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Buckhead’s history has the area first occupied by Cherokee and Creek Indians, farmers, hunters, traders, and warriors. By the 1820s, however, they had “sold off” to the White man most of their lands, which were subsequently occupied by Andrew Jackson’s military. In 1838, it is recorded that Henry Irby of South Carolina purchased 203 acres in what is now the center of Buckhead for $650. He built a combination tavern and grocery store near the intersection of Peachtree and Paces Ferry where Charlie Loudermilk Park is located (formerly Triangle Park). First tagged “Irbyville,” it took on the popular designation of “Buckhead” around 1838 when the head of a large buck killed in nearby woods was mounted on a post not far from the tavern. The area was annexed to the city of Atlanta in 1952. Over the years, Buckhead has led the way for the economic well-being of this region. As early as the 1960s, Fortune magazine described Buckhead as “the top encampment of business executives in the Southeast”. In 2018, The Wall Street Journal lauded “Buckhead . . . a major commercial and financial center of the Southeast.”

Buckhead real estate development milestones include Lenox Square, one of the largest shopping centers in the Southeast (1959), followed shortly by the ultra-posh Phipps Plaza; Tower Place, a 600-thousand-square-foot office building (1974), which began Buckhead’s high-rise skyline; the Ritz-Carlton [now The Whitley] which led the way for a community of deluxe accommodations, and Park Place, the nation’s largest single-purpose condominium building (1986), now one of many pedestrian-oriented multi-family properties encircling the business core.

boundaries of buckhead

The official boundaries of the Buckhead Community (adopted in 1982 by the Buckhead Business Association, in 1988 by the Buckhead Coalition, in 1990 by the Georgia House of Representatives, and in 1991 by the Atlanta Regional Commission) include that portion of north Atlanta bounded by the city limits/DeKalb County line on the east; the city limits line on the north; the city limits/Cobb County line on the west, and Peachtree Creek from the Chattahoochee River to Interstate 75, Interstate 75 to Interstate 85, and Interstate 85 to DeKalb County on the south. These boundaries were designed with assistance from the Geography Department of Georgia State University using major landmarks and, more importantly, incorporating U.S. Census tracts then numbered 90, 91, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, and 100. Having the resource of this database, of course, is of significant importance in planning efforts and other statistically related programs. The total area contains approximately 28 square miles and is about 4 miles from Atlanta’s central downtown. In addition to this Buckhead Community in the city of Atlanta, there is a city of Buckhead, GA — home of the Steffen Thomas Museum of Art — approximately 55 miles east off Interstate 20 with a population of 183.

Buckhead has its own flag. Commissioned by the Buckhead Coalition, it is intended to foster a sense of community for those who live, visit, work, and play in this northern hub of Atlanta. Designed pro bono by the renowned architect Cecil Alexander (chief artist for the 2001 Georgia flag), this Community flag’s color is green, representing Buckhead’s lush tree canopy covering its neighborhoods. In the center is a pentagonal shape taken from the leather segments covering soccer balls, acknowledging this popular sport of Buckhead children. Within the design is a buck’s head in two colors indicating the diversity of this community, its homes, its people, its businesses, its occupants, its street patterns, and its architecture, each exerting a favorable impact on the city of Atlanta. On either side of the buck are white dogwood sprays to reflect the glory of these trees abundant throughout Buckhead, bursting into bloom every early spring. Along the bottom is the word BUCKHEAD. (Flags can be purchased from Atlas Flags of Tucker, (770) 938-0003)

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