Tucker, Georgia

It didn't become an official city until 2016, but already Tucker has attracted state attention based on its comprehensive future planning efforts. It's a progressive home to over 36,000 residents, but it's also a shopping mecca for visitors from Atlanta and further afield. Located about 15 miles northwest of the "big city," Tucker thinks big, not only for itself, but for all of DeKalb County. It has a proud past as one of the earliest and largest unincorporated areas in the state.

Tucker is served by MARTA, with six separate bus routes providing access to the city. Highway access is equally easy in all directions. Interstate 85 and I-285, U.S. Route 29 and 78 and a network of state highways lead in every possible direction. For leisure time, the Stone Mountain Trail represents a great way to get away from it all and enjoy walking and hiking the natural terrain.

Main Street, the Mall and the Market are the cornerstones of Tucker life. Redesigned over the past few years as the hub of community activities, Main Street renovations have put Tucker on the map for family fun and community events. Northlake Mall has served as the primary shopping and entertainment center for residents of Stone Mountain, Decatur and Northlake for more than 40 years. And today, Tucker Farmers' Market celebrates the area's agricultural bounty with a Thursday evening market between April and December. The young city sponsors walking tours of the three major business centers. Anyone interested in learning more about the community is welcome to tag along to gain information about Tucker's future plans.

Tucker has a history that goes back more than 125 years. DeKalb County was created in 1822 and the small community was immediately front and center in county history. It was from Tucker that Union soldiers during the Civil War formed the left wing of Sherman's March to the Sea. Brownings Court, which still stands, was one of the few buildings to survive Sherman's onslaught. Within a four-mile radius of Tucker's Main Street, 30 cemeteries bear testimony to the area's embattled past, with grave sites that date back to the 17th century.