New city would be the 536th in Georgia

By DAVID MARKIEWICZ
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/14/08

If its citizens pass a referendum on incorporation next Tuesday, the north DeKalb community of Dunwoody stands to become the 536th city in Georgia on Dec. 1.

But it will be the first city created in a long time in DeKalb.
A very long time.

Tiny Pine Lake is the current new kid on the block, and it turns 71 this year.

The reasons behind DeKalb's recent dearth of incorporations is both historic and legislative.

Until 1963, incorporation was a breeze, according to Amy Henderson, public information manager for the Georgia Municipal Association, the organization that represents cities around the state.

"There were no standards," Henderson said. "So, you'd have courthouses that were incorporated. Or places with maybe six people in them."

The new state standards put in place 45 years ago imposed rules that raised the bar for incorporation. One rule ordered that no city could be established within three miles of another city. That prevented Sandy Springs from incorporating — until state legislators changed that law in 2001.

Because of the lack of rules on incorporation in the old days, a group of people could opt to become a city whenever they thought it was a good idea, Henderson said. Usually, that occurred when significant development pushed into an area and people wanted to be near the commercial center.

In DeKalb, which was formed in 1822, early development happened along train routes, and cities followed. That led to the creation of Decatur just a year after in 1823. Stone Mountain and Lithonia followed in 1839 and 1856.

"A lot of it had to do with the rail lines," Henderson said. "Many cities grew up around them."

Two more cities were formed before the turn of the century, Doraville in 1871 and Clarkston in 1882.

The newest three cities in the county were incorporated in the early part of the 20th century. Chamblee was established in 1908, Avondale Estates in 1927 and then, Pine Lake.

Recent incorporations in Fulton County, together with Dunwoody's effort, have raised the question of whether other communities in DeKalb will pursue cityhood in the near future.