Heads Up

Within the City Limits of Atlanta, there is a tony neighborhood known as "Buckhead." It is recognized widely as the most celebrated address from which to hail. Having built there in the last few years, it occurred to me that the name had to have come from somewhere. In the chitter-chatter of builders and Realtors a story came out about the origins of the name that piqued my interest.

According to the story I heard, 100 years ago, at what is now the intersection of (older) Northside Drive and Mt. Paran Road, there was a general store. This was easy to verify in that, indeed, there is a general store there that has been there for about 100 years. The current owners have owned it for a few years. Nice couple, they provide some of the best breakfast fixin's anywhere and construction crews and bank presidents wait in line in the morning to get their biscuits.

So anyway, this crossroad was a busy spot in the piney woods even a century ago. For want of the kind of maps we enjoy today, most people who wanted to meet anywhere would use landmarks and street intersections to give directions. In the case of the intersection of Northside and Mt. Paran Rd., according to the story, they would reference the general store. More specifically, the buck head that the original owners had placed up over the door. Meet me at the "buck head" store became the reference that most everyone in that area of Atlanta knew and understood. Wait, I know you're thinking that this has to be a hoax. I certainly did when I first heard it from a realtor. In fact, several notable locals confirmed that this story was one that they had learned from a young age, though the location I had identified was suspect.

I approached the current owner of the store about this and he smiled and said, "Well, I don't know if it's true or not. I don't care, as long as it brings people in." An affable fellow, he wasn't much help. Well, this was the story I believed until another story surfaced that has apparently been credited with more authenticity. In this tale, one Henry Irby had a general store and tavern located at West Paces Ferry and Roswell Road, which is in the heart of the commercial area Atlantans generally conceive of as Buckhead. In this tale, like the other, Mr. Irby hung a large head of a buck somewhere on his establishment and that became the landmark mentioned in the other story. In fact, the area was known as Irbyville until it was annexed by the City of Atlanta in 1952.

Whichever tale is true, there is apparently some credence to the fact that Buckhead was indeed a name derived from the head of a deer. Buckhead, the community, has prospered for over a century and now possesses the ninth wealthiest zip code in America (30327). According to Forbes,the average income is around $350,000. per year and the average home value is about $750,000. (To convert that to California Real Estate values, add a zero). Buckhead is the home of the Governor's Mansion, along with the highest concentration of upscale boutiques in America. Not satisfied with those milestones, the area's developers decided to raze an entire row of night spots (especially after a rash of shootings, rapes, robberies and general mayhem began to become the theme of the area) in the heart of the community and create a mixed-use area intended to top even Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. That is currently on hold, more or less, due to the economy but it will be completed, sooner or later. The wealthy still have their wealth and wanna-be wealthy neighbors will always flock to their stores.

On the residential side, many mega-mansions sit idle, newly built, waiting for someone to buy them. My builder friends in Buckhead, however painful the lull has been, are already buying up lots and finalizing architectural plans for the next surge in the cycle of home building. Some things never change......