North Decatur’s post office opened in 1892, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 23% of U.S. towns · #190 of 263 in Georgia. What drives it
Most of North Decatur was built recently: 0.6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 1 buildings. Below: maps from 1954 on and the census since 1980.
Founding year: the first North Decatur post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives North Decatur’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, North Decatur is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #190 of 263 in Georgia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of North 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 North Decatur’s 1.1 sits near the middle of its state (37% of Georgia towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share (±0.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 North Decatur’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
An early settler in this part of DeKalb County was Chapman Powell, whose "Medicine House" cabin was built near 1218 Clairmont Road. (It has been preserved and relocated to Stone Mountain Park.) Dr. Powell (1798–1870) owned most of the land in the Candler Lake and South Fork Peachtree Creek area during his lifetime. His land was later purchased by Walter Candler.
Ezekiel Mason built a mill on the east side of Clairmont Road on Burnt Fork Creek. DeKalb County's Mason Mill Park, as well as local eatery Mason Tavern, are named after Ezekiel Mason.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of North Decatur. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1954Northeast Atlanta sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of North Decatur.
On the National Register
2 historic places in North Decatur
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
The North Decatur post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does North Decatur rank for history?
North Decatur is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #190 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 North Decatur?
Two places: the Steele-Cobb House (listed 1982) and the Decatur Waterworks (2006).
How old are the homes in North Decatur?
0.6% of North Decatur’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.8% for a Georgia town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (3), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, 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.
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