Chamblee, Georgia

History

The 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. Chamblee was incorporated in 1907.

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.

Immediately after World War II, Chamblee experience 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 sprung multi-ethnic business 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.

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 around 5,000. It also renamed Peachtree Industrial Boulevard to Peachtree Boulevard, and took steps to revitalize its downtown.

Geography

Chamblee 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 (33.887552, -84.305326). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the 2010 Census Chamblee had a population of 9,892. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 45.0% white (19.0% non-Hispanic white), 7.0% black or African American (6.2% non-Hispanic black), 2.1% Native American (0.2% non-Hispanic Native American), 1.8% Vietnamese, 1.6% Asian Indian, 4.6% other Asian, 33.5% from some other race (0.2% non-Hispanic from some other race) and 4.1% reporting two or more races. 58.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,552 people, 2,673 households, and 1,849 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,043.3 people per square mile (1,174.5/km²). There were 2,730 housing units at an average density of 869.8 per square mile (335.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 45.36% White, 3.71% African American, 0.91% Native American, 13.98% Asian, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 31.45% from other races, and 4.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 56.37% of the population.

There were 2,673 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.57 and the average family size was 3.65.

In the city, the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 17.9% from 18 to 24, 41.0% from 25 to 44, 12.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 161.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 176.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,992. Males had a median income of $22,024 versus $22,368 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,492. About 15.8% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over. In addition, 16.7% of families reported a household income higher than $100,000.

Neighborhoods

Atlanta Chinatown

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: yà té lán dà táng rén jiē) that was built in 1988, 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. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC), refers to this "Chinatown Mall" as "... Atlanta's place for Chinese culture." According to the official website, "Atlanta Chinatown" is located at 5379 New Peachtree Road. According to the Huffington Post, this Chinatown is an example of a "modern Chinatown", with Albany, Las Vegas, Dallas-Richardson, and North Miami Beach, Florida referenced as similar examples, with regard to the quality of Chinese food. There is an annual Chinese New Year event that is held to celebrate the festival. 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. 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.

The Atlanta Chinatown market open August 8, 1988, and was further expanded in 1996 with fresh immigrants from Beijing. According to the previous source, Atlanta's Chinatown has bakeries, restaurants, cosmetics, bookstores, newspaper and many other Chinese stores. The Chinatown is currently managed by Rochelle Anthony, who is an African American.

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 Dinho 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." According to this article, the plans are to make Atlanta Chinatown a tourist destination rather than it just being another shopping mall.

Government and infrastructure

The Federal Bureau of Investigation Atlanta Field Office is located in Chamblee.

Public schools

DeKalb County School System serves Chamblee.

Elementary

All of the elementary schools are in unincorporated areas.

Middle schools

High schools

Private schools

St. Pius X High School

Public libraries

DeKalb County Public Library operates the Chamblee Branch. Embry Hills Library is located in Chamblee.

In popular culture

Chamblee, south of Peachtree Blvd, is sometimes referred to as "Chambodia" due to its high Asian population and the concentration of Asian restaurants along Buford Highway in Chamblee. North of Peachtree Blvd, Chamblee is often referred to as "Chamwoody", due to its higher WASP population and proximity to Dunwoody Ga. A chapter of Tom Wolfe's novel A Man in Full is titled "Chambodia".