Atlanta's future sidekick... (Sandy Springs, Roswell, Marietta: neighborhood, schools, live)

[netdragon]

Distance is relative... With a mag-lev running to Chattanooga, it wouldn't seem so far away.

[FromCLTtoATL]

Well, I'm glad Decatur took the path it did. It's very nice the way it is to me. It's definitely the small jewel in DeKalb's soiled crown (along with Pine Lake).

[brookdaleresident]

Originally Posted by Spade

Newark is New York's sidekick?

My thoughts exactly

[LovinDecatur]

Originally Posted by FromCLTtoATL

Well, I'm glad Decatur took the path it did. It's very nice the way it is to me. It's definitely the small jewel in DeKalb's soiled crown (along with Pine Lake).

DeKalb also has:

Dunwoody
Brookhaven
LaVista Park
Oak Grove
Emory
Druid Hills
Lake Claire
Tucker

There plenty of good in this much-maligned county.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by blondandfun

I honestly hope that it's the "City Of Gwinnett"

The poor planning of the county is really going to kill it when peak oil hits.

What difference would that make? The "City of Gwinnett" would be essentially the same as the county, with a new name. Here in GA, the counties have the same kind of municipal control that towns and cities have in other states. When there is no city, the county is the "city." It seems like the only time forming a city is relevant is when the larger county doesn't represent all of its citizens' interests fairly, evenly, or there is a large amount of disagreement between areas of the county.

North Fulton and Dunwoody are examples, but if you look at Gwinnett, Cobb, and other similar counties, no such issues exist. Unincorporated areas of counties are really no different in practice than cities, just with a larger geographic area.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by FromCLTtoATL

Well, I'm glad Decatur took the path it did. It's very nice the way it is to me. It's definitely the small jewel in DeKalb's soiled crown (along with Pine Lake).

DeKalb has grown into a major urban area next door to Atlanta. My point is that if Decatur had expanded its limits and had the same square miles as Atlanta just to the east, it would be a major city today. The city would encompass Brookhaven down to Panthersville and out toward Stone Mountain and have a population of at least 300,000. Perhaps it would have had more control over those areas that are considered blighted and they wouldn't be as bad today. Places like Druid Hills, Oak Grove, Brookhaven, LaVista, etc, would be neighboroods in the larger city of Decatur like Atlanta has Virginia Highlinds, Morningside, Grant Park, West End, etc as neighborhoods within its limits.

Instead the exact same area is mostly unincorporated DeKalb -- or Atlanta in DeKalb, which oddly enough has a population at least twice that of Decatur. The area grew anyway, but Decatur sits with its same footprint as it has had for decades and has seen its population max out below 20,000.

I'm just a statistics geek. It's not that this part of DeKalb and the current Decatur would necessarily be all that different. Just a thought that if the lines had been expanded, Decatur could be on national lists as one of the country's major cities instead of the same population listed as unincorporated DeKalb.

Can't see that any of the other burbs could have had this kind of growth in conjunction with Atlanta (Marietta, Roswell, Lawrenceville, etc) as they are too far from the core of the city. They all have a history as independent cities of Atlanta, but their primary growth has been as post war suburbs.

Decatur could have had this type of growth from the turn of the century which is what really needs to be in one's background to be considered more than a fast growth suburb.

All of this is of course fantasy, but the OP is a fantasy thought anyway, just fun to play map maker and history writer (or re-writer).

[lilmusket]

Georgia laws make annexation very difficult. Up until recently, a three mile buffer had to be maintained between cities... probably one of the most ridiculous rules if there ever was one. The three mile buffer was abolished to allow Sandy Springs to incorporate. Likely it was the 3 mile rule that kept Decatur from annexing. Georgia law favor counties. Georgia essentially gives counties the same powers as cities.. this is not the case in many other states where certain services can only be provided by cities. Georgia Law encouraged sprawl by favoring unincorporated counties rather than more densely populated cities with more strict land use zoning laws.

[crux]

Mexico.

[QueenAtlanta15]

Originally Posted by Herr_Brush

Atlanta won't have a sidekick. It already has a posse - Marietta, Chamblee, Tucker, Alpharetta, Forest Park, East Point, etc.

This is sooo right!

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by lilmusket

Georgia laws make annexation very difficult. Up until recently, a three mile buffer had to be maintained between cities... probably one of the most ridiculous rules if there ever was one. The three mile buffer was abolished to allow Sandy Springs to incorporate. Likely it was the 3 mile rule that kept Decatur from annexing. Georgia law favor counties. Georgia essentially gives counties the same powers as cities.. this is not the case in many other states where certain services can only be provided by cities. Georgia Law encouraged sprawl by favoring unincorporated counties rather than more densely populated cities with more strict land use zoning laws.

You are absolutely right about the powers that Georgia counties have. There was an odd mindset in Georgia in the 19th century about county size as well. Georgia has more counties than any state outside of Texas which is over four times the land area, so too many counties with too small land area. Look at any map with county outlines, all our neighboring states have far fewer counties with much larger footprints in area.

The three mile rule, if I am not mistaken (but would have to look it up to make sure) was on the books against a new incorporation, but didn't apply to annexations for towns already in existence. Atlanta annexed into DeKalb before WWII, would like to see a map to know when they did this, but Atlanta in DeKalb abuts the Decatur city limits and has been that way for decades. Why didn't Decatur go for these areas (East Lake, Kirkwood, Druid Hills, Lake Claire etc) Historical neighborhoods that are in DeKalb county? That was my original thought, these are historical areas, had they been in Decatur instead of Atlanta for the last hundred years, Decatur would have been considered a major city on a national scale and not just Atlanta's small town county seat neighbor.