DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 686,712. According to the 2006 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the county's population had risen to 723,602 [1]. The county seat is Decatur, Georgia6.

DeKalb County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is also one of the most affluent majority black counties in the country.

DeKalb County has the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

DeKalb County was created in 1822 from Henry, Gwinnett and Fayette Counties. It was named for Baron Johann de Kalb, a German soldier who fought on the side of the Americans in the American Revolutionary War. In 1853, Fulton County was formed from part of DeKalb. Until this time, the growing city of Atlanta had been inside DeKalb. During the American Civil War, much of the Battle of Atlanta was fought in DeKalb. Until the 1960s, DeKalb was a mainly agricultural county, but as Atlanta and its suburbs grew, DeKalb became more urban.

Law and government

In 1984 DeKalb's state delegation created a unique CEO position which is the chief elected official. All employees report to the CEO rather than to commissioners for day-to-day operations. The CEO serves as the chairman of the seven-member commission, but does not vote except to break a tie. The county commission is elected from five small districts and two super-districts that each make up half of the county and overlap the smaller districts. DeKalb's current CEO is Vernon Jones.

Most of DeKalb makes up Georgia's 4th United States House of Representatives District.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 271 square miles (702 km), of which, 268 square miles (695 km) of it is land and 3 square miles (7 km) of it (1.00%) is water.

The county is crossed by the South River and numerous creeks, including Nancy Creek, Snapfinger Creek and two forks of Peachtree Creek. Peachtree Creek and Nancy Creek drain into the Chattahoochee River and eventually to the Gulf of Mexico. South River drains into the Ocmulgee River and ultimately into the Atlantic Ocean.

Stone Mountain lies near the eastern border of the county. Soapstone Ridge, parallel to the southern border, was heavily quarried between 1400 and 100 B.C. and objects made from the soapstone have been found as far away as the Great Lakes.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in DeKalb County as seen from Emory University

Major highways

* Interstate 20
* Interstate 85
* Interstate 285
* Interstate 675
* U.S. Route 23
* U.S. Route 29
* U.S. Route 78
* U.S. Route 278
* State Route 8
* State Route 10
* State Route 13

Adjacent counties

* Gwinnett County, Georgia - north
* Rockdale County, Georgia - east
* Henry County, Georgia - south
* Clayton County, Georgia - southwest
* Fulton County, Georgia - west

Secondary highways

* Ashford-Dunwoody Road
* Bouldercrest Road
* Briarcliff Road
* Brockett Road
* Browns Mill Road (S.R. 212)
* Buford Highway (U.S. 23/S.R. 13)
* Candler Road (S.R. 155)
* Cedar Grove Road
* Chamblee-Dunwoody Road
* Chamblee-Tucker Road
* Church Street
* Clairmont Road (U.S. 23/S.R. 155)
* Clifton Springs Road
* Columbia Drive
* Commerce Drive (S.R. 155)
* Covington Highway (U.S. 278/S.R. 12)
* DeKalb Industrial Way
* East Ponce de Leon Avenue
* Evans Mill Road
* Flakes Mill Road
* Flat Shoals Parkway (S.R. 155)
* Flat Shoals Road (S.R. 155)
* Glenwood Road (former S.R. 260)
* Gresham Road
* Henderson Mill Road
* Hugh Howell Road (S.R. 236)
* Idlewood Road
* Johnson Ferry Road
* Klondike Road
* LaVista Road (S.R. 236)
* Lawrenceville Highway (U.S. 29/S.R. 8)
* Lithonia Industrial Boulevard
* Main Street
* Memorial Drive (S.R. 10/S.R. 154)
* Moreland Avenue (U.S. 23/S.R. 42)
* Mount Vernon Road
* Mountain Industrial Boulevard
* North Clarendon Avenue
* North Decatur Road
* North Deshon Road
* North Druid Hills Road (S.R. 42)
* North Hairston Road
* North Indian Creek Drive
* North Peachtree Road
* North Stone Mountain-Lithonia Road
* Northcrest Road
* Northlake Parkway
* Oakcliff Road
* Panola Road
* Panthersville Road
* Peachtree Road (S.R. 141)
* Peachtree Industrial Boulevard (S.R. 141)
* Peeler Road
* Pleasantdale Road
* Rainbow Drive
* Redan Road
* River Road
* Roberts Drive
* Rockbridge Road (S.R. 124
* Rock Chapel Road (S.R. 124)
* Scott Boulevard (U.S. 29/S.R. 8/U.S. 78)
* Shallowford Road
* Snapfinger Road (S.R. 155)
* South Deshon Road
* South Hairston Road
* South Indian Creek Drive
* South Stone Mountain-Lithonia Road
* Thurman Road (S.R. 160)
* Tilly Mill Road
* Turner Hill Road (S.R. 124)
* Valley Brook Road
* Wesley Chapel Road
* West Ponce de Leon Avenue
* Windsor Parkway
* Winters Chapel Road

Demographics
Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1830 10,042
’Äî
1840 10,467 4.2%
1850 14,328 36.9%
1860 7,806 -45.5%
1870 10,014 28.3%
1880 14,497 44.8%
1890 17,189 18.6%
1900 21,112 22.8%
1910 27,881 32.1%
1920 44,051 58.0%
1930 70,278 59.5%
1940 86,942 23.7%
1950 136,395 56.9%
1960 256,782 88.3%
1970 415,387 61.8%
1980 483,024 16.3%
1990 545,837 13.0%
2000 665,865 22.0%

As of the census of 2000, there were 665,865 people, 249,339 households, and 156,584 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,483 people per square mile (959/km). There were 261,231 housing units at an average density of 974 per square mile (376/km). The racial makeup of the county was 35.82% White, 54.23% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 4.01% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.53% from other races, and 2.12% from two or more races. 7.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 249,339 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.10% were married couples living together, 17.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.20% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 10.90% from 18 to 24, 36.70% from 25 to 44, 19.70% from 45 to 64, and 8.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,117, and the median income for a family was $54,018. Males had a median income of $36,270 versus $31,653 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,968. About 7.80% of families and 10.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.10% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.

Northeastern DeKalb has experienced an influx of Asian-American residents, both native and immigrant, over the past 20 years.

Although Fulton County has more people, DeKalb County has the highest population density of any county in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

Cities and Other Places in DeKalb County
Cities

* Atlanta (the East Atlanta portion is in DeKalb County)
* Avondale Estates
* Chamblee
* Clarkston
* Decatur
* Doraville
* Lithonia
* Pine Lake
* Stone Mountain

Census-designated places

* Belvedere Park
* Candler-McAfee
* Druid Hills
* Dunwoody
* Gresham Park
* North Atlanta
* North Decatur
* North Druid Hills
* Panthersville
* Redan
* Scottdale
* Tucker

Other communities

* Collinsville
* Constitution
* Ellenwood
* Mechanicsville
* Mountain View
* Philadelphia
* Pittsburg
* Skyland
* South Decatur
* Turner Hill

Education

Primary and Secondary Education

Public schools

The portion of DeKalb County not within the city of Atlanta nor the city of Decatur is served by DeKalb County School System.

The Atlanta portion is served by Atlanta Public Schools.

The Decatur portion is served by City Schools of Decatur.

Private schools

Private schools in DeKalb County include:

* Marist High School (Unincorporated)

Higher Education
Emory University
Emory University

Agnes Scott College is a private, all female, undergraduate liberal arts college.

Emory University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university. The university consists of the following divisions: Emory College, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Candler School of Theology, Goizueta Business School, Emory University School of Law, Rollins School of Public Health, and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.

Mercer University is a private, coeducational, faith-based university with a Baptist heritage. The main campus is in Macon. The Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus is in DeKalb County; it houses the College of Nursing, the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology along with programs of the Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, the School of Medicine, and the Tift College of Education.

Oglethorpe University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts school and is named after James Oglethorpe, founder of the Georgia Colony.

Georgia Perimeter College has three campuses within the county and offers two-year associate degrees.

DeKalb Tech is the largest vocational institution in Georgia. DeKalb Tech trains students in business, engineering, technologies, health, human services, industrial arts, information systems, and transportation.

DeVry Institute offers training in computers and electronics.

Columbia Theological Seminary, a theological institution of the Presbyterian Church. More than 640 students are enrolled at Columbia in one of five degree programs: