Divide
Water
natural drainage; buried 19th-20th centuries
City of Atlanta
General area only

Downtown's four creeks

Downtown sits on the divide. Proctor, Tanyard and Clear creeks begin under it and flow west, north and northeast to the Chattahoochee, while Intrenchment Creek flows south to the South River and the Atlantic.

See it on the map All Water records

The record

Atlanta Magazine describes the four creeks radiating from downtown 'like spokes,' their sources nearly buried by railroads and highways. Atlanta Buildings notes that only a short stretch of Peachtree, the part once called Whitehall Street, actually follows the Eastern Continental Divide, despite a common belief that the whole street does. Proctor Creek's headwater springs have been traced under parking decks near Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Tanyard Creek began at Walton Spring, and Clear Creek's western branch rose between Decatur and Peachtree streets.

Today: Streets, rail cuts and the Gulch; all four headwaters are piped.