Anyone familiar with Buford Highway (Atlanta, Doraville: apartments, crime, house)

[gtum4123]

Hi,

I'm a journalism student and I'm writing a story about Buford Highway.

I'm not from Atlanta and I was wondering if there was anyone interested in talking to me about the variety of cultures that have set up shop there.


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[koko339]

I always thought this was a great primer on Buford Highway:

The Buford Highway Project

[Cameron H]

I have newbie question: Is it pronounced B-you-ford, as I'd assumed, or B-uh-ford as my navigation system says?

[ATLTJL]

That's a cool link! I love the part about the chain stores that have lost meaning because you can still tell what they used to be by the architecture.

My favorite is Video Heat, the porno store that obviously used to be a Taco Bell.

It totally fits in with Buford Highway's vibe. But i guess I have a double standard, because I am really bothered by the Pleasant Hill exit on 85 with it's obvious WAFFLE HOUSE signage that has been changed to WE BUY GOLD. I guess I just refuse to accept what has happened to Pleasant Hill Road because it saddens me too much.

[Adric]

Originally Posted by Cameron H

I have newbie question: Is it pronounced B-you-ford, as I'd assumed, or B-uh-ford as my navigation system says?

The bold is the correct pernounciation.

[SW30303]

It is pronounced as "Byoo-ford" Highway. The highway is named after a railroad town in northern Gwinnett called "Buford" near Lake Lanier. The website bufordhighway.com is a good start, but not sure how old that is or not.

Good luck with your paper. Hmm, no pictures to share unfortunately:

My own memory: the store just outside I-285 on Buford Highway on the north side of the road was a Treasure Island in the late 1970s, and early 1980s. Across the street was a store called Service Merchandise. Lionel Playworld was just up the street some near the Treasure Island. I think the Treasure Island now is some outlet mall, but I forget. There was a Waffle House right around there, but I cannot remember when that was built. Unfortunately, the Dekalb area of Buford Hwy already had a reputation for lots of crime in the mid-1980s. That stretch of road always had a lot of businesses as far back as I can remember. When you traveled Buford Highway a few miles into Gwinnett, it became much more rural when one would drive beyond the Norcross area in the early 1980s.

I think around 1988-1990, businesses from foreign countries started putting up their signage in various foreign languages along Buford Highway. Along the Dekalb parts, I don't recall anything non-English on signs from 1985-87 specifically, but I could be completely erroneous with my own selective memory. I think there were already a lot of flea markets around that time, but they slowly became more international as time marched on into the 1990s. By 1996-98, the Buford Highway area in Dekalb at least, was distinctly very international with Spanish, Korean and other languages on the signs. Some of the strip malls around that area catered to one nationality, while others were more mixed in with a few.

Maybe someone here who has lived closer to Buford Highway can provide more precise details than I can with what became international and when.

[jazzcat22]

Why not interview the mayor of Chamblee or Doraville?

You can check with the AJC food writer, John Kessler. Or Atlanta Magazine's Christaine Lauterbach (food critic).

And there's blogs that specialize in the ethnic cuisine of BH. The writers may be able to provide insight:

EatBufordHighway

Buford Hwy

Ethnic.City: Cafe 101 | Atlanta food and restaurant blog | The Blissful Glutton

There's even a BuHi Meetup group:

The Buford Highway (Global Cuisines) Meetup Group (Atlanta, GA) - Meetup

I love BuHi! It's my culinary playground.

[roadtrip75]

Buford Highway has always been trashy, only the ethnicities and languages have changed.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by roadtrip75

Buford Highway has always been trashy, only the ethnicities and languages have changed.

Untrue. In the 60's and 70's the apartments along Buford Highway were considered quite upscale and very popular with young singles. I had several teachers in elementary and high school that lived along there.

[cqholt]

Buford Highway has always been trashy, only the ethnicities and languages have changed.

Buford Hwy is a unique area and not trashy. I have talked to several people from other states who come to Atlanta to sample the diverse restaurants along Buford Hwy.