Mountain View (also known as Rough and Ready) is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in northwest

Clayton County Clayton County is the name of two counties in the United States: * Clayton County, Georgia in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area * Clayton County, Iowa It was also the former name of Clay County, Arkansas Clay County is a county located in the U.S. ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, United States. The community is bounded on the east and south by Forest Park, on the north by the

Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat: *Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton *Fulton County, Georgia *F ...

line, and on the west by the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

History

Mountain View was originally named Rough and Ready for the Rough and Ready Tavern or Bagley House, a stagecoach stop on the line from Macon to upper Georgia. It was later the site of the first railroad station south of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

on the

Macon and Western Railroad The Macon and Western Railroad was an American railway company that operated in Georgia in the middle of the 19th century. Originally chartered as the Monroe Railroad and Banking Company in December 1833, it was not until 1838 that it opened for bus ...

, 13 miles from the terminus at

East Point East Point is the name of several places: In Australia * East Point, Northern Territory ** East Point Military museum located in East Point, Northern Territory In Canada *East Point, Prince Edward Island In Hong Kong: *East Point, Hong Kong In ...

American Civil War

The Rough and Ready Tavern served as a temporary headquarters for

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

Lieutenant-General William J. Hardee during the Atlanta Campaign (1864).

Twentieth Century

Its name was changed when it was incorporated as a city in 1956. The name "Mountain View" refers to the fact that, on a clear day, one can see

Stone Mountain Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome Inselberg, monadnock and the site of Stone Mountain Park, east of Atlanta, Georgia. Outside the park is the small city of Stone Mountain, Georgia. The park is the most visited tourist site in the state o ...

20 miles to the east. The slogan, "Gateway to Clayton County," was featured on the city seal. Mountain View was a city from 1956 to January 1978, when the Georgia General Assembly voted to repeal the

city charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document ('' charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally the granting of a charte ...

. A five-member delegation of Clayton County legislators proposed a bill to abolish the city in order to clean up corruption in the city government. During his four terms in office (1972-1977)

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Ray King, though popular with his constituents, was charged with bribery, nepotism, conspiracy, assault, and violating the city charter by accepting an illegal salary. Rather than reform the city leadership, Clayton County sought to dissolve Mountain View entirely. State Representative Rudolph Johnson of

Morrow Morrow is a word meaning "the next day" in literary English. It also means "morning" in archaic English Morrow may also refer to: Places in the United States and Canada United States * Morrow, Arkansas *Morrow, Georgia * Morrow, Louisiana *Morr ...

, chair of the delegation said, "They've had controversy out there for 20 years. It's an accumulation of things, really." In 1972, (then)

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

suspended Mountain View's police powers for several months during an investigation into an alleged speed trap on

I-75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...

. Though no wrongdoing was confirmed, the allegations contributed to Mountain View's bad publicity. Along with the city's controversial 24-hour sales of beer and wine in an otherwise dry county, its reputation for public drunkenness and fighting, and a notorious mayor, the legislative delegation determined the city to be a "blight on Clayton County." However, long before Mountain View was formally dissolved, the City of Atlanta Department of Aviation actively acquired properties and assisted in relocation of the residential population due to noise impacts from the nearby runways. In 1978, sound expert Dr. Clifford Bragdon called Mountain View the "most noise-impacted city in the U.S. or Europe." Despite the constant roar of jet engines, many residents did not want to leave and some homes were taken by

eminent domain Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...

. Past population estimates were between 2,100 and 3,000 persons. The current population is unknown, but many of Mountain View's original businesses remain.

Economy

Plans are on the drawing board for economic redevelopment the community, but the plans call for no residential population due to the noise from the takeoffs and landings at the Airport.

In popular culture

* Mitchell, Margaret. ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

''. This novel mentions Rough and Ready. The people of Atlanta were evacuated to Rough and Ready on the

for further transport south.

References

External links

Mountain View Historical Tours
at Stumptown, GA (stumptown.typepad.com)
Rough and Ready
at The Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org)
Rough and Ready Tavern
at The Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mountain View, Georgia 1956 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) 1978 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state) American Civil War sites in Georgia (U.S. state) Former municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state) Populated places established in 1956 Populated places disestablished in 1978 Unincorporated communities in the Atlanta metropolitan area Unincorporated communities in Clayton County, Georgia Unincorporated communities in Georgia (U.S. state)