- Decatur residents give firsthand accounts of racial profiling [Decaturish]
- The City of Decatur, a flourishing model of urban planning [ArtsATL]
- Edgewood Avenue bridges reopens today [CL]
- Emory responds to being ranked 3rd in “forcable sex offenses” in new study [WABE]
- Civic leaders come up with a development agenda for Atlanta — what would yours be? [Saporta Report]
- Kessler sums up “new wave” Indian restaurants in Atlanta (includes Chai Pani) [AJC]
- Before-and-after tour through Lullwater house that burned down last week [Architecture Tourist]
Photo courtesy of Atlanta Beltline via Flickr
That’s a terrific ArtsATL article about Decatur’s progress. Everyone new to Decatur or considering moving here should read it, imo. One of my favorite paragraphs:
“The layering [of development] has resulted in a myriad of styles as tastes change over the years. The quasi-natural progression of incremental development results in a rough-around-the-edges appearance. It’s not polished, and [Regina] Brewer makes clear that that is the goal; she quipped that if a “sanitized” experience is desired, it can be had with a trip to Florida and a theme park ticket.”
Agreed on the article. My only quibble is that it perpetuates the myth that “Decatur wisely said no to being the railroad terminus.” I know this story helps reinforce a particular narrative we like to hold to (independence, leadership, immune to big monied interests, committed to small town character, etc.) but it just ain’t real. As a matter o’ fact, it’s been debunked since at least 1911!
+1
The story is legend at best, but has never been cited with any factual basis.
Never heard that before. There other cities that actually were considered for Terminus but for reasons not related to citizen wants.
So what are you saying, that Decatur said yes to being the terminus? Or that Atlanta was chosen instead?
Neither. We were never offered the opportunity one way or the other. The terminus, which came to be Atlanta, was determined by the rail line building down from the northwest (the Western and Atlantic), not the one building up from the southeast (the Georgia Railroad).
An Act in 1837 allowed the W&A to establish a terminating point within 8 miles of crossing the Chattahoochee. One of their engineers chose the crossing point and then, in accordance with the Act, established a terminus about 8 miles southeast of there (what’s now downtown Atlanta).
Certain Decatur business interests did advocate/lobby at the time for the W&A to extend their terminus another five miles or so to Decatur (while others opposed the same idea) but it never amounted to much.
Ultimately, the Georgia Railroad built northwesterly until they reached what was already established as the obvious connection point. That happened around 1845.
Another illusion shattered.
If it’s any consolation, it brings me no pleasure.
Pay no attention to this man! I’m sure he’ll also try to debunk the old tale of how Decatur turned down Hartsfield airport for the Commerce Drive loop.
What?! Decatur never turned that down! Commerce was obviously built to runway specifications. No one would even think to build a street that ridiculously wide if it wasn’t to accommodate the occasional overflow 747. Learn your history!