Buckhead | |
|---|---|
 Buckhead in 2025 | |
  Buckhead Location inMetro Atlanta | |
| Coordinates:33°50′22″N84°22′48″W / 33.83942°N 84.37992°W /33.83942; -84.37992 | |
| Country | United States |
| Elevation | 738–1,050 ft (225–320 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
• Total | 100,123[1] |
| City of Atlanta-Office of Planning; seeDemographics of Atlanta | |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 30305, 30309, 30318, 30324, 30326, 30327, 30342 |
Buckhead is theuptown commercial and residential district of the city ofAtlanta,Georgia, comprising approximately the northernmost fifth of the city. Buckhead is the third-largest business district within the Atlanta city limits, behindDowntown andMidtown, and a major commercial and financial center of theSouthern U.S.
Buckhead is anchored by a core ofhigh-rise office buildings, hotels, shopping centers, restaurants and condominiums centered around the intersection ofPeachtree Road andPiedmont Road nearGeorgia State Route 400, theBuckhead MARTA station, andLenox Square.
In 1838,Henry Irby purchased 202-1/2 acres surrounding the present intersection of Peachtree, Roswell, and West Paces Ferry roads from Daniel Johnson for $650. Irby subsequently established ageneral store andtavern at the northwest corner of the intersection.[2] The name "Buckhead" comes from a story that Irby killed a large buck deer and placedthe head in a prominent location.[3][4] Prior to this, the settlement was called Irbyville.[4][5] By the late 1800s, Buckhead had become a rural vacation spot for wealthy Atlantans.[6] In the 1890s, Buckhead was rechristenedAtlanta Heights but by the 1920s it was again "Buckhead".[7]
Buckhead remained dominated by country estates until afterWorld War I, when many of Atlanta's wealthy began building mansions among the area's rolling hills.[6] Simultaneously, a number ofBlack enclaves began popping up in Buckhead, following events like the1906 Atlanta race riot and theGreat Atlanta fire of 1917, which drove black residents from the city center.[8] Predominantly black neighborhoods within Buckhead includedJohnsontown, Piney Grove, Savagetown, andMacedonia Park.[8]
Despite thestock market crash of 1929, lavish mansions were still constructed in Buckhead throughout theGreat Depression.[6] In 1930, Henry Aaron Alexander built one of the largest homes on Peachtree Road, a 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) house with 33 rooms and 13 bathrooms.[6] During the mid-1940s,Fulton County decided to acquire the land comprising Macedonia Park to build what is now Frankie Allen Park.[8] This process, which entailed botheminent domain and "outright coercion" displaced over 400 families.[8]
During the mid-1940s, Atlanta MayorWilliam B. Hartsfield sought toannex Buckhead, and a number of other predominantlyWhitesuburbs of Atlanta.[9] Fearing that the city's "Negro population is growing by leaps and bounds", and was "taking more white territory inside Atlanta", Hartsfield sought to annex these communities to counteract the threat of increasing political power for the city's Black residents.[9] The annexation of Buckhead was put to a vote in 1947, but it was rejected by Buckhead voters.[9] Atlanta annexed Buckhead and a number of other nearby communities in 1952, following legislation which expanded Atlanta's city boundaries.[9]
In 1956, an estate known as Joyeuse was chosen as the site for a major shopping center to be known asLenox Square.[citation needed] The mall was designed byJoe Amisano, an architect who designed many of Atlanta'smodernist buildings.[citation needed] When Lenox Square opened in 1959, it was one of the first malls in the country, and the largest shopping center in the Southeastern U.S. Office development soon followed with the construction of Tower Place in 1974.[citation needed]
To reverse a downturn inBuckhead Village during the 1980s, minimum parking spot requirements for bars were lifted, which quickly led to it becoming the most dense concentration ofbars and clubs in the Atlanta area.[10][better source needed] Many bars and clubs catered mostly to the black community in the Atlanta area, including Otto's, Cobalt, 112, BAR, World Bar, Lulu's Bait Shack, Mako's, Tongue & Groove, Chaos, John Harvard's Brew House, Paradox, Frequency & Havana Club.[11][12] The area became renowned as a party spot for Atlanta area rappers and singers, includingOutkast,Jazze Pha,Jagged Edge,Usher andJermaine Dupri, who mentioned the neighborhood's clubs on his song "Welcome to Atlanta".[citation needed]
Following the events of theRay Lewis murder case in Buckhead on the night of the 2000Super Bowl (held in Atlanta at theGeorgia Dome), as well as a series of murders involving theBlack Mafia Family, residents sought to ameliorate crime by taking measures to reduce the community'snightlife and re-establish a more residential character.[11] The Buckhead Coalition's president and former Atlanta MayorSam Massell, along with councilwomanMary Norwood were instrumental in persuading the Atlanta City Council to pass a local ordinance to close bars at 2:30 AM rather than 4 AM, andliquor licenses were made more difficult to obtain.[citation needed] Eventually, most of the Buckhead Village nightlife district was acquired for the"Buckhead Atlanta" multi-use project, and many of the former bars and clubs were razed in 2007.[13]
In 2008, anewsletter[14] by the Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation began circulating that proposed thesecession of Buckhead into its own city after more than 50 years as part of Atlanta. This came on the heels of neighboringSandy Springs, which finally became a city in late 2005 after a 30-year struggle to incorporate, and which triggered other such incorporations inmetro Atlanta's northernsuburbs. Like those cities, the argument to create a city of Buckhead is based on the desire for more local control and lowertaxes.[citation needed]
Discussions revolving around potential secession from Atlanta were revived in late 2021, with proponents of secession arguing that splitting from Atlanta would enable Buckhead to better tackle crime in the area.[15][16] In Atlanta's Police Zone 2, which includes Buckhead,Lenox Park,Piedmont Heights, andWest Midtown, murder was up 63% in 2021 compared to the previous year, going from 8 cases to 13. However, in the same period crime overall was down by 6%, and according to police chiefRodney Bryant, Zone 2 had only a fraction of the violent crimes seen in other neighborhoods of Atlanta.[17]
Buckhead, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Atlanta, would deprive the city of upwards of 40% of its tax revenue if it seceded.[15] Political scientists and journalists have also highlighted that Buckhead is significantly more conservative and white than the rest of Atlanta.[15] Commentators have also noted that this secession attempt is "more serious" than earlier efforts,[15] due to polling data showing 54% to 70% of Buckhead's residents favor the move,[15][16] and due to pro-secession organizations raising nearly $1,000,000 to promote the split.[15] A referendum did not occur in 2022 or early 2023, as theGeorgia General Assembly tabled the bills that would have provided for this referendum during the 2022 legislative session.[18]
During the 2023 session, on April 27, the issue of incorporation was brought to theGeorgia State Senate in the form of SB114. The bill prompted a response from governorBrian Kemp on the legality and workability of incorporating Buckhead as a city, but was ultimately rejected 33-23. The against votes consists of all Democrats in the Senate, and ten Republicans who broke rank to join them. The Republicans who were in favor of allowing a secession vote argued that the citizens of Buckhead were not being represented by their municipal government and that the decision to form their own municipality should be up to the citizens themselves. If the bill succeeded, it would have begun the referendum process to secede from Atlanta.[19][20][21]
Buckhead was originally the central area now called "Buckhead Village". The current usage of the term Buckhead roughly covers the interior of the "V" formed byInterstate 85 on the east andInterstate 75 on the west. Buckhead is bordered byCumberland andVinings inCobb County to the northwest, the city ofSandy Springs to the north,Brookhaven andNorth Druid Hills inDeKalb County to the east,Midtown Atlanta to the south, andWest Midtown to the west.
Buckhead comprises most of theneighborhoods of Atlanta's north side, 43 in total.[22][23]
The southernmost area around the Brookwood and Ardmore neighborhoods is sometimes regarded as a separate neighborhood of "South Buckhead".[24][25][26]
Since at least the 1950s, Buckhead has been known as a district of extreme wealth, with the western and northern neighborhoods being virtually unrivaled in theSoutheast. In 2011, The Gadberry Group compiled the list of the 50 wealthiest zip codes in the United States, ranking Buckhead's western zip code (30327) as the second wealthiest zip code in theSouth (behindPalm Beach's 33480) and the second wealthiest zip code east ofCalifornia and south ofVirginia.[27]
The same group reported the average household income at $280,631, with an average household net worth of $1,353,189.[27] These 2011 figures are up from a similar 2005 study that pegged Buckhead as the wealthiest community in the South and the only settlement south of theWashington D.C. suburb ofGreat Falls, and east of thePhoenix suburb ofParadise Valley to be among the 50 wealthiest communities in the country.[28] However, according toForbes magazine, (30327) is the ninth-wealthiest zip code in the nation, with a household income in excess of $341,000.[29]
TheRobb Report magazine has consistently ranked Buckhead one of the nation's "10 Top Affluent Communities" due to "the most beautifulmansions, best shopping, and finest restaurants in theSoutheastern United States".[30][31][32][33][34] Due to its wealth, Buckhead is sometimes promoted as the "Beverly Hills of the East" or "Beverly Hills of the South" in reference toBeverly Hills, California, an area to which it is often compared.[35][36]
At the heart of Buckhead around the intersections of Lenox, Peachtree and Piedmont Roads, is a shopping district with more than 1,500 retail units where shoppers spend more than $3 billion a year.[37] In addition, Buckhead contains the highest concentration of upscaleboutiques in theUnited States.[38] The majority are located atLenox Square andPhipps Plaza, sisterregional malls located diagonally across from each other at the intersection of Peachtree and Lenox Roads. The malls are home to designer boutiques, mainstream national retailers, as well as six major department stores. This commercial core also has a concentration of "big-box" retailers. The"Buckhead Atlanta"mixed-use development brought even more exclusive boutiques, restaurants, hotels, condos and office space to the heart of Buckhead in 2014.[13][39] The name of the project was rebranded as 'Buckhead Atlanta'.[40]
Buckhead is also a center for healthcare, and is home both toPiedmont Hospital and the private, catastrophic care hospitalShepherd Center which specializes inspinal cord injury andacquired brain injury. The two hospitals are located adjacent to one another along Peachtree Road. (This location is known as "Cardiac Hill" by runners of the annualPeachtree Road Race.[41])
Buckhead is also the location of a large share ofAtlanta's diplomatic missions. Consulates in Buckhead include theConsulate-General of Australia and the Australian Trade Commission,[42] theConsulate-General of France and the French Trade Commission,[43] theConsulate-General of Brazil, theConsulate-General of Japan,[44][45] and theConsulate of Greece.[46]
In 1982 the Buckhead Business Association created an official boundary map for Buckhead. TheGeorgia House of Representatives adopted that boundary, as did theAtlanta Regional Commission.[47]
While much of west and north Buckhead is preserved assingle-family homes in forested settings, the Peachtree Road corridor has become a major focus ofhigh-rise construction. The first 400-foot (121 m) office tower,Tower Place, opened in 1974.Park Place, built in 1986, was the first 400+ foot (121+ m) condominium building. 1986 also saw the completion of the 425-foot (129 m), 34-storyAtlanta Plaza, then Buckhead's tallest and largest building. In 2000, Park Avenue Condominiums pushed the record to 486 feet (148 m).[48]
Since that time, a wave of development has followed. The 660-foot (201 m)Sovereign and 580-foot (177 m)Mandarin Oriental, now renamed the Waldorf-Astoria, were completed in 2008. Many luxury high-rise apartment buildings have been built recently, including the 26-storyPost Alexander High Rise in 2014 and the 26-story SkyHouse Buckhead in 2014. Today, Buckhead has over 50 high-rise buildings, almost one-third of the city's total.[48]
Public schools in Buckhead are administered byAtlanta Public Schools.[47]
The following public elementary schools serve Buckhead:
The area is served by Sutton Middle School andNorth Atlanta High School.[54][55]
By 2012, due to overall population increases in Buckhead, many schools became increasingly crowded. Brandon Elementary was at 97% capacity, Garden Hills was at 102% capacity, E. Rivers was at 121% capacity, and Sutton was at 150% capacity. In the round of school zone change proposals in 2012, Ernie Suggs ofThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution said that the zones of Buckhead "remained pretty much intact."[56]
There is an areacharter school,Atlanta Classical Academy.
Local private schools include theAtlanta International School, theAtlanta Speech School, Christ the King School, theAtlanta Girls School,The Galloway School,Holy Spirit Preparatory School, Trinity School,The Lovett School,Pace Academy, andThe Westminster Schools.
Georgia State University'sJ. Mack Robinson College of Business' Buckhead Center is located in the heart of Buckhead. This facility houses Georgia State's Executive MBA program. Its "Leadership Speaker Series", which showcases an agenda of executive officers from prestigious, well-known companies is also hosted at their Buckhead Center.[46]
TheUniversity of Georgia'sTerry College of Business Executive Education Center is located in Buckhead. This facility houses the university'sexecutive MBA program and Terry Third Thursday, a lecture series featuring business leaders.
There are two branches of theAtlanta-Fulton Public Library System in Buckhead: Northside Branch and Buckhead Branch.[57]
The main north–south street of Buckhead is Peachtree Road, which extends south into the heart of the city asPeachtree Street, Atlanta'smain street. This name change is significant in that it defines a border between Buckhead andMidtown. The main east–west street isPaces Ferry Road, named for a formerferry that used to cross theChattahoochee River. Hardy Pace, one of Atlanta's founders, operated the ferry and owned much of what is now Buckhead. In addition to Peachtree andWest Paces Ferry Roads, otherarterial roads include Piedmont Road (Georgia 237), Roswell Road (Georgia State Route 9), and Northside Parkway.
In the early 1990s, after a bitter fight againstGDOT by residents, Buckhead was split in two byGeorgia 400, atolled extension of a freeway connectingI-285 toI-85. However,MARTA'sRed Line extension was put in the highway'smedian, providing additionalmass transit to Buckhead andSandy Springs.[58][59][60]
MARTA operates three stations in Buckhead, the southernmost beingLindbergh Center. Just north of there, the Red and Gold lines split, with theGold Line'sLenox station at the southwest corner of the Lenox Squareparking lot, and theRed Line'sBuckhead station on the west side of the malls where Peachtree crosses 400. A free circulator bus called "the buc" (Buckhead Uptown Connection) stops at all three stations. The proposed extension of theAtlanta Streetcar to Buckhead (nicknamed the "Peachtree Streetcar" because it would run along Peachtree Street in Downtown Atlanta and Peachtree Road in Buckhead) would provide street-level service with frequent stops all the way to downtown Atlanta, complementing the existingsubway-type MARTA train service for the area.[61][60][62]
Bike Share
In 2017, theRelay Bike Share program expanded into Buckhead. Three new stations were installed with plans to add more in the future.[64][65]
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Buckhead travel guide from Wikivoyage
