| Official Name: | North Druid Hills, Georgia |
| Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community Census-designated place |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Pushpin Map: | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Pushpin Label: | North Druid Hills |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | location within central Metro Atlanta |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Georgia |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | DeKalb |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 11.55 |
| Area Land Km2: | 11.53 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.02 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 4.46 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 4.45 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.01 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 20385 |
| Population Density Km2: | 1768.54 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 4580.90 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Coordinates: | 33.8197°N -84.3281°W |
| Elevation M: | 309 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1014 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 13-56168[2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1805271[3] |
North Druid Hills, also known as Briarcliff or Toco Hills, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (North Druid Hills CDP) in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 20,385 in 2020. The commercial center of the area is the Toco Hill Shopping Center, located near the intersection of North Druid Hills Road and LaVista Road.
One of the earliest European settlers in north DeKalb County was Chapman Powell, whose "Medicine House" cabin was built near the intersection of Clairmont and North Decatur roads (later relocated to Stone Mountain Park, where it still stands). Dr. Powell (1798–1870) owned most of the land in the Candler Lake and South Fork Peachtree Creek area during his lifetime. His land was later purchased by Walter Candler.
Major Washington Jackson Houston owned land on the north side of the South Fork of Peachtree Creek, in what is now Briarcliff. Visitors used to visit Major Houston to buy ground cornmeal produced by his 1876 gristmill or to attend social gatherings held on his property. Major Houston converted the mill into an early hydroelectric plant circa 1900. Atlanta contractor Harry J. Carr bought Houston's land in the 1920s and constructed the fieldstone and wrought iron home now known as the Houston Mill House. Emory University purchased the home in the 1960s and renovated it. Houston Mill House, located at 849 Houston Mill Road, is now open for dining and special events.[4]
After World War II and continuing into the 1950s, many Jews moved out of Washington-Rawson, where Turner Field now stands, and the Old Fourth Ward into North Druid Hills and Morningside/Lenox Park.[5] Congregation Beth Jacob, an orthodox synagogue, moved to LaVista Road in 1962, and the neighborhood has since become a hub of Orthodox Judaism for the Atlanta area with three Jewish schools, six congregations and a mikveh located along or near LaVista Road.
The North Druid Hills CDP remained rural until 1965, when Executive Park was constructed on a former dairy farm as the first suburban office park in metropolitan Atlanta. Following the completion of Executive Park, the area boomed with suburban development.[6] The 19-story Executive Park Motor Hotel, built in the 1970s at the southeast corner of I-85 and North Druid Hills Road and which later served as a BellSouth training center,[7] was a modernist landmark until its demolition in November 2014[8] after being purchased by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for $9.6 million in January 2013.[9]
Following the incorporation of Brookhaven in 2012, the idea of incorporating a city of Briarcliff was proposed by a civic group known as the North Druid Hills Study Group.[10] Supporters cited more local control as reasons in favor of cityhood, while those against cityhood cited the lack of an identity, center, and boundaries as reasons against.[11] [12] The city of Briarcliff boundaries would be:[13]
In March 2014 after failure of the first initiative the City of Briarcliff Initiative, Inc. announced plans for a second attempt at cityhood, which it dubbed "Briarcliff 2.0".[14]
North Druid Hills is located at 33.8197°N -84.3281°W.[15]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of, of which 0.20% is water. The CDP boundaries are:
Toco Hills is a large commercial and residential neighborhood in the eastern portion of the North Druid Hills CDP. The commercial component consists of two major shopping centers that are located at the intersection of LaVista and North Druid Hills roads that were developed in the 1950s. While it is generally accepted that the name "Toco Hills" is derived from the Toco Hill shopping center, the origin of that name is disputed. Some sources claim that the developer chose the name Toco because it was the Brazilian Indian word for "good luck."[18] Other sources claim Toco is an informal abbreviation of "top of the County."[19] [20] In any case, the shopping center was developed on what was a hill, and the name gradually changed to "Toco Hills." The area is home to a large Orthodox Jewish population, and marked by wooded subdivisions featuring mostly ranch homes surrounding the commercial area.[18]
| White alone (NH) | 15,008 | 12,228 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 12,416 | 76.91% | 64.54% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 60.91% | |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,363 | 2,354 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 2,735 | 7.23% | 12.42% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 13.42% | |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 26 | 38 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 37 | 0.14% | 0.20% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 0.18% | |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1,266 | 2,110 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 2,109 | 6.72% | 11.14% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 10.35% | |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 6 | 4 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 8 | 0.03% | 0.02% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 0.04% | |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 84 | 45 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 186 | 0.45% | 0.24% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 0.91% | |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 284 | 324 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 828 | 1.51% | 1.71% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 4.06% | |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 815 | 1,844 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 2,066 | 4.32% | 9.73% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 10.13% | |
| Total | 18,852 | 18,947 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 20,385 | 100.00% | 100.00% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 100.00% |
North Druid Hills was first listed as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. census. As of the 2020 United States census, there were 20,385 people, 8,672 households, and 3,215 families residing in the CDP.
The United States Postal Service operates the Druid Hills Post Office at 1799 Briarcliff Road NE in the CDP.[24] [25] The area uses an Atlanta, GA city designation for mailing purposes.
The Consulate-General of Mexico in Atlanta is in the North Druid Hills CDP.[25] [26]
DeKalb County Schools serves the CDP.[25] Briar Vista Elementary School, the zoned school of most of North Druid Hills, is in the CDP.[25] [27] Some portions are served by Sagamore Hills Elementary School.[28] Residents in North Druid Hills are also zoned to Druid Hills Middle School (in North Decatur CDP[29]) and Druid Hills High School (in Druid Hills CDP[30]).[31] [32]
The Margaret Harris Comprehensive School, an alternative K-12 county school for disabled children, is in North Druid Hills.[33]
Parochial schools:The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta operates the Immaculate Heart of Mary School, a parochial school, at 2855 Briarcliff Road in the CDP.[25] [34] The school initially had 238 pupils when it opened in August 1958. An addition was installed in circa the late 1960s/early 1970s.[35]
Private schools:
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is headquartered in North Druid Hills.[36] [37]
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Metropolis of Atlanta is headquartered in North Druid Hills.[38]