Unlike the Atlanta City Council, which has gotten itself into some hot water recently trying to rename a couple streets after an Atlanta broadcaster and an architect, neither Decatur’s City Commission or its school board seem all that into renaming things recently.

Not that there haven’t been opportunities.

I recently openly wondered whether the Decatur School Board had plans to rename the 5th Avenue school once it was rebuilt as the 4/5 academy.  Nope.  And with all the recent street improvements, you’d think if a name change was in the works it would happen in tandum.  But nothing.  Sure we’ve recently named the MARTA plaza after Roy A. Blount, but why does Atlanta still have a “penchant” for street name changes while Decatur sticks to historic street names?

There certainly was a time when the Decatur City Commission renamed Oliver Street to Commerce Drive, but that era seems long past.  (In fact, that decision should be reversed if at all possible.)  Nowadays, famous Decatur locals are left fighting amongst new public buildings and civic spaces if they want eternal glory.  But in Atlanta, apparently anything and everything is still up for grabs!

Is there a reason for this?

Laura writes in…

I am wondering if you can solve a mystery for me and my husband.

We are recent Decatur transplants (via Midtown) and are perplexed by the disappearing/reappearing E in “Clairemont” Road. The E seems to drop out north of Scott on street signs, but both north and south of Scott there are buildings and businesses with “Clairemont” and “Clairmont” in their labels. Is there a rationale for this, or is the whole city just confused?

It IS intentional.  However, though I still bare the scars of the last time I called it “Clairmont” instead of “Clairemont” (admittedly a long time ago), I can’t recall the reason that the “e” disappears.

A little help?