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The City of East Point is southwest of the neighborhoods of Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 39,595. Census estimates of 2007 indicate a population of 42,940. The city is named for being at the opposite end of the former Atlanta & West Point Railroad from West Point, Georgia.

History

The name East Point derives from the fact that it is the place where the Atlanta & West Railroad ends in the east, just as West Point, GA is the place where the rail line ends in the west.

The city started with a citizenry of only 16 families in 1870, but grew quickly after it became an inviting place for industry to develop. Soon it boasted the railway, two gristmills and a government distillery located on Connally Drive. One of the earliest buildings was the factory of the White Hickory Manufacturing Company, built by B.M. Blount and L.M. Hill (who became the first chairman of the board of aldermen, i.e. mayor, of the city.

By 1880 the town also had two churches, a common school, a steam-gin, a sawmill, a post office (actually founded in 1851), a telegraph office and its own newspaper weekly, The Plow Boy. East Point ranked as a grain and cotton-growing center, and with its pleasant climate and proximity to the railway, had also become a popular summer resort.

During the United States’ Civil War, numerous war time skirmishes were fought in East Point, and after viewing the destruction brought by Sherman’s March, one eyewitness reported that there was “nothing here [that] resembles a town.”[1]

In 1884 the first telephone rang in East Point, and in 1887, the city received its first charter. Then came the first housing boom in 1890, when a major portion of property along East Point Avenue was subdivided and developed, opening the way for more homes, more churches, more people and more places of employment. By 1892 Main Street was completed, despite protests from a few progress-shy early settlers who maintained that one major thoroughfare, Newnan Road, was more than sufficient.

By the turn of the century, the adolescent town was poised to grow into the city it eventually would become.

Sports & Recreation

East Point has a continual history of community involvement in youth and adult sports. East Point is served by Sumner Park, Sykes Park, Brookdale Park, Grayson Field, Jefferson Park, John Milner Park and Chris Stacks Field.

Several notable athletes have emerged from the city of East Point, among them Reggie Rutland, Jonas Jennings (NFL), Nick Rodgers (NFL), Justin Saxon (Baseball), Bill Thorn, Donald Adams (Basketball), John Davis Milner (Baseball) and Jay Hudson.

When the Dick Lane Velodrome was first built, it was one of only two in the United States. Constructed in 1974, the Dick Lane Velodrome was inspired by a group of residents and City officials that visited the Munich Olympics. Located eight miles south of downtown Atlanta, the Dick Lane Velodrome is a 1/5 of a mile and 36° banked concrete track for bicycle racing, set in Sumner park in a residential part of beautiful historic East Point. Dick Lane is the only velodrome in the world with a green space that contains a large oak tree and a creek running through the in-field. The City of East Point owns the velodrome and has a long-term partnership with the EPVA to manage the Dick Lane Velodrome, and continue its use as one of the premier facilities of its kind. The East Point Velodrome Association, Inc. (EPVA), is a 100% volunteer-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation, care and growth of the Dick Lane Velodrome. The EPVA conducts Youth Service Activities for the children at no cost to the city or state. These activities include the highly acclaimed Bicycle Little League (for kids 8-12), Summer Camps (kids 13-16), and Bicycle Safety Clinics. In addition, to raising bicycle safety awareness, these programs promote physical health and wellness, teamwork and individual growth through the sport and positive alternatives to drugs and gangs. These pioneering grass-root programs will hopefully ignite positive changes in kids and in competitive cycling in the U.S. EPVA also hosts 3 professional level events per year, held in May, July and September and are part of the American Track Racing Association National Calendar.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 39,595 people, 14,553 households, and 9,430 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,878.9 people per square mile (1,111.8/km²). There were 15,637 housing units at an average density of 1,137.0/sq mi (439.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.16% African American, 16.10% White, 0.20% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 3.40% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.57% of the population.

There were 14,553 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.7% were married couples living together, 28.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,874, and the median income for a family was $36,099. Males had a median income of $27,114 versus $25,839 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,175. About 17.2% of families and 20.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.0% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.