Chamblee, Georgia

Located in northern DeKalb County, Chamblee was incorporated by the Georgia legislature in 1908, and is one of 10 cities in the county. With a population of just under 10,000 at the 2010 census, the city has grown by leaps and bounds since then. It's now home to an estimated almost 30,000 residents. Today Chamblee is known as a progressive, urban community with strong ties to its past. It also has eyes focused on a bright future as a multicultural city with a vibrant economic base and a government that is responsive to changing needs and new development opportunities.

Chamblee is only 16 miles north and slightly east of downtown Atlanta via Interstates 75 and 85. The city is served by XPress GA and RTA buses and MARTA rail transport. The city's core has been reenvisioned as a pedestrian-friendly Antique Row that attracts international visitors. Parks and trails not only beautify the community but offer ample paths for walkers and cyclists to explore.

The city celebrates its three-pronged past as dairy center, railroading junction and significant military training facility. The influx of military recruits to Camp Gordon in 1917 became the catalyst for the city's continuing growth. The installation also served as a naval aviation center during World War II, prior to Chamblee's evolution as a manufacturing industrial magnet until the mid-1980s. Now Chamblee is a pleasant, moderately-priced community with residents who celebrate both the city's past and its potential.

Had it not been for the doughboys of World War I, Chamblee might have remained a small dairy-farming community in the rolling hills of Georgia. Cattle and trains gave way to manufacturing plants and warehouses for a time, until new immigrants arrived to forge a new vision. The city's destiny has changed over the century of its existence, but Chamblee's character is strong. The city meets new challenges head on and has prospered by redesigning itself.