DeKalb County, Georgia

Information about DeKalb County, Georgia

DeKalb County, Georgia
Map
Enlarge picture
Map of Georgia highlighting DeKalb County

Location in the state of Georgia

Georgia's location in the USA
Statistics
Founded1822
SeatDecatur
Largest CityDecatur
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water
702 km² (271 mi²)
695 km² (268 mi²)
7 km² (3 mi²), 1.00%
Population
 - (2006)
 - Density
723,602
959/km 
Website: www.co.dekalb.ga.us
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 686,712. According to the 2006 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the county's population had risen to 723,602 [1]. The county seat is Decatur, Georgia6.

DeKalb County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is also one of the most affluent majority black counties in the country.

DeKalb County has the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

History

DeKalb County was created in 1822 from Henry, Gwinnett and Fayette Counties. It was named for Baron Johann de Kalb, a German soldier who fought on the side of the Americans in the American Revolutionary War. In 1853, Fulton County was formed from part of DeKalb. Until this time, the growing city of Atlanta had been inside DeKalb. During the American Civil War, much of the Battle of Atlanta was fought in DeKalb. Until the 1960s, DeKalb was a mainly agricultural county, but as Atlanta and its suburbs grew, DeKalb became more urban.

Law and government

In 1984 DeKalb's state delegation created a unique CEO position which is the chief elected official. All employees report to the CEO rather than to commissioners for day-to-day operations. The CEO serves as the chairman of the seven-member commission, but does not vote except to break a tie. The county commission is elected from five small districts and two super-districts that each make up half of the county and overlap the smaller districts. DeKalb's current CEO is Vernon Jones.

Most of DeKalb makes up Georgia's 4th United States House of Representatives District.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 702 km² (271 mi²). 695 km² (268 mi²) of it is land and 7 km² (3 mi²) of it (1.00%) is water.

The county is crossed by the South River and numerous creeks, including Nancy Creek, Snapfinger Creek and two forks of Peachtree Creek. Peachtree Creek and Nancy Creek drain into the Chattahoochee River and eventually to the Gulf of Mexico. South River drains into the Ocmulgee River and ultimately into the Atlantic Ocean.

Stone Mountain lies near the eastern border of the county. Soapstone Ridge, parallel to the southern border, was heavily quarried between 1400 and 100 B.C. and objects made from the soapstone have been found as far away as the Great Lakes.
Enlarge picture
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in DeKalb County as seen from Emory University

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Secondary highways

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.%
183010,042
—
184010,4670%
185014,3280%
18607,8060%
187010,0140%
188014,4970%
189017,1890%
190021,1120%
191027,8810%
192044,0510%
193070,2780%
194086,9420%
1950136,3950%
1960256,7820%
1970415,3870%
1980483,0240%
1990545,8370%
2000665,8650%
As of the census² of 2000, there were 665,865 people, 249,339 households, and 156,584 families residing in the county. The population density was 959/km² (2,483/mi²). There were 261,231 housing units at an average density of 376/km² (974/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 35.82% White, 54.23% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 4.01% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.53% from other races, and 2.12% from two or more races. 7.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 249,339 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.10% were married couples living together, 17.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.20% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 10.90% from 18 to 24, 36.70% from 25 to 44, 19.70% from 45 to 64, and 8.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,117, and the median income for a family was $54,018. Males had a median income of $36,270 versus $31,653 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,968. About 7.80% of families and 10.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.10% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.

DeKalb County is the second most affluent county with an African American majority in the United States.

Northeastern DeKalb has experienced an influx of Asian-American residents, both native and immigrant, over the past 20 years.

Although Fulton County has more people, DeKalb County has the highest population density of any county in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

Cities and Other Places in DeKalb County

Incorporated Cities

Unincorporated Census Designated Places

Unincorporated Communities not Census Designated Places

  • Collinsville
  • Constitution
  • Ellenwood
  • Mechanicsville
  • Mountain View
  • Philadelphia
  • Pittsburg
  • Skyland
  • South Decatur
  • Turner Hill

Education

Primary and Secondary Education

Public schools

The portion of DeKalb County not within the city of Atlanta nor the city of Decatur is served by DeKalb County School System.

The Atlanta portion is served by Atlanta Public Schools.

The Decatur portion is served by City Schools of Decatur.

Private schools

Private schools in DeKalb County include:

Higher Education

Enlarge picture
Emory University
Agnes Scott College is a private, all female, undergraduate liberal arts college.

Emory University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university. The university consists of the following divisions: Emory College, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Candler School of Theology, and the schools of Law, Business Administration, Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health.

Mercer University is a private, coeducational, faith-based university with a Baptist heritage. The main campus is in Macon. The Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus is in DeKalb County; it houses the College of Nursing, the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology along with programs of the Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, the School of Medicine, and the Tift College of Education.

Oglethorpe University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts school and is named after James Oglethorpe, founder of the Georgia Colony.

Georgia Perimeter College has three campuses within the county and offers two-year associate degrees.

DeKalb Tech is the largest vocational institution in Georgia. DeKalb Tech trains students in business, engineering, technologies, health, human services, industrial arts, information systems, and transportation.

DeVry Institute offers training in computers and electronics.

Columbia Theological Seminary, a theological institution of the Presbyterian Church. More than 640 students are enrolled at Columbia in one of five degree programs: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Theological Studies, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Theology.

Bibliography

  • "The History of DeKalb County, Georgia, 1822-1900", by Vivian Price. Wolfe Publishing Company, Fernandina Beach, FL, 1997. ISBN 1-883793-27-0

External links

 •  • [ e]
Atlanta Metropolitan Area
Central CityAtlanta
Enlarge picture
Map of the Atlanta Metropolitan area
Largest cities
(over 20,000 in 2000)		Alpharetta • Candler-McAfee (CDP) • College Park • Douglasville • Duluth • Dunwoody (CDP) • East Point • Forest Park • Gainesville • Griffin • Johns Creek • Kennesaw • Lawrenceville • Mableton (CDP) • Marietta • North Atlanta (CDP) • Peachtree City • Redan (CDP) • Roswell • Sandy Springs • Smyrna • Stockbridge • Tucker (CDP)
Largest towns and villages
(over 10,000 in 2000)		Acworth • Belevedere Park • Buford • Carrollton • Cartersville • Conyers • Covington • Decatur • Druid Hills • Fayetteville • Lilburn • Milton • Monroe • Mountain Park, Gwinnett County • Newnan • North Decatur (CDP) • North Druid Hills • Panthersville • Powder Springs • Riverdale • Snellville • Sugar Hill • Union City • Winder • Woodstock
CountiesFulton • Gwinnett • DeKalb • Cobb • Clayton • Cherokee • Henry • Forsyth • Douglas • Paulding • Coweta • Carroll • Fayette • Bartow • Newton • Rockdale • Hall • Walton • Spalding • Barrow • Pickens • Haralson • Meriwether • Butts • Dawson • Lamar • Pike • Jasper • Heard
 •  • [ e]
State of Georgia
Atlanta (capital)
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Coordinates:
State of Georgia

Flag of Georgia Seal of Georgia
Nickname(s): Peach State, Empire State of the South
Motto(s): Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation

Official language(s) English

Capital Atlanta

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Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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Units

Units for measuring surface area include:
square metre = SI derived unit

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Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of surface area, the square metre, one of the SI derived units. 1 km² is equal to:
  • 1,000,000 m²
  • 100 ha (hectare)
Conversely:
  • 1 m² = 0.

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square mile is an imperial and US unit of area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. It should not be confused with the archaic miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared.
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population is the collection of people or organisms of a particular species living in a given geographic area or mortality, and migration, though the field encompasses many dimensions of population change including the family (marriage and divorce), public health, work and the
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Biological population densities


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State of Georgia

Flag of Georgia Seal of Georgia
Nickname(s): Peach State, Empire State of the South
Motto(s): Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation

Official language(s) English

Capital Atlanta

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The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title 13 U.S.C.   11 ) is a part of the United States Department of Commerce.
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A county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there.
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Decatur, Georgia
Location in DeKalb County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Georgia
County DeKalb
Area
 - City  4.
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geographic coordinate system enables every location on the earth to be specified by the three coordinates of a spherical coordinate system aligned with the spin axis of the Earth.
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Atlanta, Georgia
Downtown Atlanta

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Nickname: Hotlanta,[1] The A-T-L[1]
Location in Fulton and DeKalb counties and the state of Georgia
Coordinates:
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Sandy Springs, Georgia
Location in Fulton County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Georgia
County Fulton
Government
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Marietta, Georgia, USA
Location in Cobb County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Georgia
County Cobb
Government
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urbanized area—a contiguous area of relatively high population density. The counties containing the core urbanized area are known as the central counties of the MSA.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (or CDC) is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services based in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia adjacent to the campus of Emory University and east of the city of Atlanta.
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Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 119,341. The 2006 Census Estimate placed the population at 178,033 [1] . The county seat is McDonough, Georgia6.
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Gwinnett County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 15, 1818. As of the 2000 census, the population is 588,448. The 2006 Census Estimate placed the population at 757,104 [1] . The county seat is Lawrenceville6.
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Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 91,263. The 2006 Census Estimate shows a population of 106,671 [1] . The county seat is Fayetteville, Georgia6.
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Johann von Robaii, Baron de Kalb (born Johann Kalb) (June 19, 1721 – August 19, 1780) was a German soldier and volunteer who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
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Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta6, the principal city of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2000 census, the population was 816,006.
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Atlanta, Georgia
Downtown Atlanta

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Nickname: Hotlanta,[1] The A-T-L[1]
Location in Fulton and DeKalb counties and the state of Georgia
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