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|area_code = [[Area code 770|770]]
|area_code = [[Area code 770|770]]
|blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info = 13-15172<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=http://factfinder2.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=American FactFinder}}</ref>
|blank_info = 13-15172<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=http://factfinder2.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=2008-01-31 |title=American FactFinder |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911234518/http://factfinder2.census.gov |archivedate=2013-09-11 |df= }}</ref>
|blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info = 0331371<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=2007-10-25}}</ref>
|blank1_info = 0331371<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=2007-10-25}}</ref>
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'''Buford Highway''' (also '''Buford Highway Corridor''') is a multiethnic community north of [[Atlanta]], spanning multiple counties including [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton]], [[Dekalb County, Georgia|Dekalb]] and [[Gwinnett County, Georgia|Gwinnett]] counties in the U.S. state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. The area generally spans along and on either side of a stretch of [[Georgia State Route 13]] in [[DeKalb County, Georgia]]. It begins just north of [[Midtown Atlanta]], continues northeast through the towns of [[Brookhaven, Georgia|Brookhaven]], [[Chamblee, Georgia|Chamblee]], and [[Doraville, Georgia|Doraville]], and ends {{convert|1.3|mi|km}} northeast of the [[I-285|Perimeter (I-285)]] at the DeKalb/[[Gwinnett County, Georgia|Gwinnett]] border.
'''Buford Highway''' (also '''Buford Highway Corridor''') is a multiethnic community north of [[Atlanta]], spanning multiple counties including [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton]], [[Dekalb County, Georgia|Dekalb]] and [[Gwinnett County, Georgia|Gwinnett]] counties in the U.S. state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. The area generally spans along and on either side of a stretch of [[Georgia State Route 13]] in [[DeKalb County, Georgia]]. It begins just north of [[Midtown Atlanta]], continues northeast through the towns of [[Brookhaven, Georgia|Brookhaven]], [[Chamblee, Georgia|Chamblee]], and [[Doraville, Georgia|Doraville]], and ends {{convert|1.3|mi|km}} northeast of the [[I-285|Perimeter (I-285)]] at the DeKalb/[[Gwinnett County, Georgia|Gwinnett]] border.


[[Creative Loafing]]'s Atlanta edition named Buford Highway Atlanta's "best neighborhood for diversity" in their April 2011 [http://clatl.com/neighborhood_guide/CL_neighborhoodGuide1.pdf "Ultimate Neighborhood Guide"] . The population exceeds 50,000.<ref>[http://www.sph.emory.edu/BUFORDHWYCORR/TEST/abtbuf.html "Buford Highway Corridor", Cultures for Health, Emory University]</ref>
[[Creative Loafing]]'s Atlanta edition named Buford Highway Atlanta's "best neighborhood for diversity" in their April 2011 [http://clatl.com/neighborhood_guide/CL_neighborhoodGuide1.pdf "Ultimate Neighborhood Guide"] . The population exceeds 50,000.<ref>[http://www.sph.emory.edu/BUFORDHWYCORR/TEST/abtbuf.html "Buford Highway Corridor", Cultures for Health, Emory University]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>


==Community==
==Community==
Buford Highway is a linear community made up of [[multi-ethnic]] suburban neighborhoods and shopping centers. Similar to other [[Sun Belt|sun belt]] cities, immigrants who relocated to Atlanta in the 20th and 21st centuries went straight to the suburbs, where residential and commercial real estate was affordable and where many [[Second generation immigrant|second-generation]] immigrant communities were already established. Along Buford Highway, there are few wholly distinct ethnic areas. The more than 1,000 immigrant-owned businesses are owned by and patronized by a wide variety of ethnic groups,<ref name=description>{{cite web |url=http://bufordhighway.com/description/ |title= What Is Buford Highway? |publisher=Buford Highway Project |accessdate= June 28, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://clatl.com/neighborhood_guide/CL_neighborhoodGuide1.pdf |format=PDF |title=Buford Highway |journal=Creative Loafing Ultimate Neighborhood Guide |publisher= Creative Loafing Atlanta |location=Atlanta, Georgia |date=March 31 – April 6, 2011 |volume=39 |issue=48}}</ref> notably Korean, Mexican, Chinese and Vietnamese, and also Indian,Bangladeshi, Central American, Somalis and Ethiopian. The DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce calls the area the "International Corridor."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dekalbchamberofcommerce.org/dekalbchamber/visitor.asp |publisher=DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525144612/http://dekalbchamberofcommerce.org/dekalbchamber/visitor.asp |archivedate= May 25, 2009 |title= Visitor Information |accessdate= June 28, 2011}}</ref>
Buford Highway is a linear community made up of [[multi-ethnic]] suburban neighborhoods and shopping centers. Similar to other [[Sun Belt|sun belt]] cities, immigrants who relocated to Atlanta in the 20th and 21st centuries went straight to the suburbs, where residential and commercial real estate was affordable and where many [[Second generation immigrant|second-generation]] immigrant communities were already established. Along Buford Highway, there are few wholly distinct ethnic areas. The more than 1,000 immigrant-owned businesses are owned by and patronized by a wide variety of ethnic groups,<ref name=description>{{cite web|url=http://bufordhighway.com/description/ |title=What Is Buford Highway? |publisher=Buford Highway Project |accessdate=June 28, 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708103911/http://bufordhighway.com/description/ |archivedate=July 8, 2011 |df= }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://clatl.com/neighborhood_guide/CL_neighborhoodGuide1.pdf |format=PDF |title=Buford Highway |journal=Creative Loafing Ultimate Neighborhood Guide |publisher= Creative Loafing Atlanta |location=Atlanta, Georgia |date=March 31 – April 6, 2011 |volume=39 |issue=48}}</ref> notably Korean, Mexican, Chinese and Vietnamese, and also Indian,Bangladeshi, Central American, Somalis and Ethiopian. The DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce calls the area the "International Corridor."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dekalbchamberofcommerce.org/dekalbchamber/visitor.asp |publisher=DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525144612/http://dekalbchamberofcommerce.org/dekalbchamber/visitor.asp |archivedate= May 25, 2009 |title= Visitor Information |accessdate= June 28, 2011}}</ref>
[[File:Buford Highway Farmer's Market.jpg|thumb|The interior of the Buford Highway Farmer's Market]]
[[File:Buford Highway Farmer's Market.jpg|thumb|The interior of the Buford Highway Farmer's Market]]
The Buford Highway community is home to one of the highest concentration of foreign-born residents in the country, notably Mexican, Central American, [[Chinatown, Atlanta|Chinese]], Korean and Vietnamese. The area attracted many [[Latino]] workers during the construction boom that preceded the [[1996 Olympic Games]]. Asian business owners were attracted to the stretch of highway by cheap leases and reliable traffic flow.<ref name=gonzales>{{cite news |last= Moreno Gonzales |first= John |title= Immigrants along Buford Highway face mixed signals |work= [[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date= March 10, 2009 |url=http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/dekalb/stories/2009/03/10/buford_highway_immigration.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=13 |accessdate =March 10, 2009}}</ref>
The Buford Highway community is home to one of the highest concentration of foreign-born residents in the country, notably Mexican, Central American, [[Chinatown, Atlanta|Chinese]], Korean and Vietnamese. The area attracted many [[Latino]] workers during the construction boom that preceded the [[1996 Olympic Games]]. Asian business owners were attracted to the stretch of highway by cheap leases and reliable traffic flow.<ref name=gonzales>{{cite news |last= Moreno Gonzales |first= John |title= Immigrants along Buford Highway face mixed signals |work= [[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date= March 10, 2009 |url=http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/dekalb/stories/2009/03/10/buford_highway_immigration.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=13 |accessdate =March 10, 2009}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
Buford Highway originated as a non-descript state roadway connecting [[Atlanta]] and points northeast, including the then-railroad towns of [[Chamblee, Georgia|Chamblee]] and [[Doraville, Georgia|Doraville]], as well as points farther north. The towns of Doraville, Chamblee and [[Norcross, Georgia|Norcross]] had long been home to a blue collar, largely white, lower middle-class population. The highway was characterized by strip mall development, and apartment complexes sprouted up in the 1960s and 1970s.<ref name=description/> In 1976 the first ethnic restaurant opened, the Havana Sandwich Shop. In the 1980s, immigrants settled in the area due to affordable housing, available public transportation, and proximity to construction jobs in growing Gwinnett County.<ref name=foodways>{{cite web |url=http://www.southernfoodways.com/images/Atlanta.pdf |format=PDF |title=City Guide Atlanta/Buford Highway |publisher=Southern Foodways Alliance |accessdate=June 28, 2011}}</ref> The area attracted many [[Latino]] workers during the construction boom that preceded the [[1996 Olympic Games]]. Asian business owners were attracted to the stretch of highway by cheap leases and reliable traffic flow.<ref name=gonzales/>
Buford Highway originated as a non-descript state roadway connecting [[Atlanta]] and points northeast, including the then-railroad towns of [[Chamblee, Georgia|Chamblee]] and [[Doraville, Georgia|Doraville]], as well as points farther north. The towns of Doraville, Chamblee and [[Norcross, Georgia|Norcross]] had long been home to a blue collar, largely white, lower middle-class population. The highway was characterized by strip mall development, and apartment complexes sprouted up in the 1960s and 1970s.<ref name=description/> In 1976 the first ethnic restaurant opened, the Havana Sandwich Shop. In the 1980s, immigrants settled in the area due to affordable housing, available public transportation, and proximity to construction jobs in growing Gwinnett County.<ref name=foodways>{{cite web|url=http://www.southernfoodways.com/images/Atlanta.pdf |format=PDF |title=City Guide Atlanta/Buford Highway |publisher=Southern Foodways Alliance |accessdate=June 28, 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716112907/http://www.southernfoodways.com/images/Atlanta.pdf |archivedate=July 16, 2011 |df= }}</ref> The area attracted many [[Latino]] workers during the construction boom that preceded the [[1996 Olympic Games]]. Asian business owners were attracted to the stretch of highway by cheap leases and reliable traffic flow.<ref name=gonzales/>


During the 1996 Olympics, Chamblee embraced the growing international character of Buford Highway, while more conservative Doraville resisted it. As the [[Southern Foodways Alliance]] reported:<blockquote>"'Why would we want to attract more immigrants when we got all we want?' asked Doraville mayor Lamar Lang to the press. 'That’s just not our way of life here,' agreed the city council. 'We’re basically Baptists and Methodists and Presbyterians.'"<ref name=foodways/></blockquote>
During the 1996 Olympics, Chamblee embraced the growing international character of Buford Highway, while more conservative Doraville resisted it. As the [[Southern Foodways Alliance]] reported:<blockquote>"'Why would we want to attract more immigrants when we got all we want?' asked Doraville mayor Lamar Lang to the press. 'That’s just not our way of life here,' agreed the city council. 'We’re basically Baptists and Methodists and Presbyterians.'"<ref name=foodways/></blockquote>

Revision as of 11:09, 10 November 2016

For other International Districts, please see International District
For the highway called "Buford Highway", please see Georgia State Route 13
Buford Highway Corridor (community)
Location in DeKalb County and the state of Georgia
Location in DeKalb County and the state of Georgia
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyFulton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett
Area
 • Total3.1 sq mi (8.1 km2)
 • Land3.1 sq mi (8.1 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation
1,020 ft (311 m)
Population
 (2012)[1]
 • Total15,790
 • Density5,100/sq mi (1,900/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
30341, 30366
Area code770
FIPS code13-15172[2]
GNIS feature ID0331371[3]

Buford Highway (also Buford Highway Corridor) is a multiethnic community north of Atlanta, spanning multiple counties including Fulton, Dekalb and Gwinnett counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The area generally spans along and on either side of a stretch of Georgia State Route 13 in DeKalb County, Georgia. It begins just north of Midtown Atlanta, continues northeast through the towns of Brookhaven, Chamblee, and Doraville, and ends 1.3 miles (2.1 km) northeast of the Perimeter (I-285) at the DeKalb/Gwinnett border.

Creative Loafing's Atlanta edition named Buford Highway Atlanta's "best neighborhood for diversity" in their April 2011 "Ultimate Neighborhood Guide" . The population exceeds 50,000.[4]

Community

Buford Highway is a linear community made up of multi-ethnic suburban neighborhoods and shopping centers. Similar to other sun belt cities, immigrants who relocated to Atlanta in the 20th and 21st centuries went straight to the suburbs, where residential and commercial real estate was affordable and where many second-generation immigrant communities were already established. Along Buford Highway, there are few wholly distinct ethnic areas. The more than 1,000 immigrant-owned businesses are owned by and patronized by a wide variety of ethnic groups,[5][6] notably Korean, Mexican, Chinese and Vietnamese, and also Indian,Bangladeshi, Central American, Somalis and Ethiopian. The DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce calls the area the "International Corridor."[7]

The interior of the Buford Highway Farmer's Market

The Buford Highway community is home to one of the highest concentration of foreign-born residents in the country, notably Mexican, Central American, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese. The area attracted many Latino workers during the construction boom that preceded the 1996 Olympic Games. Asian business owners were attracted to the stretch of highway by cheap leases and reliable traffic flow.[8]

History

Buford Highway originated as a non-descript state roadway connecting Atlanta and points northeast, including the then-railroad towns of Chamblee and Doraville, as well as points farther north. The towns of Doraville, Chamblee and Norcross had long been home to a blue collar, largely white, lower middle-class population. The highway was characterized by strip mall development, and apartment complexes sprouted up in the 1960s and 1970s.[5] In 1976 the first ethnic restaurant opened, the Havana Sandwich Shop. In the 1980s, immigrants settled in the area due to affordable housing, available public transportation, and proximity to construction jobs in growing Gwinnett County.[9] The area attracted many Latino workers during the construction boom that preceded the 1996 Olympic Games. Asian business owners were attracted to the stretch of highway by cheap leases and reliable traffic flow.[8]

During the 1996 Olympics, Chamblee embraced the growing international character of Buford Highway, while more conservative Doraville resisted it. As the Southern Foodways Alliance reported:

"'Why would we want to attract more immigrants when we got all we want?' asked Doraville mayor Lamar Lang to the press. 'That’s just not our way of life here,' agreed the city council. 'We’re basically Baptists and Methodists and Presbyterians.'"[9]

Streetscape

Mercado del Pueblo Hispanic supermarket at Northeast Plaza
Market in Plaza Fiesta

Buford Highway is, in most places in the corridor, a seven-lane highway with no median and few sidewalks, a situation which is grossly mismatched with the heavy pedestrian traffic along and across the highway.

Most properties along the corridor are in the form of strip malls, retail businesses surrounded by large parking lots, and large apartment complexes. The largest strip malls are the 466,000-square-foot (43,300 m2) Northeast Plaza, 355,000-square-foot (33,000 m2) Plaza Fiesta and the Buford Highway Farmers Market complex.

Need for Walkability Improvements

On July 22, 2010 PBS's Need to Know program portrayed the corridor as an example of a high-pedestrian area in suburban America that fails to meet increased demand for walkability due to changing demographics.[10] The program noted that in the previous ten years, 30 people had died and an additional 250 were injured while trying to cross Buford Highway, a rate three times higher than any other road in Georgia. Despite this, there are no plans to improve pedestrian safety in the unincorporated area of the corridor.

These deaths have led some cities along Buford Highway to consider development plans with significant pedestrian improvements. For example, the City of Brookhaven's Buford Highway Improvement Plan and Economic Development Strategy contemplates adding mid-block crossings, street trees and buffer plantings, pedestrian-scale lighting and other improvements.[11]

Public transportation

Buford Highway is served by MARTA bus route 39 (Lindbergh Center to Doraville) as well as privately run "jitneys", or minibuses.[12] Also, the Doraville MARTA metro rail station is a block away from Buford Highway.

The city of Chamblee, in which part of the Buford Highway community is located, is sometimes referred to as "Chambodia" due to its high Asian population and the concentration of Asian restaurants along Buford Highway in Chamblee. A chapter of Tom Wolfe's novel A Man in Full is titled "Chambodia".[13][14]

References

  • Walcott, Susan M. (2002). "Overlapping Ethnicities and Negotiated Space: Atlanta's Buford Highway" (PDF). Journal of Cultural Geography. 20. University of North Carolina at Greensboro: 51–75. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
  1. ^ http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13/1315172.html
  2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ "Buford Highway Corridor", Cultures for Health, Emory University[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ a b "What Is Buford Highway?". Buford Highway Project. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Buford Highway" (PDF). Creative Loafing Ultimate Neighborhood Guide. 39 (48). Atlanta, Georgia: Creative Loafing Atlanta. March 31 – April 6, 2011.
  7. ^ "Visitor Information". DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  8. ^ a b Moreno Gonzales, John (March 10, 2009). "Immigrants along Buford Highway face mixed signals". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Associated Press. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  9. ^ a b "City Guide Atlanta/Buford Highway" (PDF). Southern Foodways Alliance. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Larson, John (Correspondent), Moore, Fae (Producer) (July 22, 2010). Dangerous Crossing. PBS. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  11. ^ See http://www.brookhavenga.gov/home/showdocument?id=1327
  12. ^ "Response to Recent Conversation", '"Atlanta Journal-Constitution, August 26, 2013
  13. ^ Neal Becton, "Atlanta's 'Chambodia,' a 'Burb With a Global Flavor", Washington Post, April 18, 1999
  14. ^ Cliff Bostock, We heart Chambodia", Creative Loafing, January 8, 2004
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