Avondale Estates, Georgia

History

In the 1890s, lots were sold in the area which was known as Ingleside.

Avondale Estates was founded in 1924 by George Francis Willis, a patent medicine magnate, who purchased the entire village of Ingleside to create a planned community. The city was named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England, birthplace of Shakespeare. Downtown buildings were designed in a Tudor style to reinforce this image, as were many of the houses in the city. Community amenities such as a lake, tennis courts, a clubhouse, parks, and a swimming pool were built for residents.

Geography

Avondale Estates is located at 33°46′15″N 84°15′54″W (33.770905, -84.264894). The city is entirely underlain by granite, and clay-rich soil developed on it. Some of this granite can be seen outcropped along the shore of Lake Avondale.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), of which 0.88% is water.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, Avondale Estates had a population of 2,960. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 80.9% white, 14.5% black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% reporting some other race and 2.0% reporting two or more races. 2.2% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Business and entertainment

The mostly Tudor-style downtown area of Avondale Estates, known as the commercial district, is home to a variety of businesses including antique and consignment stores. Pizza, Mexican fare, southern comfort food, a soda fountain/diner and Chicago style hot dogs are some of the restaurant fare options within the city limits. The city is the location of the first Waffle House, which opened its doors Labor Day weekend of 1955. Waffle House operates a museum at the original location today, and a separate restaurant elsewhere in the city.

A selection of art galleries and studios make their home in an area of the city known as the Rail Arts District. Little Tree Art Studios located on Franklin St., is a warehouse that include multiple artist studios and a music rehearsal space.

Government and infrastructure

The city is governed by a mayor and a board of commissioners. Avondale Estates also has a city manager and other administrative positions. The city uses the DeKalb County Fire Service for fire and EMS calls, but provides its own police service.

The Avondale Estates Police Department (AEPD) has approximately 15 members providing around the clock coverage. Officers drive Dodge Chargers equipped with PIT bumpers, LED lights, in-car computers with e-tickets, and digital video cameras. City Court is held multiple times a month.

The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice has its headquarters in Avondale Estates.

The United States Postal Service operates the Avondale Estates Post Office.

Education

Avondale Estates is served by the DeKalb County School System.

Avondale High School closed at the end of May, 2011, and the students were distributed to neighboring schools. The campus is now used exclusively by the magnet school DeKalb School of the Arts.

The elementary school is in the city limits, while the middle school and high school are adjacent to the city limits.

In 2008, local parents began organizing formal efforts through the Avondale Education Association, a local grass-roots non-profit organization that was founded in October 2003, to create a charter school that would achieve the standards required by law, while establishing an elementary school that reflected the values of the community. Their proposal was initially rejected by the Dekalb County School Board, but it was subsequently selected by the Georgia Charter Schools Commission as one of a small number of schools to be chartered directly by the State of Georgia. The school, Museum School of Avondale Estates, opened in 2010, and Avondale Estates therefore lies within its attendance zone.