- Stream
- Water
- gauged since 1912
- City of Atlanta
- Location approximate
Peachtree Creek
Atlanta's main Chattahoochee tributary, formed where the North and South forks meet near GA 400 and I-85 and flowing 7.5 miles west to the river. It is named for Standing Peachtree.
The record
Wikipedia notes that claims 'peachtree' is a corruption of 'pitch tree' have no evidence before the 20th century, while 'Standing Peachtree' appears in 18th-century records and translates the Muscogee name Pakanahuili. Mills lined the creek (Howell's, Moore's, and Collier's on Tanyard Branch), and the Battle of Peachtree Creek was fought along it on July 20, 1864. A USGS gauge at Northside Drive has run since 1912; its largest flows came in December 1919 (about 21,000 cfs) and September 2024 (20,000 cfs), and backwater from the Chattahoochee pushed its 2009 stage to 23.70 ft.
Today: Open creek through Buckhead and northwest Atlanta.
Where on the map: Forks meet at about 33.8178,-84.3643 (USGS NHD); main stem runs west past Peachtree Rd, Northside Dr, Howell Mill Rd and Moores Mill Rd to the river.