Clarkston, Georgia
Clarkston | |
---|---|
City of the Village of Clarkston | |
![]() Milam Park | |
Motto: “Where Possibilities Grow” | |
![]() Location in DeKalb County and the state of Georgia | |
Coordinates: 33°48′37″N 84°14′24″W / 33.81028°N 84.24000°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
County | DeKalb |
Government | |
• Type | Council-Manager |
• Mayor | Beverly H. Burks |
• City Council | Debra Johnson, Vice-Mayor Yterenickia Bell Jamie Carroll Awet Eyasu Laura Hopkins Susan Hood[1] |
Area | |
• Total | 1.86 sq mi (4.81 km2) |
• Land | 1.84 sq mi (4.78 km2) |
• Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
Elevation | 1,020 ft (311 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 14,756 |
• Density | 7,997.83/sq mi (3,088.40/km2) |
• Demonym | Clarkstonian |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP code | 30021 |
Area code(s) | 404, 678 |
FIPS code | 13-16544[3] |
GNIS feature ID | 0331411[4] |
Website | www |
Clarkston is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 14,756 as of the 2020 census,[5] up from 7,554 in 2010.[6]
The city is noted for its ethnic diversity, and is often referred to as "the most diverse square mile in America" and "the Ellis Island of the South."[7][8] In the 1990s, refugee resettlement programs identified Clarkston as a good fit for displaced persons of many backgrounds. The rental market was open, residents were moving farther out from the Atlanta urban core, and Clarkston was the last stop on a transit line into the city. At present students attending Clarkston High School come from over 50 countries; the local mosque (Masjid al-Momineen, or Mosque of the Faithful in English) has a diverse and sizable congregation;[9] and over half the population is estimated by some to be foreign born.[10]
History
[edit]A post office called Clarkston has been in operation since 1876.[11] The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the place in 1882 as the "Town of Clarkston", with municipal corporate limits extending in a one-half mile radius from the Georgia Railroad depot.[12] The community was named after W. W. Clark, a railroad official.[13]
Geography
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Clarkston_City_Annex%2C_2016.jpg/220px-Clarkston_City_Annex%2C_2016.jpg)
Clarkston is located at 33°48′37″N 84°14′24″W / 33.81028°N 84.24000°W (33.810304, −84.239877).[14]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2), of which 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) is land and 0.94% is water.
Clarkston is on the Eastern Continental Divide.
Demographics
[edit]Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1880 | 33 | — | |
1890 | 271 | 721.2% | |
1900 | 362 | 33.6% | |
1910 | 349 | −3.6% | |
1920 | 501 | 43.6% | |
1930 | 606 | 21.0% | |
1940 | 921 | 52.0% | |
1950 | 1,165 | 26.5% | |
1960 | 1,524 | 30.8% | |
1970 | 3,127 | 105.2% | |
1980 | 4,539 | 45.2% | |
1990 | 5,385 | 18.6% | |
2000 | 7,231 | 34.3% | |
2010 | 7,554 | 4.5% | |
2020 | 14,756 | 95.3% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[15] |
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 1,199 | 8.13% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 9,491 | 64.32% |
Native American | 24 | 0.16% |
Asian | 2,866 | 19.42% |
Pacific Islander | 7 | 0.05% |
Other/Mixed | 620 | 4.2% |
Hispanic or Latino | 549 | 3.72% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,756 people, 3,727 households, and 2,341 families residing in the city.
Education
[edit]DeKalb County School System operates Clarkston's public schools.
- Indian Creek Elementary School
- Jolly Elementary School
- Freedom Middle School
- Clarkston High School
All the schools are located outside of the city limits of Clarkston.
Atlanta Area School for the Deaf is a State funded school in Clarkston.
The Clarkston Campus of Georgia State University's Perimeter College is just south of the city limits. Georgia Piedmont Technical College, part of the Technical College System of Georgia, is in Clarkston.
Public libraries
[edit]DeKalb County Public Library operates the Clarkston Branch.[17]
Refugee resettlement
[edit]Georgia is among states that receive the highest amount of refugees for resettlement, and has resettled more than 37,000 refugees since 1993.[18] Clarkston receives a large portion of these refugees, but arrivals have gradually declined yearly since 2016.[19] In 2016, then Georgia Governor Nathan Deal issued and then reneged on an executive order attempting to cease influx of Syrian refugees into the state.[20] Additionally, as of 2019 federal funding for refugee programs has decreased and executive orders have been issued that allow states increased authority to limit resettlement, which has resulted in the downsizing of several Georgia resettlement organizations.[21]
Organizations that aid the resettlement of refugees in Clarkston include:
- Friends of Refugees[22]
- Fugees Family[23]
- International Rescue Committee of Atlanta[24]
- New American Pathways[25]
- World Relief Atlanta[26]
Transportation
[edit]Major roads
[edit]Mass transit
[edit]- MARTA Bus 120 connects to MARTA Blue Line rail service at Avondale
- MARTA Bus 125 connects to MARTA Blue Line rail service at Kensington
Pedestrians and cycling
[edit]- Stone Mountain Trail
In popular culture
[edit]In television
[edit]- Clarkston was featured in season one of "Good Girls" Netflix series (the fictional supermarket "Fine & Frugal" was shot in Fresh Food Town in the Tahoe Village plaza).
- Clarkston is the setting of the episode "Make Ted Great Again" in the second season of Queer Eye in 2018.[27]
- Clarkston is featured in the episode "It's a Greens Thing" in the first season of Vivan Howard's PBS cooking show Somewhere South in 2020.[28]
References
[edit]- ^ https://www.clarkstonga.gov/about-city-council [bare URL]
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Clarkston city, Georgia". data.census.gov.
- ^ "Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File (QT-PL), Clarkston city, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
- ^ Wells, Myrydd (January 19, 2017). "Ellis Island South: Welcome to the most diverse square mile in America". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- ^ Long, Katy (May 24, 2017). "This small town in America's Deep South welcomes 1,500 refugees a year". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- ^ "Masjid al-Momineen". November 10, 2019.
- ^ "City of Clarkston". November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- ^ Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia. Clark & Hines, State Printers. 1883. pp. 280–281.
- ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 45. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ "Library Locations & Hours[permanent dead link]." DeKalb County Public Library. Retrieved on February 24, 2010.
- ^ "Today Clarkston Article". July 3, 2018.
- ^ "Refugee Processing Center". November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Georgia governor retreats on Syria refugee policy". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. January 4, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Georgia could see sharp drop refugees with Trump plan". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. September 27, 2019. Archived from the original on November 11, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Friends of Refugees".
- ^ "Fugees Family Inc".
- ^ "International Rescue Committee Atlanta Volunteer Opportunities".
- ^ "New American Pathways". October 20, 2014.
- ^ "World Relief Atlanta".
- ^ "Citylab". Bloomberg. August 3, 2018.
- ^ "Halieth Talks Gardening from Burundi to Clarkston". Somewhere South with Chef Vivian Howard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)