- Annexation & politics
- Segregation
- referendum June 28, 1950; effective Jan. 1, 1952
- City of Atlanta
- General area only
The 1952 Plan of Improvement annexation
Atlanta annexed Buckhead and other white suburbs, adding 82 square miles and 100,000 residents. Mayor Hartsfield had privately described annexation as a way to offset growing Black voting strength.
The record
In a private January 1943 letter, Mayor William B. Hartsfield wrote that the 'most important thing ... cannot be publicized': 'Our negro population is growing by leaps and bounds ... the time is not far distant when they will become a potent political force in Atlanta if our white citizens are just going to move out and give it to them' (Atlanta History Center). The Plan of Improvement was approved in a June 28, 1950 referendum and took effect January 1, 1952. It added 82 square miles and 100,000 residents (NGE) and tripled the city's area. Wikipedia's history of Atlanta says it preserved white political power and expanded the tax base. The annexation also brought 38 Fulton County schools into Atlanta Public Schools, among them segregated high schools such as Northside (white) and Henry McNeal Turner (Black).
Today: Buckhead and much of today's northwest, southwest and south Atlanta.
Where on the map: Annexed areas are in the City of Atlanta annexation layer (YEARANNEXED = 1952).