Living in Decatur
Decatur is the seat of DeKalb County and its oldest city, incorporated in 1823, the year the site for a public square was chosen where two trails met. The city covers about four square miles inside I-285, with Avondale Estates to the southeast and the City of Atlanta to the southwest. Five commissioners pick a mayor from among themselves each January, and an appointed city manager runs daily operations. The city has its own police, fire department, sanitation service, zoning, permits and school district.
The Decatur name reaches well past the city. Mailing addresses in 30032, 30033, 30034 and 30035, and some in 30030, sit in unincorporated DeKalb County. By the Census Bureau's address geocoder, Decatur City Hall, Agnes Scott College and Legacy Park are inside the city, while Emory Decatur Hospital falls in the North Decatur area, Columbia Drive near I-20 in Candler-McAfee, and Glenwood Road in Belvedere Park, all unincorporated. Outside the city, DeKalb County provides police, zoning, trash and schools. Check every address before you compare homes.
The center of town is the Square, where the Old DeKalb County Courthouse, built in 1898 and rebuilt after a 1917 fire, now holds the DeKalb History Center. MARTA's Decatur station sits directly under the Square. Inside the city, DeKalb County still provides water and sewer, property assessments and the county tax bill. Miriam Ofoegbu, a REALTOR with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers, is based at the firm's Gwinnett office at 3095 Satellite Blvd in Duluth and works across Metro Atlanta, including Decatur.
Homes and property types in Decatur
The city's planning department says Decatur was largely built out during the 1920s with Craftsman bungalows, and houses from the early 1900s are common in many neighborhoods. The city's 2005 comprehensive plan update traces the first housing boom to the trolley line that tied Decatur to downtown Atlanta. The MAK district, developed from 1907, was the first residential subdivision. Victorian houses remain on South Candler Street, and Sycamore Street, once the stagecoach road toward Covington, has some of the largest older homes in the city.
Neighborhoods north of downtown filled in later. Glennwood Estates began in 1927 and was finished shortly after World War II, and the Clairemont and Great Lakes area was built out from the 1920s through the 1940s. Since 2000 the city has steered new townhomes and apartments toward downtown, near the Square and the MARTA stations.
Zoning allows more than one home on some lots. The city has permitted accessory dwelling units since 2012, one per primary home, either attached or detached at the rear, in the R-50, R-60, R-85, RS-17, RM-18, RM-22, RM-43 and PO districts. Duplexes and walk-up flats are also allowed in all residential districts under separate rules. Five areas are local historic districts: MAK, Clairemont Avenue, Ponce de Leon Court, Parkwood and Old Decatur. Exterior changes there need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission.
Age sets the inspection list. A house from the 1910s or 1920s may have original wiring, older supply pipes, an old sewer line to the street, and additions from several decades. Federal rules require sellers of homes built before 1978 to disclose known lead-based paint. Trees are the other Decatur question: since March 21, 2022, the Tree Canopy Conservation Ordinance has required a city permit, with a certified arborist's report, to remove a diseased or high-risk tree, and owners can no longer take down healthy trees at will.
Decatur areas and communities
The neighborhoods below are named on the City of Decatur's own pages, on the National Register of Historic Places, or both, and each sits inside the city limits. Outside the city, the same Decatur mailing addresses cover unincorporated areas such as North Decatur, Belvedere Park and Candler-McAfee, under DeKalb County zoning, police and schools. A local historic district adds design review for exterior work; a National Register listing alone does not limit what an owner can change.
- Downtown and the Square
- Around the Old Courthouse, City Hall on North McDonough Street and the MARTA station. Condominiums, apartments and townhomes built mostly since 2000, close to shops and restaurants.
- MAK Historic District
- Named for McDonough Street, Adams Street and Kings Highway, west of Agnes Scott College and south of College Avenue. Decatur's first subdivision and first local historic district, mostly Craftsman houses.
- South Candler Street and Agnes Scott
- The street once called the road to the depot, with Victorian houses beside the college campus. Listed on the National Register in 1994 as the city's first official historic district.
- Oakhurst
- South of downtown, once its own town before Decatur annexed it in the 1920s. Bungalows around a small business district, plus the old Scottish Rite Hospital, a local landmark.
- Winnona Park
- The southeast corner of the city between South Candler Street and South Columbia Drive. Craftsman, Colonial Revival and Georgian Revival houses; on the National Register since 2002.
- Clairemont and Great Lakes
- North central Decatur toward Scott Boulevard, built from the 1920s through the 1940s. Clairemont Avenue itself has been a local historic district since 2001.
- Ponce de Leon Court
- A single cul-de-sac off East Ponce de Leon Avenue, about 26 parcels of mostly 1920s Craftsman bungalows, listed on the National Register in 2011 and a local historic district.
- Glennwood Estates
- Northeast Decatur next to Glenlake Park and Decatur Cemetery, begun in 1927 and finished after World War II, with single-family homes.
Schools and district lines
Homes inside the city limits are served by City Schools of Decatur, a separate district from DeKalb County, which the district says serves students living within the city's roughly four-square-mile area. Since the 2019-2020 school year the elementary grades have been split into five K-2 schools and two 3-5 upper elementary schools, feeding one middle school and one high school. The district runs EL Education in the K-2 schools and International Baccalaureate programs at Fifth Avenue Upper Elementary, Beacon Hill Middle and Decatur High.
A Decatur mailing address outside the city is served by the DeKalb County School District, which has its own school locator. Which K-2 and 3-5 school a city address feeds is set by the district's attendance lines, which it has redrawn before. Confirm the address with City Schools of Decatur's address verification and boundary map, and expect to show proof of residency at registration.
- Decatur High School (9-12)
- At 310 North McDonough Street, a block from the Square. The district opened its first high school in 1912; Decatur High offers International Baccalaureate programs.
- Beacon Hill Middle School (6-8)
- At 220 West College Avenue, the district's only middle school and an IB World School. Formerly Carl G. Renfroe Middle, renamed in 2022.
- Fifth Avenue Upper Elementary (3-5)
- One of two upper elementary schools. Third graders joined it in 2019 when the district reconfigured its primary grades; it runs the IB program for grades 3 to 5.
- Talley Street Upper Elementary (3-5)
- At 2617 Talley Street, inside the city. It opened in 2019, first serving grades 4 and 5, and now serves grades 3 to 5.
- Clairemont Elementary (K-2)
- At 155 Erie Avenue in the Clairemont and Great Lakes area. One of the district's five K-2 schools, which use the EL Education model; it opened in 1936.
- Oakhurst Elementary (K-2)
- At 175 Mead Road in Oakhurst, next to Mead Road Park. The school dates to 1915, and a new wing was added in 2013.
- Westchester and Winnona Park Elementary (K-2)
- Westchester, at 758 Scott Boulevard, closed in 2004 and reopened in 2014. Winnona Park, at 510 Avery Street, opened on September 17, 1923.
What it costs to own here beyond the price
A house inside the city gets two property tax bills. DeKalb County's bill, from the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner, carries the county levies and is due in installments on September 30 and November 15. The City of Decatur's bill carries the city general, capital, bond and Downtown Development Authority levies plus the City Schools of Decatur levy, and it also collects the sanitation fee and the stormwater fee. Both bills use values set by the DeKalb County Board of Tax Assessors. Rates are set every year, so get current figures from the county and the city.
The city mails its bill in two installments, in April and October, due June 1 and December 20, and it does not send bills to mortgage companies. Forward the city bill to your lender if you escrow taxes, and expect the second city installment to differ from the first, since the city recalculates it from DeKalb's final digest.
The homestead exemption lowers the taxable value of a home you own and live in on January 1, and in Decatur you file twice. Apply with the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner, online from January or in person, by April 1; DeKalb asks that your vehicles be registered at the address and that your Georgia license show it. Then apply with the City of Decatur, which says a county filing does not carry over and also sets April 1 as its deadline, with March 15 recommended so the exemption shows on the first city bill.
DeKalb County's Department of Watershed Management provides water and sewer inside the city and out. Georgia Power provides electricity. Decatur is in Atlanta Gas Light's territory, where you buy gas from a marketer certified by the Georgia Public Service Commission. Inside the city, Public Works collects trash under Pay As You Throw, started in July 1998: you pay an annual fee and buy the special bags at local stores. City Fire Rescue holds an ISO Protection Class 2 rating, which the city says can lower insurance premiums.
Buying your first home in Decatur
First homes in Decatur are often condominiums and townhomes near the Square and the MARTA stations, or smaller older houses in the bungalow neighborhoods. On a house from the early 1900s, plan for a full inspection of the roof, wiring, plumbing and the sewer line, and read the lead-based paint disclosure. Tell your lender about both tax bills and the two homestead filings, county and city, so the escrow estimate includes the City of Decatur bill.
Georgia's statewide programs apply here, each through participating lenders with income, price and credit rules that change, so get current terms from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and a lender. Gwinnett County's HomeStretch program does not apply in DeKalb County. Inside the city, the nonprofit Decatur Land Trust offers a small number of homes on land it keeps in trust. Miriam Ofoegbu runs free online homebuyer webinars that walk through these steps in order.
- Georgia Dream (Georgia DCA)
- A 30-year fixed-rate loan with down payment help through participating lenders, for first-time buyers, buyers who have not owned a primary residence in the past three years, or buyers in certain areas.
- Georgia Dream PEN (Georgia DCA)
- A Georgia Dream down payment option for public protectors, educators, health care providers and people who work in those fields, and active military, at a higher assistance level than the standard option.
- Peach Plus (Georgia DCA)
- For FHA and VA qualified borrowers who do not meet the eligibility rules of the traditional Georgia Dream program, with down payment assistance through participating lenders.
- Peach Advantage (Georgia DCA)
- A Georgia Dream product open to first-time and repeat buyers, sponsored by Lakeview Loan Servicing, with down payment assistance available through participating lenders.
- Decatur Land Trust
- A nonprofit formed in 2021 that keeps the land under a 99-year renewable ground lease and caps the resale price. The City of Decatur offers a separate Land Trust exemption, LT-1, for owners living on such land.
Hospitals and healthcare near Decatur
Decatur sits close to several large medical campuses. Emory Decatur Hospital, which has served the area since 1961, was DeKalb Medical's North Decatur campus until DeKalb Medical joined Emory Healthcare in 2018. Distances below are approximate road miles from Decatur City Hall. Miriam is a registered nurse with a background in healthcare leadership, and she can point a buyer to the hospitals closest to an address.
- Emory Decatur Hospital (Decatur)
- At 2701 North Decatur Road in unincorporated DeKalb with a Decatur address, with an emergency department, about 2 miles from City Hall.
- Emory University Hospital (Atlanta)
- At 1364 Clifton Road on the Emory campus, with an emergency department open around the clock, about 3 miles from City Hall.
- Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center (Decatur)
- At 1670 Clairmont Road with a Decatur address, for veterans, with a 24-hour emergency department, about 3 miles from City Hall.
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital (Brookhaven)
- A children's hospital at I-85 and North Druid Hills Road that opened on September 29, 2024, with a Level 1 pediatric trauma center, about 6 miles from City Hall.
- Grady Memorial Hospital (Atlanta)
- At 80 Jesse Hill Jr Drive in downtown Atlanta, home of the Marcus Trauma Center, about 6 miles from City Hall.
Parks, trails and things to do
The city's largest green space is Legacy Park, 77 acres the city bought in 2017 from the United Methodist Children's Home, which had run an orphanage there since 1873. Moore Chapel, built in 1906, still stands, and the nonprofit Legacy Decatur manages the park. Glenlake Park, 17 acres on Church Street, has a pool, five lighted tennis courts, a walking trail and a small dog park. Smaller parks such as Adair, Ebster and Oakhurst sit inside the neighborhoods.
Downtown, the Square is the stage for city events, and the Decatur Book Festival fills it each fall; the 2026 festival ran October 2 and 3 with free admission. The DeKalb History Center runs exhibits in the Old Courthouse. On foot or bike, the PATH Foundation's Stone Mountain Trail runs through Decatur on its way from Atlanta to Stone Mountain Park.
- Legacy Park
- 77 acres on South Columbia Drive, once the Decatur Orphans' Home, with Moore Chapel from 1906, managed by Legacy Decatur under a community master plan.
- Glenlake Park
- A 17-acre city park at 1121 Church Street with two pavilions, Glenlake Pool, the Glenlake Tennis Center's five lighted courts, fields, a walking trail and a fenced dog park.
- Ebster Park
- A five-acre neighborhood park with a large multipurpose field, a pool with a splash pad, basketball courts, a playground and a small pavilion with restrooms.
- Glenn Creek Nature Preserve
- A two-acre city-owned preserve of native Piedmont habitat kept up by neighbors, with Glenn Creek running through it, added to the Old-Growth Forest Network.
- Old Courthouse on the Square
- At 101 East Court Square, the fifth courthouse on the site, built in 1898 and rebuilt after a 1917 fire, now home to the DeKalb History Center.
- Decatur Book Festival
- A free festival with author sessions and a street fair in downtown Decatur, held for about two decades; the 2026 edition was October 2 and 3.
- Stone Mountain Trail (PATH)
- A PATH Foundation trail of about 19 miles from Atlanta to Stone Mountain Park, running as a side path through Decatur.
Getting around and getting to Atlanta
MARTA's Blue Line runs east and west through Decatur, with Decatur station directly under the Square and East Lake and Avondale stations at either side of the city. The Blue Line runs west to Five Points in downtown Atlanta, the transfer point for all rail lines; change there to the Red or Gold Line for Airport station at Hartsfield-Jackson.
By car, downtown Atlanta is about 6 road miles from Decatur City Hall and Hartsfield-Jackson is about 16. US 78 crosses the city and meets SR 155, Clairemont Avenue, and Ponce de Leon Avenue, College Avenue, Church Street and Scott Boulevard are the other main roads. I-285 runs east of the city, with exits at US 78 (exit 39), East Ponce de Leon Avenue and Church Street (exit 40) and Memorial Drive (exit 41). I-20 runs to the south, with Candler Road, SR 155, at exit 65.
DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Chamblee, a general aviation airport, is about 9 miles north of City Hall. For bikes, the Stone Mountain Trail runs through the city.
Buying and selling in Decatur
Miriam Ofoegbu, MBA, RN, is a REALTOR® with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers, working from the firm's Gwinnett office on Satellite Boulevard in Duluth. She is also a registered nurse with a background in healthcare leadership. These are the things to check in Decatur, and Miriam can go through each one with you, in English or Igbo.
Before you buy
- Confirm the address is inside the City of Decatur using City Schools of Decatur's address verification or the city, because 30032, 30033, 30034 and 30035 addresses are mostly unincorporated DeKalb.
- Check the school assignment on the district's own tool: City Schools of Decatur inside the city, the DeKalb County School District locator outside it, and keep a copy of the result.
- Ask the city whether the house is in the MAK, Clairemont Avenue, Ponce de Leon Court, Parkwood or Old Decatur local historic district before planning exterior changes.
- Plan for two tax bills inside the city, DeKalb County's and the City of Decatur's with its school, sanitation and stormwater charges, and tell your lender about both.
- File the homestead exemption twice after closing, with the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner and with the City of Decatur, both by April 1, and aim for March 15 with the city.
- Ask about the large trees on the lot, because removing a diseased or high-risk tree inside the city needs a permit and a certified arborist's report.
- Request the City of Decatur permit history for additions, decks, basement finishes and any accessory dwelling unit, since the city issues and inspects those permits.
Before you sell
- State in the listing whether the home is inside the City of Decatur or in unincorporated DeKalb, because schools, police, trash service and the tax bills differ.
- Check City Schools of Decatur's boundary tool before naming schools in the listing, and tell buyers to confirm the assignment themselves.
- Gather City of Decatur permits and final inspections for additions, decks, basements and any accessory dwelling unit so buyers can match the work to the file.
- Find your Certificates of Appropriateness for exterior work if the home is in one of the five local historic districts, and have them ready for the buyer.
- Keep tree removal permits and arborist reports for any trees taken down since March 2022, when the Tree Canopy Conservation Ordinance took effect.
- Have your latest City of Decatur tax bill ready, since the city mails it to the owner and a missed installment can surface at closing.
