Peachtree Street is the main north-south
streetA street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
of
Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the state of Georgia, as well as the urban core of one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States....
. The
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
grew up around this one street, and many of its historical and municipal
buildingIn architecture, construction, engineering and real estate development the word building may refer to one of the following:# Any man-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy, or...
s are or were located along it. Beginning at
Five PointsFive Points is an area 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 an area of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the primary...
in
Downtown 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...
, it runs north through
MidtownMidtown Atlanta is the second largest financial district in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, situated between the commercial and financial district of Downtown to the south and the affluent residential and commercial district of Buckhead to the north...
and into south
BuckheadBuckhead is the uptown district within the city of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Comprising over 100,000 residents and approximately the northern one-fifth of the city, Buckhead is legally defined as that portion of the city of Atlanta northwest of Interstate 85 and northeast of Interstate 75.It...
before changing names to Peachtree Road and ultimately Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. In recent years the street's extension south from Five Points to the beginning of the Peachtree Bottoms at Memorial Drive, formerly named Whitehall Street, was renamed Peachtree Street as well.
Peachtree Street is the main north-south
streetA street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
of
Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the state of Georgia, as well as the urban core of one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States....
. The
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
grew up around this one street, and many of its historical and municipal
buildingIn architecture, construction, engineering and real estate development the word building may refer to one of the following:# Any man-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy, or...
s are or were located along it. Beginning at
Five PointsFive Points is an area 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 an area of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the primary...
in
Downtown 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...
, it runs north through
MidtownMidtown Atlanta is the second largest financial district in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, situated between the commercial and financial district of Downtown to the south and the affluent residential and commercial district of Buckhead to the north...
and into south
BuckheadBuckhead is the uptown district within the city of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Comprising over 100,000 residents and approximately the northern one-fifth of the city, Buckhead is legally defined as that portion of the city of Atlanta northwest of Interstate 85 and northeast of Interstate 75.It...
before changing names to Peachtree Road and ultimately Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. In recent years the street's extension south from Five Points to the beginning of the Peachtree Bottoms at Memorial Drive, formerly named Whitehall Street, was renamed Peachtree Street as well. After Memorial Drive, the street continues as Whitehall Street. The street is for Atlanta what
BroadwayBroadway, as the name implies, is a wide avenue in New York City, which runs the full length of Manhattan and continues into the Bronx. It is the oldest north-south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to the first New Amsterdam settlement. The name Broadway is the English literal translation of...
is for New York City: the proverbial and legendary heart of the city. On March 26, 2007, Atlanta mayor
Shirley FranklinThe Honorable Shirley Clarke Franklin is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and, since January 7 2002, the mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. The 58th mayor of Atlanta, she was the first female to hold the post and became the first black woman to be elected mayor of any major...
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 her Peachtree Corridor Task Force.
History
Atlanta grew up on a site occupied by the Creek people, and the "peachtree" street was, in fact, not
namedA street name or odonym is an identifying name given to a street. The street name usually forms part of the address...
for a
peachThe peach is known as a species of Prunus native to China that bears an edible juicy fruit also called a peach. It is a deciduous tree growing to 4–10 m tall, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae...
treeA 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
pitchPitch 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
pinePines are coniferous 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.-Distribution:...
tree) for solemnizing
vowA vow is a promise or oath.-Vow with God:Within the world of monks and nuns, a vow is a transaction between a person and his/her deity whereby the former undertakes in the future to render some service or gift or devotes something valuable now and here to the deity's use...
s and treaties. The "pitch tree" was
corruptedCorruption or bastardisation is a way of referring to certain changes in a language. 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 especially common with words...
to "peach tree", perhaps by
mistakeA mistake is an error.Mistake may also refer to:*Mistake , or 'Honest mistake' an excuse for non-performance of a contract*Mistake , or mistake of fact, a defense to criminal charges on the grounds of ignorance of a fact...
, or because it sounded better to English speakers. While peaches are so widely
feralA feral organism is one that has escaped from domestication and returned, partly or wholly, to a wild state. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, can disrupt ecosystems and may, in some cases, contribute to extinction of indigenous...
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 northeastern Georgia to Standing Pitch Tree along the
Chattahoochee RiverThe Chattahoochee River runs from the Chattahoochee Spring in the Appalachian Mountains of northeastern Georgia, near the Carolinas, to the southwestward to Atlanta and through its suburbs. It eventually turns to the due south to form the southern half of the Georgia/Alabama state line...
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 CountyGwinnett County is a suburban county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 15, 1818. As of the 2000 census, the population was 588,448. The 2009 Census Estimate placed the population at 800,080, the second most populous county in Georgia. It is estimated to be the 9th...
and ran along the course of the trail to the Chattahoochee. Some portions of the present road trace this route.
Similarly named streets
There are 71 streets in Atlanta with a variant of "Peachtree" in their name. Some of these include Peachtree Creek Road, Peachtree Lane, Peachtree Avenue, Peachtree Circle, Peachtree Drive, Peachtree Plaza, Peachtree Way, Peachtree Memorial Drive, New Peachtree Road, Peachtree Walk, and Peachtree Valley Road. West Peachtree Street is not the
western branch of Peachtree Street, but a major
parallel north-south street located one block west of Peachtree Street running through Midtown. Others include Peachtree Battle Avenue, commemorating the
Battle 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 Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's Union army on the defenses of Atlanta. The main armies in the conflict were the Union Army of the...
, Peachtree-Dunwoody Road running between Peachtree Street and
Dunwoody, GeorgiaDunwoody is a city located in metro Atlanta, in northern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. Formerly a census-designated place , it became incorporated as a city on December 1, 2008. As of the 2000 Census, the CDP had a total population of 32,808. A recent estimate placed the city's...
, 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.
Landmarks
Many of Atlanta's most prominent buildings and landmarks are located along Peachtree Street. In Downtown,
191 Peachtree Tower191 Peachtree Tower is the fourth tallest skyscraper in Atlanta, Georgia. Standing in at and 50 stories, it is also among the tallest 200 buildings in the world.-History:...
,
Georgia-Pacific TowerGeorgia-Pacific Tower is a 697-foot tall skyscraper in Downtown Atlanta. It contains 52 stories of office space and was finished in 1982. It has a stair-like design that staggers down to the ground, and is clad in pinkish granite....
,
Westin Peachtree PlazaThe Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel is a skyscraper and hotel in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, on Peachtree Street adjacent to the Peachtree Center complex and the former Davison's/Macy's flagship store. It is 220 meters tall, and rises 73 stories from ground level. Its diameter is 188 ft...
and
SunTrust PlazaSunTrust Plaza is a skyscraper in downtown Atlanta. It is 871 feet tall and has 60 stories of office space...
all line Peachtree. In Midtown,
Bank of America PlazaThe Bank of America Plaza is a skyscraper located in Downtown Atlanta. Standing 1,023 ft , it ranks as the 35th tallest building in the world. It is also the tallest building in North America outside of Chicago and New York City, Georgia's tallest building, and the tallest building in any U.S....
, Atlanta's tallest building, is a block south of the
Fabulous Fox TheatreThe Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia is one of the grand movie palaces built in the United States in the 1920s. It is located at the corner of Peachtree Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue in Midtown Atlanta...
, a grand
movie palaceA movie palace or picture palace is a term used to refer to the grand cinemas of the 1910s to early 1960s.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed under the label movie palace...
completed in 1929. Author
Margaret MitchellMargaret Munnerlyn Mitchell was an American author, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for her novel Gone with the Wind. The novel is one of the most popular books of all time, selling more than 30 million copies...
was killed in 1949 crossing Peachtree Street as a
pedestrianA pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates, skateboards, and similar devices are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was...
at the intersection with 13th Street. Mitchell wrote her classic
Gone with the WindGone with the Wind is a romantic drama and the only novel written by Margaret Mitchell. It is set in Jonesboro and Atlanta, Georgia during the American Civil War and Reconstruction...
in the
basement apartmentA 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 in above-ground apartments, due to a number of deficiencies common to basement...
of a boarding house at the corner of 10th Street and Peachtree Street. That house is now a
museumThe Margaret Mitchell House and Museum was the home of author Margaret Mitchell. Located Midtown Atlanta at 990 Peachtree Street, Georgia, the house was known as the Crescent Apartments when she and her husband lived in Apt. 1 on the ground floor from 1925 to 1932. While living here, she wrote the...
and is located across 10th Street from the
Federal Reserve Bank of AtlantaThe 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 StatesThe US Southeast is the eastern portion of the Southern United States, but the Census Bureau does not provide a standard definition of a "Southeast" region of the United States, and organizations that need to subdivide the US are free to define a "Southeast" region to fit their needs...
.
Office buildings
1100 Peachtree1100 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
BellSouthBellSouth 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 CenterWoodruff Arts Center is the largest arts center in the Southeast as well as one of the largest in the United States. The Woodruff is unique in that it combines four visual and performing arts divisions on one campus as one not-for-profit organization...
, including the
High Museum of ArtThe High Museum of Art is a leading art museum in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta, Georgia on Peachtree Street Northeast, the High is a division of the Woodruff Arts Center, which also includes the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Young Audiences and the 14th Street...
, Atlanta Symphony,
Alliance Theatre CompanyThe Alliance Theatre is a prestigious theatre 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...
, and the Atlanta campus of the Savannah College of Art & Design are located.
Geography
Atlantans are often convinced that the ridge followed by Peachtree Street is part of the
Eastern Continental DivideThe Eastern Divide or Eastern Continental Divide is a continental divide in the United States that separates the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of St...
. While Peachtree Street is atop a
ridge300px|thumb|right|Stratigraphic ridge found in Northeastern [[Tennessee]]A ridge is a geological feature that features a continuous elevational crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size...
, railroad tracks were built on the actual Eastern Continental Divide, which follows DeKalb Avenue from
DecaturDecatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 18,147 in the 2000 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
to
Five PointsFive Points is an area 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 an area of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the primary...
, then turns southwest toward the airport, with the north side draining into the
ChattahoocheeThe Chattahoochee River runs from the Chattahoochee Spring in the Appalachian Mountains of northeastern Georgia, near the Carolinas, to the southwestward to Atlanta and through its suburbs. It eventually turns to the due south to form the southern half of the Georgia/Alabama state line...
or
Flint RiverThe Flint River is an approximately long river, in the U.S. state of Georgia. The river drains 8,460 sq mi of western Georgia, flowing south from the upper Piedmont region south of Atlanta to the wetlands of the coastal plain in the southwestern corner of the state. Along with the Apalachicola...
s and therefore into the
Gulf of MexicoThe Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an 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...
, and the south side eventually into the
Atlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
. 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.
External links