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Clarkston, Georgia

Coordinates: 33°48′37″N 84°14′24″W / 33.81028°N 84.24000°W / 33.81028; -84.24000
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clarkston
City
City of the Village of Clarkston
Milam Park
Milam Park
Flag of Clarkston
Flag
Motto: 
“Where Possibilities Grow”
Location in DeKalb County and the state of Georgia
Location in DeKalb County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 33°48′37″N 84°14′24″W / 33.81028°N 84.24000°W / 33.81028; -84.24000
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyDeKalb
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
 • MayorBeverly H. Burks
 • City CouncilDebra Johnson, Vice-Mayor Yterenickia Bell Jamie Carroll Awet Eyasu Laura Hopkins Susan Hood[1]
Area
[2]
 • Total1.86 sq mi (4.81 km2)
 • Land1.84 sq mi (4.78 km2)
 • Water0.01 sq mi (0.04 km2)
Elevation
1,020 ft (311 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total14,756
 • Density7,997.83/sq mi (3,088.40/km2)
 • Demonym
Clarkstonian
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
30021
Area code(s)404, 678
FIPS code13-16544[3]
GNIS feature ID0331411[4]
Websitewww.clarkstonga.gov

Clarkston is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 14,756 as of the 2020 census,[5] up from 7,554 in 2010.[6]

The city is noted for its ethnic diversity, and is often referred to as "the most diverse square mile in America" and "the Ellis Island of the South."[7][8] In the 1990s, refugee resettlement programs identified Clarkston as a good fit for displaced persons of many backgrounds. The rental market was open, residents were moving farther out from the Atlanta urban core, and Clarkston was the last stop on a transit line into the city. At present students attending Clarkston High School come from over 50 countries; the local mosque (Masjid al-Momineen, or Mosque of the Faithful in English) has a diverse and sizable congregation;[9] and over half the population is estimated by some to be foreign born.[10]

History

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A post office called Clarkston has been in operation since 1876.[11] The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the place in 1882 as the "Town of Clarkston", with municipal corporate limits extending in a one-half mile radius from the Georgia Railroad depot.[12] The community was named after W. W. Clark, a railroad official.[13]

Geography

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Clarkston City Hall annex.

Clarkston is located at 33°48′37″N 84°14′24″W / 33.81028°N 84.24000°W / 33.81028; -84.24000 (33.810304, −84.239877).[14]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2), of which 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) is land and 0.94% is water.

Clarkston is on the Eastern Continental Divide.

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
188033—
1890271721.2%
190036233.6%
1910349−3.6%
192050143.6%
193060621.0%
194092152.0%
19501,16526.5%
19601,52430.8%
19703,127105.2%
19804,53945.2%
19905,38518.6%
20007,23134.3%
20107,5544.5%
202014,75695.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[15]
Clarkston racial composition as of 2020[16]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 1,199 8.13%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 9,491 64.32%
Native American 24 0.16%
Asian 2,866 19.42%
Pacific Islander 7 0.05%
Other/Mixed 620 4.2%
Hispanic or Latino 549 3.72%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,756 people, 3,727 households, and 2,341 families residing in the city.

Education

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DeKalb County School System operates Clarkston's public schools.[17]

Zoned schools which have attendance boundaries in the residential-zoned portions of the city limits include:[18]

All the school district-operated schools are located outside of the city limits of Clarkston.[22]

Atlanta Area School for the Deaf, operated by the State of Georgia, is in the Clarkston city limits. Additionally, Georgia Fugees Academy Charter School, a charter school, is in the city limits.[22]

The Clarkston Campus of Georgia State University's Perimeter College is just south of the city limits. Georgia Piedmont Technical College, part of the Technical College System of Georgia, is also south of Clarkston.[23]

Public libraries

[edit]

DeKalb County Public Library operates the Clarkston Branch.[24]

Refugee resettlement

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Georgia is among states that receive the highest amount of refugees for resettlement, and has resettled more than 37,000 refugees since 1993.[25] Clarkston receives a large portion of these refugees, but arrivals have gradually declined yearly since 2016.[26] In 2016, then Georgia Governor Nathan Deal issued and then reneged on an executive order attempting to cease influx of Syrian refugees into the state.[27] Additionally, as of 2019 federal funding for refugee programs has decreased and executive orders have been issued that allow states increased authority to limit resettlement, which has resulted in the downsizing of several Georgia resettlement organizations.[28]

Organizations that aid the resettlement of refugees in Clarkston include:

Transportation

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Major roads

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Mass transit

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Pedestrians and cycling

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  • Stone Mountain Trail
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In television

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  • Clarkston was featured in season one of "Good Girls" Netflix series (the fictional supermarket "Fine & Frugal" was shot in Fresh Food Town in the Tahoe Village plaza).
  • Clarkston is the setting of the episode "Make Ted Great Again" in the second season of Queer Eye in 2018.[34]
  • Clarkston is featured in the episode "It's a Greens Thing" in the first season of Vivan Howard's PBS cooking show Somewhere South in 2020.[35]

References

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  1. ^ "About the City Council | City of Clarkston, GA".
  2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  3. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ "Clarkston city, Georgia". data.census.gov.
  6. ^ "Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File (QT-PL), Clarkston city, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  7. ^ Wells, Myrydd (January 19, 2017). "Ellis Island South: Welcome to the most diverse square mile in America". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  8. ^ Long, Katy (May 24, 2017). "This small town in America's Deep South welcomes 1,500 refugees a year". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  9. ^ "Masjid al-Momineen". November 10, 2019.
  10. ^ "City of Clarkston". November 10, 2019.
  11. ^ "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  12. ^ Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia. Clark & Hines, State Printers. 1883. pp. 280–281.
  13. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 45. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
  14. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  15. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  16. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  17. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: DeKalb County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved October 22, 2024. - Text list
    2010 school district map showing the situation prior to annexations by Clarkston in the period 2010-2020: "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): DeKalb County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved October 22, 2024. - Text list
  18. ^ "ZONING - CITY OF CLARKSTON, GA" (PDF). City of Clarkston. Retrieved October 22, 2024. - Check against school district boundaries.
  19. ^ "DeKalb County School District Elementary School Attendance Zones 2018-2019 School Year" (PDF). DeKalb County Public Schools. Retrieved October 22, 2024. - Check against municipal boundary.
  20. ^ "DeKalb County School District Middle School Attendance Zones 2018-2019 School Year" (PDF). DeKalb County Public Schools. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  21. ^ "DeKalb County School District High School Attendance Zones 2018-2019 School Year" (PDF). DeKalb County Public Schools. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  22. ^ a b "General Highway Map DeKalb County Georgia" (PDF). Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  23. ^ "2020 Census - Census Block Map: DeKalb County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 7 (PDF p. 8/22). Retrieved October 22, 2024.
    "General Highway Map DeKalb County Georgia" (PDF). Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 22, 2024. - These maps do not directly indicate the colleges' locations, so one should compare the map to the colleges' addresses.
  24. ^ "Library Locations & Hours[permanent dead link‍]." DeKalb County Public Library. Retrieved on February 24, 2010.
  25. ^ "Today Clarkston Article". July 3, 2018.
  26. ^ "Refugee Processing Center". November 10, 2019.
  27. ^ "Georgia governor retreats on Syria refugee policy". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. January 4, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  28. ^ "Georgia could see sharp drop refugees with Trump plan". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. September 27, 2019. Archived from the original on November 11, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  29. ^ "Friends of Refugees".
  30. ^ "Fugees Family Inc".
  31. ^ "International Rescue Committee Atlanta Volunteer Opportunities".
  32. ^ "New American Pathways". October 20, 2014.
  33. ^ "World Relief Atlanta".
  34. ^ "Citylab". Bloomberg. August 3, 2018.
  35. ^ "Halieth Talks Gardening from Burundi to Clarkston". Somewhere South with Chef Vivian Howard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
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