Decatur dates to 1823, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 94% of U.S. towns · #6 of 263 in Georgia. What drives it
19 places in town are on the National Register, among them seven historic districts with 1,387 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1954 on, and the census since 1840.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Decatur is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #6 of 263 in Georgia. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Decatur’s overall grade.
Georgia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Georgia town has 10.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Decatur’s 585 sits above most of its state (91% of Georgia towns have fewer) while its 1,434 historic buildings outnumber those of 99% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1823.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Decatur’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Prior to European settlement, the Decatur area was largely forested (a remnant of old-growth forest near Decatur is preserved as Fernbank Forest). Decatur was established at the intersection of two Native American trails: the Sandtown, which led east from the Chattahoochee River at Utoy Creek, and the Shallowford, which follows today's Clairmont Road, and eventually crossed near Roswell. A site for the DeKalb County courthouse was designated in 1822 in what would become downtown Decatur; the city of Decatur was incorporated on December 10, 1823. It was named for United States Navy Commodore Stephen Decatur.
The first settler in the area were farmers or skilled tradesmen of English, Scottish and Irish descent.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1823, according to Wikidata. Decatur’s post office opened in 1826, and the census of 1840 counted 530 people here.
How does Decatur rank for history?
Decatur is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #6 of 263 in Georgia. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Decatur?
19 listings: 12 buildings, among them the Old DeKalb County Courthouse (listed 1971, the first), and 7 historic districts with 1,387 contributing buildings. 1,434 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Decatur?
23% of Decatur’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 3.8% for a Georgia town; the median home was built in 1975.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (8), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (19), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2013
2010
2010
2010
2009
2009
2008
2006
