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Who are we? Good question ...... poets, activists, musicians, lawyers, engineers, idealists, working folks, computer drones .... residents of Candler Park have a wide variety of careers, dreams, interests, and hobbies. We have about 1,600 households in the neighborhood with around 7,000 people.
What keeps us here? Most people comment on how friendly the folks around here are. People still sit on their porches and talk with neighbors. They say hello to strangers on the sidewalk. It's not like living in a big city, but yet we have some of Atlanta's best entertainment values around. Regardless of if you have a tattoo, purple hair, a pin stripe suit, or haven't cut your hair in 10 years, Candler Park residents are pretty apt to accept you as you are.
What's the best part about living here? I'd have to say it's never knowing what will happen tomorrow. To say that the area nurtures the eclectic is an understatement. The neighborhood seems to bring out the oddness in everyone. For some this means unusual art tastes, for some it is displaying modern art in the yard, for others it is painting that old Studebaker with 60's designs. Our houses come in all colors of the rainbow ..... including some that you will never find in Ace hardware (I suspect they would require a release form to mix some of our colors for exterior use). We have thriving restaurants, bars, and other small businesses ...... our own Zen Center .... several places to learn Tai Chi. What more could anyone want.
The homes in the area range from beautiful old 2 story Craftsman style homes to brand new houses. The houses themselves run the range from immaculately maintained and restored to seemingly abandoned. Prices have climbed a bit over the last several years as people began to discover this little commune we call home.
Candler Park is located about 5 minutes east of downtown Atlanta and just south of Ponce De Leon Avenue. This National Register of Historic Places neighborhood is one of Atlanta's first suburbs and was founded as Edgewood in 1890. The neighborhood is home to many talented people, great shops, bars, and everything eclectic. Candler Park is a family-friendly neighborhood with a focus on walkability and livability.
Candler Park History
What is now Candler Park became the city of Edgewood in 1890, and had a population of over 500 persons in 1870-1880 when Inman Park was but a dream.
In 1886 the Moreland Park Military Institute (later Neals Academy) came to Candler Park (Edgewood), a desirable area for business and professional people such as Judges John S. Candler and Charles Whitefoord Smith, two state agriculture commissioners, and J.M. Miller, founder of Miller's book store.
Edgewood existed until 1908 with its own government, schools, and even electric light system. In 1908, the citizens of Edgewood petitioned to become part of Atlanta, and major development followed immediately as those same citizens subdivided their estates.
The area that is now the Asa G. Candler Park was a Union camp in the Civil War and later contained many houses that were owned by African American people. In the early 1920's Candler Park was graded to its present level, destroying the houses and forcing the families to relocate. Prior to that, there was a hill with a large valley with houses only on the west side. When the grading occurred, most of the houses that were in the actual park were destroyed, and in 1922 the sixty acres were given to Atlanta for a park by the Edgewood Park Realty Co., controlled by Asa Candler, soon to be mayor of Atlanta. Some of the houses survived into the 1930's.
After a brief decline when many houses were subdivided and rented by the week, Candler Park began an upswing in the late 1960's that has continued through today. Most homes have been converted back to single family dwellings and the neighborhood has undergone significant gentrification over the last 20 years. Candler Park retains many of the characteristics that made it popular at the turn of the century, including the small business districts catering to the neighborhood and easy access to downtown. In-town neighborhoods such as Candler Park continue to see a resurgence of popularity as commuting problems to downtown increase, but these could be offset by the looming increase in sewer fees to pay for years of neglect.
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