Capitol View

Capitol View is a small community in southwest Atlanta that was named for its excellent view of the Georgia State Capitol building. Its boundaries include Metropolitan Parkway to the east, Lee Street to the west, and the Beltline to the north. On the south, the border follows Arden Street, Deckner Avenue, and Perkerson Park.

History

Early History

Capitol View was originally part of a large tract of farmland owned by number of people including the Shannon and Deckner families. During the early 1910s, many people started to settle in the area, although the region was still dominated by farms and pasture. There were no paved roads, no electric lights, and no sewers. Realtor William D. Beatie sped the development of the neighborhood when he created a subdivision, selling homes at modest prices. Utilities such as electricity came into the area, and in 1913, Capitol View became a part of the city and was annexed to the Tenth Ward.

Urban Renewal

In the late 1990s Stewart Avenue was renamed Metropolitan Parkway in an effort to shake the street's unfortunate reputation as a haven of crime and prostitution. Since then determined efforts to restore the area have helped to increase property values and reduce crime. The approval of a Tax-allocation district for Metropolitan Avenue should help to revitalize a long-neglected business corridor. The redevelopment of the nearby Fort McPherson has been hailed by many in the community as an opportunity to draw even more investment into the area. With the impending construction of the Beltline, and the rising trend toward living close-in to the city, Capitol View appears to be undergoing the same gentrification that has transformed such neighborhoods as Grant Park and Oakhurst in Atlanta.

Housing

Most homes in Capitol View were built during the first half of the twentieth century. Earlier home styles were primarily Country Victorians and Craftsman bungalows while later housing stock included Cape Cods and Colonials. Earlier houses feature wide front porches and back decks looking out on spacious yards. Currently houses in the neighborhood ran the gamut of fixer-uppers to fully renovated. Prices reflect the condition of the property and the top of the market is in the low $200,000 range. The neighborhood also has several industrial buildings which have been converted to lofts and are a part of the Couer D'Allene loft complex.

Parks and Recreation

Capitol View is located between Perkerson Park and the proposed Beltline park system. Perkerson is a 50-acre park with a large pavilion and several other picnic facilities. A new playground was recently installed during a renovation of the park's recreation center. The neighborhood association meets in the park the third Thursday of every month. Every Labor Day, Perkerson Park hosts the popular "House in the Park" festival, a day-long celebration of house music attended by families throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area. [http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A247588]

The park also features the following sport amenities:
*Basketball courts
*Tennis courts
*Baseball, Softball, and Little League fields

Perkerson Park has been proposed as a site for the only permanent disc golf course in the city of Atlanta. The Atlanta Disc Golf Organization is negotiating with the city to build the course sometime before the summer of 2008.

Capitol View is also between two of the six targeted economic development areas on the Atlanta Beltline: Murphy's Crossing, directly north of Capitol View, and University/Metropolitan to the west.

Education

The schools for the neighborhood are:
*Capitol View Elementary School
*Parks Middle School
*Washington High School

Capitol View Elementary is recognized as one of the best primary schools in the Atlanta public school system.

External links

* [http://www.capitolview.org Official Capitol View Website]
* [http://www.capitolviewsecurityalliance.org/ Capitol View Security Alliance]
* [http://wikimapia.org/2122639/ Map of Capitol View from Wikimapia]
* [http://www.beltline.org/ Beltline Partnership]