Dekalb County, GA

The metropolitan region of Atlanta, Georgia, has been losing open space faster than most other areas of the nation—by one estimate it lost approximately 500 acres per week in the 1990s. The Atlanta metropolitan region population grew from about 2.8 million in 1990 to about 4.1 million in 2000, a 45 percent increase. DeKalb County, which lies on the east side of Atlanta, grew by 22 percent from 1990 to 2000, with a population of about 666,000 in 2000. The county is now growing at a slower rate than most of the other metro Atlanta counties, mostly because of lack of developable land, and the rate of growth is currently about 1.5 percent per year. In 2001, DeKalb County passed a bond to help acquire parkland before it was too late. It has also been participating in the state’s green space program ever since.

The county covers about 269 square miles (approximately 172,000 acres) and is the most densely populated county in the region and the second most populated county in the state. Over 70 percent of the county’s land is developed. The mostly suburban county varies from very urban (containing a portion of the city of Atlanta) to semirural, including some interesting ecosystems: granite outcrop communities, wetlands, and pine and oak forests. Stone Mountain Park, one of Georgia’s most popular tourist attractions, is located at the east edge of DeKalb County. The county also is the location of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the only major federal agency headquartered outside of Washington, D.C.

The population of the county is becoming more diverse and more affluent while it is aging and household size falls. Over half of the residents are African American, with other minority populations increasing while whites have been decreasing. Income levels have been rising.

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