Peachtree Street
Encyclopedia
Peachtree Street is the main street
of Atlanta. The city
grew up around the street, and many of its historical and municipal building
s are or were located along it. Beginning at Five Points
in Downtown Atlanta
, it runs north through Midtown
and, upon entering Buckhead
, its name changes to Peachtree Road.
Peachtree Street is for Atlanta what Broadway is for the city of New York: the proverbial and legendary heart of the city. It is used annually for parade
s, including the Atlanta St. Patrick's Day Parade, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Christmas Parade
, and formerly the Salute 2 America Parade
, as well as one-time parades for the 100th anniversary
of Coca-Cola
in 1988 and the Atlanta Braves
1995 World Series
victory.
Atlanta grew up on a site occupied by the Creek people, and the "peachtree" street was, in fact, not named
for a peach
tree
of any sort, but for a large Creek settlement called Standing Pitch Tree after a tall lone tree. Reportedly, the Creek used trees with fresh pitch
(the sap of a pine
tree) for solemnizing vow
s and treaties. The "pitch tree" was corrupted
to "peach tree", perhaps by mistake, or because it sounded better to English speakers. While peaches are so widely feral
they seem native to northern Georgia and the Atlanta area, and though Georgia is the "Peach State", there was apparently no historical peach tree that led to the name.
A trail known as the Peachtree Trail stretched from northeast Georgia
to Standing Pitch Tree along the Chattahoochee River
http://www.buckhead.net/history/creek-indians/index.html. The original Peachtree Road began in 1812 at Fort Daniel located at Hog Mountain in present-day Gwinnett County
and ran along the course of the trail to the Chattahoochee. Some portions of the present road trace this route.
In 1867, the name of Whitehall Street, the original road to White Hall Tavern in todaý's West End
neighborhood, was changed to Peachtree Street from Marietta Street south to the railroad crossing (now "gulch") just north of Alabama Street. Later in the 1980s , the portion of Whitehall Street from Five Points south to Forsyth Street and Memorial Drive, a major shopping district from the Civil War through mid-20th century, was renamed Peachtree Street SE.
In 2007, Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin
unveiled a $1 billion, 20-year plan to transform Peachtree Street with streetscape upgrades, public parks, buried utilities, and the addition of a streetcar, based on a sixteen-month study by the Peachtree Corridor Partnership task force
. This would have extended the Peachtree Street name south along the remaining portion of Whitehall St. as well as Lee St. all the way to Fort McPherson
.
Others include:
Some of these streets intersect with Peachtree Street, others are extensions of it, and some are nowhere near it.
Peachtree is also seen in place names throughout Metro Atlanta.
s of the city and county for street addressing purposes..
Where the current Peachtree Street turns to Peachtree Road and briefly heads northwest, it actually crosses West Peachtree, leaving it on the east side. It is at this point that the Spring-Buford
Connector (Georgia 13) begins, taking the route of old I-85. The studios of WSB-TV
are located on this section of "West" Peachtree Street, which dead-ends at I-85. Through this section north of 17th Street in midtown, and in downtown south of North Avenue
to Peachtree Street (and continuing south then southwest on Peachtree to Luckie Street / Auburn Avenue), the MARTA
north/northeast line (red and orange/gold trains) runs directly under West Peachtree. Between the two, it runs no more than a block to the east.
with East/West Paces Ferry Road at the center of the original Buckhead Village
, these continue north onto Roswell Road, and Georgia 141 begins on Peachtree instead. South of the connector, 9 and 19 continue on two one-way streets: West Peachtree Street northbound and Spring Street southbound.
Peachtree meets Piedmont Road (Georgia 237) between Buckhead Village and Lenox Square. Besides the southwestern terminus of Georgia 13 (mentioned above) the only other major intersection in Atlanta is at North Avenue, which carries Georgia 8, U.S. 29, U.S. 78, and U.S. 278.
There are no direct highway interchanges from Peachtree to the Downtown Connector
(I-75/85), I-85, or Georgia 400 freeways, all of which it crosses. However, there is a full interchange at I-285, at which point Peachtree Industrial Boulevard
is built as an expressway
for a few miles.
Many of Atlanta's most prominent buildings and landmark
s are located along Peachtree Street. In downtown, 191 Peachtree Tower
, Georgia-Pacific Tower
, Westin Peachtree Plaza
and SunTrust Plaza
all line Peachtree. In midtown, Bank of America Plaza
, Atlanta's tallest building, is a block south of the "Fabulous" Fox Theatre
, a grand movie palace
completed in 1929.
Author Margaret Mitchell
was killed by a speeding car in 1949 while crossing Peachtree Street as a pedestrian
at the intersection with 13th Street. Mitchell wrote her classic Gone With the Wind
in the basement apartment
of a boarding house
at the corner of 10th Street and Peachtree Street. That house is now a museum
and is located across 10th Street from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
which serves the southeastern United States
. The film debuted at the Loew's Grand Theatre
, at the corner of Peachtree and Forsyth Street, where the Georgia-Pacific Building now stands.
Office buildings 1100 Peachtree
(formerly owned and occupied by BellSouth
) and 1180 Peachtree, home to major law firms, are prominent business addresses. The heart of Atlanta's arts scene is found just north on Peachtree where the Woodruff Arts Center
, including the High Museum of Art
, Atlanta Symphony, Alliance Theatre Company
, and the Atlanta campus
of the Savannah College of Art & Design are located.
Although most have been demolished, there are still several historic buildings left along Peachtree in Buckhead. Several of these are stores, in single-story
brick buildings constructed well before the annexation
of Buckhead in 1952.
Northeast of the city limit, the road goes through Brookhaven
and passes Oglethorpe University
. Upon entering Chamblee
, the road splits into Peachtree Boulevard and Peachtree Road. Peachtree Road becomes a two-lane road that travels west towards Doraville
, while Peachtree Boulevard continues north (as Georgia 141) towards Dunwoody
and Peachtree Corners
.
and Lenox Square
malls. Buckhead Atlanta (formerly "Streets of Buckhead") is a mixed-use development under construction. The "Midtown Mile
" was a concept to make part of Peachtree in Midtown like the Magnificent Mile
in Chicago. Some speciality retail is located along Peachtree in Midtown such as CB2 the home furnishings and furniture retailer.
followed by Peachtree Street is part of the Eastern Continental Divide
. While Peachtree Street is atop a ridge
, railroad tracks were built on the actual Eastern Continental Divide, which follows DeKalb Avenue from Decatur
to Five Points
, then turns southwest toward the Atlanta airport, with the northwest side draining into the Chattahoochee
or Flint River
s and therefore into the Gulf of Mexico
, and the southeast side eventually into the Atlantic Ocean
. Atlanta's primary water source is the Chattahoochee and much of the water is pumped over the watershed
. To balance the river flows, treated sewage
is pumped back to the Chattahoochee.
's epic Civil War
romance
Gone With the Wind, Scarlett O'Hara
lives on various points of Peachtree Street along the novel. Coincidentally, it is also where the author herself was struck by a speeding automobile, causing her death.
John Mayer
mentions Peachtree Street in his song "Neon".
Frank Sinatra
co-wrote a song with Jimmy Saunders called "Peachtree Street" in 1950. He recorded it as a duet with Rosemary Clooney
.
Sir Elton John keeps a home on Peachtree Road in Buckhead, for which his 2004 album Peachtree Road
was named.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
's song "Georgia Peaches" starts off with the line: "Well you can see her walkin' down on Peachtree Street".
Main Street
Main Street is the metonym for a generic street name of the primary retail street of a village, town, or small city in many parts of the world...
of Atlanta. The city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
grew up around the street, and many of its historical and municipal building
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
s are or were located along it. Beginning at Five Points
Five Points (Atlanta)
Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the primary reference for the downtown area. The name refers to the convergence of Marietta Street, Edgewood Avenue, Decatur Street, and two legs of Peachtree Street Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the...
in Downtown Atlanta
Downtown Atlanta
Downtown Atlanta is the first and largest of the three financial districts in the city of Atlanta. Downtown Atlanta is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters, city, county, state and federal government facilities, sporting facilities, and is the central tourist attraction of the city...
, it runs north through Midtown
Midtown Atlanta
Midtown is the second largest financial district in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, situated between the commercial and financial districts of Downtown and SoNo to the south and the affluent residential and commercial district of Buckhead to the north...
and, upon entering Buckhead
Buckhead (Atlanta)
Buckhead is the uptown district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, comprising approximately the northern one-fifth of the city. Buckhead is a major commercial and financial center of the Southeast, and it is the third-largest business district in Atlanta, behind Downtown and Midtown...
, its name changes to Peachtree Road.
Peachtree Street is for Atlanta what Broadway is for the city of New York: the proverbial and legendary heart of the city. It is used annually for parade
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
s, including the Atlanta St. Patrick's Day Parade, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, a not-for-profit healthcare organization, was formed in 1998 when Egleston Children’s Health Care System and Scottish Rite Children’s Medical Center merged. Both hospitals maintained their original locations, but the merger brought together Egleston’s teaching and...
Christmas Parade
Children's Christmas Parade
The Children's Christmas Parade is a major Christmas parade held to benefit Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Beginning in 1981 with Egleston Children’s Hospital , it is held on the first Saturday in December, which is also the second weekend after Thanksgiving.The Children's Christmas Parade...
, and formerly the Salute 2 America Parade
Salute 2 America Parade
The Salute 2 America Parade was an annual U.S. Independence Day parade held in Atlanta, Georgia each Fourth of July. The numeral in the name came from it being sponsored by WSB-TV 2, which produced the parade and broadcast it live each year at 1PM. For most of its run, the telecast of the parade...
, as well as one-time parades for the 100th anniversary
Anniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
of Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
in 1988 and the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
1995 World Series
1995 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 21, 1995 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta ace Greg Maddux pitched a two-hit complete game victory in his first World Series appearance ....
victory.
History
Street name
A street name or odonym is an identifying name given to a street. The street name usually forms part of the address...
for a peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
of any sort, but for a large Creek settlement called Standing Pitch Tree after a tall lone tree. Reportedly, the Creek used trees with fresh pitch
Pitch (resin)
Pitch is the name for any of a number of viscoelastic, solid polymers. Pitch can be made from petroleum products or plants. Petroleum-derived pitch is also called bitumen. Pitch produced from plants is also known as resin. Products made from plant resin are also known as rosin.Pitch was...
(the sap of a pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
tree) for solemnizing vow
Vow
A vow is a promise or oath.-Marriage vows:Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedding ceremony. Marriage customs have developed over history and keep changing as human society develops...
s and treaties. The "pitch tree" was corrupted
Corruption (grammar)
Corruption or bastardisation is a way of referring to certain changes in a language and their prescriptive evaluation. The most common way that a word can be said to be corrupted is the change of its spelling through errors and gradual changes in comprehension, transcription, and hearing. This is...
to "peach tree", perhaps by mistake, or because it sounded better to English speakers. While peaches are so widely feral
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
they seem native to northern Georgia and the Atlanta area, and though Georgia is the "Peach State", there was apparently no historical peach tree that led to the name.
A trail known as the Peachtree Trail stretched from northeast Georgia
Northeast Georgia
Northeast Georgia is a region of the Georgia in the United States. The northern part is also in the north Georgia mountains, while the southern part is still hilly but much flatter in topography....
to Standing Pitch Tree along the Chattahoochee River
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
http://www.buckhead.net/history/creek-indians/index.html. The original Peachtree Road began in 1812 at Fort Daniel located at Hog Mountain in present-day Gwinnett County
Gwinnett County, Georgia
, Gwinnett County had a population of 805,321. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 53.3% white , 23.6% black , 2.7% Korean, 2.6% Asian Indian, 2.0% Vietnamese, 3.3% other Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.8% some other race and 3.1% from two or more races...
and ran along the course of the trail to the Chattahoochee. Some portions of the present road trace this route.
In 1867, the name of Whitehall Street, the original road to White Hall Tavern in todaý's West End
West End (Atlanta)
The West End neighborhood of Atlanta is on the National Register of Historic Places and can be found southwest of Castleberry Hill, east of Westview, west of Adair Park Historic District, and just north of Oakland City...
neighborhood, was changed to Peachtree Street from Marietta Street south to the railroad crossing (now "gulch") just north of Alabama Street. Later in the 1980s , the portion of Whitehall Street from Five Points south to Forsyth Street and Memorial Drive, a major shopping district from the Civil War through mid-20th century, was renamed Peachtree Street SE.
In 2007, Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin
Shirley Franklin
Shirley Clarke Franklin is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and served as mayor of Atlanta, Georgia from 2002 to 2010...
unveiled a $1 billion, 20-year plan to transform Peachtree Street with streetscape upgrades, public parks, buried utilities, and the addition of a streetcar, based on a sixteen-month study by the Peachtree Corridor Partnership task force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
. This would have extended the Peachtree Street name south along the remaining portion of Whitehall St. as well as Lee St. all the way to Fort McPherson
Fort McPherson
Fort McPherson was a U.S. Army military base located in East Point, Georgia, on the southwest edge of the City of Atlanta, Ga. It was the headquarters for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Southeast Region; the U.S. Army Forces Command; the U.S. Army Reserve Command; the U.S...
.
Similarly named streets
It is often joked that half of the streets in Atlanta are named Peachtree, and the other half have five names to make up for it. While "Peachtree" alone always refers to this street, there are 71 streets in Atlanta with a variant of "Peachtree" in their name. Some of these include:- Peachtree CreekPeachtree CreekPeachtree Creek is a major stream in Atlanta. It flows for almost due west into the Chattahoochee River just south of Vinings. Like other "Peachtree" names in the area, the name is most likely a corruption of "pitch tree", from the area's many pines and their sticky sap.Peachtree Creek is an...
Road - Peachtree Lane
- Peachtree Avenue
- Peachtree Circle
- Peachtree Drive
- Peachtree Plaza
- Peachtree Way
- Peachtree Memorial Drive
- New Peachtree Road
- North Peachtree Road
- Peachtree Walk
- Peachtree Park Drive, and
- Peachtree Valley Road.
Others include:
- Peachtree Battle Avenue, commemorating the Battle of Peachtree CreekBattle of Peachtree CreekThe Battle of Peachtree Creek was fought in Georgia on July 20, 1864, as part of the Atlanta Campaign in the American Civil War. It was the first major attack by Lt. Gen. John B. Hood since taking command of the Confederate Army of Tennessee. The attack was against Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's...
- Peachtree Dunwoody Road, running between Peachtree Street and Dunwoody, GeorgiaDunwoody, GeorgiaDunwoody is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. Dunwoody became incorporated as a city on December 1, 2008...
, and - Old Peachtree Road, which traces part of the route of the original Peachtree Trail for which the road is named.
Some of these streets intersect with Peachtree Street, others are extensions of it, and some are nowhere near it.
Peachtree is also seen in place names throughout Metro Atlanta.
- Peachtree CenterPeachtree CenterPeachtree Center is a multi-block neighborhood located in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Most of the buildings that make up the district were designed by Atlanta architect John C. Portman, Jr.. Many of the buildings are connected by a network of enclosed pedestrian sky bridges...
is a major development of skyscraperSkyscraperA skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
s and other high-rises in downtown, with Peachtree Center Avenue running a block east of Peachtree Street. - Peachtree CityPeachtree City, GeorgiaPeachtree City is a city in Fayette County, Georgia, United States.Census estimates in 2005 indicated a population of 34,524. In 2007, the city announced a plan to formally annex an unincorporated area between Georgia State Route 74 and the border with Coweta County that is commonly referred to as...
is a planned-suburb golf community located south of the city. - Peachtree CornersPeachtree Corners, GeorgiaPeachtree Corners is a city in western Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta, located east of Dunwoody and south of Johns Creek. Out of all of Atlanta's northern suburbs, Peachtree Corners is the only one that was developed as a planned community...
is also a planned suburb located north of the city.
West Peachtree Street
West Peachtree Street is not a western branch of Peachtree Street, but a major parallel (and unlike Peachtree, almost perfectly straight) due north/south street running one block west of Peachtree Street through downtown, and mostly two or three blocks west (due to the curves in Peachtree Street) through midtown. This was the original Peachtree Street, and it still divides the northeast and northwest quadrantQuadrant
Quadrant may refer to:* A sector equal to one quarter of a circle, or half a semicircle, see Circular sector* The sectors of a two-dimensional cartesian coordinate system, see Cartesian coordinate system#Quadrants and octants...
s of the city and county for street addressing purposes..
Where the current Peachtree Street turns to Peachtree Road and briefly heads northwest, it actually crosses West Peachtree, leaving it on the east side. It is at this point that the Spring-Buford
Buford Highway
Buford Highway is an international community along and on either side of a stretch of Georgia State Route 13 in DeKalb County, Georgia. It begins just north of Midtown Atlanta, continues northeast through the towns of Brookhaven, Chamblee, and Doraville, and ends northeast of the Perimeter at the...
Connector (Georgia 13) begins, taking the route of old I-85. The studios of WSB-TV
WSB-TV
WSB-TV, virtual channel 2.1 , is the ABC affiliate in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship television station of Cox Enterprises and its Cox Media Group subsidiary...
are located on this section of "West" Peachtree Street, which dead-ends at I-85. Through this section north of 17th Street in midtown, and in downtown south of North Avenue
North Avenue (Atlanta)
North Avenue in Atlanta is a major avenue in Atlanta that divides Downtown Atlanta from Midtown Atlanta. North Avenue stretches continuously in Atlanta from Candler Park in the east, across Interstate 75 & Interstate 85, along the southern boundary of the Georgia Institute of Technology, to Joseph E...
to Peachtree Street (and continuing south then southwest on Peachtree to Luckie Street / Auburn Avenue), the MARTA
Marta
Marta may refer to:* Marta or Marta Vieira da Silva , a Brazilian women's football forward* Marta Estrella, a recurring fictional character from Arrested Development...
north/northeast line (red and orange/gold trains) runs directly under West Peachtree. Between the two, it runs no more than a block to the east.
Route numbers
From the Spring-Buford Connector north to Roswell Road, Peachtree Street and Peachtree Road carry U.S. 19 and Georgia 9. At a five-way intersectionIntersection (road)
An intersection is a road junction where two or more roads either meet or cross at grade . An intersection may be 3-way - a T junction or fork, 4-way - a crossroads, or 5-way or more...
with East/West Paces Ferry Road at the center of the original Buckhead Village
Buckhead Village
Buckhead Village is a neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, one of 42 neighborhoods in the larger Buckhead district and the community's historic business district. The Village as defined by the city as the area between Piedmont Road, Peachtree Road and Pharr Road....
, these continue north onto Roswell Road, and Georgia 141 begins on Peachtree instead. South of the connector, 9 and 19 continue on two one-way streets: West Peachtree Street northbound and Spring Street southbound.
Peachtree meets Piedmont Road (Georgia 237) between Buckhead Village and Lenox Square. Besides the southwestern terminus of Georgia 13 (mentioned above) the only other major intersection in Atlanta is at North Avenue, which carries Georgia 8, U.S. 29, U.S. 78, and U.S. 278.
There are no direct highway interchanges from Peachtree to the Downtown Connector
Downtown Connector
In Atlanta, Georgia, the Downtown Connector or 75/85 is the concurrent section of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 through the core of the city. Beginning at the I-85/Langford Parkway interchange, the Downtown Connector runs generally due north, meeting the east-west Interstate 20 in the middle....
(I-75/85), I-85, or Georgia 400 freeways, all of which it crosses. However, there is a full interchange at I-285, at which point Peachtree Industrial Boulevard
Peachtree Industrial Boulevard
Peachtree Industrial Boulevard is a very long road that runs from Peachtree Street just south of Chamblee, and ends in Buford.-DeKalb County:-Gwinnett County:-See also:*Georgia State Route 141...
is built as an expressway
Limited-access road
A limited-access road known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway and expressway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which has many or most characteristics of a controlled-access highway , including limited or no access to adjacent...
for a few miles.
Landmarks
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
s are located along Peachtree Street. In downtown, 191 Peachtree Tower
191 Peachtree Tower
One Ninety One Peachtree Tower is a 50-story skyscraper in Atlanta, Georgia. Designed by Johnson/Burgee Architects and Kendall/Heaton Associates Inc, the building was completed in 1990 and is the fourth tallest in the city, winning the BOMA Building of the Year Awards the next year, repeating in...
, Georgia-Pacific Tower
Georgia-Pacific Tower
Georgia-Pacific Tower is a skyscraper in downtown Atlanta. It contains 52 stories of office space and was finished in 1982. Before the six year era of tall skyscrapers to be built in Atlanta, it was Atlanta's second tallest building from 1982 to 1987, and during that time period, the Westin...
, Westin Peachtree Plaza
Westin Peachtree Plaza
The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta is a skyscraper hotel in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, on Peachtree Street adjacent to the Peachtree Center complex and the former Davison's/Macy's flagship store...
and SunTrust Plaza
SunTrust Plaza
SunTrust Plaza is a 60-story skyscraper in downtown Atlanta. Built as part of the Peachtree Center complex, construction was finished in 1992, and has been the second-tallest building in Atlanta since then. When completed, it was the 28th tallest building in the world, and 21st tallest building...
all line Peachtree. In midtown, Bank of America Plaza
Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta)
Bank of America Plaza is a skyscraper located in the SoNo district of Atlanta, Georgia. At the tower is the 53rd-tallest building in the world. When it first opened, it was the 9th tallest building in the world, and 6th tallest building in the United States...
, Atlanta's tallest building, is a block south of the "Fabulous" Fox Theatre
Fox Theatre (Atlanta)
The Fox Theatre , a former movie palace, is a performing arts venue located at 660 Peachtree Street NE in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, and is the centerpiece of the Fox Theatre Historic District....
, a grand movie palace
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
completed in 1929.
Author Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell was an American author and journalist. Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937 for her epic American Civil War era novel, Gone with the Wind, which was the only novel by Mitchell published during her lifetime.-Family:Margaret Mitchell was born in Atlanta,...
was killed by a speeding car in 1949 while crossing Peachtree Street as a pedestrian
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
at the intersection with 13th Street. Mitchell wrote her classic Gone With the Wind
Gone with the Wind
The slaves depicted in Gone with the Wind are primarily loyal house servants, such as Mammy, Pork and Uncle Peter, and these slaves stay on with their masters even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 sets them free...
in the basement apartment
Basement apartment
A basement apartment is an apartment located below street level, underneath another structure—usually an apartment building, but possibly a house or a business. Rent in basement apartments is usually much lower than it is in above-ground units, due to a number of deficiencies common to basement...
of a boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
at the corner of 10th Street and Peachtree Street. That house is now a museum
Margaret Mitchell House & Museum
The Margaret Mitchell House is a historic house museum located in Atlanta. The structure was the home of author Margaret Mitchell. Located in Midtown, at 990 Peachtree Street, the house was known as the Crescent Apartments when Mitchell and her husband lived in Apt. 1 on the ground floor from 1925...
and is located across 10th Street from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is responsible for the sixth district, which covers the states of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, 74 counties in the eastern two-thirds of...
which serves the southeastern United States
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
. The film debuted at the Loew's Grand Theatre
Loew's Grand Theatre
Loew's Grand Theater, originally DeGive's Grand Opera House, was a movie theater at the corner of Peachtree and Forsyth Streets in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, at the corner of Peachtree and Forsyth Street, where the Georgia-Pacific Building now stands.
Office buildings 1100 Peachtree
1100 Peachtree
1100 Peachtree Street is one of the prominent buildings of Midtown Atlanta, Georgia.-Ownership and usage:The 28-story, building is currently owned by Atlanta-based property management company Carter Associates and the San Antonio-based USAA Real Estate Co. It was previously partly owned and...
(formerly owned and occupied by BellSouth
BellSouth
BellSouth Corporation is an American telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies after the U.S...
) and 1180 Peachtree, home to major law firms, are prominent business addresses. The heart of Atlanta's arts scene is found just north on Peachtree where the Woodruff Arts Center
Woodruff Arts Center
Woodruff Arts Center is a major visual and performing arts center located in Atlanta. The center houses four arts divisions in one campus and not-for-profit organization...
, including the High Museum of Art
High Museum of Art
The High Museum of Art , located in Atlanta, is the leading art museum in the Southeastern United States and one of the most-visited art museums in the world. Located on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district, the High is a division of the Woodruff Arts Center.-History:The Museum was...
, Atlanta Symphony, Alliance Theatre Company
Alliance Theatre Company
The Alliance Theatre is a theater company in Atlanta, Georgia based at the Alliance Theatre, part of the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center and is the winner of the 2007 Regional Theatre Tony Award. The company, originally the Atlanta Municipal Theatre, staged its first production at the Alliance in...
, and the Atlanta campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
of the Savannah College of Art & Design are located.
Although most have been demolished, there are still several historic buildings left along Peachtree in Buckhead. Several of these are stores, in single-story
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
brick buildings constructed well before the annexation
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...
of Buckhead in 1952.
Northeast of the city limit, the road goes through Brookhaven
Brookhaven, Georgia
Brookhaven is an unincorporated community located on the western edge of DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, directly northeast of Atlanta. Most of the area was formerly incorporated as the city of North Atlanta, which disincorporated during the 1960s...
and passes Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University is a private liberal arts college in Brookhaven, Georgia, an inner suburb of Atlanta. It was chartered in 1835 and named after James Edward Oglethorpe, the state's founder.-History:...
. Upon entering Chamblee
Chamblee, Georgia
As of the 2010 Census Chamblee had a population of 9,892. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 45.0% white , 7.0% black or African American , 2.1% Native American , 1.8% Vietnamese, 1.6% Asian Indian, 4.6% other Asian, 33.5% from some other race and...
, the road splits into Peachtree Boulevard and Peachtree Road. Peachtree Road becomes a two-lane road that travels west towards Doraville
Doraville, Georgia
Doraville is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 8,330.-History:Doraville was incorporated by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, approved December 15, 1871...
, while Peachtree Boulevard continues north (as Georgia 141) towards Dunwoody
Dunwoody, Georgia
Dunwoody is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. Dunwoody became incorporated as a city on December 1, 2008...
and Peachtree Corners
Peachtree Corners, Georgia
Peachtree Corners is a city in western Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta, located east of Dunwoody and south of Johns Creek. Out of all of Atlanta's northern suburbs, Peachtree Corners is the only one that was developed as a planned community...
.
Retail
The Buckhead shopping district features many high-end retailers, concentrated in the Phipps PlazaPhipps Plaza
Phipps Plaza, owned by Simon Property Group, is an upscale regional mall in Atlanta, Georgia anchored by Belk, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. Located adjacent to its sister-mall Lenox Square, in the Buckhead district, Phipps has more than 100 specialty shops, five full-service restaurants, a food...
and Lenox Square
Lenox Square
Lenox Square is an upscale enclosed super regional shopping mall located in the Buckhead District of Atlanta, Georgia. Lenox Square comprises more than of retail space, with 250 stores on four levels, including a large food court. The mall is home to three anchor stores: Macy's, Bloomingdale's,...
malls. Buckhead Atlanta (formerly "Streets of Buckhead") is a mixed-use development under construction. The "Midtown Mile
Midtown Mile
The Midtown Mile is a section of Peachtree Street NE in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, between North Avenue NE and 15th Street NE. Located across the Downtown Connector from Downtown Atlanta, the Midtown Mile is one of the major thoroughfares of central Atlanta in terms of retail and rapid residential...
" was a concept to make part of Peachtree in Midtown like the Magnificent Mile
Magnificent Mile
The Magnificent Mile, sometimes referred to as The Mag Mile, is a neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, that runs along a portion of Michigan Avenue extending from the Chicago River to Oak Street in the Near North Side community area. The district is located adjacent to downtown; it is also one block...
in Chicago. Some speciality retail is located along Peachtree in Midtown such as CB2 the home furnishings and furniture retailer.
Geography
Atlantans are often convinced that the ridgeRidge
A ridge is a geological feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size. There are several main types of ridges:...
followed by Peachtree Street is part of the Eastern Continental Divide
Eastern Continental Divide
The Eastern Continental Divide, in conjunction with other continental divides of North America, demarcates two watersheds of the Atlantic Ocean: the Gulf of Mexico watershed and the Atlantic Seaboard watershed. Prior to 1760, the divide represented the boundary between British and French colonial...
. While Peachtree Street is atop a ridge
Ridge
A ridge is a geological feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size. There are several main types of ridges:...
, railroad tracks were built on the actual Eastern Continental Divide, which follows DeKalb Avenue from Decatur
Decatur, Georgia
Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
to Five Points
Five Points (Atlanta)
Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the primary reference for the downtown area. The name refers to the convergence of Marietta Street, Edgewood Avenue, Decatur Street, and two legs of Peachtree Street Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the...
, then turns southwest toward the Atlanta airport, with the northwest side draining into the Chattahoochee
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
or Flint River
Flint River (Georgia)
The Flint River is a river in the U.S. state of Georgia. The river drains of western Georgia, flowing south from the upper Piedmont region south of Atlanta to the wetlands of the Gulf Coastal Plain in the southwestern corner of the state. Along with the Apalachicola and the Chattahoochee rivers,...
s and therefore into the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, and the southeast side eventually into the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Atlanta's primary water source is the Chattahoochee and much of the water is pumped over the watershed
Interbasin transfer
Interbasin transfer or transbasin diversion are terms used to describe man-made conveyance schemes which move water from one river basin where it is available, to another basin where water is less available or could be utilized better for human development...
. To balance the river flows, treated sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
is pumped back to the Chattahoochee.
In popular culture
In Margaret MitchellMargaret Mitchell
Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell was an American author and journalist. Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937 for her epic American Civil War era novel, Gone with the Wind, which was the only novel by Mitchell published during her lifetime.-Family:Margaret Mitchell was born in Atlanta,...
's epic Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
romance
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
Gone With the Wind, Scarlett O'Hara
Scarlett O'Hara
Scarlett O' Hara is the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and in the later film of the same name...
lives on various points of Peachtree Street along the novel. Coincidentally, it is also where the author herself was struck by a speeding automobile, causing her death.
John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
mentions Peachtree Street in his song "Neon".
Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
co-wrote a song with Jimmy Saunders called "Peachtree Street" in 1950. He recorded it as a duet with Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian , which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 –...
.
Sir Elton John keeps a home on Peachtree Road in Buckhead, for which his 2004 album Peachtree Road
Peachtree Road (album)
Peachtree Road is the twenty-eighth studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 2004. It was named after Peachtree Road, the northern part of Peachtree Street in Atlanta, where one of the singer's four homes is located. This is the only album during his long career on which...
was named.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
's song "Georgia Peaches" starts off with the line: "Well you can see her walkin' down on Peachtree Street".
See also
- Downtown AtlantaDowntown AtlantaDowntown Atlanta is the first and largest of the three financial districts in the city of Atlanta. Downtown Atlanta is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters, city, county, state and federal government facilities, sporting facilities, and is the central tourist attraction of the city...
- Midtown AtlantaMidtown AtlantaMidtown is the second largest financial district in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, situated between the commercial and financial districts of Downtown and SoNo to the south and the affluent residential and commercial district of Buckhead to the north...
- Buckhead (Atlanta)Buckhead (Atlanta)Buckhead is the uptown district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, comprising approximately the northern one-fifth of the city. Buckhead is a major commercial and financial center of the Southeast, and it is the third-largest business district in Atlanta, behind Downtown and Midtown...
- Brookwood HillsBrookwood HillsBrookwood Hills is an historic neighborhood located in intown Atlanta, Georgia, USA, north of Midtown and south-southwest of Buckhead. Home to about 1000 people, it was founded in the early 1920s by Benjamin Franklin Burdett and his son, Arthur...
- Atlanta Streetcar