DeKalb County (, , ) is located in the north central portion of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. As of the
2020 census, the population was 764,382,
making it Georgia's fourth-most populous county. Its
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is
Decatur.
DeKalb County is included in the
Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan area. It contains roughly 10% of the city of
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
(the other 90% lies in
Fulton County).
Stonecrest is the largest city that is entirely within the county. DeKalb is primarily a suburban county.
In recent years, some communities in North DeKalb have incorporated, following a trend in other suburban areas around Metro Atlanta.
Stonecrest,
Dunwoody and
Brookhaven are now the largest cities that are entirely contained within the county.
History
The area of DeKalb county was acquired by the state of Georgia as a result of the 1821
Treaty of Indian Springs with a faction of the
Muscogee
The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands Here they waged war again ...
(Creek). DeKalb County, formed in 1822 from
Henry,
Gwinnett and
Fayette counties, took its name from Baron
Johann de Kalb (1721–1780), a
Bavarian-born former officer in the French Army, who fought for the
Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...
in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. The oldest existing house in the county is the 1831
Goodwin House along
Peachtree Road in
Brookhaven. Much of the area was forested; a section of
old-growth forest
An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Natio ...
is preserved at
Fernbank Forest.
In 1853, Fulton County formed from the western half of DeKalb, divided along a perfectly straight and due north–south line down the middle (along which Moreland Avenue now runs). Until this time, the growing city of Atlanta had been inside DeKalb. Atlanta grew because the city of Decatur did not want to become the
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
terminus in the 1830s, thus a spot at the Thrasherville encampment in western DeKalb was picked to become Terminus and then Marthasville, before becoming Atlanta a few years after its founding. North and southwest Fulton came from two other counties:
Milton and southeast
Campbell, respectively. DeKalb once extended slightly further north to the
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...
, but this strip was later given to Milton, and is now the
panhandle of Sandy Springs.
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, much of the
Battle of Atlanta
The Battle of Atlanta took place during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply hub of Atlanta, Union forces ...
took place in DeKalb.
Until the 1960s, DeKalb was a mainly
agricultural
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...
county, but as the
sprawl of the metropolitan Atlanta region expanded, DeKalb became increasingly
urbanized. Finished in 1969, the eastern half of the
Interstate 285 beltway
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...
, called "the Perimeter", ringed the northeastern and southern edges of the county, placing most of it "inside the Perimeter" along with nearly all of Atlanta.
Interstate 675 and
Georgia 400 were originally planned to connect inside the Perimeter, along with the Stone Mountain Freeway (
U.S. Highway 78) connecting with the
Downtown Connector
In Downtown Atlanta, the Downtown Connector or 75/85 (pronounced "seventy-five eighty-five") is the concurrent section of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 through the core of the city. Beginning at the I-85/ Langford Parkway interchang ...
(a co-signment of I-75/I-85) near Moreland Avenue, destroying many neighborhoods in western DeKalb, but community opposition in the early 1970s spared them this fate of
urbanization
Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from Rural area, rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. ...
, although part of the proposed Stone Mountain Tollway later became the
Freedom Parkway. Only
Interstate 20 and
Interstate 85 were successfully built through the county. DeKalb also became one of only two counties to approve
MARTA rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...
in the 1970s; the county now contains the east and northeast heavy rail lines.
In April 2018, more than 350 bus drivers for
DeKalb County School District
The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) is a school district headquartered at 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, near Stone Mountain and in the Atlanta metropolitan area. DCSD operates ...
went on
strike
Strike may refer to:
People
*Strike (surname)
* Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
* Airstrike, ...
over low pay and poor working conditions, resulting in seven bus drivers being fired.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.3%) is water.
The county is located within the upper
Piedmont
Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
region of the state.
The county is crossed by the
South River and numerous creeks, including
Nancy Creek, Snapfinger Creek and two forks of
Peachtree Creek. Peachtree Creek and Nancy Creek drain into the
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...
and eventually to the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
. South River drains into the
Ocmulgee River
The Ocmulgee River () is a western tributary of the Altamaha River, approximately 255 mi (410 km) long, in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the westernmost major tributary of the Altamaha.[Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...]
.
In 2021, the non-profit American Rivers named DeKalb's
South River the fourth-most endangered river in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, citing "the egregious threat that ongoing sewage pollution poses to clean water and public health."
The southern two-thirds of DeKalb County, in a line from
Druid Hills northeast to
Tucker, is located in the Upper
Ocmulgee River
The Ocmulgee River () is a western tributary of the Altamaha River, approximately 255 mi (410 km) long, in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the westernmost major tributary of the Altamaha.[Altamaha River
The Altamaha River is a major river in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It flows generally eastward for from its Source (river or stream), origin at the confluence of the Oconee River and Ocmulgee River towards the Atlantic Oce ...]
basin, while the portion of the county north of that line is located in the Upper
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...
sub-basin of the
ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin).
Stone Mountain lies near the eastern border of the county.
Soapstone Ridge, parallel to the southern border, was heavily quarried between 1400 and 100
BC and objects made from the soapstone have been found as far away as the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
.
Adjacent counties
*
Gwinnett County – North/Northeast
*
Rockdale County – east
*
Henry County – south
*
Clayton County – southwest
*
Fulton County – west
Communities
Cities
*
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
(mostly in
Fulton County)
*
Avondale Estates
*
Brookhaven
*
Chamblee
*
Clarkston
*
Decatur
*
Doraville
*
Dunwoody
*
Lithonia
*
Pine Lake
*
Stonecrest
*
Stone Mountain
*
Tucker
Census-designated places
*
Belvedere Park
*
Candler-McAfee
*
Druid Hills
*
Gresham Park
*
North Decatur
*
North Druid Hills (also known as Briarcliff or Toco Hills)
*
Panthersville
*
Redan
*
Scottdale
Unincorporated communities
*
Buford Highway
*
Collinsville
*
Conley (partly)
*
Ellenwood
*
Embry Hills
*
Flair Forest
*
Lenox Park Lenox Park may refer to:
Georgia
* Lenox Park (Atlanta), historic neighborhood now part of the Morningside-Lenox Park neighborhood
* Lenox Park (DeKalb County, Georgia), a neighborhood and business park near/in the Brookhaven, Georgia, Brookhaven a ...
(neighborhood in Brookhaven)
*
Northlake
*
Pittsburg
*
Smoke Rise
*
Snapfinger
Ghost town
*
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
Demographics
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 764,382 people, 289,829 households, and 157,737 families residing in the county. It is the 86th most populous county in the United States. This is up from a 2000 population of 665,865. Although Fulton County is more populous, DeKalb has the highest population density of any county in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $51,349 and the median income for a family was $60,718. Males had a median income of $43,663 versus $40,288 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,412. About 12.4% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Major employers in DeKalb County include:
* AT&T Mobility, headquartered in the
Lenox Park Lenox Park may refer to:
Georgia
* Lenox Park (Atlanta), historic neighborhood now part of the Morningside-Lenox Park neighborhood
* Lenox Park (DeKalb County, Georgia), a neighborhood and business park near/in the Brookhaven, Georgia, Brookhaven a ...
neighborhood of
Brookhaven
*
Emory Healthcare, located off of Clifton Road
*
Emory University
Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...
, located off of Clifton Road
*
Kroger
The Kroger Company, or simply Kroger, is an American retail company that operates (either directly or through its subsidiaries) supermarkets and multi-department stores throughout the United States.
Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cinc ...
, which operates its Atlanta-area offices at 2175 Parklake Drive NE in
Northlake
*
DeKalb County School District
The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) is a school district headquartered at 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, near Stone Mountain and in the Atlanta metropolitan area. DCSD operates ...
, headquartered in
Stone Mountain
Culture
Visitor attractions
*
Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve
*
Stone Mountain Park
*
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
*
Fernbank Science Center
*
Michael C. Carlos Museum
The Michael C. Carlos Museum is an art museum located in Atlanta on the historic quadrangle of Emory University's main campus. The Carlos Museum has the largest ancient art collections in the Southeast, including objects from ancient Egypt, Greece ...
*
Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
*
*
DeKalb History Center
DeKalb County 9/11 Memorial
The DeKalb County
9/11 Memorial was dedicated on September 11, 2011.
U.S. Marine
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
and sculptor Curtis James Miller designed a memorial that is located in front of the Dekalb County Fire and Police Headquarters. The memorial pays homage to the 343
New York Firefighters, 60
New York Police Department
The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...
and
Port Authority Police Officers, and the more than 2800 civilian victims of the terrorist attacks in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
,
Washington D.C., and
Shanksville, Pennsylvania
Shanksville is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. It has a population of 199 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census. It is part of the Somerset, Pennsylvania Micropolitan Statistical ...
on September 11, 2001.
A piece of steel from one of the
World Trade Center Towers in New York City is the centerpiece of this monument.
Education
Primary and secondary education
Public schools
The portion of DeKalb County not within the city of Atlanta or the city of Decatur is served by
DeKalb County School District
The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) is a school district headquartered at 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, near Stone Mountain and in the Atlanta metropolitan area. DCSD operates ...
(formerly DeKalb County School System). The Atlanta portion is served by
Atlanta Public Schools (APS). The Decatur portion is served by
Decatur City School District.
In 2020 this was the case, except that the
Emory University
Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...
/
Centers for Disease Control
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is headquartered in Atlanta, ...
area at the time was still in DeKalb County schools. In 2018 the City of Atlanta had annexed the region,
but initially it was still covered by DeKalb County schools. There were plans to move the area into APS, and this was scheduled for 2024.
Private schools
Private schools in DeKalb County include:
*
Atlanta Jewish Academy Upper School (former
Yeshiva Atlanta) in
Doraville
*
Benjamin Franklin Academy (unincorporated area)
* Howard Scholars Academy (Decatur)
*
Marist School (Brookhaven)
*
Mohammed Schools (unincorporated area)
*
Paideia School (Atlanta)
*
Saint Thomas More Catholic Elementary & Middle School (Decatur)
*
St. Pius X Catholic High School (Chamblee)
*
Friends School of Atlanta (Decatur)
*
Waldorf School of Atlanta (Decatur)
*
Academe of the Oaks (Decatur)
From its opening in 1990 until 2003, the
Seigakuin Atlanta International School
was an international school, international, private school, private, Christian school, Christian elementary school located in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, Peachtree Corners, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, northeast of Atlanta, It i ...
was located on the property of
Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brookhaven, Georgia, United States. It was chartered in 1835 and named in honor of General James Edward Oglethorpe, founder ...
in
Brookhaven, then an unincorporated area called North Atlanta.
Higher education
Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott College is a Private university, private Women's Colleges in the Southern United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Decatur, Georgia. The college enrolls approximately 1,000 undergra ...
is a private, all female, undergraduate
liberal arts
Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...
college in Decatur.
Emory University
Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...
is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university. It is a member of the
Association of American Universities
The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of predominantly American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. Founded in 1900, it consists of 69 public and private ...
, an association of leading research universities in the US and Canada. The university consists of the following divisions: Emory College of Arts and Science, the Laney Graduate School,
Candler School of Theology,
Goizueta Business School
Emory University's Goizueta Business School (also known as ''Goizueta Business School'', ''Emory Business School'', or simply ''Goizueta'' – pronounced ''goy-swet-ah'') is a private business school of Emory University located in Atlanta, Georgia ...
,
Emory University School of Law
Emory University School of Law is the law school of Emory University, a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded in 1916 and was the first law school in Georgia to be granted membership in the American Association of Law ...
,
Rollins School of Public Health, and the
Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing is the nursing school of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The school awards the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Master of Nursing (MN), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Pr ...
.
Mercer University
Mercer University is a Private university, private Research university, research university in Macon, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the s ...
is a private, coeducational, faith-based university with a
Baptist
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
heritage. Its main campus is in
Macon. The
Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus is in DeKalb County; it houses the College of Nursing, the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology along with programs of the Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, the School of Medicine, and the Tift College of Education.
Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brookhaven, Georgia, United States. It was chartered in 1835 and named in honor of General James Edward Oglethorpe, founder ...
is a private, coeducational, liberal arts school in Brookhaven and is named after
James Oglethorpe
Lieutenant-General James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British Army officer, Tory politician and colonial administrator best known for founding the Province of Georgia in British North America. As a social refo ...
, founder of the
Georgia Colony.
Perimeter College at Georgia State University (formerly Georgia Perimeter College) has three campuses within DeKalb County and offers two-year associate degrees.
Georgia Military College
Georgia Military College (GMC) is a Public college, public military junior college in Milledgeville, Georgia. It is divided into the junior college, a military junior college program, high school, middle school, and elementary school. It was ori ...
(GMC) has a satellite campus in Stone Mountain Village.
Georgia Piedmont Technical College
Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GPTC) is a public community college based in Clarkston, Georgia. It is part of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and provides education for a three-county service area, mostly in the metro Atlanta ...
(formerly DeKalb Technical College) is the largest vocational institution in
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. Georgia Piedmont Technical College trains students in business, engineering, technologies, health, human services, industrial arts, information systems, and transportation.
DeVry University offers bachelor's and master's degrees in healthcare, accounting, business, and management technology.
Columbia Theological Seminary is a theological institution of the
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PCUSA, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in the Religion in the United States, United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States too. Its th ...
in Decatur. More than 640 students are enrolled at Columbia in one of five degree programs: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Theological Studies, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Theology.
Luther Rice College and Seminary is a private Christian college and seminary in Lithonia. It offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs in ministry and ministry-related programs.
Public libraries
The
DeKalb County Public Library has 22 branches throughout the county.
Crime
In 2022, DeKalb County had the second highest crime rate in Georgia. The county saw 40.3 crimes per 1,000 residents. The county also had the second highest rate of robberies and motor vehicle theft, as well as the third highest rates of burglary and larceny theft. The crime is highly concentrated in the southern half of the county. DeKalb was only behind
Bibb County for highest crime rate.
Government and politics
In recent years, along with many other counties in the Atlanta area, DeKalb County has voted strongly Democratic in presidential elections, while in the past it was more of a swing county, voting Democratic and
Republican an equal number of times from
1960
It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism.
Events January
* Janu ...
until
1988. DeKalb is also one of the few counties in Georgia where
George Wallace
George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...
came in third in
1968
Events January–February
* January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously.
* January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
. Following the
2020 Georgia state elections, there are no elected Republicans in the county.
DeKalb is the second most
Democratic-leaning county in Georgia, only behind
Clayton County. 83 percent of the votes cast in the
2020 presidential election were for
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
.
The current chief executive officer of DeKalb County is Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, a Democrat. She assumed office on January 1, 2025.
Current County Commissioners as of January 2025:
The DeKalb County seal was created in 1967, by artist Jackson Bailey. The design is based on a passage from
Aristotle
Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...
in which a comparison is made between human progress and the relay race. The background landscape shows planted fields, which is a tribute to DeKalb's heritage as an
agrarian community. The date of the county's founding, 1822, is at the bottom of the seal.
Public safety

Unincorporated DeKalb County is policed by the
DeKalb County Police Department; the DeKalb Sheriff's Office, which is responsible for serving criminal warrants and securing the courts and county jail; and the DeKalb Marshal's Office, which serves civil processes issued through state court, such as evictions.
Fire services are provided throughout the county by DeKalb County Fire and Rescue. Previously, DeKalb County Fire and Rescue also provided emergency medical services throughout the county; however, in 2013, the county signed a contract with
American Medical Response to provide emergency medical services to the county.
Federal representation

The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the National public health institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency under the United S ...
is based in the
Druid Hills CDP in an
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in the county.
[Druid Hills CDP, GA]
." ''United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
''. Retrieved on May 5, 2009. The
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
Atlanta Field Office is located in
Chamblee.
State representation
The
Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice has its headquarters in
Avondale Estates, near
Decatur. The
Georgia Bureau of Investigation has its headquarters near Decatur, in an unincorporated area.
The
Metro State Prison of the
Georgia Department of Corrections was formerly located in an unincorporated area in DeKalb County. Female death row inmates (UDS, "under death sentence") resided in the Metro State Prison. The prison was closed in 2011.
[Cook, Rhonda.]
State closed DeKalb County prison
" ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution
''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...
''. Friday April 1, 2011. Retrieved on November 18, 2012.
United States Congress
Georgia General Assembly
Georgia State Senate
Georgia House of Representatives
Diplomatic missions
The
Consulate-General of Mexico in Atlanta is located in the
North Druid Hills CDP. The
Consulate-General of Guatemala in Atlanta is located in
Chamblee. The
Consulate-General of Peru in Atlanta is located in the city of Brookhaven."
Atlanta
." ''Consulado General del Peru''. Accessed October 26, 2008.
Transportation
Major roads and expressways
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Mass transit
Xpress GA / RTA commuter buses and MARTA heavy rail subway and buses serve the county.
Pedestrians and cycling
Currently, there are plans for the construction of a multi-use trail, known as the Peachtree Creek Greenway. The goal of the greenway is to provide residents with close-to-home and close-to-work access to bicycle and pedestrian trails, serve transportation and recreation needs, and help encourage quality of life and sustainable economic growth. The trail will connect the cities of Atlanta, Brookhaven, Chamblee and Doraville.
* Arabia Mountain Path
* Chamblee Rail Trail
* Hill Loop Trail
* Nancy Creek Trail
* Peachtree Creek Greenway (under construction)
* South Peachtree Creek Trail
* Stone Mountain Trail (under construction)
Elizabeth Wilson
See also
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* Dekalb County District Attorney's Office
*List of counties in Georgia
The U.S. state of Georgia is divided into 159 counties, the second-highest number after Texas, which has 254 counties. Under the Georgia State Constitution, all of its counties are granted home rule to deal with problems that are purely loca ...
Bibliography
* DeKalb Historical Society. ''Vanishing DeKalb: A Pictorial History''. Decatur, Ga.: DeKalb Historical Society, 1985.
* Mason, Herman. ''"Skip" Jr. African-American Life in DeKalb County, 1821–1970''. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing, 1998.
* Owens, Sue Ellen, and Megan Milford. ''DeKalb County in Vintage Postcards''. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing, 2001.
* Price, Vivian. ''The History of DeKalb County, Georgia, 1822–1900''. Fernandina Beach, Fla.: Wolfe Publishing Company, 1997.
Notes
References
External links
DeKalb County official website
DeKalb History Center
DeKalb Convention and Visitors Bureau
DeKalb Elections Research Guide
DeKalb County
historical marker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dekalb County, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state) counties
Counties in the Atlanta metropolitan area
1822 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Populated places established in 1822
Black Belt (U.S. region)
Majority-minority counties in Georgia