Poncey-Highland

Plaza_Theatre_Atlanta

Poncey-Highland is a neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia, located south of Virginia-Highland. It so named because it is near the intersection of east/west Ponce de Leon Avenue and north/southwest North Highland Avenue. This Atlanta neighborhood was established between 1905 and 1930, and is bordered by Druid Hills and Candler Park across Moreland Ave. to the east, the Old Fourth Ward across the BeltLine to the west, Inman Park across the eastern branch of Freedom Parkway to the south, and Virginia Highland to the north across Ponce de Leon Avenue.  The Little Five Points area sits on the border of Poncey-Highland, Inman Park, and Candler Park.

Poncey-Highland is the third most walkable neighborhood in the Atlanta with a Walk Score of  86.  The nabe is also very bikeable with a Bike Score of 81.

Poncey-Highland is home of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, established in 1982. The Carter Center occupies an area of land that was originally the neighborhood of Copenhill, and which was razed to build an interchange between eight-lane highways: Interstate 485 (now Stone Mountain Freeway) east and west, and Georgia 400 and Interstate 675 north and south. The development was successfully stopped by the surrounding neighborhoods, leaving Freedom Parkway in the area where GDOT had already demolished over 500 homes.

Poncey-Highland has numerous historic buildings, including:

• Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant (circa 1916)
• Western Electric Company building at 820 Ralph McGill
• Briarcliff Plaza, containing the Majestic Diner (c. 1929) and the Plaza Theatre(1939), an art-deco cinema hosting numerous film events and the focal point of independent cinema in Atlanta
• Clermont Hotel, currently empty except for the basement Clermont Lounge

The BeltLine, a multi-use corridor of walking and biking paths and eventually a light rail line, is being built on the old Southern Railway tracks that form the western boundary of Poncey-Highland. Around the intersection of North Avenue and North Highland are:

• Manuel’s Tavern, a local political hangout and one of Atlanta’s oldest taverns
• Videodrome, an independent DVD and video rental retail
• The Highland Inn, one of Atlanta’s only independent hotels
• Highland Ballroom, a bar and event space located in the Highland Inn’s basement area

Most information about Poncey-Highland courtesy of Wikipedia.