Decatur Real Estate

In 1823 Decatur was founded at the intersection of two Native American trails. The town was named for naval hero Stephen Decatur. In the 1830s, the Western and Atlantic Railroad wanted to make Decatur the southernmost stop on its railroad. The citizens of Decatur did not want the noise, pollution and growth that would come with such a major terminal, so they rejected the proposal. In response, the railroad founded a new city to the west-southwest of Decatur for the terminal. This town would later become known as Atlanta, Georgia. During the American Civil War, Decatur became a strategic site in Sherman's campaign against Atlanta.

In July of 1864 Union general James B. McPherson occupied Decatur to cut off the Confederate's supply line from Augusta, Georgia. During the Battle of Atlanta on July 22, Confederate cavalry under Major General Joseph Wheeler attacked McPherson's supply wagons and the Union troops left to defend the wagons. A marker at the Decatur courthouse marks the site of this skirmish.

In the last half of the twentieth century, metropolitan area of Atlanta expanded into unincorporated DeKalb County, eventually surrounding on all sides the incorporated town of Decatur. Concurently many well-to-do and middle class white people fled the area to more distant suburbs. The 1960s and 1970s witnessed dramatic drops in property values. However, in recent times, the city has regained economic vigor. To prepare for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, the downtown area of Decatur underwent a major renovation, with a particular focus on the courthouse square area. In subsequent years, the environs of downtown Decatur have become trendy, serving as a small mixed use district with easy transit to downtown Atlanta.

DEMOGRAPHICS

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 18,147 people, 8,051 households, and 3,856 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,676.2/km2 (4,343.2/mi2). There were 8,497 housing units at an average density of 784.9/km2 (2,033.6/mi2). The racial makeup of the city was 65.61% White, 30.48% African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.64% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. 1.68% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,051 households out of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.1% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.1% were non-families. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 37.0% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 73.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,395, and the median income for a family was $65,064. Males had a median income of $46,817 versus $38,381 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,363. 11.7% of the population and 7.0% of families were below the poverty line. 15.7% of those under the age of 18 and 13.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Education levels for Decatur are above average for the Atlanta area, with 56% of residents having obtained a bachelor's degree or higher, and 27% having obtained a graduate degree or higher.

Source: Wikipedia