Decatur Heights is a long-standing neighborhood (built up in the 1910s and 1920s) in the NE quadrant of Decatur, GA. In Atlanta parlance, it is ITP (inside the perimeter) because it is inside I-285. It is gradually transitioning toward newer, larger homes, via infill housing. But, anyone living in Decatur Heights, regardless of the age or size of house they live in or whether they own or rent, is welcome and appreciated, as long as they are good neighbors.
The name comes from the fact Sycamore Drive, the backbone street of the neighborhood (which is nearly level), is built on top of a natural ridge.
This blog addresses matters most interesting to Decatur Heights residents; but it is open to anyone, including those in bordering neighborhoods and perspective home buyers. It is independent of the "Decatur Heights Neighbors Association" but will report on DHNA meetings and sponsorsed activities and post anything requested.
Decatur Heights neighbors discuss neighborhood matters in a Google group.
The neighborhood has an open Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/116438878394737/
An aerial view and map showing (roughly) what is considered Decatur Heights are in the continuation. See the DHNA boundaries page linked in the right sidebar to determine if your house is included in DHNA boundaries, which are defined more narrowly.
DECATUR HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD -- City of Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia (GA) -- decaturheights.com
The intersection of Fairview and Sycamore could be called the center of Decatur Heights. It's where the red star is in the aerial view below. When this writer was a kid, the "little store" (a house converted into an early version of a convenience store) was on the SW corner of this intersection. (The lady who ran it lived a block away on the NW corner of Fairview and Lockwood Terrace.)
Based on input from a DHNA meeting, this intersection will become a four-way stop with painted crosswalks in the near future.
The "main steet" of Decatur Heights is Sycamore Drive, which goes S-N from the misnamed "Avondale" MARTA station at Ponce de Leon to DeKalb General Hospital near the corner of Church St and North Decatur Rd. Built on the top of a natural ridge, Sycamore forms the backbone of Decatur Heights. (The new Sam's Crossing is the high point of the ridge. The tops of buildings in Midtown can be seen while driving west on E. College at Sam's Crossing.)
The City of Decatur city limits end 4-5 houses north of Forkner Drive. The area north of that, to the Decatur Medical Center or Church Street, is considered Springdale Heights. The houses there were built in the 50s or 60s. (Sycamore St going W-E out of Decatur makes a 90-degree turn at the MARTA station to become Sycamore Drive (confusing non-residents).
The streets intersecting Sycamore Dirve (Hillcrest, Grove, Springdale, Pinehurst, and Fairview - Forkner has aligned with Glennwood) and the streets intersecting with them (Oak Lane, W. Springdale, Poplar, Lockwood, and Hickory) are considered part of Decatur Heights. (The section of Lockwood north of Pinehurst is considered part of Sycamore Ridge.) Sycamore Ridge (a relatively new development) is in what was traditionally called Decatur Heights (although it was just a field and woods when the rest of Decatur Heights was developed). It has its own association, as does Sycamore Station, just north of the Church at Decatur Heights, which is north of Fairview.
As greater Atlanta continues to grow, and the traffic continues to get worse, bedroom communities inside I-285 continue to grow in popularity. With its low crime rate, clean streets, old trees, small-town charm, and direct connections to downtown via Ponce de Leon, DeKalb Ave., and MARTA; Decatur is one of the most preferred. The NE side of Decatur is a great residential area.
To see a detailed aerial view of Decatur Heights & environs, see this DHNB page (large image DL)
See the "Distances" page in the sidebar for some distances (and non-rush-hour times) to nearby locations within 8 miles.
Some history of how Decatur Heights and nearby neighborhoods developed can be found in this Wikipedia entry.
