East Atlanta/Edgewood/Grant Park

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Your Guide to East Lake & Kirkwood: Everything You Need to Know About East Lake

East Lake neighborhood is known for its early 1900s bungalows and cottages.
Located just 4.5 miles from Downtown Atlanta is Atlanta’s East Lake neighborhood. East Lake is located on the East side of Atlanta in Dekalb County and is just about a 10 minutes’ drive to Downtown Atlanta.

East Lake is bordered by 1st Street and Kirkwood to the West, Oakhurst to the north, Candler Road and Belvedere Park to the East and Decatur

East Lake in the Past: The History Behind the Neighborhood

In the early 1900s East Lake was a popular vacation destination for affluent Atlanta families. East Lake is on part of Lt. Col. Robert Augustus Alston19th century Plantation home named Meadow Brook is an antebellum house located at 2420 Alston Drive across from the East Lake Golf Course. The home was built in 1856 and it was not destroyed by Sherman Troops during The American Civil War. It is the second oldest home in the city of Atlanta and one of only three antebellum homes within the city limits still remaining in its original location.

In 1971 the East Lake Meadows project was built on the site of the number 2 golf course. The infamous housing project had a lot of maintenance issues due to poor construction. Crime and poverty rates increased in the neighborhood causing middle income homeowners to flee the neighborhood.

A local charity led by Tom Cousins purchased East Lake in 1993. In 1994 Golf Architect Rees Jones restored famed golf designer Donald Ross original design making it what it is today.

And all the profits from East Lake Golf Club supports East Lake Foundation which in helps to support the East Lake Neighborhood education, health safety and productivity.

In 1995 developer Tom Cousins and his wife Ann formed The East Lake Foundation to help in the transition of East Lake neighborhood in an effort to revitalize the area which had begun to deteriorate.

The East Lake Foundation partnered with the city of Atlanta to redevelop the area with mixed income developments, there born The Villages of East Lake. After the demolition of the meadows the crime rate declined in the area. By the late 1990s the area attracted young city lovers who started buying homes causing a spike in the neighborhood home prices. In 2001 Publix opened the first neighborhood store in East Lake.

Today East Lake is a thriving neighborhood.

East Lake Golf Courses

East Lake Golf Club is the first golf course in Atlanta. East Lake Golf Club is a private golf club where Bobby Jones played his first game and last game. In 1904 the Atlanta Athletic Club bought property at East Lake to build a country club which would include a golf course. They hired architect Tom Bendelow to layout the course. The course first holes were built in 1906 then by 1907 the 18 holes were completed. It had its official opening on July 4, 1908.

In 1913 it was redesigned by famed Golf Architect Donald Ross which provided that each nine holes concluded at the clubhouse. In 1928 the land was purchased for a second course. In 1966 Atlanta Athletic club sold East Lake No.2 course and its other downtown property and moved to Johns Creek, its current location.

In 1993 Tom Cousins Local Charity purchased East Lake with the intention of restoring it as a tribute to Bobby Jones and some of the club’s other great players. In 1994 Rees Jones restored Donald Ross’s original golf course layout. The clubhouse was also brought back to its 1926 design.

In 1998 East Lake Golf Club was the host of The PGA Tour’s TOUR Championship. By 2005 East Lake Golf Club was named the permanent home of the PGA Tour’s TOUR Championship, the FedEx cup. In 2008 an addition was added to the Clubhouse and also several changes to the golf course, including changing the putting surfaces to Bermuda grass from Bentgrass.

Charlie Yates Golf Course – Is a public golf course located at 10 Lakeside Village Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317 in Atlanta’s East Lake neighborhood. In 1998 Rees Jones redesigned East Lake’s old No. 2 course, a nine-hole course named in honor of Charlie Yates. Charlie Yates Golf Course opened in 1998 with Tiger Woods participating in the Dedication Ceremony.

The Facilities include putting and chipping areas, driving range and a Golf Shop.

By 2001 the back nine of Charlie Yates Golf Course was completed and it opened as an 18-hole executive-length course and it hosted the U.S. Amateur Championship in 2001.
No. 2 course opened on May 31, 1930 located across the street from east lake main course.

How to Get Around: East Lake Transportation Options

The East MARTA Station is named after East Lake Blvd. Although it is mainly inKirkwood neighborhood, it also serves East Lake Village and Oakhurst. There is connecting bus service to East Lake, East Lake Golf Course, North Dekalb Mall, Kirkwood and Clifton Springs Health Center.

East Lake Schools

Drew Charter School – In 1998 Charles R. Drew Charter School applied to be Atlanta’s first Charter School after Drew Elementary Closed. The application for Charter School was approved in 1999 and Drew Charter School opened in a temporary location in 2000. By the following year in 2001 Drew Charter School opened in a new 105,000 Square Fett building serving children from grades K-6.By 2002 the School added a 7th grade and then a 8th grade by the following year. The Cox Pre-K Program in partnership with the Speech School’s Rollins Center for Language and Learning opened at Drew Charter School in 2007. The School continued to grow its programs and again in 2008, Drew Charter School opened the innovative Literacy Center to close the achievement gap for students below grade level, while helping average students to exceed grade level standards. Between 2013 and 2014 Drew Charter School opened its junior and senior Academy buildings that serves 9th and 10th grade students. The School buildings then added 11th grade in 2015 and12th grade in 2016. In 2017 Drew Charter School graduates its inaugural senior class with 100% of the students graduating and getting college acceptance.
The East Lake model was so successful thatThe Georgia Pre-K program begun to replicate Drew’s early education model in an effort to improve literacy across the state in 20 more sites.

Kirkwood in the Past: The History Behind the Neighborhood

Kirkwood is an East Atlantaneighborhood located in Dekalb County, Georgia. Surrounded by Lake Claire, East Lake, Edgewood and Oakhurst is Kirkwood with a large part of the Kirkwood neighborhood registered as a historic district.

In the early 1800s prior to the Civil War, the most affluent families in Kirkwood were Kirkpatrick, Dunwoody and Clay. The name “Kirkwood” was derived from a combination of Kirkpatrick and Dunwoody family names. James H. Kirkpatrick an Ireland native had settled in the area in 1827 and was he owner of thousands of acres of property in Land lots 111 and 112 now known as North Kirkwood and Lake Claire neighborhoods. Jesse Clay operated dairy farms on over 850 acres in SE corner of Kirkwood Neighborhood which are Land lots 206 and 207.

By 1910 transportation was available to and from downtown Atlanta via streetcars three times per day making Kirkwood a historic streetcar suburb. The streetcars continued to operate along certain streets including Kirkwood Road NE through the early 1950s.

The Kirkwood neighborhood has five historic markers each detailing major events during the Battle of Atlanta during the Civil War.

Kirkwood Residential development begun in 1870s and was then described as “area of beautiful suburban villas” today downtown Kirkwood can be described as “a small town in a big city”. In 1899 Kirkwood was incorporated as an independent municipality. Thetown has its own mayor, city council,water system, fire department, post office and school system.

Today Kirkwood is a vibrant Neighborhood with cool restaurants, wine bars, coffee shops, shops, spas and more. Its location of just five miles from Downtown Atlanta makes it attractive to investor, visitors and homeowners.

Kirkwood Neighborhood Schools
The Schools servicing the Kirkwood neighborhood are;

Fred A. Toome Elementary School
Charles Drew Charter School
Martin Luther King Jr Middle School
Maynard H. Jackson High School

Living the Life: Everyday Lifestyle Options for East Lake & Kirkwood Life

East Lake Golf Club and Charlie Yates Golf Course
Gilliam Park
Kirkwood Urban Forest and Community Garden
Coan Park
Kirkwoodwinestroll
Kirkwood spring fling
Dekalb Memorial Park
Pratt Pullman Yard
BessieBranham Park
East Lake Park features picnic areas, playground, Ball fields tennis courts.
East Lake Farmers Market & Urban Farm

East Lake and Kirkwood restaurants

Anna’ BBQ located at 1976 Hosea L. Williams DR NE, Atlanta, GA 30317
Sun in My belly -2161 College Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30317
Spice Bistro- 1860 Memorial Dr SE Ste C, Atlanta, GA 30317
Salaryman 2371 Hosea L. Williams DR NE, Atlanta, GA 30317
The Pullman- 1992 Hosea Williams Dr, Atlanta, GA 30317
Dish Dive- 2233 College Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30317
My Coffee Shop at East Lake- 2462 Memorial Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317
Le Petite Marche-
Lake & Oak-2358 Hosea L. Williams Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30317
Poor Hendrix-2371 Hosea L. Williams Dr SEblg 2, Atlanta, GA 30317
Mary Hoopa’s House of Fried Chicken & Oysters-
Wats Crackin Garlic Crab- 368 Candler Rd SE, Atlanta, GA 30317
Mix’D Up Burgers-2371 Hosea L. Williams Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30317

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East Atlanta/Edgewood/Grant Park