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Chamblee, Georgia
Chamblee (/ˈʃæmbliː/ SHAM-blee) is a city in northern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, northeast of Atlanta. The population was 30,164 as of the 2020 census. HistoryThe area that would later become Chamblee was originally dairy farms. During the late nineteenth century, an intersection of two railroads was constructed in Chamblee; one carried passengers from Atlanta to Charlotte, North Carolina, while the other ferried workers and goods back and forth from a factory in Roswell to Atlanta. A settlement known as Roswell Junction emerged at the intersection, and the United States Postal Service decided to establish a post office there. However, feeling the name of the settlement was too similar to nearby Roswell, they randomly selected Chamblee from a list of petitioners for the new post office name.[5] Chamblee was incorporated in 1907.[6] During World War I and World War II, Chamblee served as the site of U.S. military operations. During World War I, the U.S. operated Camp Gordon, home to 40,000 servicemen. This influx of new people created a building boom in the town. Camp Gordon was closed after the war and then re-opened as Navy Flight Training Center at the advent of World War II.[6] Immediately after World War II, Chamblee experienced growth in blue-collar industry and residents due to its proximity to the newly opened General Motors plant in neighboring Doraville. Manufacturing plants also located along the newly constructed Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. By the 1980s, much of the city's industrial base had downsized or eroded; in its place sprang up multi-ethnic businesses that catered to the immigrants and refugees moving to Chamblee and Doraville en masse due to the cities' affordable housing. By the time of the 1996 Summer Olympics, Chamblee had emerged as a multi-cultural city inhabited by a large immigrant community.[6] During the first decade of the 2000s, the city grew as it refined its image, constructing a new city hall in 2002. In 2010, Chamblee annexed an area directly to the northwest that includes Huntley Hills and a resident population of approximately 5,000.[citation needed] It also renamed Peachtree Industrial Boulevard to Peachtree Boulevard, and took steps to revitalize its downtown. In 2012 the city had an annexation proposal that was voted down by a small margin. In November 2013 the city had another annexation proposal that was passed by voters.[7] Following the annexation, the city and neighboring Brookhaven had a dispute in 2014 over which city would annex the Century Center development. The courts gave Century Center to Chamblee.[8] According to 2020 Census data, Chamblee effectively tripled its population since 2010. It started the decade with roughly 9,800 residents and ended it with more than 30,000, mostly due to two annexations. The only city to gain more residents in that time was Atlanta, and only two Georgia cities — Morgan and Pendergrass — grew at faster rates in the 2010s.[9] City leaders have credited Chamblee's location as a transportation hub, with close proximity to two interstates, a MARTA station and the DeKalb–Peachtree Airport, as a key reason for the city's growth. In the early 2020s Chamblee attracted multiple mixed-use developments and office projects. GeographyChamblee is south of Dunwoody, southwest of Doraville, northeast of Brookhaven, and north of Interstate 85. The city is located at 33°53′15″N 84°18′19″W / 33.88750°N 84.30528°W (33.887552, -84.305326).[10] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2), all land. Neighborhoods City Hall Park in Downtown Chamblee
According to Biz Journal, the Atlanta metropolitan area is home to an "... estimated 50,000 Chinese-Americans...." This suburb of Atlanta, Georgia is home to a Chinatown (Chinese: 亚特兰大唐人街; pinyin: Yàtélándà tángrénjiē) that was built in 1988,[17][18] and is one of the first of the "New Chinatowns" according to the World Journal. Although the city of Atlanta itself does not have a "Chinatown", Chamblee's Chinatown mall is referred to as "Atlanta Chinatown." The neighborhood is part of the Buford Highway international market area and is located near the Chamblee MARTA station and New Peachtree Road.[19] According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC), refers to this "Chinatown Mall" as "... Atlanta's place for Chinese culture."[20] According to the official website, "Atlanta Chinatown" is located at 5379 New Peachtree Road.[21] According to the Huffington Post, this Chinatown is an example of a "modern Chinatown", with Albany,[22] Las Vegas, Dallas-Richardson, and North Miami Beach, Florida referenced as similar examples, with regard to the quality of Chinese food.[23] There is an annual Chinese New Year event that is held to celebrate the festival.[24] The author further states that Atlanta's Chinatown is "... unlike many older cities" which exists in an urban setting. Atlanta's Chinatown according to her is "... in a strip mall" setting.[25] Bonnie Tsui further states in her book that the new Chinatowns rely on the Chinatown being built before the Chinese population comes, as she quoted about Las Vegas' Chinatown.[22] The Atlanta Chinatown market opened on August 8, 1988, and was further expanded in 1996 with an influx of new immigrants from Beijing. [26] According to the previous source, Atlanta's Chinatown has bakeries, restaurants, cosmetics, bookstores, a newspaper office, and many other Chinese-oriented stores. According to Biz Journal, Atlanta Chinatown was completely redone in the year 2000 by developer Peter Chang, who purchased the old "Chinatown Square Mall". The plans call for "...the 65,000-square-foot mall [to include] a Chinese food court which contains 7 vendors, two dine-in restaurants, several offices, a supermarket, gift shops, a bookstore, jewelers, a video rental store, a beauty salon and other retailers. It will be part of the International Village project, a 375-acre live and work community with a global theme that is being developed by local business leaders, the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, DeKalb County and the city of Chamblee."[27] According to this article, the plans are to make Atlanta Chinatown a tourist destination rather than it just being another shopping mall. Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 30,164 people, 11,526 households, and 5,488 families residing in the city. The racial and ethnic composition of population was 31.23% white. 13.36% Black or African American, .19% Native American, 8.62% Asian or Pacific Islander, 3.13% with one or more races unidentified. 43.48% of Chamblee residents are Hispanic or Latino. From 2010 to 2020, the population inside Chamblee had tripled. Influx into Chamblee was spread among identified ethnic groups. More Asian and African-American people moved into Chamblee compared to the other races. Government and infrastructure
The City of Chamblee operates under a mayor and council-city manager form of government. The Chamblee City Council is composed of a mayor and five council members. The city is divided into four council districts and one at-large district. One council member is elected from each of the four districts and one council member is elected from the city at large. The council members who are elected for the four districts must live in the district that they represent but all five council members are elected by a city-wide vote. The Council enacts ordinances, establishes policy, adopts the annual budget, and establishes the ad valorem tax rate for each year. The City Manager is responsible for implementing the policies set forth by the council, overseeing all City employees, and managing the day-to-day operations of the city. 2024: Interim City Manager: Chuck Button Mayor: Brian Mock Council Members: Elmer Veith, Leslie C. Robson, John Mesa, Paul Stovall, and Mayor Pro Tem Jimmy Furst The Federal Bureau of Investigation Atlanta Field Office was previously located in Chamblee.[30][31] Its current location, on the grounds of Mercer University Atlanta Campus, elsewhere in DeKalb County, opened in 2017.[32] Education Primary and secondary schoolsPublic schoolsThe DeKalb County School System serves Chamblee.[33] Elementary[34]
Kittredge Magnet School for High Achievers is in Brookhaven. Middle schools[35]
High schools[36]
Henderson High School served residents of Chamblee until closed in mid-1990s. Private schoolsIn the 2005–2006 school year the administration of Sophia Academy, previously in Sandy Springs, sought to establish a new campus and did a capital campaign. Construction began circa 2007.[37] The new campus, in DeKalb County, was annexed into Chamblee.[38][39] Sophia merged into Notre Dame Academy in Duluth, Georgia effective August 2017.[40] Post-secondaryPublic librariesDeKalb County Public Library operates the Chamblee Branch. Embry Hills Library is located in Chamblee.[41] Tourism, Hospitality, and DevelopmentBuford Highway (also Buford Highway Corridor, DeKalb International Corridor, and in the 1990s-2000s as the DeKalb County International Village district), is a community northeast of the city of Atlanta, celebrated for its ethnic diversity and spanning multiple counties including Fulton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The area generally spans along and on either side of a stretch of Georgia State Route 13 (SR 13) in DeKalb County. It begins just north of Midtown Atlanta, continues northeast through the towns of Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville, and Norcross. Most properties along the corridor are in the form of strip malls, retail businesses surrounded by large parking lots, and large apartment complexes. The largest strip malls are the Northeast Plaza, Plaza Fiesta and the Buford Highway Farmers Market complex.[citation needed] TransportationMajor roads and expresswaysMass transitGRTA Xpress / RTA commuter buses and MARTA heavy rail subway and buses serve the county. Pedestrians and cyclingThe Chamblee Rail Trail is situated in Chamblee. It offers a short but useful paved pathway through downtown, passing under busy Peachtree Boulevard. At its northern end, sits the city's largest park, Keswick Park, and just two blocks from the trail's southern end is the Chamblee MARTA Station off Peachtree Road. Natural landscaping and trees keep the route pleasant, while many businesses and restaurants are just steps away. Work is underway to extend the trail along the former Roswell Railroad spur, bringing the pathway east to Pierce Drive, with long-term plans in the works to link the pathway into the rapidly-developing regional trail network and the Atlanta Beltline.[42] Currently, there are plans for the construction of a multi-use trail, known as the Peachtree Creek Greenway. The goal of the greenway is to provide residents with close-to-home and close-to-work access to bicycle and pedestrian trails, serve transportation and recreation needs, and help encourage quality of life and sustainable economic growth. The trail will connect the cities of Atlanta, Brookhaven, Chamblee and Doraville. Twin towns – sister cities
References
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chamblee, Georgia.
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