Tucker, Georgia
Encyclopedia
Tucker is a census-designated place
in DeKalb County
, Georgia
, United States
. The population was 27,581 at the 2010 Census. Although central Tucker, also known as "Main Street Tucker", is laid out as a planned "railroad town," it has never been formally incorporated. Municipal services such as fire, police, water, and schools are provided by DeKalb County. If incorporated, Tucker would be the second largest city in the county after Dunwoody
(excluding Atlanta which is mostly in Fulton County
). An exploratory committee formed by the Tucker Civic Association researched the possibilities of incorporating Tucker as a new city in 1996 and 1997.
The community has maintained a distinctive identity, centered on its public high school, churches, and locally owned and operated businesses such as the Cofer Brothers building supply business, Matthews' Cafeteria, and the Tucker Federal savings and loan association
(although the latter institution was merged into RBC Centura
). It also has been designated with its own ZIP code
of 30084.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 12.1 square miles (31.3 km²), of which 12 square miles (31.1 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²), or 0.83%, is water.
The Eastern Continental Divide
cuts through downtown Tucker, running down Chamblee-Tucker Road and making a dog-leg onto La Vista Road before continuing south through the woods towards Mountain Industrial Boulevard. All water falling to the west of this line flows into the Chattahoochee River
and then into the Gulf of Mexico
. All water falling to the east of this line flows to the Atlantic Ocean
through the Ocmulgee River
.
. The presiding officer was a justice of the peace
, and the court heard small claims cases up until the building was moved. The courthouse building was moved to a location in front of the Tucker Recreation Center (formerly Tucker Elementary) in the late 1980s. Tucker grew as a railroad stop along the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
, which delivered freight to Cofer Brothers Building Supply and later to a DuPont paint factory, now closed. Tucker centered around businesses started or owned by Kelley Cofer and his brother Reid Cofer. The original store was a general store that later grew into a building supply and hardware store. To support the growing building supply business, the Cofer brothers bought the town bank. Today the community holds its annual Tucker Day Parade celebrating Tucker's founding. Many groups parade down Main Street, including schools, churches, police department, fire department, Shriners
, and clowns. Antique automobiles and their private collectors also participate in the parade.
In 2005, the Atlanta Regional Commission
issued Tucker a grant to develop a Livable Cities Initiative (LCI). The LCI study, published in December 2005, looked to reestablish Main Street in Tucker as a central point for the greater Tucker community. The study was to help create a more pedestrian-friendly and interconnected town center by encouraging walking and other modes of transportation to and around the commercial core. Similarly in August 2004, the Tucker Civic Association created a Neighborhood Strategic Plan to assist in the development of the neighborhood.
was 2,433 people per square mile (973.2/km²). There were 10,704 housing units at an average density of 890.9 per square mile (343.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 73.26% White, 14.03% African American, 0.50% Native American, 7.60% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.70% from other races
, and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.70% of the population. The common Ancestry of Tucker includes 12.5% English
, 10.25% Irish
, 10.0% German
, 3.1% Scottish
, and 3.85% Scotch-Irish.
There were 10,421 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $63,113, and the median income for a family was $66,549. Males had a median income of $41,784 versus $33,956 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $28,318. About 2.9% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.
.
Elementary schools:
Middle school:
High school:
DeKalb County Public Library
operates the Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
in DeKalb County
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 27,581 at the 2010 Census. Although central Tucker, also known as "Main Street Tucker", is laid out as a planned "railroad town," it has never been formally incorporated. Municipal services such as fire, police, water, and schools are provided by DeKalb County. If incorporated, Tucker would be the second largest city in the county after 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...
(excluding Atlanta which is mostly in Fulton County
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
). An exploratory committee formed by the Tucker Civic Association researched the possibilities of incorporating Tucker as a new city in 1996 and 1997.
The community has maintained a distinctive identity, centered on its public high school, churches, and locally owned and operated businesses such as the Cofer Brothers building supply business, Matthews' Cafeteria, and the Tucker Federal savings and loan association
Savings and loan association
A savings and loan association , also known as a thrift, is a financial institution that specializes in accepting savings deposits and making mortgage and other loans...
(although the latter institution was merged into RBC Centura
Royal Bank of Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada, as measured by deposits, revenues, and market capitalization. The bank serves seventeen million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Toronto,...
). It also has been designated with its own ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
of 30084.
Geography
Tucker is located at 33°51′6"N 84°13′17"W (33.851736, -84.221524), approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) northeast of downtown Atlanta.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 12.1 square miles (31.3 km²), of which 12 square miles (31.1 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²), or 0.83%, is water.
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...
cuts through downtown Tucker, running down Chamblee-Tucker Road and making a dog-leg onto La Vista Road before continuing south through the woods towards Mountain Industrial Boulevard. All water falling to the west of this line flows into 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...
and then 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...
. All water falling to the east of this line flows to 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...
through the Ocmulgee River
Ocmulgee River
The Ocmulgee River is a tributary of the Altamaha River, approximately 255 mi long, in the U.S. state of Georgia...
.
History
The community that became known as Tucker started around Brownings Courthouse. The courthouse building originally stood near the intersection of Chamblee-Tucker and La Vista roads. It was named for a leading Southern Baptist, Henry Holcombe TuckerHenry Holcombe Tucker
Henry Holcombe Tucker was the chancellor of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia from 1874 until his resignation in 1878. Note that the head of the University was referred to as chancellor instead of president from 1860 until 1932...
. The presiding officer was a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, and the court heard small claims cases up until the building was moved. The courthouse building was moved to a location in front of the Tucker Recreation Center (formerly Tucker Elementary) in the late 1980s. Tucker grew as a railroad stop along the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line...
, which delivered freight to Cofer Brothers Building Supply and later to a DuPont paint factory, now closed. Tucker centered around businesses started or owned by Kelley Cofer and his brother Reid Cofer. The original store was a general store that later grew into a building supply and hardware store. To support the growing building supply business, the Cofer brothers bought the town bank. Today the community holds its annual Tucker Day Parade celebrating Tucker's founding. Many groups parade down Main Street, including schools, churches, police department, fire department, Shriners
Shriners
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, also commonly known as Shriners and abbreviated A.A.O.N.M.S., established in 1870, is an appendant body to Freemasonry, based in the United States...
, and clowns. Antique automobiles and their private collectors also participate in the parade.
In 2005, the Atlanta Regional Commission
Atlanta Regional Commission
The Atlanta Regional Commission is the regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for the metro Atlanta, Georgia region, as defined as a 10-county area including Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties, including the city of...
issued Tucker a grant to develop a Livable Cities Initiative (LCI). The LCI study, published in December 2005, looked to reestablish Main Street in Tucker as a central point for the greater Tucker community. The study was to help create a more pedestrian-friendly and interconnected town center by encouraging walking and other modes of transportation to and around the commercial core. Similarly in August 2004, the Tucker Civic Association created a Neighborhood Strategic Plan to assist in the development of the neighborhood.
Demographics
As of 2000, there were 26,532 people, 10,421 households, and 7,200 families residing in the CDP. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,433 people per square mile (973.2/km²). There were 10,704 housing units at an average density of 890.9 per square mile (343.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 73.26% White, 14.03% African American, 0.50% Native American, 7.60% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.70% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.70% of the population. The common Ancestry of Tucker includes 12.5% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, 10.25% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, 10.0% German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, 3.1% Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
, and 3.85% Scotch-Irish.
There were 10,421 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $63,113, and the median income for a family was $66,549. Males had a median income of $41,784 versus $33,956 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $28,318. About 2.9% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.
Sports
Local sports include the Tucker Football League (Home of the Tucker Tigers), Tucker Youth Soccer Association, and the teams of Tucker High SchoolTucker High School
Tucker High School is the only public high school in Tucker, an unincorporated section of DeKalb County, Georgia, and is operated by the DeKalb County School System...
.
Primary and secondary schools
DeKalb County Public Schools operates area public schools.Elementary schools:
- Idlewood Elementary School
- Brockett Elementary School
- Livsey Elementary School
- Midvale Elementary School
Middle school:
- Tucker Middle SchoolTucker Middle SchoolTucker Middle School is the only public Middle School in Tucker, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States and is operated by the DeKalb County School System. Tucker Middle has about 1100 students, about 800 of which are African American.-Curriculum:...
High school:
- Tucker High SchoolTucker High SchoolTucker High School is the only public high school in Tucker, an unincorporated section of DeKalb County, Georgia, and is operated by the DeKalb County School System...
DeKalb County Public Library
DeKalb County Public Library
The DeKalb County Public Library is the public library system of DeKalb County, Georgia in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Its collection includes over 800,000 books; collections of over 400 magazines, academic and scientific journals, and newspapers; and audiovisual materials including videotapes,...
operates the Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library.