Riverdale, Georgia

Riverdale, Georgia
City
Riverdale Town Center
Motto: Building Greatness Daily
Location in Clayton County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 33°33′53″N 84°24′38″W / 33.56472°N 84.41056°W / 33.56472; -84.41056Coordinates: 33°33′53″N 84°24′38″W / 33.56472°N 84.41056°W / 33.56472; -84.41056
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Clayton
Area
• Total	4.54 sq mi (11.76 km2)
• Land	4.53 sq mi (11.74 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation	925 ft (282 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	15,134
• Density	3,339/sq mi (1,289.3/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	30274, 30296
Area code(s)	770/678/470
FIPS code	13-65464[1]
GNIS feature ID	0321635[2]
Website	www.riverdalega.gov
[3]

Riverdale is a city in Clayton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 15,134 at the 2010 census,^[4] up from 12,478 at the 2000 census. Riverdale is a suburb located just south of Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area.

History

The area now known as Riverdale was settled sometime before the Civil War. In 1887, a railroad, built from Atlanta and Fort Valley, passed through Riverdale. Farmers in the area provided wood for the railroad. In turn, the farmers would get fertilizer. As the railroad grew, it needed more land. Mr. and Mrs. W. S. Rivers donated their land in order for the railroad to grow, and their land grew to become one of the main stops on the railroad.

In 1908, the city was incorporated with the name Riverdale, named in honor of Mr. W.S. Rivers.^[5]

Geography

Riverdale is located in western Clayton County, 12 miles (19 km) south of downtown Atlanta and 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Jonesboro, the county seat.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Riverdale has a total area of 4.5 square miles (11.6 km²), of which 0.012 square miles (0.03 km²), or 0.22%, is water.^[4]

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 12,478 people, 4,389 households, and 3,107 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,926.3 people per square mile (1,130.9/km²). There were 4,590 housing units at an average density of 1,076.4 per square mile (416.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 20.09% White, 67.42% African American, 0.30% Native American, 7.73% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 2.28% from other races, and 2.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.81% of the population.

There were 4,389 households out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% were married couples living together, 25.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.5% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 36.1% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,530, and the median income for a family was $42,323. Males had a median income of $30,802 versus $26,102 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,377. About 10.6% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 18.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Riverdale City Hall

The city is governed by a mayor and four council members. Each council member represents the entire city and is elected at-large. Council members come from the four wards that divide the city. The mayor and council appoint a city manager, who has oversight over five departments.

Transportation

State highways

Main roads

These are roads with more than four lanes.

Minor roads

These are roads with two to four lanes.

Interstate highway

Interstate 75 passes northeast of the city, with access from Exit 237 (GA 331) and Exit 237A (GA 85 southbound only)

Transit systems

Two MARTA bus routes serve the city, including:

• Route 191 - Justice Center/Hartsfield Intl
• Route 196 - Church/Upper Riverdale/Mt.Zion

Both of these routes connect the city to the College Park Station. Xpress GA commuter buses serve the city with Route 442

Education

Schools in Riverdale are in the Clayton County School System.

Sports and entertainment

Shopping

Riverdale's main shopping district is along S.R. 85, between S.R. 138 and Gardenwalk Blvd, with a number of Asian, Hispanic, and African cultural stores.

Parks

The city currently has three parks, all within a mile of each other:

• Travon D. Wilson Memorial Park on Church St. behind the Merchant Shopping Center
• Church Park on Wilson Rd. behind the First Baptist Church of Riverdale
• Banks Park on Main St. and West St. next to city hall

Notable people

• Alan Butts, Atlanta Braves
• DJ Shockley, football player
• Alex Faith, Hip-Hop/Rap Artist
• Ciara Harris, Singer
• Edawn Coughman, football player
• Waka Flocka Flame, rapper
• Will Rackley, NFL Player
• Cordy Glenn. NFL player
• Cecil Travis, infielder, Washington Senators, 1933-1947
• Joe Diamond, Public Figure/ Rapper

References

External links

• City of Riverdale official website

Metro Atlanta
Counties Barrow Bartow Butts Carroll Cherokee Clayton Cobb Coweta Dawson DeKalb Douglas Fayette Forsyth Fulton Gwinnett Hall Haralson Heard Henry Jasper Lamar Meriwether Newton Paulding Pickens Pike Rockdale Spalding Walton
Major city Atlanta
Municipalities and CDPs in Metro Atlanta 100k–250k Cumberland East Cobb Roswell Sandy Springs 25k–100k Alpharetta Brookhaven Candler-McAfee Duluth Dunwoody East Point Gainesville Johns Creek Lawrenceville Mableton Marietta Milton Newnan Peachtree City Peachtree Corners Redan Smyrna Tucker 10k–25k Acworth Belvedere Park Buford Carrollton Cartersville Chamblee College Park Conyers Covington Decatur Doraville Druid Hills Douglasville Fayetteville Forest Park Griffin Kennesaw Suwanee Lilburn Monroe Mountain Park North Decatur North Druid Hills Panthersville Powder Springs Riverdale Snellville Stockbridge Sugar Hill Union City Vinings Winder Woodstock
Topics Architecture Arts Climate Crime Colleges and Universities Demographics Festivals Government Historic Districts History Media Museums Neighborhoods Parks People Public Schools Religion Skyscrapers Sports Tourism Transportation (Atlanta) Transportation (Metro Atlanta)
Georgia

Municipalities and communities of Clayton County, Georgia, United States
County seat: Jonesboro
Cities	College Park‡ Forest Park Jonesboro Lake City Lovejoy Morrow Riverdale
CDPs	Bonanza Conley Irondale
Unincorporated communities	Ellenwood‡ Mountain View Rex
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties