Atlanta annexations and wards
From its incorporation in 1847, the municipal boundaries of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, were extended repeatedly from a small area around its railroad station to today's city covering.
Prior to 1954, Atlanta was divided into political divisions called wards. The number of wards were increased as the city grew.
List of annexations
| Year | Area annexed | Areas annexed |
| 1952 | Buckhead, Adams Park, Southwest Atlanta, Lakewood, Northwest Atlanta to the Chattahoochee River/Cobb County Line, | |
| 1910 | Ansley Park, Sherwood Forest, north Midtown, Hemphill Avenue, east Bankhead, north English Avenue, Washington Park, Mozley Park, Ashview Heights, west West End, Westview | |
| 1953 | Ben Hill, Greenbriar, et al. | |
| 1909 | Copenhill, part of Druid Hills, Edgewood, Reynoldstown, East Atlanta | |
| 1922 | Kirkwood, parts of Virginia-Highland and Morningside, Ormewood Park | |
| 1866 | expand city limits to a one-and-a-half mile radius | |
| 1958 | Areas west of Niskey Lake Road in Southwest Atlanta | |
| 1967 | ||
| [|1889] | expand city limits to one and three-quarter mile radius | |
| 1928 | East Lake, Chosewood Park | |
| 1925 | ||
| 1950 | ||
| 1904 | ||
| 2006 | Midwest Cascade, Horseshoe Community | |
| 2018 | Centers for Disease Control, Emory University, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - Egleston Hospital | |
| [|1894] | West End | |
| 1923 | ||
| 1926 | ||
| 1945 | ||
| 1863 | ||
| 1968 | ||
| 2007 | Decatur | |
| 2015 | Olmestead at East Lake | |
| 1913 | ||
| 1957 | ||
| 1963 | ||
| 1940 | ||
| 1895 | ||
| 2016 | Northwest Cascade | |
| 1960 | ||
| 1932 | ||
| 2013 | Cascade Road Landfill | |
| 1916 | ||
| 1969 | ||
| 1915 | ||
| 1854 | ||
| 1976 | ||
| 1973 | ||
| 2003 | ||
| 1962 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| 1970 | ||
| 1930 | ||
| 1949 | ||
| 2009 | ||
| 1934 | ||
| 1979 | ||
| 1954 | ||
| 1978 | ||
| 2016 | University Drive and Spring Valley Lane | |
| 1943 | ||
| 1914 | ||
| 1965 | ||
| 2005 | ||
| 2010 |
Annexations by year
1847
City is incorporated — city limits are a radius from the zero mile marker of the Western & Atlantic Railroad. City covers,.1854
The 1848 charter only specified election of six citywide councilmembers, but on January 9, 1854, an ordinance was adopted that divided the town into five wards and two councilmen from each ward would be elected to coincide with the completion of the first official city hall.The next election with the new rules on January 15, 1855, decided those first Ward bosses who would serve with the short-term mayor, Allison Nelson.
The boundaries were as follows:
- First : all land west of the W&A Railroad and Whitehall Street. This diverse ward had concentrations of industry and working-class people in the northern and western parts but the eastern section was home to some of Atlanta's wealthiest citizens, such as Richard Peters.
- Second : land south of Georgia RR between Whitehall and McDonough. This wealthy section included the bulk of the town's wholesalers, warehouses, grocers and hotels. The residential areas included people like Dr. Joseph Thompson.
- Third : land south of Georgia RR and east of McDonough. This ward included the new city hall, a number of mills along the railroad and the east many large estates including that of Lemuel P. Grant.
- Fourth : north of Georgia RR and east of Ivy. This ward had two of the roughest sections of town; the red-light district along Decatur Street and Slabtown but the northern part was home to mostly small farms.
- Fifth : west of Ivy and north of W&A Railroad. This ward contained the large homes along Peachtree Street and the southern part, Fairlie-Poplar was also largely residential with warehousing along the western part.
1866
1871
During a huge boom of post-war building, two new wards were added from parts of the First, Fourth and Fifth to reflect the changing look of the city.- Sixth Ward : established October 1871 as the half of the First Ward north of Hunter St. This division left the wealthy in the First ward and gave the working-class people to the north two councilmen of their own.
- Seventh Ward : established December 2, 1871, of parts of the Fourth and Fifth. Specifically from the "junction of Houston and Pryor streets, thence through lot nineteen, between blocks three, one and two, five and six, to the city limits; thence northerly along the city limits to Peachtree Street; thence south along Peachtree Street and Pryor Street to the beginning." And the Fourth was extended "from Ivy Street west to Pryor, and from Houston Street south to the railroad, and that Pryor Street shall be the line between the fourth and fifth wards, and Pryor and Peachtree streets between the fifth and seventh wards." This gave the red-light district to the Fourth and created a new Ward of mostly farmers and to the west, fine residences along Ivy and the east side of Peachtree.
1874
Each year one of the aldermen would be up for election and during his last year in office would serve as president of the other body.
They acted separately on finances but together for all other business.
The new ward layout was as follows:
- First Ward was bounded by Western & Atlantic Railroad, Foundry St, south around the city limits to modern Peachtree Street
- Second Ward was bounded by the Georgia Railroad, Whitehall south to city limits then north-east to McDonough and up to the railroad
- Third Ward was bounded by Butler and McDonough Streets south to the city limits north-east to Georgia RR, then west to Butler
- Fourth Ward from Pryor and tracks east on Georgia RR to city limits then north west to West Peachtree and south to origin.
- Fifth Ward from Pryor and tracks north-east to Peachtree, then West Peachtree to city limits, south-west to Foundry and W&A RR and east to origin
1883
Its boundaries started at Butler and the GRR north to North Ave at Myrtle St, then up Myrtle to the city limit at 3rd St.
Follow the arc of the city limit to Williams, south to Cain then James to Forsyth south to the tracks then east on the tracks to origin.
This separated the wealthy Peachtree corridor from the other parts of north Atlanta.
1889
Expansion of city limits to one and three-quarters radius from union depot.1894
When West End was annexed into the city in 1894, it became a new Seventh Ward.1904
annexed - the southern part of what is now Midtown was already within the 1889 limits, but in 1904 the city annexes most of the rest of what is now Midtown: this is an area bounded by the 1889 circular city limits on the south, and West Peachtree St. on the west, stretching north up to but not including Ansley Park, Piedmont Park, the remainder of Historic Midtown east to what is now the Beltline. this includes a strip of what is now the Old Fourth Ward between the 1889 limits and the Beltline.1905
Further expansion of the city limits was part of a long effort.In October 1897 Frank P. Rice drove a failed proposal to annex Pittsburgh, Reynoldstown, Bellwood, and what was then called "north Atlanta".
"North Atlanta" was defined at the time roughly as today's Midtown, Georgia Tech, and English Avenue:
- today's Midtown between Myrtle St. in the Midtown Historic District and Cherry St., now inside the Georgia Tech campus, as far north as 14th St
- most of what is now the Georgia Tech campus, south of what was then 5th Street
- the area west of Georgia Tech, south of Jefferson St., as far west as Ashby St., including today's English Avenue neighborhood
In 1905, the Eighth Ward was added. An act of the Georgia General Assembly was enacted on August 3, 1904, which designated the area from then current city limits, north to 15th St, then east to Piedmont Ave, then northeast to Southern Railway, then southwardly along the railway the limits. The act also took part of the Sixth Ward north of North Ave. into the new Eighth Ward.