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, the racial politics of 'white flight' motivated many well-to-do and middle class white people to flee 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.
Decatur is located at 3346'17" North, 8417'52" West (33.771355, -84.297732)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.8 km (4.2 mi). 10.8 km (4.2 mi) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there are 18,147 people, 8,051 households, and 3,856 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,676.2/km (4,343.2/mi). There are 8,497 housing units at an average density of 784.9/km (2,033.6/mi). The racial makeup of the city is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 8,051 households out of which 22.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.1% are married couples living together, 13.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 52.1% are non-families. 39.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.13 and the average family size is 2.96.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 73.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 68.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $47,395, and the median income for a family is $65,064. Males have a median income of $46,817 versus $38,381 for females. The per capita income for the city is $29,363. 11.7% of the population and 7.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.7% of those under the age of 18 and 13.6% of those 65 and older are 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.
Decatur has one of the highest property tax rates in Georgia, much of which goes to support the high cost of maintaining a school system with one of the lowest student/teacher ratios in the State.
