Dunwoody, Georgia

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Dunwoody, Georgia
Location in DeKalb County and the state of Georgia
Location in DeKalb County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 33°56′34″N 84°19′4″W / 33.94278, -84.31778
Country United States
State Georgia
County DeKalb
Area
 - Total 12.1 sq mi (31.4 km²)
 - Land 12.1 sq mi (31.3 km²)
 - Water 0.04 sq mi (0.1 km²)
Elevation 1,129 ft (344 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 32,808
 - Density 2,711.4/sq mi (1,044.8/km²)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 30338, 30356
Area code(s) 770, 678
FIPS code 13-24768[1]
GNIS feature ID 0325929[2]

Dunwoody is an affluent suburban census-designated place (CDP) in metro Atlanta in northern DeKalb County, Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 32,808. The community was named for Major Charles Dunwoody.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Dunwoody's geographic center is at 33°56′34″N, 84°19′4″W (33.942751, -84.317694)[3]. However, the practical center is at the intersection of Chamblee-Dunwoody Road and Mount Vernon Road. [1][citation needed]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 12.1 square miles (31.4 km²), of which, 12.1 square miles (31.3 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.33%) is water.

Dunwoody "city hall"
Dunwoody "city hall"

Dunwoody is generally considered to be the northern tip of DeKalb County, bounded by the Fulton County line on the north and west, Interstate 285 on the south, Peachtree Industrial Boulevard on the southeast, and Gwinnett County on the northeast.[citation needed] Officially, the CDP extends only to the county line in the north; however, many residents of the narrow panhandle of Sandy Springs consider themselves a part of Dunwoody.[citation needed] Although Dunwoody claimed its right to self-determination in its own political battle to incorporate, once Sandy Springs became a city in late 2005, it removed "Dunwoody" street sign toppers in the panhandle area. This narrow strip was originally part of DeKalb, but was then ceded to Milton County, which later merged into Fulton.

Perimeter Mall and approximately 40 percent of the Perimeter Community Improvement District[2], is a self-taxing district of shopping and office buildings (including several high-rises), are both located in Dunwoody. The western part of the Perimeter Center edge city spans the Fulton county line into Sandy Springs. (The two sides of the PCID are legally separate, but work as one organization.) The tallest building in Dunwoody is the 34-story Ravinia 3, at 135 meters or 444 feet.

Perimeter Center is served by the Dunwoody train station on MARTA's north line, while the other two stations in the area are both on the Fulton side.

Tornado's path through a Dunwoody neighborhood
Tornado's path through a Dunwoody neighborhood

In 1998, a major tornado tore through parts of Dunwoody, running east-northeast from Perimeter Center and into Gwinnett. Thousands of homes were damaged, hundreds seriously, and several dozen were condemned. In addition, tens of thousands of native forest trees were downed. The vast majority of the tornado's damage occurred here, leading it to be called the "Dunwoody tornado", the most vivid in local memory until the 2008 Atlanta tornado.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 32,808 people, 13,746 households, and 8,976 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,715.7 people per square mile (1,048.6/km²). There were 14,599 housing units at an average density of 1,208.4/sq mi (466.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.02% White, 4.43% African American, 0.12% Native American, 7.78% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.34% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.61% of the population.

There were 13,746 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $82,838, and the median income for a family was $100,796. Males had a median income of $70,460 versus $42,813 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $43,523. About 1.5% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Movement for incorporation

In early 2006, a study was conducted by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government of the University of Georgia, to determine how feasible it would be to incorporate Dunwoody as a city. Critics claim that incorporation of Dunwoody, as in the incorporation of Sandy Springs in 2005, would take away a great deal of tax revenue from the rest of the county, leading to shortages of services, tax increases, or both for everyone else in the county, as has happened in Fulton. Citizens for Dunwoody, Inc. is the non-profit advocacy group begun by Senator Dan Weber to promote the effort. The CVI study can be read on their website. [3]

The bill for incorporation was withdrawn from the Georgia General Assembly in 2006 for further study, but was presented again in early 2007, where it passed only the lower house. In 2008, the bill of incorporation was re-introduced by Senator Weber, and due to increased pressure, passed in the senate as well as the house. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed the bill allowing the residents to vote for a city of Dunwoody on March 25, with a referendum set for July 15.

Nearby Tucker is also considering incorporation, as are other cities in DeKalb and Fulton counties.[citation needed] The Georgia Township Act was intended to create villages called "townships", with control over zoning and land use; however Dunwoody continued pushing for full cityhood, and as of 2008 session's end the state legislature has failed to pass the township bill.

[edit] Schools

[edit] Elementary

[edit] Secondary

[edit] College

[edit] Notable residents

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links

[edit] Community

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