| Clarkston | |
| Official Name: | City of the Village of Clarkston |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Motto: | “Where Possibilities Grow” |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Coordinates: | 33.8103°N -84.24°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name1: | Georgia |
| Subdivision Name2: | DeKalb |
| Government Type: | Council-Manager |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Beverly H. Burks |
| Leader Title1: | City Council |
| Leader Name1: | Debra Johnson, Vice-Mayor Yterenickia Bell Jamie Carroll Awet Eyasu Laura Hopkins Susan Hood[1] |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Area Total Km2: | 4.81 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1.86 |
| Area Land Km2: | 4.78 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1.84 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.04 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.01 |
| Elevation M: | 311 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1020 |
| Population Total: | 14756 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Density Km2: | 3088.40 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 7997.83 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Demonym |
| Population Blank1: | Clarkstonian |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 30021 |
| Area Code: | 404, 678 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 13-16544[3] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0331411[4] |
Clarkston is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 14,756 as of the 2020 census,[5] up from 7,554 in 2010.[6]
The city is noted for its ethnic diversity, and is often referred to as "the most diverse square mile in America" and "the Ellis Island of the South."[7] [8] In the 1990s, refugee resettlement programs identified Clarkston as a good fit for displaced persons of many backgrounds. The rental market was open, residents were moving farther out from the Atlanta urban core, and Clarkston was the last stop on a transit line into the city. At present students attending Clarkston High School come from over 50 countries; the local mosque (Masjid al-Momineen, or Mosque of the Faithful in English) has a diverse and sizable congregation;[9] and over half the population is estimated by some to be foreign born.[10]
A post office called Clarkston has been in operation since 1876.[11] The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the place in 1882 as the "Town of Clarkston", with municipal corporate limits extending in a one-half mile radius from the Georgia Railroad depot.[12] The community was named after W. W. Clark, a railroad official.[13]
Clarkston is located at 33.8103°N -84.24°W (33.810304, −84.239877).[14]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1sqmi, of which 1sqmi is land and 0.94% is water.
Clarkston is on the Eastern Continental Divide.
| White (non-Hispanic) | 1,199 | 8.13% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 9,491 | 64.32% | |
| Native American | 24 | 0.16% | |
| Asian | 2,866 | 19.42% | |
| Pacific Islander | 7 | 0.05% | |
| Other/Mixed | 620 | 4.2% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 549 | 3.72% |
DeKalb County School System operates Clarkston's public schools.
All the schools are located outside of the city limits of Clarkston.
Atlanta Area School for the Deaf is a State funded school in Clarkston.
The Clarkston Campus of Georgia State University's Perimeter College is just south of the city limits.Georgia Piedmont Technical College, part of the Technical College System of Georgia, is in Clarkston.
DeKalb County Public Library operates the Clarkston Branch.[16]
Georgia is among states that receive the highest amount of refugees for resettlement, and has resettled more than 37,000 refugees since 1993.[17] Clarkston receives a large portion of these refugees, but arrivals have gradually declined yearly since 2016.[18] In 2016, then Georgia Governor Nathan Deal issued and then reneged on an executive order attempting to cease influx of Syrian refugees into the state.[19] Additionally, as of 2019 federal funding for refugee programs has decreased and executive orders have been issued that allow states increased authority to limit resettlement, which has resulted in the downsizing of several Georgia resettlement organizations.[20]
Organizations that aid the resettlement of refugees in Clarkston include: