From its founding in 1847, Atlanta has had a penchant for frequent street renamings, even in the central business district, usually to honor the recently deceased. As early as 1903 (see section below), there were concerns about the confusion this caused, as "more than 225 streets of Atlanta have had from two to eight names" in the first decades of the city.
Many recent[when?] Atlanta street renamings commemorate prominent African Americans in Atlanta's history. These renamings can be identified by the use of the person's full name (e.g., Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard) rather than the more traditional last name only (e.g., Cain Street).
According to local and state rules and regulations, street renamings must have support of 75% of property owners along that street[citation needed], and state guides advise against using proper names as street names. However, these rules and procedures are usually ignored or waived, as demonstrated by the recent Ted Turner Drive at Historic Spring Street renaming resolution by the Atlanta City Council.
Name changes
Current name
Former name(s)
10th St.
Bleckley Ave. (alternative name, 1890s, Piedmont Avenue to Peachtree); Madison (between Crescent and West Peachtree)
11th St.
Harrison Ave. (alternative name, 1890s, Piedmont to Peachtree); Davis (between Crescent and West Peachtree)
12th St.
Downe St. (alternative name, 1890s, Piedmont to Peachtree); Stewart (between Crescent and West Peachtree)
13th St.
Center St. (alternative name, 1890s, Piedmont to Peachtree); Cleveland Street (between Crescent and West Peachtree)
Jefferson Street (marked in 1878 map - section from North Ave. to Foster St. (now Edgewood Ave.) in today's Old Fourth Ward)[8]
Rolling Mill Street (north of the railroad) from the late 1860s to about 1880, for the Confederate Rolling Mill, which the retreating Confederate army inadvertently destroyed in 1864[9]
See also Monroe Drive below
Cameron M. Alexander Blvd. (English Avenue neighborhood)
Kennedy Street (until 2010)[10]
Camilla St. SW
Carolina Ave [11]
Capitol Avenue (as of 1885)
McDonough Boulevard (for the town it eventually reaches)
Carroll Street
Factory Street (1892 Bird's eye view and 1906 map)
(Lindbergh/Buckhead area): Plaster's Bridge Road (or Plaster Bridge Road) for Benjamin Plaster who owned land between Piedmont and Peachtree around Lindbergh.[24] Renamed Piedmont around 1915–1920.
(Midtown area): For the 1895 Cotton States Expo, Plaster's Bridge Road south of 10th street was rerouted to connect to an extension of Calhoun Street from downtown, all of which was renamed Piedmont Avenue.[25]
Confederate Avenue, changed in 2018 to remove references to the Confederate States of America; minor street Confederate Court off of it was renamed Trestletree Court, after the apartment complex it serves
Washington Street
South Collins Street
West Peachtree Street
Atwood Street (alternative name on 1895 map)
William Holmes Borders Drive
Yonge Street[5]
List of street name changes prior to 1903
On October 17, 1903, The Atlanta Constitution published the list shown below. Developer Forrest Adair had provided the Atlanta City Council this list of more than 225 streets whose names had been changed from the 1847 founding of the city up until that time. Some streets had experienced multiple renamings, bearing as many as nine different names, resulting in over 650 total names, such as:[27]
Haynes Street, 7th name, as of 1903, formerly named: 1) Manning Street; 2) Harris Street; 3) Booths Alley; 4) Hayden Street; 5) Markham Street, and; 6) Stewart Street
Maple Street, 9th name, as of 1903, formerly named: 1) Porter Street; 2) Proctor Street; 3) Loyd Street; 4) Rock Street; 5) Love Street; 6) Howe Street; 7) Law Street, and; 8) Back Street
^"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ a b c d e f g h iGarrett, Franklin M. (1954). Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press.
^Sanborn Fire Map 1886
^ a bSanborn's Map of Atlanta, Ga., 1917
^ a b c d eMoore, David Aaron (February 26, 2010). "For Black History Month: What's in a street name?". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
^1910 map on APNA website
^1913 map on APNA website
^ a b1878 Hopkins Griffith and Morgan map
^Franklin Garrett, Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events, 1820s-1870s, p.427
^City of Atlanta online, ordinance no. 10-O-1420 Archived 2011-11-11 at the Wayback Machine
^Sanborn Fire Map - 1911 volume 3
^"Marietta Street Artery". December 2, 2010. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
^undefined. "Who is this East Lake road in Atlanta being renamed for?". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
^ a bErnie Suggs, "Council finally agrees -- barely -- to honor Portman with a street", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 16, 2011
^Ahead of the Curve: 911 upgrade pauses City Hall East sale | ajc.com
^Bunch, Riley. "Street to be renamed after beloved mentor of struggling Atlantans". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
^Franklin Garrett, Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events, 1880s-1930s, p.833
^South Central Agricultural Society fair Roadside Georgia
^Morningside-Lenox Park Association "Neighborhood Walk" brochure: Click on small b/w map under title "The Walking Tour ..."
^Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events, 1880s-1930s, by Franklin M. Garrett, p.490
^Atlanta City Council resolution (2002) to expand the Inman Park historic district Archived 2012-03-17 at the Wayback Machine
^"01-O-0135 An Ordinance to Rename Foundry Street and Luckie Street" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
^"West End District". City of Atlanta. Archived from the original on September 16, 2011. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
^Franklin M. Garrett, Atlanta and Environs, p.143
^The Atlanta Historical Journal, Volumes 26-27, p.57, Atlanta Historical Society, 1982
^10-O-0135 An Ordinance to Rename Raymond Street Archived 2010-07-29 at the Wayback Machine
^"Many Streets Get New Names". The Atlanta Constitution. October 17, 1903. Retrieved December 12, 2011.