgiaBelvedere Park is a census-designated place in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 15,152 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Belvedere Park is located at .It is bordered by:...
CDPCensus-designated placeA census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
in unincorporated DeKalb CountyDeKalb County, GeorgiaDeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
to the east and - Glenwood Ave. and the Candler McAfeeCandler-McAfee, GeorgiaCandler-McAfee is a census-designated place in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 23,025 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Candler-McAfee is located at...
CDPCensus-designated placeA census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
in unincorporated DeKalb CountyDeKalb County, GeorgiaDeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
to the south
East Lake lies mostly within the 30317 zip code.
History
East Lake is one of Atlanta's more historic neighborhoods. Located on the trendy but family oriented east side, East Lake is conveniently located 4.5 miles (7.2 km) from downtown Atlanta. With its 1910 to 1940s bungalows, cottages and convenience to local eateries, shops and transit (MARTAMetropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority or MARTA is the principal rapid-transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the ninth-largest in the United States. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting...
), East Lake has enjoyed a rebirth in recent years.
East Lake is on part of a plantation owned by Civil War Col. Robert A. Alston, whose home, known as Meadow Nook, still stands across from the East Lake Golf Course. This antebellum
Antebellum architecture
Antebellum architecture is a term used to describe the characteristic neoclassical architectural style of the Southern United States, especially the Old South, from after the birth of the United States in the American Revolution, to the start of the American Civil War...
home was built in 1856 for his South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
bride, and was occupied, but not destroyed, during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. It is the second oldest home in Atlanta, and one of the few that Union General William T. Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
and his troops did not burn.
In 1892, the East Lake Land Company was chartered and land was acquired and divided up into lots. A.C. Bruce was president of the East Lake Land Company and was instrumental in getting a street car line built down a right of way (now East Lake Drive), which started running cars every 20 minutes in 1893. This helped to increase the demand for the small cottage lots, many of which were bought by Atlantans, around the lake to escape the city during the summer months. By the recession of 1896 it became a failed development. The large covered pavilion and beach served as an amusement park, during the years up to 1900.
In 1899 Asa Candler
Asa Griggs Candler
Asa Griggs Candler was an American business tycoon who made his fortune selling Coca-Cola. He also served as the 44th Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia from 1916 to 1919...
, who was then building Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
into a national icon, started using agents to secretly buy up the land around the lake and surrounding area. The Atlanta Athletic Club
Atlanta Athletic Club
The Atlanta Athletic Club , founded in 1898, is a world-renowned private athletic club in Johns Creek, Georgia, a suburb 23 miles north of Atlanta. The original home of the club was a 10-story building located on Carnegie Way, and in 1904 a golf course was built on Atlanta's East Lake property...
(AAC) began looking for land to build a country location in 1902, and was stirred by Mr. Atkinson (one of Candlers Agents) to buy 280 acres (1.1 km²). In 1904 the Atlanta Athletic Club at East Lake opened. A street line from Atlanta through Kirkwood, served the location. The Pavilion was removed in 1907 to make way for the first clubhouse. The first clubhouse and golf coarse were not completed til 1908. Golf was not the primary recreation at that time. Lawn bowling, tennis, boating and wading were all the craze.
East Lake was incorporated as a town in 1908, with Thomas Paine as the first mayor.
In 1912, an auto road was constructed from Ponce de Leon Avenue to the gates of East Lake Country Club, making East Lake even more accessible. By 1916, a $10,000 school building had been erected on Fourth Avenue, making East Lake the perfect suburban neighborhood. According to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article in May, 1916, demand for East Lake homes was "almost to boom proportions".
In 1928, East Lake was annexed into the City of Atlanta.
The AAC moved from Atlanta in 1966, selling both its East Lake and downtown Atlanta properties and purchasing its current site in northern Fulton County
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
(now Johns Creek
Johns Creek, Georgia
Johns Creek is a suburban city in Fulton County, Georgia, USA, which incorporated December 1, 2006. It is named for a tributary that runs through the area. The city was created out of the northeastern part of unincorporated Fulton County...
). A new club soon bought the property, establishing what is now known as East Lake Golf Club
East Lake Golf Club
The East Lake Golf Club is located in the neighborhood of East Lake which is in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. East Lake Golf Club was the home club of the legendary golfer Bobby Jones. It is also the permanent home of The Tour Championship.-History:...
.
During the 70's a notorious public housing project, The East Lake Meadows, was built at the former site of the second course at East Lake, west of Second Avenue. A violent crime wave took over the development, and the community saw crime rise, as quality of life and housing values declined. In 1995 a private group led by developer and former resident Tom Cousins entered into a partnership with the City of Atlanta to raze the Meadows and rebuild a new mixed income development, The Villages of East Lake. With the Meadows demolition, crime began to rapidly decline, and the community began a renaissance as the 20th century ended.
Sparked by an already active community association, established in 1975, residents of the 1960s, 70's and 80's protected and preserved the neighborhood as it is known today.
In the late 1990s, young urbanites, moved by profit, eagerly bought the charming homes and changed residential character of the area, subjecting East Lake to a dramatic property value inflation of 230%. With the recession of 2007 property prices have been rolled back, but nothing near the much lower median values of 1998 to 2000. Many homes now see an upside down value. Time will adjust this variant.
Famous Residents
Many famous people have been forefront in East Lake's history, including Asa Candler, golfers Bobby JonesBobby Jones (golfer)
Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer, and a lawyer by profession. Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level...
and Alexa Stirling
Alexa Stirling
Alexa Stirling Fraser was a North American amateur golf champion.Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Alexa Stirling was coached in golf from a young age at the Atlanta Athletic Club's East Lake Golf Club course by Stewart Maiden, the club's professional, who had learned his golf at Carnoustie, Scotland...
, and Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller was an Austro-Hungarian-born American swimmer and actor best known for playing Tarzan in movies. Weissmuller was one of the world's best swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal. He won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven...
, winner of 5 Olympic gold medals and the first movie Tarzan, who swam at East Lake.
Accomplished amateur golfers Watts Gunn, Charlie Yates, and Tommy Barnes have been residents, along with GA Tech Coach Alexander and Coach Bobby Dodd. Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that play for the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wreck, Engineers, Blacksmiths, and Golden Tornado. There are 8 men's and 7 women's teams that...
's Bobby Dodd
Bobby Dodd
Robert Lee Dodd was an American college football coach at Georgia Tech. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame as a player and coach, something that only three people have accomplished....
.
Civil Rights activist Hosea Williams
Hosea Williams
Hosea Lorenzo Williams was a United States civil rights leader, ordained minister, businessman, philanthropist, scientist and politician...
was a resident of East Lake.
Golf
East Lake is home to two golf courses. The East Lake Golf ClubEast Lake Golf Club
The East Lake Golf Club is located in the neighborhood of East Lake which is in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. East Lake Golf Club was the home club of the legendary golfer Bobby Jones. It is also the permanent home of The Tour Championship.-History:...
, the home course of golf legend Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones (golfer)
Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer, and a lawyer by profession. Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level...
, is the site of PGA
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
's annual Tour Championship
The Tour Championship
The Tour Championship was historically the final event of golf's PGA Tour season. Since 2007, it has been the final event of the FedEx Cup, the competition for the first official championship trophy for the PGA Tour season. From 1987 to 1996, several courses hosted the event...
. It was reconstructed in 1995 by noted golf course architect Rees Jones
Rees Jones
Rees Jones is an American golf course architect.He was born in Montclair, New Jersey the son of legendary golf course designer Robert Trent Jones and the younger brother of golf course designer Robert Trent Jones, Jr...
.
The Charlie Yates Golf Course http://www.charlieyatesgolfcourse.com/ is adjacent to the East Lake Golf Club and is open to the public. It was designed by Rees Jones in 1998.
Education
East Lake residents are zoned to Atlanta Public SchoolsAtlanta Public Schools
Atlanta Public Schools is a school district based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. APS is run by the Atlanta Board of Education with interim superintendent Erroll Davis...
(APS).
All area residents are zoned to East Lake Elementary School, Coan Middle School http://www.eastlake.org/resources/schools.php,
and Henry W. Grady High School
Henry W. Grady High School
Henry W. Grady High School is located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States in Midtown. It serves as the Communication Magnet school for the Atlanta Public Schools...
, http://www.eastlake.org/resources/schools.php.
Charles R. Drew Charter School is a local APS-affiliated charter school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
. Children of East Lake residents are given first opportunity to enroll at Drew.
Further reading
- Jordan, Vernon; et al., "Creating Communities of Hope and Opportunity: The Revitalization of East Lake", Woodrow Wilson International Center for ScholarsWoodrow Wilson International Center for ScholarsThe Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars , located in Washington, D.C., is a United States Presidential Memorial that was established as part of the Smithsonian Institution by an act of Congress in 1968...
, March 27, 2007. "In 1995, the East Lake Meadows housing project was among the worst places in the United States to live. Its crime rate was 3.3 times higher than the rest of Atlanta and 18 times higher than the national average. ... Today, violent crime in East Lake is down by 95 percent."