College Park, Georgia

College Park, Georgia
City
Location in Fulton County and the state of Georgia
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Counties	Fulton, Clayton
Area
• Total	9.7 sq mi (25.1 km2)
• Land	9.7 sq mi (25.1 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	1,050 ft (320 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	20,382
• Density	2,101.2/sq mi (812/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	30337, 30349
Area code	404
FIPS code	13-17776Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	0331435Template:GR

College Park is a city located partly in Fulton County, Georgia and partially in Clayton County, Georgia, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 20,382 (Fulton: 18,810; Clayton: 1,572). College Park is located adjacent to the busy Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Just west of the Atlanta Airport is the Georgia International Convention Center (opened April 2003), which is Georgia's second largest convention center-- second only to the Georgia World Congress Center. The GICC is owned and operated by the City of College Park.

College Park is home to the corporate offices of John Wieland Homes. Just outside the city limits of College Park, but maintaining a College Park address, is the mega-church World Changers Ministries. The city is also the hometown of Dallas Cowboys cornerback Pacman Jones and Atlanta Hawks starting power forward Josh Smith.

Geography

College Park is located at 33°38′54″N 84°27′22″W (33.648209, -84.456007)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.7 square miles (25.2 km²), of which, 9.7 square miles (25.1 km²) of it is land and 0.10% is water.

History

Manchester, established in 1890 and incorporated in 1895, became known as the city of College Park in 1896. The city has 853 properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior. Originally, College Park was known as Manchester and was renamed by Lula Roper-- who placed the name in a lottery. The reason for the name College Park was that the city was once home to Cox College (where the city hall and other buildings now reside) and Georgia Military Academy (now Woodward Academy).

Also, the east-west streets (avenues) are named for Ivy League institutions and the north-south streets are named for influential College Park residents.

Unincorporated

The area south and east of the city limits is known as Unincorporated College Park, or "Unincorporated," as it is referred to by its residents. Originally a rural area known for its farms, woodlands, and wildlife, it is quickly making the transition to heavily populated suburb. An incredible amount of development has hit the area in recent years, transforming it tremendously. A 2007 vote denied the creation of a new city for this area of South Fulton County, which was to be named South Fulton, Georgia. The nearby cities of College Park, Union City, and East Point have all expressed interest in annexing the area. According to the vote, the residents appear to stand against this though, preferring the loose reigns of county government to the higher taxes and more stringent guidelines that come with city government. Or possibly, voters did not approve of the name itself, which was not chosen by consensus. Unincorporated College Park is serviced by the recreation centers at Burdett Park and Welcome All Park. The pre-Civil War city of Red Oak was located in a western part of Unincorporated. After the Civil War, it was never rebuilt.

Abandoned College Park

A formerly unsung area just south of the city limits of College Park, located in Unincorporated, was bought up by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the city of College Park government starting in the 1970's, due to the increased airplane noise. Entire neighborhoods sat empty for twenty or more years, as the homes deteriorated and yards devolved back into woods. This area became known as "Abandoned College Park." Chuck Norris filmed some scenes for his movie Invasion U.S.A. in Abandoned College Park, blowing up several houses to simulate bazooka attacks. Eventually, after the houses were removed, this area was razed, and the Georgia International Convention Center was relocated there.

Recreation

The City of College Park is serviced by two recreation centers-- the Wayman & Bessie Brady Recreation Center and the Hugh C. Conley Recreation Center. Both centers were opened in 1956 and named in honor of three prominent city residents. When they were opened, they were segregated-- the whites utilized the Conley Center, while the blacks used the Brady Center. Both were equipped with basketball gymnasiums; after segregation, Conley was used for gymnastics and Brady was used for basketball. The Brady Center has one of the top-notch programs in the State of Georgia.

The city is also serviced by four parks: Barrett Park, which is located along affluent Rugby Avenue; Brenningham Park, which surrounds the Brady Center; Jamestown Park and Richard D. Zupp Park, which was named in honor of a well-respected College Park resident.

College Park is also home to the College Park Municipal Golf Course, which was established in 1929. The course is nine holes and is built on very hilly terrain.

Arts & Entertainment

Just as its neighbor to the north, East Point has its own thriving artist community, College Park also has a growing tradition of local artists and musicians.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 20,382 people, 7,810 households, and 4,600 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,099.8 people per square mile (810.5/km²). There were 8,351 housing units at an average density of 860.3/sq mi (332.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.81% African American, 12.39% White, 0.17% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 3.33% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.86% of the population.

There were 7,810 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 22.9% were married couples living together, 28.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.1% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 14.4% from 18 to 24, 35.7% from 25 to 44, 14.9% from 45 to 64, and 4.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,846, and the median income for a family was $32,655. Males had a median income of $26,644 versus $22,412 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,371. About 16.9% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.4% of those under age 18 and 20.3% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

The city of College Park is governed by a Mayor and four council members. The Mayor is Jack Longino and the council members are Ward 1, Ambrose Clay, Ward 2, Tracey Wyatt, Ward 3, Joseph A. Carn and Ward 4, Charles E. Phillips Sr, Esq. College Park is currently undergoing expansion, annexing neighboring, unincorporated portions in both North Clayton and South Fulton counties.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Residential areas within College Park are served by the Fulton County School System.

Elementary schools serving College Park:

• College Park Elementary School (College Park)
• Harriet Tubman Elementary School (College Park)
• Bethune Elementary School (Unincorporated)
• Heritage Elementary School (Unincorporated)

Middle schools serving College Park:

• Ronald E. McNair Middle School (Unincorporated)
• Woodland Middle School (Unincorporated)

High schools serving College Park:

• Tri-Cities High School in East Point, serves College Park , Hapeville and East Point
• Banneker High School, (College Park, Georgia),in South Fulton County, serves Unincorporated College Park and Union City. [1]
• Frank S. McClarin Alternative High School is also located in College Park.

Private schools

Woodward Academy [2] is located in College Park.

Notable people from College Park

• Jermaine Dupri
• Ludacris
• Playaz Circle
• Yung Joc
• V.I.C.
• Mr. Collipark
• Pastor Troy
• Pacman Jones
• Josh Smith

Notable Residents

• Playaz Circle - Rap group
• Pastor Troy
• Yung Joc
• Ludacris

• Mr. Collipark
• T.I.
• V.I.C.

External links

• City of College Park
• Historic College Park Neighborhood Association
• Georgia International Convention Center website
• College Park Municipal Golf Course
• City of College Park Recreation Department
• College Park Living