Kirkwood at a Glance:
Kirkwood is an Atlanta neighborhood just east of downtown. With its convenient location and craftsman-style homes, the area has been experiencing rapid growth in recent years.
On the Map:
Located just four miles east of downtown Atlanta, Kirkwood lies between DeKalb Avenue to the north, Rogers Street/Montgomery Street to the west, Memorial Drive to the south and Mellrich Avenue/Winter Avenue to the east.
It is in close proximity to other popular neighborhoods including Candler Park, Inman Park, Little Five Points and East Atlanta.
Real Estate:
Since the late 90s', Atlanta homebuyers have been flocking to Kirkwood to buy up and renovate the community's beautiful craftsman homes. The result has been the birth of a tight-knit community and steadily rising home prices. Kirkwood is still an affordable area for intown homes, making it popular with young professionals and first-time home buyers. Typical homes range in price from the mid-200's up to half a million for large, restored homes, though there are still some lower-priced bargains to be found on the outskirts of the area.
Activities and Attractions:
Bars, Restaurants, Shopping and Entertainment:
Kirkwood's town center, located at the fork of Hosea Williams Drive and Oakview Road, is home to several shops and restaurants. Kirkyard is a loft-like sports bar and serves American fare alongside plenty of local beer. You'll also find Le Petit Marche, perfect for a quick lunch or breakfast and also a great place to grab a gourmet gift for foodie friends. The Pullman is another local bar and pub grub destination. Barbecue fans will love the down home cooking at Anna's BBQ. There is also a local vegan bakery, a well-liked pet store and grooming shop and other unique shops in the area including a wine shop that hosts tastings.
Several other restaurants, including a Mexican restaurant and a coffee and beer bar, are expected to open in 2014.
Transportation:
Schools:
Kirkwood is in the Toomer Elementary, Coan Middle, and Maynard Jackson High School districts, schools which residents have been working hard to improve. Residents in the 30317 zip code are also eligible for admission to Drew Charter School in the neighboring East Lake community.
By the Numbers*:
Kirkwood History**:
Kirkwood traces its beginnings to residential development begun as early as the 1870s. Kirkwood was an early streetcar suburb to Atlanta. By 1910 streetcars provided express service to and from Atlanta three times daily, and street cars continued service along some streets including Kirkwood Road until the early 1950’s.
Kirkwood was incorporated as an independent municipality in 1899. Governed beginning in 1899 by its own city council and mayor, the town boasted its own water system, school systems and fire department. The former Kirkwood School is a handsome building from this period, located on Kirkwood Road just north of Bessie Branham Park. Individually nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, the primary building on the property’s south side was originally designed by John Francis Downing, the son of the noted Atlanta architect W. T. Downing. Both buildings now comprise the Kirkwood Lofts apartments as a result of a $1 million renovation in 1997.
In 1922, Kirkwood residents voted for annexation into the city of Atlanta.
Beginning in the late 1950s and continuing into the 1960s, Kirkwood experienced a transition from an almost all-white community to an almost all-black community. Up until 1965 as the racial composition of the community changed, black citizens made up an increasingly large percentage of the community’s populations. Unfortunately they were denied the opportunity to attend the white, segregated Kirkwood School; and as a result of community pressure the Atlanta School Board in 1965 abruptly integrated Kirkwood School The school board declared the previous phased-in, grade-by-grade attempt at integration a failure.
Beginning in the 1980s, the neighborhood began to witness another influx of new residents interested in renovating the neighborhood’s stock of historic housing. Still underway, this influx of the middle-class brought with it a whole host of new issues. Some of the issues dealt with gentrification and the clash of people with different social, racial, and economic histories living together in one community.
While rich in history, Kirkwood’s rise, then its fall into decline, and its recent arrival again as a neighborhood attractive to middle and upper-middle income homeowners illustrate just how economic, racial, and social forces have shaped this historic inner-city community and many others like it.
*Demographic information credited to the AJC
**History of Kirkwood credited to the Kirkwood Neighborhood Association
Kirkwood is an Atlanta neighborhood just east of downtown. With its convenient location and craftsman-style homes, the area has been experiencing rapid growth in recent years.
On the Map:
Located just four miles east of downtown Atlanta, Kirkwood lies between DeKalb Avenue to the north, Rogers Street/Montgomery Street to the west, Memorial Drive to the south and Mellrich Avenue/Winter Avenue to the east.
It is in close proximity to other popular neighborhoods including Candler Park, Inman Park, Little Five Points and East Atlanta.
Real Estate:
Since the late 90s', Atlanta homebuyers have been flocking to Kirkwood to buy up and renovate the community's beautiful craftsman homes. The result has been the birth of a tight-knit community and steadily rising home prices. Kirkwood is still an affordable area for intown homes, making it popular with young professionals and first-time home buyers. Typical homes range in price from the mid-200's up to half a million for large, restored homes, though there are still some lower-priced bargains to be found on the outskirts of the area.
Activities and Attractions:
- Bessie Branham Park and Coan Park provide outdoor recreation opportunities including tennis and basketball courts as well as picnic facilities.
- Both East Lake Golf Club and Charlie Yates Golf Course are just down the road for putting enthusiasts.
- The newly built East Lake YMCA provides top-of-the-line equiptment and community programs.
Bars, Restaurants, Shopping and Entertainment:
Kirkwood's town center, located at the fork of Hosea Williams Drive and Oakview Road, is home to several shops and restaurants. Kirkyard is a loft-like sports bar and serves American fare alongside plenty of local beer. You'll also find Le Petit Marche, perfect for a quick lunch or breakfast and also a great place to grab a gourmet gift for foodie friends. The Pullman is another local bar and pub grub destination. Barbecue fans will love the down home cooking at Anna's BBQ. There is also a local vegan bakery, a well-liked pet store and grooming shop and other unique shops in the area including a wine shop that hosts tastings.
Several other restaurants, including a Mexican restaurant and a coffee and beer bar, are expected to open in 2014.
Transportation:
- On Marta, Kirkwood is accessible via the Edgewood-Candler Park Station or the East Lake Station.
- Several bus routes run through the area along Hosea Williams Drive and Memorial Drive.
- Hosea Williams Drive, Memorial Drive and Dekalb Avenue provide easy access to the Kirkwood area, with highway access within about a mile.
Schools:
Kirkwood is in the Toomer Elementary, Coan Middle, and Maynard Jackson High School districts, schools which residents have been working hard to improve. Residents in the 30317 zip code are also eligible for admission to Drew Charter School in the neighboring East Lake community.
By the Numbers*:
- Total Population: The estimated population of the Kirkwood area is 14,644 individuals.
- Median Income: The median household income in Marietta is approximately $34,124/year.
- Kirkwood residents enjoy a relatively low cost of living, compared to the national average.
- Crime rate in Kirkwood, as with most intown neighborhoods, are significantly higher than the national average.
Kirkwood History**:
Kirkwood traces its beginnings to residential development begun as early as the 1870s. Kirkwood was an early streetcar suburb to Atlanta. By 1910 streetcars provided express service to and from Atlanta three times daily, and street cars continued service along some streets including Kirkwood Road until the early 1950’s.
Kirkwood was incorporated as an independent municipality in 1899. Governed beginning in 1899 by its own city council and mayor, the town boasted its own water system, school systems and fire department. The former Kirkwood School is a handsome building from this period, located on Kirkwood Road just north of Bessie Branham Park. Individually nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, the primary building on the property’s south side was originally designed by John Francis Downing, the son of the noted Atlanta architect W. T. Downing. Both buildings now comprise the Kirkwood Lofts apartments as a result of a $1 million renovation in 1997.
In 1922, Kirkwood residents voted for annexation into the city of Atlanta.
Beginning in the late 1950s and continuing into the 1960s, Kirkwood experienced a transition from an almost all-white community to an almost all-black community. Up until 1965 as the racial composition of the community changed, black citizens made up an increasingly large percentage of the community’s populations. Unfortunately they were denied the opportunity to attend the white, segregated Kirkwood School; and as a result of community pressure the Atlanta School Board in 1965 abruptly integrated Kirkwood School The school board declared the previous phased-in, grade-by-grade attempt at integration a failure.
Beginning in the 1980s, the neighborhood began to witness another influx of new residents interested in renovating the neighborhood’s stock of historic housing. Still underway, this influx of the middle-class brought with it a whole host of new issues. Some of the issues dealt with gentrification and the clash of people with different social, racial, and economic histories living together in one community.
While rich in history, Kirkwood’s rise, then its fall into decline, and its recent arrival again as a neighborhood attractive to middle and upper-middle income homeowners illustrate just how economic, racial, and social forces have shaped this historic inner-city community and many others like it.
*Demographic information credited to the AJC
**History of Kirkwood credited to the Kirkwood Neighborhood Association