CITY PNOTO - Decatur Pt II

View into the City



Photographed 4/06



The city of Decatur was founded in 1823. It is the second oldest municipality in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the seat of DeKalb County. There are 18,000 residents of Decatur and during the day about 24,000 people are in Decatur to work.

The courthouse square in downtown Decatur is located on a rise of land where two Indian trails once crossed.

Decatur was incorporated December 10, 1823, and named after Stephen Decatur, a Revolutionary War naval hero.
New Condos in the City


Photographed 4/06

Early residents rejected a proposal by the Western and Atlantic Railroad to make Decatur a major stop on its new line in the 1830s. The citizens did not want the noise, smoke and confusion, and turned the railroad down. The railroad thus moved seven miles west to a small settlement called Terminus. Which later became Atlanta.

Steve's House

Photographed 4/06

Housing prices in Decatur have risen dramatically in the last ten years. Prices for the new condo units pictured above start at $235,000USD for a one bedroom unit. My friend Steve's house is typical of those in Decatur and now run about $325,000 for a two bedroom to around 675,000 for a four bed two bath dwelling. The county has the second highest tax rate in Georgia. While a very trendy place to live, it's expensive.