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Stone Mountain, Georgia

Stone Mountain is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 7,145 at the 2000 census.

Geography

The town is named for Stone Mountain, the largest exposed granite dome in North America. Stone Mountain harbors plant and animal life found no other place in the world. The mountain has contributed to the city's economy both through its continuing status as a tourist attraction, and its former use as a granite quarry. It is also the site of a famous giant carving commemorating the military leaders of the Confederacy as well as a state park and museum, including a tourist railroad.

Stone Mountain is located at (33.805255, -84.171413).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.2 km²), of which, 1.6 square miles (4.2 km²) of it is land and 0.62% is water.

While the city of Stone Mountain itself is in DeKalb County, some of the town's mailing addresses are actually in Gwinnett County.Lately around the unincorporated area around Stone Mountain it has seen a rise in crime around the areas bordered by I-285 on the west,Memorial Dr. on the north,Lithonia on the east ,and I-20 on the south.All of this area is about 5-10 miles from the actual Stone Mountain Park.In the last 5 years the area of unincorporated Stone Mountain has seen a rise in hybrid gang violence in the area.

History

In 1822 the area that now makes up the City of Stone Mountain was made a part of the newly formed Dekalb County. A post office was created in 1834 on the old Augusta Road, and Andrew Johnson built a hotel along the road in 1836. At around the same time, Aaron Cloud built an observation tower at the summit of the mountain. Visitors to the mountain would travel to the area by rail and road, and then walk up the 1.1 mile mountaintop trail to the top, where Cloud also had a restaurant and club.

By 1839 a general store was added and a village was established under the name New Gibraltar. The name was officially changed to Stone Mountain by the Georgia legislature in 1847. During the Civil War, Stone Mountain village was destroyed by men under the command of General John McPherson on July 19, 1864.

The Ku Klux Klan was revived in Stone Mountain in 1915, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech consequently includes the line "let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia".

The 1996 Summer Olympic Games tennis, archery and track cycling tournaments were held in Stone Mountain Park.

Not long after, the Tupac Amaru Shakur (Rest In Peace) memorial statue was built

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,145 people, 2,499 households, and 1,759 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,423.4 people per square mile (1,702.9/km²). There were 2,638 housing units at an average density of 1,633.2/sq mi (628.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 24.49% White, 69.21% African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.96% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.54% from other races, and 2.55% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.09% of the population.

There were 2,499 households out of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 25.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.36.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.2% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,603, and the median income for a family was $40,888. Males had a median income of $28,302 versus $28,854 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,130. About 9.3% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Notable current and former residents of Stone Mountain include:

Jake "The Snake" Roberts, wrestler (storyline-only; in real life Jake was born and raised in Texas).
Nivea Hamilton, singer.
Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, singer from the R&B group TLC.
Cynthia McKinney, Democratic U.S. Congresswoman
Kristie Krabe, American Theater Actress
Kevin Cassels, drummer for rock group Mother Vinegar
Josh Wolff, USA National Soccer Team Striker
Brittany Murphy, American actress, dancer and recording artist
Brandon Phillips, American professional baseball player, Cincinnati Reds.