| Sandy Springs | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| City of Sandy Springs | |
| A large portion of modern Sandy Springs skyline is composed of the Concourse office towers. | |
| Location in Fulton County and the state of Georgia | |
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Sandy Springs
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Fulton |
| Incorporated | December 2005[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Eva Galambos[2] |
| • City Manager | John F. McDonough[3] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 39.0 sq mi (101.0 km2) |
| • Land | 37.7 sq mi (97.7 km2) |
| • Water | 1.3 sq mi (3.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,093 ft (333 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 93,853 |
| • Density | 2,596.8/sq mi (1,002.0/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 30328, 30327, 30338, 30342, 30350, 30358[4] |
| Area code(s) | 404/470/678/770 |
| FIPS code | 13-68516[5] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0332975[6] |
| Website | http://www.sandyspringsga.org |
Sandy Springs is a city in north Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. With a 2010 population of 93,853, Sandy Springs is the sixth-largest city in the state and the second-largest city in Metro Atlanta.[7] Sandy Springs is located in north Fulton County, Georgia, just south of Roswell and west of Dunwoody. The city is named for the sandy springs that still exist as a protected historic site.
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In 1842, the Austin-Johnson House was erected on what is now Johnson Ferry Road. It is the oldest house in Sandy Springs.[8] In 1851, Wilson Spruill donated five acres (two hectares) of land for the founding of the Sandy Springs United Methodist Church, near the sandy spring for which the city is named. In 1905, the Hammond School was built at Johnson Ferry Road and Mt. Vernon Highway, across the street from the church.
After the Interstate Highway System was authorized by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, Sandy Springs experienced a housing boom, bringing new residents and major land development. In the 1960s and 1970s, Georgia 400 and Interstate 285 connected Sandy Springs to metro Atlanta.
Debate over incorporation began in the 1970s when the city of Atlanta attempted to use a state law to force annexation of Sandy Springs. (Buckhead had joined Atlanta in 1952.) The attempt failed when the Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that the law was unconstitutional. In response, the Committee for Sandy Springs was formed in 1975. In every legislative session since 1989, state legislators representing the area introduced a bill in the Georgia General Assembly to authorize a referendum on incorporation. Legislators representing the city of Atlanta and southwestern Fulton County, who feared for the tax revenue that would be lost, blocked the bills using the procedural requirement that all local legislation be approved first by a delegation of representatives from the affected area.
When the Republican Party gained a majority in both houses of the General Assembly in early 2005, the procedural rules previously used to prevent a vote by the full chamber were changed so that the bill was handled as a state bill and not as a local bill. It was introduced and passed as HB 37.[9] The referendum initiative was approved by the Assembly and signed by Governor Sonny Perdue. The Assembly also temporarily repealed the 1995 law that all Georgia cities must provide at least three municipal services on their own or have their cityhood revoked, because the new city would need time to start up and would be contracting most of its services from the county through the end of 2006. The assembly also repealed the requirement that new cities must be at least three miles (4.8 km) from existing cities, because the new city limits border both Roswell and Atlanta.
The referendum was held on June 21, 2005, and residents voted 94% to 6% in favor of incorporation. Many residents expressed displeasure with county services, claiming, based upon financial information provided by the county, that the county was redistributing revenues to fund services in less financially-stable areas of the county, ignoring local opposition to rezoning, and allowing excessive development. Many residents of unincorporated and less-developed south Fulton County strongly opposed incorporation, fearing the loss of tax revenues which fund county services. County residents outside Sandy Springs were not allowed to vote on the matter. Efforts such as requesting the U.S. Justice Department to reject the plan were unsuccessful.
As provided for by law, Governor Sonny Perdue named five residents to an interim government committee for the city, called the Governor's Commission On Sandy Springs. In five years (2010), the charter drawn up by the legislature will have to be reviewed for any proposed or necessary changes.
A mayor and six city council members were elected in early November 2005, and formal incorporation occurred on December 1,[1] making it the third-largest city ever to incorporate in the U.S. (Centennial, Colorado, Miami Gardens, Florida, and Spokane Valley, Washington, did the same in 2001, February 2003, and March 2003, respectively, making them first, second, and fourth). The six city council districts are roughly northwest (along the Chattahoochee River), northeast (north of Dunwoody), southwest, southeast, east (along Georgia 400), and central.
The boundaries of Sandy Springs are Atlanta to the south, Cobb County (at the Chattahoochee River) to the west and north, Roswell (also at the river) to the north, and Dunwoody and Brookhaven, at the DeKalb County line, to the east. A small panhandle in the northeast extends between the Chattahoochee River to the north and Dunwoody to the south, ending in a very small border with Peachtree Corners in Gwinnett County.
Sandy Springs has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa).
| Climate data for Sandy Springs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 75 (24) |
80 (27) |
88 (31) |
91 (33) |
95 (35) |
101 (38) |
102 (39) |
101 (38) |
98 (37) |
88 (31) |
84 (29) |
76 (24) |
102 (39) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 50 (10) |
55 (13) |
63 (17) |
71 (22) |
78 (26) |
84 (29) |
88 (31) |
86 (30) |
81 (27) |
72 (22) |
62 (17) |
53 (12) |
70 (21) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 29 (−2) |
32 (0) |
38 (3) |
45 (7) |
54 (12) |
62 (17) |
67 (19) |
66 (19) |
60 (16) |
47 (8) |
39 (4) |
32 (0) |
47 (8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −10 (−23) |
1 (−17) |
6 (−14) |
24 (−4) |
31 (−1) |
40 (4) |
48 (9) |
50 (10) |
28 (−2) |
25 (−4) |
10 (−12) |
−1 (−18) |
−10 (−23) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 5.34 (135.6) |
4.78 (121.4) |
5.52 (140.2) |
4.04 (102.6) |
4.63 (117.6) |
3.66 (93) |
4.17 (105.9) |
4.32 (109.7) |
3.87 (98.3) |
3.58 (90.9) |
3.73 (94.7) |
4.18 (106.2) |
51.82 (1,316.2) |
| Source: [11] | |||||||||||||
Although it does not resemble a traditional downtown, the area around bounded by Abernathy Road to the north, I-285 to the south, and Sandy Springs Circle and Hildebrand Drive on the west and east is defined by the city and business groups as "Downtown Sandy Springs." The heart of Downtown is defined as Roswell Road (Georgia 9) in between Johnson Ferry Road and Cliftwood Drive, and is designated by the iconic nine-story Northside Tower, at Roswell Road and Sandy Springs Place, which has served as an unofficial landmark for the center of the district since its completion in 1971. Downtown is also the site of the actual sandy springs that spurred the name of the city. The city owns the former site of the Target store on Johnson Ferry Road at Sandy Springs Circle, with long-term plans of redeveloping the site into a mixed-use municipal complex, complete with a city hall. Also, the city is seeking to add more roads to the district so it resembles a more traditional street grid pattern. Historically, the downtown area was known as the Hammond community.[12]
Riverside is the western district of the city, bordering the Chattahoochee River, and forms the western border with Cobb County. It is a very affluent area and is marked by large mansions sitting on large lots on winding, hilly roads. The main road is Riverside Drive, and it is located off the Riverside Drive exit of I-285.[13]
Perimeter Center is a commercial edge city and business district surrounding Perimeter Mall. Although about 40% of Perimeter Center, including the mall, is located in Dunwoody, the western 60%, including most of the area's office towers, are located in Sandy Springs. Pill Hill is located in the Sandy Springs section of Perimeter Center, and is the largest medical center in Georgia. It includes Northside Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital, and Children's Health Care of Atlanta. Hammond Park is located in this neighborhood, and it is also where the Sandy Springs and Medical Center MARTA stations on the Red Line are located.[14]
The Dunwoody Panhandle is a residential area bounded by Roberts and Dunwoody Club Drives at the Dunwoody city limit to the south, the Chattahoochee River to the north, Georgia 400 to the west, and Peachtree Corners (Gwinnett county line) to the east. The district's name is derived from its location, sandwiched in between the river and Dunwoody, forming a geographic panhandle. Major roads include Dunwoody Club Drive and Spalding Drive, and Interstate access is through the Northridge Road exit of Georgia 400.
It is a controversial area for the city, as it had been considered Dunwoody for many years. Tension mounted when Dunwoody street sign toppers were removed and replaced with Sandy Springs street sign toppers, and a compromise proposed by the Dunwoody Homeowners Association was rejected by the Sandy Springs city council. The area also resisted being within the city limits, with residents stating that they considered themselves Dunwoody. Sandy Springs responded with a claim that the area would be marketed as Dunwoody in Sandy Springs, much like Buckhead in Atlanta, but this has yet to be seen. Many residents still refer to their address as Dunwoody.[15]
This area was previously part of two other counties, with DeKalb having ceded it to Milton several years after Milton's initial creation in 1857. Milton later merged into Fulton at the beginning of 1932.
North Springs is the large northernmost district of the city, and is generally defined as the area west of Georgia 400, east of Brandon Mill Road and the Chattahoochee River, and north of Abernathy Road. The main thoroughfare is Roswell Road. North Springs High School, named after the district in which it is located, is off Trowbridge Road. North Springs MARTA station serves the district, and happens to be the terminus of the MARTA North-South line, as no funds have been allocated by the state for further extension northward.[16][17][18]
Although a small portion of Sandy Springs extends into the Perimeter, it is technically not part of the Buckhead district of Atlanta. The main commercial road is Roswell Road. Peachtree Dunwoody Road is the approximate eastern border, while the Chattahoochee River forms the western border. The southern border is the city of Atlanta. Most of this area is extremely affluent and centers around scenic, mansion-filled single-lane roads such as Northside Drive, Mt. Paran Road, and Powers Ferry Road.[19][20]
In its February 2010 rankings of 420 U.S. communities with populations above 75,000, Portfolio.com determined Sandy Springs to be the 2nd wealthiest in the South, and the 9th wealthiest in the United States. This is mostly due to 30327 zip code, which is the wealthiest zip code in Georgia, and is split between Sandy Springs ITP and Buckhead.[21]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1980 | 46,877 |
|
|
| 1990 | 67,842 | 44.7% | |
| 2000 | 85,781 | 26.4% | |
| 2010 | 93,853 | 9.4% | |
| source:[22][23] | |||
(Note: the 2000 census numbers are for Sandy Springs prior to incorporation, but cover the same area.)
According to the 2010 US Census in 2010 the population of Sandy Springs was 93,853. There were 42,334 households. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 65.0% white, 20.0% black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 5.0% Asian, 6.9% from some other race and 2.7% from two or more races. 14.2% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.[24]
In the official census of 2000, when there were 85,781 people, 39,288 households, and 19,683 families residing in the CDP, the population density was 2,274.1 people per square mile (878.1/km²). There were 42,794 housing units at an average density of 1,134.5 per square mile (438.0/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 77.55% White, 12.04% African American, 0.18% Native American, 3.29% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.94% from other races, and 1.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.93% of the population. According to a 2006 report by the Atlanta Jewish Federation, 15,300 Jews reside in Sandy Springs and the adjacent city of Dunwoody.[25]
There were 48,288 households, out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.9% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 17.8% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 40.3% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.
According to a 2008 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $106,240, and the median income for a family was $129,810. The average income for a household was $116,406 and the average income for a family was $169,815. Males had a median income of $60,053 versus $50,030 for females. The per capita income for the city was $70,790. About 3.1% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.[26]
Sandy Springs is home to over 8,000 business and the headquarters of more Fortune 500 companies than anywhere in the State including Atlanta. United Parcel Service,[27] Newell Rubbermaid,[28] and First Data are all headquartered in Sandy Springs. Global Payments, Inc., Mirant Corp., Spectrum Brands, and Wendy's/Arby's Group, which are Fortune 1000 companies, are also based in the city. The city is also home to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, InterContinental Hotels Group, IBM Internet Security Systems, Northside Hospital, Porsche Cars North America and Saint Joseph's Hospital.
The city's largest business district is the Roswell Road corridor and Perimeter Center (although Perimeter Mall itself lies in adjacent DeKalb County). Perimeter Center, which is the biggest edge city in the Atlanta area, includes many high-rise buildings, including the 570-foot (170 m) Concourse Towers, which are often identified locally as the "king and queen" towers because of their distinctive architecture. Just south of this business district, across I-285, is a major medical center, anchored by Northside Hospital, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and Saint Joseph's Hospital.
AFC Enterprises (owner of Popeye's Chicken and Cinnabon) has its headquarters in Sandy Springs.[29][30][31] Church's Chicken has its headquarters in Sandy Springs.[31][32] First Data has its headquarters in Sandy Springs.[33] Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, Inc. and its subsidiary Arby's have their headquarters in Sandy Springs.[31][34][35] Cox Enterprises and subsidiary Cox Radio are headquartered in Sandy Springs.[31][36][37]
Sumitomo Corporation operates its Atlanta Office in Suite 2150 at Six Concourse Parkway, NE. Industries supported include Living Related Products and Real Estate.[31][38]
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:[39]
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Parcel Service | 1,678 |
| 2 | IBM | 1,592 |
| 3 | AT&T Mobility | 938 |
| 4 | WorldPay | 641 |
| 5 | Ceridian | 603 |
| 6 | AutoTrader.com | 572 |
| 8 | J. E. Dunn Construction | 550 |
| 9 | Global Payments | 596 |
| 10 | Cisco Systems | 492 |
The Sandy Springs Festival is an annual pet-friendly, celebration to help raise proceeds to maintain and protect the remaining green space of Sandy Springs. They have the Kiwanis Pet Parade and Award Ceremony, a two-hour blast-from-the-past 80's music fest, singing groups and marching bands. It will be on September 25th and 26th.[40][41]
The Heritage Sandy Springs Museum that opened on March 20, 2010. It is dedicated to the history of the Sandy Springs community and is located in the repurposed Williams-Payne house at Heritage Green. Two notable exhibits are "Sandy Springs: Land and People" which tells the changing story of Sandy Springs as the home of Native Americans, rural farmers, and modern suburbanites and "A Land Nearby" which features a collection of 20 photographs of Georgia's Barrier Island taken by Dr. Curt Hames Jr. Sandy Springs also has a museum on Anne Frank.
Sandy Springs is home to twelve parks and green space areas, three of which provide recreational facilities.[42]
City services are performed in a public-private partnership. Most services are being handled by the engineering and operations firm CH2M HILL, although public safety is not outsourced. Sandy Springs, at first glance, appears to be run just like other similarly-sized cities, with a council-manager form of government. However, it is the first city in the nation to outsource services to such a great extent to a private sector company.
The city's police department took over services from the county on July 1, 2006 with 86 Police Officers from all over the State of Georgia,and is now staffed by 128 officers. The city's fire department began operations in December 2006. The department consists of 97 full time firefighters. The former Police Chief Gene Wilson Jr. was replaced by current Police Chief Terry Sult in 2009 while the fire department is headed by Chief Jack McElfish. It is staffed by 91 full-time firefighters and 52 part-time firefighters. The police department answered 98,250 calls in FY 2010 while the fire department handled 17,000 responses to 8,205 calls for service.
The city of Sandy Springs has purchased the old Target Corporation building (originally Richway) located on the corner of Sandy Springs Circle and Johnson Ferry Road.[43] The building has sat vacant since the December 2008 purchase. Rumors say that this location will one day be the new home to the Sandy Springs City Hall.
During the transition period, the city has had some disputes with the county. Most notable among these was over the existing parks then within the city. The county commission voted to sell them on the "open market", but later the Commissioner At-Large, Rob Pitts, clarified that there was no intent to sell for land development purposes. As of July 2006[update], there was still harsh debate over whether to sell the parks for $5,000 each, $1 per acre, or at market value, or to lease them for 50 years for one dollar each annually. Under state law, the county cannot legally give the parks away, nor can any parks be used for development. In December 2006, Sandy Springs purchased 11 parks and greenspace areas from the county.
The newly-purchased facilities include:[44]
Public schools continue to be operated by the Fulton County School System.
Elementary schools serving sections of Sandy Springs include Dunwoody Springs Charter Elementary School, Heards Ferry Elementary School, High Point Elementary School, Ison Springs Elementary School, Lake Forest Elementary School, Spalding Drive Charter Elementary School, and Woodland Charter Elementary School.[45]
Two middle schools, Sandy Springs Middle School and Ridgeview Middle School, are in and serve Sandy Springs. Two high schools, North Springs Charter School of Arts and Sciences and Riverwood High School, are in and serve Sandy Springs.
There are private schools located in Sandy Springs. Some of those are:
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System operates the Sandy Springs Branch.[46]
Some notable newspapers that cover areas of interest to sandy springs include the Sandy Springs Neighbor[47] and The Atlanta Journal Constitution.[48]
Two television series are recorded within the city: Auction Kings at Gallery 63 on Roswell Road, and Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta at Bridals by Lori on Hammond Drive.
Sandy Springs is served by two major limited-access highways, Georgia 400 – which runs north-south – and I-285 – which runs east-west. Major surface streets include Roswell Road (U.S. 19 south of I-285 and Georgia 9 entirely), Hammond Drive, Spalding Drive, Johnson Ferry Road, Abernathy Road, Glenridge Drive, and Dunwoody Club Drive.
The GDOT is widening Abernathy Road between Johnson Ferry and Roswell Roads from two lanes to four plus a road median, and the city is developing a linear park where homes along Abernathy were demolished, with sidewalks and walking trails to add greenspace and improve connectivity in the city. The western intersection is being reconfigured so that traffic to and from Johnson Ferry Road – which now carries heavy loads of Cobb County commuters across the Chattahoochee River at rush hour – now flows directly with Abernathy to and from the northwest. The length of this project is temporarily numbered as Georgia state route 947, though there are no signs to indicate this.
Additionally, the Roswell Road bridge over I-285 is finally getting a badly-needed widening to add a turn lane in each direction. Currently, it is a major traffic bottleneck, as the turn lanes to both direction of I-285 are very short, sharing the center lane of the bridge, and forcing traffic to be allowed to turn twice per cycle (a "split phase") of the traffic lights. Despite the unusual timing of the lights, traffic still backs up into the through lanes, causing major traffic jams at rush hour. The project's scheduled completion is November 2012, about a year after the expected start date. There had previously been talk of a tunnel under the freeway to bypass the highway interchange altogether, however this proved to be much too expensive.
Another state project is the addition of a half-diamond interchange to Georgia 400 on the north side of Hammond Drive, allowing southbound traffic to exit and northbound traffic to enter the highway. (Ramps on the south side were not possible due to the proximity of the 400/285 interchange.) As of September 2011[update], this project is mostly complete, including the widening of the bridge that carries Hammond over 400. Replacing the former forest on each side of the highway is now an auxiliary lane and metal noise barriers, which continue up to and down from the next exit at Abernathy Road. A reconstruction of the 400/285 interchange is partly included in the TSPLOST, a regional sales tax which will be voted on in 2012.
The city's public works department has made significant improvements in the conditions of roads and traffic signals since incorporation in December 2005. The department has cleaned approximately 1,500 catch basins, striped 30 miles (48 km) of roadway, responded to more than 2,000 calls for repair and service, re-timed hundreds of traffic lights to help improve the flow of traffic and reduce automobile idling, and repaved 60 miles (nearly 100 km) of roads.
The 2008 fiscal year saw the creation of the Sandy Springs Traffic Management Center (TMC). The TMC was constructed and began to operate in less than six months. Construction began in February 2008, five cameras viewed traffic along Roswell Road by the end of June. Special features of the TMC include a webpage that allows the public access to real-time traffic conditions and voice-activated controls. By June 2009, 16 traffic cameras are now available and can be viewed onilne at www.sandyspringsga.org.
There are a number of roadway Capital Improvement Projects that have either been completed by the city or are currently underway:
The major provider of mass transit is MARTA, which operates a heavy rail rapid transit line and several bus lines through Sandy Springs. The city is served by the Medical Center, Sandy Springs and North Springs stations. The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority also operates express buses from the North Springs station (which has its own ramps to and from 400) to other counties.
The city has two consulate generals.[49][50] The Consulate-General of Colombia in Atlanta is located in Suite 405 at 5901 B Peachtree Dunwoody Road.[51] The Consulate-General of Nigeria in Atlanta[52] is located at 8060 Roswell Road.[53]
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