Reynoldstown is a historic district and intown neighborhood on the near east side 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 ...

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, located two miles from downtown. The neighborhood is

gentrifying Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ec ...

and attracting new families, empty-nesters, Atlantans opposed to long commutes; as well as diverse culture of first-time homebuyers, single professionals, artist and students due to its close proximity to other nearby intown neighborhoods, high

walkability Walkability is a term for planning concepts best understood by the mixed-use of amenities in high-density neighborhoods where people can access said amenities by foot. It is based on the idea that urban spaces should be more than just transport ...

index, urban amenities and nearby bohemian hotspots on Carroll Street in the adjoined-at-the-hip also historic Cabbagetown neighborhood and in other surrounding communities.

History and demographics

Reynoldstown is a community that was originally settled after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

by freed slaves who were employed by the railroad. Madison and Sarah Reynolds were among the first ex-slaves to move into the area, and it is believed that the neighborhood was named after them. Reynoldstown was annexed by the city of Atlanta in 1909 and celebrates its historic tie to freed slave roots and artistic expressions to empower residents with its annua
Wheelbarrow Festival
The neighborhood continued to thrive and prosper until the 1950s when the railroad industry began to decline. Reynoldstown began

in the 1990s, altering the demographic makeup of the neighborhood where today it is closer to a mix of 65% white and 35% African-American population composition. The neighborhood was listed as a Historic District on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2003.

Geography

Reynoldstown is bordered on the west by Pearl Street, across which is Cabbagetown and, south of Memorial Drive, Grant Park; on the east by Moreland Avenue and

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; on the south by I-20, across which is the

Ormewood Park Ormewood Park is a neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. History This area was the territory of the Creek Indian Nation until approximately 1825 when the Treaty of Indian Springs was signed under Governor George Troup. ...

neighborhood and an industrial area which is officially part of Grant Park; and on the north by the railroad line and

Inman Park Inman Park is an intown neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia, and its first planned suburb. It was named for Samuel M. Inman. History Today's neighborhood of Inman Park includes areas that were originally designated * Inman Park ...

. Reynoldstown lies in NPU N. It is listed on the

as a historic district. Local landmarks include the Colgate Mattress Factory,

Trees Atlanta In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are u ...

headquarters and nursery, and the former

Atlanta & West Point Railroad The Atlanta and West Point Rail Road was a railroad in the U.S. state of Georgia, forming the east portion of the Atlanta- Selma West Point Route. The company was chartered in 1847 as the Atlanta and LaGrange Rail Road and renamed in 1857; constr ...

depot, which now houses a restaurant.

Parks and trails

The

BeltLine The Atlanta BeltLine (also Beltline or Belt Line) is a open and planned loop of multi-use trail and light rail transit system on a former railway corridor around the core of Atlanta, Georgia. The Atlanta BeltLine is designed to reconnect nei ...

bisects Reynoldstown north-south. It functions as a paved walking and biking trail, and possibly for transit use (either light rail or streetcar). Just north of Reynoldstown in

adjacent the intersection of Krog St and Irwin St
The East Side Trail
part of The Beltline, is paved from here to Piedmont Park through Inman Park, Old Fourth Ward, Poncey-Highland and Virginia-Highland. The

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

railroad

Hulsey Yard Hulsey Yard is a rail yard of the CSX railroad, stretching approximately along the border of the Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park, Cabbagetown and Reynoldstown neighborhoods of Atlanta. The south wall of the rail yard along Wylie Street in Reynoldstow ...

forms the northern border of the neighborhood, a current issue is how to connect the southeast BeltLine to the Eastside Trail portion of the BeltLine across the yard. The southern wall of the yard on Wylie Street in Reynoldstown and Cabbagetown is a prominent location for street art in Atlanta. Lang-Carson Park ()City of Atlanta, Parks list
/ref> also lies within Reynoldstown.

Crime

Th

was founded by a small group of concerned Cabbagetown residents who wanted to be proactive about fighting crime in their community and was later joined by residents of Reynoldstown. CRiSP provides additional police and private security presence in Reynoldstown and Cabbagetown, helping to make the communities safer and to improve the quality of life for residents and visitors.

Transportation

Memorial Drive is the major thoroughfare passing through the south end of Reynoldstown, with mostly light industrial properties, many of which are now repurposed for residential, retail and entertainment use. Reynoldstown contains rail right-of-way that is planned for the

Beltline The Atlanta BeltLine (also Beltline or Belt Line) is a open and planned loop of multi-use trail and light rail transit system on a former railway corridor around the core of Atlanta, Georgia. The Atlanta BeltLine is designed to reconnect nei ...

. Reynoldstown is served by the Inman Park/Reynoldstown MARTA station.

References

External links

*
Reynoldstown Yahoo Group
(900+ member daily communication tool)
Facebook - Reynoldstown Neighbors, closed group with 1500+ members

Reynoldstown Nextdoor
(private community social network)
Reynoldstown News on Google News (Reynoldstown mentions on Google News)

Reynoldstown Civic Improvement League
(RCIL, neighborhood association website)

Trees Atlanta
hq'd in Reynoldstown
Atlanta Habitat for Humanity

Wonderroot

Lofts at Reynoldstown Crossing Case Study - Atlanta BeltLine

Milltown Lofts
(located in Reynoldstown) related links
Resources for Residents and Communities (RRC)
- hq'd in Reynoldstown {{Historic Districts in Metro Atlanta Neighborhoods in Atlanta Historic districts in Atlanta Colonial Revival architecture in Georgia (U.S. state) Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state) National Register of Historic Places in Atlanta