| City of Lithonia, Georgia City of Granite |
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| — City — | |
| Nickname(s): L-Town | |
| Location in DeKalb County and the state of Georgia | |
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City of Lithonia, Georgia
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | DeKalb |
| Government | |
| • Type | Dekalb County |
| • Mayor | Tonya Peterson |
| • Dekalb County CEO | Burrell Ellis |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.8 sq mi (2 km2) |
| • Land | 0.8 sq mi (2 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 925 ft (282 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,924 |
| • Density | 2,491.6/sq mi (962/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 30038, 30058 |
| Area code(s) | 770 |
| FIPS code | 13-46860[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0325978[2] |
Lithonia is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. Lithonia's population was 1,924 at the 2010 census.[3]
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Lithonia is located at (33.712658, -84.105897).[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2), all land.
"Lithonia" means "city/town of stone". Lithonia is in the heart of the Georgian granite-quarrying and viewing region, hence the name of the town, from the Greek λίθος lithos, for stone. The huge nearby granite dome, Stone Mountain, is composed largely of a rock called Lithonia gneiss, a form of granite. Lithonia is in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Lithonia is home to the Lithonia Lighting Company, a manufacturer of household light fixtures, which was founded in the city in 1946.
It is also home to New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, a megachurch which is known for many high-profile funerals, including those of Coretta Scott King, wife of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and of singer Lisa Lopes (also known as "Lefteye"), member of the R&B group TLC. She is buried in a small memorial cemetery two minutes away from the church. New Birth was recently in the national news when its pastor was accused of misconduct between himself and several young boys he has acquainted himself with. The case has since been settled under a money settlement in which all parties involved have agreed to drop the charges.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 2,187 people, 799 households, and 560 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,770.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,068.9/km²). There were 892 housing units at an average density of 1,129.9 per square mile (436.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 16.64% White, 79.61% Black, 0.09% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.42% from other races, and 2.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.88% of the population.
There were 799 households out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.3% were married couples living together, 41.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.25.
In the city the population was spread out with 34.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 76.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over there were 63.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,397, and the median income for a family was $24,792. Males had a median income of $27,500 versus $23,788 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,605. About 22.6% of families and 25.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.8% of those under the age of 18 and 25.7% of those 65 and older.
In 2006, WSB-TV discovered that the Lithonia Police Department had been illegally driving uninsured police cruisers for a period of six months.
There has been much debate over the former mayor Darold Honore and his practices of managing government funds. Honore had the password and locks changed to the city council building without releasing the new password or keys to any council members.
In early 2008, a new mayoral election was held. This election was not without controversy, when Joyce McKibben emerged as the winner by just one vote. The other candidate, Rhonda Peek, challenged these results and claimed that McKibben's main residence wasn't inside the city limits. Peek tried to have her case tried in the Dekalb County courts, but they would not hear the case. Peek next took her case to neighboring Rockdale County, where the court ruled against Peek, ruling that the results of the election were valid.
Mayor McKibben came under fire for her recent decision to discharge the village's chief of police. She also stated that both he and council members had their "hands dirty in Honore's money". Less than a year after her election, McKibben was removed from office in a recall election on September 30, 2008, after a recall petition had been approved in August. The vote was 78% for and 22% against McKibbeb (166 to 47), with a voter turnout of just 20%.[5] Despite this significant defeat, Mayor McKibben, who still held office until the ballots had been certified by the Georgia Secretary of State later that week, said that she would contest the results.
Lithonia is home to the major regional shopping center in the southeast Metro, the Mall at Stonecrest (also known as Stonecrest Mall).
The three main health facilities in Lithonia are:
DeKalb County Public Schools operates public schools.
Note: Lithonia Middle School is the only school located in the city limits of Lithonia.
DeKalb County Public Library operates the Lithonia-Davidson Library the main library source in Lithonia, which was once privately owned until being incorporated into the Dekalb County Public Library system in 1947.
Other libraries in the Lithonia community include:
Lithonia's main post office is located on Stone Mountain Street in the heart of Lithonia. Many drop boxes and postal services storefronts are located throughout the communities of Lithonia.
Redan post office located directly outside the city limits of Lithonia provides an alternative to postal drop off and pickup service.
United Parcel Service (UPS) and FedEx also provide alternative postal service to Lithonia.
MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) provides connecting bus service to and from Lithonia, and GRTA Xpress (Georgia Rapid Transit Authority) provides commuter bus service to downtown Atlanta from a community park and ride lot.
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