The East Lake area of Atlanta, Ga is a wonderful place to raise a family and is high on the scale for quality of Life and friendly neighbors!
East Lake is one of Atlanta's more historic neighborhoods. Located on the trendy but family oriented east side, East Lake is conveniently located 4.5 miles (7.2 km) from downtown Atlanta. With its 1910 to 1940s bungalows, cottages and convenience to local eateries, shops and transit (MARTA), East Lake has enjoyed a rebirth in recent years.
East Lake is on part of a plantation owned by Civil War Col. Robert A. Alston, whose home, known as Meadow Nook, still stands across from the East Lake Golf Course. This antebellum home was built in 1856 for his South Carolina bride, and was occupied, but not destroyed, during the American Civil War. It is the second oldest home in Atlanta, and one of the few that Union General William T. Sherman and his troops did not burn.
In 1892, the East Lake Land Company was chartered and land was acquired and divided up into lots. A.C. Bruce was president of the East Lake Land Company and was instrumental in getting a street car line built down a right of way (now East Lake Drive), which started running cars every 20 minutes in 1893. This helped to increase the demand for the small cottage lots, many of which were bought by Atlantans, around the lake to escape the city during the summer months. By the recession of 1896 it became a failed development. The large covered pavilion and beach served as an amusement park, during the years up to 1900.
In 1899 Asa Candler (Coke-Cola), through his agents, secretly started buying up the land around the lake and surrounding area. The Atlanta Athletic Club began looking for land to build a country location in 1902, and was stirred by Mr. Atkinson (one of Candlers Agents) to buy 280 acres (1.1 km2). In 1904 the Atlanta Athletic Club at East Lake opened. A street line from Atlanta through Kirkwood, served the location. The Pavilion was removed in 1907 to make way for the first clubhouse. The first clubhouse and golf coarse were not completed til 1908. Golf was not the primary recreation at that time. Lawn bowling, tennis, boating and wading were all the craze.
East Lake was incorporated as a town in 1908, with Thomas Paine as the first mayor.
In 1912, an auto road was constructed from Ponce de Leon Avenue to the gates of East Lake Country Club, making East Lake even more accessible. By 1916, a $10,000 school building had been erected on Fourth Avenue, making East Lake the perfect suburban neighborhood. According to an Atlanta Journal Constitution article in May, 1916, demand for East Lake homes was "almost to boom proportions".
During the 70's a notorious public housing project, The East Lake Meadows, was built at the former site of the second course at East Lake, west of Second Avenue. A violent crime wave took over the development, and the community saw crime rise, as quality of life and housing values declined. In 1995 a private group led by developer and former resident Tom Cousins entered into a partnership with the City of Atlanta to raze the Meadows and rebuild a new mixed income development, the Villages of East Lake. With the Meadows demolition, crime began to rapidly decline, and the community began a renaissance as the 20th century ended.
Sparked by an already active community association, established in 1975, residents of the 1960s, 70's and 80's protected and preserved the neighborhood as it is known today.
Many famous people have been forefront in East Lake's history, including Asa Candler, golfers Bobby Jones and Alexa Stirling, and Johnny Weissmuller, winner of 5 Olympic gold medals and the first movie Tarzan, who swam at East Lake.
Accomplished amateur golfers Watts Gunn, Charlie Yates, and Tommy Barnes have been residents, along with GA Tech Coach Alexander and Coach Bobby Dodd. Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd.
Civil Rights activist Hosea Williams was a resident of East Lake also.
Are you a GOLFER? East Lake is home to two golf courses. The East Lake Golf Club, the home course of golf legend Bobby Jones, is the site of PGA's annual Tour Championship. It was reconstructed in 1995 by noted golf course architect Rees Jones.
The Charlie Yates Golf Course is adjacent to the East Lake Golf Club and is open to the public. It was designed by Rees Jones in 1998.
East Lake residents are zoned to Atlanta Public Schools (APS).
All area residents are zoned to East Lake Elementary School, Coan Middle School [3], and Henry W. Grady High School, [4].
Charles R. Drew Charter School is a local APS-affiliated charter school. Children of East Lake residents are given first opportunity to enroll at Drew.
For more information on East Lake or any other ATLANTA NEIGHBORHOOD, visit www.HomesSoldByDawn.com
WWW.HomesSoldByDawn.com CALL 404.386.5072
Comments(0)