Atlanta is known for a lot of things but being a historically pedestrian scale city is not one of them. However, an explosion in growth since 1950, that has lead to the metropolis sprawling across much of Georgia, can give off a quite deceiving impression.

South Downtown

Located just south of Five Points, South Downtown was the location of Atlanta’s first adopted street-grid layout during the 1850s. Between 1905 and 1972, South Downtown’s Terminal Station made the district the city’s front door for tourist, businessmen and dignitaries. In addition, South Downtown’s Whitehall Street (now Peachtree Street) was the city’s principal shopping corridor prior to the proliferation of suburban sprawl during the mid-20th century. Once known as the “Heart of Atlanta” commercial district, its list of major stores included Rich’s, Chamberlain, Boyton & Company, Ryan’s, Keeley’s and Dougherty’s. Today, South Downtown primarily consists of major government office complexes, including the Atlanta City Hall and Georgia State Capitol.

Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com