Living in Buckhead

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Famous Buckhead is the city's uptown district. Of course, the name must be explained. Originally, the area was called "Irbyville", after the owner of an 1830's general store on the location. Legend has it that he killed a large buck deer and hung the head in a prominent location.

Buckhead remained dominated by country estates until after World War I, when many of Atlanta's wealthy began building mansions among the area's rolling hills. Despite the stock market crash of 1929, lavish mansions were still constructed in Buckhead throughout the Great Depression. 

Buckhead encompasses nearly 1/5 of the northern portion of the City of Atlanta. As a large district, Buckhead covers the interior of "V" formed by the convergences of Interstate 85 on the east and on the west by I-75. It is bordered by 2 well-known districts on the northwest, Cumberland and Vinings; by Sandy Springs to the north; Borrkhaven and Druid Hills to the east; Midtown to the south; and West Midtown to the west.

The late 1950's opening of Lenox Square, a major shopping center, catapulted Buckhead into commercial prominence. Joe Amisano, an architect responsible for many of Atlanta’s modernist buildings, designed the mall. When Lenox Square opened in 1959, it was one of the first malls in the country, and the largest shopping center in the south. Office development soon followed with the construction of Tower Place in 1974.

Buckhead has become synonymous with wealth, and is home to spectacular mansions of Atlanta's elite. According to Forbes Magazine, Buckhead is home to the 9th wealthiest zip code in the U.S., with an annual household income average of $341,000, and an average home value of $761,000.

The days of a buck's head hanging over a store doorway are long gone, replaced by a marching line of over 50 high-rise office buildings, hotels and condominiums. Today, Buckhead is a powerful economic engine, consisting of the third largest business district of Atlanta, behind Downtown and Midtown. The dense, urbanized core of Buckhead is surrounded by affluent suburban neighborhoods, featuring single-family homes ensconced in dense forests and rolling hills. The area is dotted with clubs for nightlife, excellent cuisine, and is considered the heart of fashion in the City of Atlanta.