| City of Dunwoody | |||
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| — City — | |||
| The Dunwoody Farmhouse, historic center of the community. | |||
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| Location in DeKalb County and the state of Georgia | |||
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Dunwoody
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Georgia | ||
| County | DeKalb | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Council-Manager | ||
| • Mayor | Ken Wright | ||
| • City Manager | Warren Hutmacher | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 13.7 sq mi (35.5 km2) | ||
| • Land | 12.94 sq mi (33.5 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.23 sq mi (0.6 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 1,129 ft (344 m) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 46,267 | ||
| • Density | 3,574.18/sq mi (1,380/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP codes | 30338, 30356, 30360 | ||
| Area code(s) | 770, 678 | ||
| FIPS code | 13-24768[1] | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0325929[2] | ||
| Website | DunwoodyGA.gov | ||
Dunwoody is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. Dunwoody became incorporated as a city on December 1, 2008.[3] As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 46,267.[4]
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The Dunwoody area was pioneered in the early 1830s and is named for Major Charles Dunwody (1828–1905), an extra "o" added with the incorrect spelling of the name on a banking note.[5][6] Charles Dunwody originally returned to Roswell after fighting in the Civil War, in which he fought for the secession of the Confederate states.[7]
One of Dunwoody's most historic buildings dates from 1829. The Ebenezer Primitive Baptist Church, at the corner of Roberts Drive and Spalding Drive, is still active to this date and is also the home to one of the city's oldest cemeteries, where many of the founding fathers of Dunwoody are buried. The first public school, Dunwoody Elementary, first stood near the city center at the intersection of Chamblee-Dunwoody Road and Mount Vernon Road. It was in continuous operation from 1911 to 1986. A fire destroyed the school's cafeteria in 1966, which was on the corner of Womack Road and Chamblee-Dunwoody Road. On that site today, the Dunwoody branch of the Dekalb County Public Library now operates along with the North Dekalb Cultural Arts Center. In 1881, the Roswell Railroad opened and ran along what is now Chamblee-Dunwoody Road north to the Chatahoochee River. It operated for 40 years, and in 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt made a campaign whistle stop in Dunwoody along the way to Roswell, Georgia.[8]
In early 2006, a study was conducted by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government of the University of Georgia, to determine how feasible it would be to incorporate Dunwoody as a city. Critics claimed that incorporation of Dunwoody, as in the incorporation of Sandy Springs in 2005, would take away a great deal of tax revenue from the rest of the county, leading to shortages of services, tax increases, or both for everyone else in the county, as has happened in Fulton. Citizens for Dunwoody, Inc. was the non-profit advocacy group begun by Senator Dan Weber to promote the effort.[9]
The bill for incorporation was withdrawn from the Georgia General Assembly for further study in 2006 and passed only the lower house in 2007.[10] In 2008, the bill of incorporation was re-introduced by Senator Weber, and due to increased pressure, it passed in the senate as well as the house. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed the bill allowing the residents to vote for a city of Dunwoody on March 25. The referendum for cityhood, which took place on July 15, was approved by an overwhelming majority of voters.
The Dunwoody City Charter was later ratified by the Georgia General Assembly, and on December 1, 2008, after a three-year movement, Dunwoody officially became a city.
Dunwoody's geographic center is at (33.942751, -84.317694).[11]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of 12.1 square miles (31 km2), of which, 12.1 square miles (31 km2) of it was land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.33%) was water.
Dunwoody lies at the northern tip of DeKalb County, bounded by the Fulton County line on the north and west, Interstate 285 on the south, Peachtree Industrial Boulevard on the southeast, and Peachtree Corners (in Gwinnett County) on the northeast. Officially, the city limit extends only to the DeKalb County line in the north. However, the name Dunwoody was previously used as far west as GA-400 and north to the Chattahoochee River. To this end, the Dunwoody name is present in the narrow Sandy Spring panhandle's many apartment complexes, roads and shopping centers (such as the Dunwoody Place Shopping Center). This narrow strip was originally part of DeKalb, but was then ceded to Milton County, which later merged into Fulton.[12]
Perimeter Mall and approximately 40 percent of the Perimeter Community Improvement District,[13] is a self-taxing district of shopping and office buildings (including several high-rises), are both located in Dunwoody. The western part of the Perimeter Center edge city spans the Fulton county line into Sandy Springs. (The two sides of the PCID are legally separate, but work as one organization.) The tallest building in Dunwoody is the 34-story Ravinia 3, at 444 feet (135 m).
Perimeter Center is served by the Dunwoody train station on MARTA's north line, while the other two stations in the area are both on the Fulton side.
On April 9, 1998, a major tornado tore through parts of Dunwoody, running east-northeast from Perimeter Center and into Gwinnett County. Thousands of homes were damaged, hundreds seriously, and several dozen were condemned. In addition, tens of thousands of native forest trees were downed. The vast majority of the tornado's damage occurred here, leading it to be called the "Dunwoody tornado", the most vivid in local memory until the 2008 Atlanta tornado.
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1980 | 17,768 |
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| 1990 | 26,302 | 48.0% | |
| 2000 | 32,808 | 24.7% | |
| 2010 | 46,267 | 41.0% | |
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As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 32,808 people, 13,746 households, and 8,976 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,715.7 people per square mile (1,048.6/km²). There were 14,599 housing units at an average density of 1,208.4 per square mile (466.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.02% White, 4.43% African American, 0.12% Native American, 7.78% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.34% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.61% of the population.
ACS Demographics: 2005-2007 Estimates
There were 13,746 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $82,838, and the median income for a family was $100,796. Males had a median income of $70,460 versus $42,813 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $62,523. About 1.5% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.
The city has a council-manager form of municipal government. Its first and current mayor is Ken Wright and the first and current city manager is Warren Hutmacher.
Dunwoody's city hall is located in a Perimeter Center office building at 41 Perimeter Center East. It was originally at a temporary location in the city of Sandy Springs for most of its first year, until it signed a long-term lease for its current space.
Dunwoody operates its own police force of 46 officers, as well as departments over zoning and land use. The city is still served by DeKalb County departments for some services and functions, particularly Dekalb County Fire & Rescue, as well as Dekalb's departments of sanitation, water, and sewage.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has its headquarters in the Perimeter Center and in Dunwoody.[15][16][17] In 2010 the newspaper relocated its headquarters from Downtown Atlanta to leased offices in the Perimeter Center for financial reasons.[17]
InterContinental Hotels Group operates its American corporate offices in Dunwoody.[16][18] Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA) also has its American corporate offices in Dunwoody.
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:[19]
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | InterContinental Hotels Group | 967 |
| 2 | Macy's (corporate) | 785 |
| 3 | T-Mobile | 767 |
| 4 | Walden Security | 606 |
| 5 | Philips Healthcare | 492 |
| 6 | Universal Health Services | 453 |
| 7 | AutoTrader.com | 435 |
| 8 | Computer Generated Solutions | 420 |
| 9 | Macy's (store) | 412 |
| 10 | ER Solutions | 400 |
Dunwoody Village is the historic heart of the community, and the location of the iconic Dunwoody Farmhouse. The distinctive Colonial Williamsburg architectural style of the district originated with the construction of Dunwoody Village Shopping Center in the 1970s, for which the district gets its name. Since then, all other construction in the area followed suit, giving Dunwoody a unique architectural identity and sense of place. [20]
Perimeter Center is the major edge city and neighborhood that has formed around Perimeter Mall. The mall was developed in 1971, spurring major office, residential, and commercial developments in the decades since. It is one of Metro Atlanta's largest job centers, employing hundreds of thousands of people each day. The district is split by Dunwoody's border with Sandy Springs. Perimeter Center is located at the intersection of two major highways, GA 400 and I-285. The Dunwoody Transit Station provides public transit to the district.[21]
An older part of Dunwoody, Georgetown was developed in the early 1960s. It is located near I-285 and borders with the city limits of Chamblee. Over-development in Georgetown was one of the main reasons for the initiation of Dunwoody's incorporation movement, with many new apartments being approved for the area, even in some single-family residential areas. Georgetown, one of the most walkable areas of the city, contains both single-family residential subdivisions and its own retail district.[22]
Jett Ferry/Williamsburg is a commercial and residential district located on the eastern edge of Dunwoody, adjacent to the Dunwoody Panhandle of Sandy Springs. [23][24]
Winters Chapel is located at Dunwoody's border with Peachtree Corners. The district shares a name with its main road, which travels through Fulton, Gwinnett and DeKalb County and was an important 19th century route connecting Decatur and Roswell via Holcomb Bridge Road. The district is named after Winters Chapel (now Winters Chapel Methodist Church), which has resided at its present location since the 1870s.[25] The church itself is named after an instrumental founder, Jeremiah Winters.[26] The area is a prime location for light commercial and retail redevelopment opportunities due to good demographics and traffic counts. Two parks, connected by sidewalks, dominate Winters Chapel. The 3/4 mile long, meticulously groomed, linear park running along DeKalb County's Twin Lakes water reservoir on Peeler Road is popular with walkers and joggers. Windwood Hollow Park, at Lakeside Drive and Peeler Road, offers tennis, a children's play area, a picnic pavilion, and a short trail.[23]
Tilly Mill is named after the pioneer Tilly family, who owned a late 19th century farm and mill on land bisected by Tilly Mill Road, which connects Dunwoody to Peachtree Industrial and Doraville.[27] Landmarks in the area include the Dunwoody campus of Georgia Perimeter College and Dunwoody's signature park, Brook Run. Brook Run, on North Peachtree Road near its intersection with Tilly Mill Road, boasts many wooded walking trails, a children's play area, a dog park, a Veterans Memorial, and a community garden. The 103-acre (0.42 km2) site will see major improvements as Dunwoody plans for its future.[23] Also in Tilly Mill is the Marcus Jewish Community Center, an Orthodox synagogue, and a significant portion of Dunwoody's Jewish population.
The DeKalb County School System operates local public schools.
Elementary schools operated by DCSS include:
Peachtree Charter Middle School and Dunwoody High School are DCSS schools in and serving Dunwoody.
DeKalb County Public Library operates the Dunwoody Branch.[28]
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