Pine Lake, Georgia
Pine Lake, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 Pine Lake (2016) | |
 Location in DeKalb County and the state of Georgia | |
| Coordinates: 33°47′29″N 84°12′23″W / 33.79139°N 84.20639°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | DeKalb |
| Settled | 1929 |
| Incorporated (city) | December 1937 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council |
| • Mayor | Brandy Hall |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.25 sq mi (0.66 km2) |
| • Land | 0.24 sq mi (0.61 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
| Elevation | 948 ft (289 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 752 |
| • Density | 3,173.00/sq mi (1,223.94/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 30072 |
| Area code | 404 |
| FIPS code | 13-61040[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0332672[3] |
| Website | pinelakega.net |
Pine Lake is the smallest city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 752 at the 2020 census.
History
[edit]Pine Lake was established as a city in December 1937,[4] after a short life as a summer retreat run by the Pine Woods Corporation. The corporation sold lots around a small fishing lake to Atlantans who lived in (then) faraway areas like Buckhead for use as a weekend retreat. The 20' x 100' lots sold for $69, and the advertisement for lots directed people "from Decatur down the [unpaved] Rockbridge Road East." Many homeowners continued to use their property as a weekend getaway long after the city incorporated. Prior to development, Pine Lake was a portion of a farm. The lake was formerly a widened region of Snapfinger Creek, and the valley that encompasses much of the town was where corn was grown. The lake was dammed by the Army Corps of Engineers as erosion and flood control, prior to the official FDR lake projects.
Geography
[edit]Pine Lake is located at 33°47′29″N 84°12′23″W / 33.79139°N 84.20639°W (33.791505, -84.206428).[5] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), of which 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) is land and 5.00% is water.
Demographics
[edit]| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 2 | — | |
| 1950 | 566 | 28,200.0% | |
| 1960 | 738 | 30.4% | |
| 1970 | 866 | 17.3% | |
| 1980 | 901 | 4.0% | |
| 1990 | 810 | −10.1% | |
| 2000 | 621 | −23.3% | |
| 2010 | 730 | 17.6% | |
| 2020 | 752 | 3.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 480 | 63.83% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 141 | 18.75% |
| Native American | 5 | 0.66% |
| Asian | 8 | 1.06% |
| Other/Mixed | 55 | 7.31% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 63 | 8.38% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 752 people, 386 households, and 199 families residing in the city.
Education
[edit]Residents are zoned to schools in the DeKalb County School District.
- Stone Mountain High School
- Stone Mountain Middle School
- Rockbridge Elementary School
All of the schools are located outside of the Pine Lake city limits in unincorporated sections of DeKalb County.
In Media
[edit]Welcome to Pine Lake, is a documentary feature film released in 2020 by ViacomCBS. The largely observational film looks at the all-women leadership in the predominantly white city of Pine Lake. The documentary claims that the primary funding source of the City’s police force is from traffic tickets issued predominately to people of color from the surrounding communities. According to National Public Radio member station KCRW, the filmmaker “found that this progressive town was participating in an unfair and ultimately racist criminal justice system.”[8] In February, 2022, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote, " 'Welcome to Pine Lake' is a scathing indictment of the privilege of obliviousness when it comes to class and race."[9]
Nondiscrimination ordinance adopted in Pine Lake February 7, 2020 by Asia Ashley, The Champion Newspaper The city of Pine Lake follows the cities of Doraville, Clarkston, Chamblee, Dunwoody, Decatur and Atlanta in adopting formal ordinances against discrimination. The ordinance prohibits businesses or entities licensed by the city from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity, race, religion, color, sex, disability, national origin, ancestry, age or military status. Currently, no federal or Georgia law expressly prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Mayor Melanie Hammet said the ordinance extends on a “Safe Harbor” resolution approved by the city council in 2016 which states: “The city council desires to publicly denounce discrimination and to encourage people of varying and diverse backgrounds to call the city home and a safe harbor … The city of Pine Lake shall be known as an open and inclusive community, which discourages discrimination and promotes diversity, equality, and tolerance.” According to the city’s new ordinance—which was adopted during the Jan. 28 council meeting—individuals who believe they are victims of a violation of the ordinance can file a complaint within 90 days of the alleged act of discrimination to the city clerk. Unlike similar ordinances adopted by other cities, the ordinance does not stipulate any penalties for persons or businesses that are found to be in violation of the ordinance. Other cities have included penalties for violations of its nondiscrimination ordinance, which can include a fine of up to $1,000 for the first offense should an investigation find discrimination has occurred. For the city of Pine Lake, the staff will arrange for the services of a mediator between the complainant and respondent then notify the city clerk of the result. The ordinance does not clarify what follows the result of the mediation. [10]
References
[edit]- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 176. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ "Progressive women run this Georgia town. Life isn't as equitable as you might expect". KCRW. January 5, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ^ Feaster, Felicia. "Atlanta filmmakers team up with CBS News to tackle America's wastewater crisis". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ https://thechampionnewspaper.com/nondiscrimination-ordinance-adopted-in-pine-lake/
External links
[edit]
- City of Pine Lake official website
- Pine Lake Association of Involved Neighbors
- Documentary reveals how a small Georgia city's history of over-policing belies its liberal image - CBS News - October 2020
Municipalities and communities of DeKalb County, Georgia, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Neighborhoods and unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |