Decatur homes for sale


In 1822 Decatur was founded at the intersection of two Native American trails: the Sandtown which led east from the Chattahoochee River at Utoy Creek, and the Shallowford which follows today’s Clairmont Road and eventually crosse. The town was named for naval hero Stephen Decatur, and its early roads were named logically but soon after were renamed in a curious manner:

In the 1830s, the Western and Atlantic Railroad wanted to make Decatur the southernmost stop on its line. The citizens of Decatur did not want the noise, pollution and growth that would come with such a major terminal, so they rejected the proposal. In response, the railroad founded a new city to the west-southwest of Decatur for the terminal. This town later became the city of Atlanta.

During the American Civil War, Decatur became a strategic site in Sherman’s campaign against Atlanta. In July 1864 Union general James B. McPherson occupied Decatur to cut off the Confederates’ supply line from Augusta, Georgia. During the Battle of Atlanta on July 22, Confederate cavalry under Major General Joseph Wheeler attacked McPherson’s supply wagons and the Union troops left to defend the wagons. A marker at the Decatur courthouse marks the site of this skirmish.

In the last half of the twentieth century the metropolitan area of Atlanta expanded into unincorporated DeKalb County, eventually surrounding two sides of the incorporated town of Decatur. Concurrently many well-to-do and middle class white Americans fled the area to more distant suburbs. The 1960s and 1970s witnessed dramatic drops in property values. However, more recently the city has regained economic vigor, partially thanks to several long-term downtown development plans that have come to fruition, making Decatur a trendy small mixed-use district with easy transit to downtown Atlanta. Over the past twenty years, Decatur has gained a local and national reputation as a progressive city with a high level of citizen involvement that retains a small town feel despite its proximity to Atlanta.


Downtown Decatur, GA
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.2 square miles (11 km2), all of it land.

The Eastern Continental Divide bisects the city along the CSX (formerly Georgia Railroad) trackage right of way.

Originally called Dawson’s Camp, Decatur GA was named for American naval officer Stephen Decatur, who fought in the War of 1812. Decatur was incorporated in 1822, making this the oldest city in DeKalb County. Decatur is the home of several colleges, including Agnes Scott College, Columbia Theological Seminary and the south campus of Georgia Perimeter College.

The City of Decatur is one of the most charming historic neighborhoods in the Atlanta area offering excellent schools, festivals and community involvement. Older brick homes, smaller bungalows and cottage homes are abundant in the City of Decatur.

Primary and secondary schools


Decatur High School

The Decatur City School District, which serves the city limits, holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of a pre-K early childhood learning center, five elementary schools, a fourth and fifth grade academy, a middle school, and a high school.The Decatur City School District was the highest performing school district in Georgia on the SATs for the 2014-2015 school year.

The DeKalb County School District, which serves unincorporated areas in DeKalb County around Decatur, operates the William Bradley Bryant Center (WBBC) in an unincorporated area near Decatur.

List of schools

The Decatur City district has 224 full-time teachers and over 4,400 students from pre-K through grade 12.

Colleges and universities