Virginia-Highlands Atlanta
In 1925, the Atlanta Street Railway Company began selling pieces of land for suburban development.
Developers bought large plots and divided them into areas for residential and commercial use. This growth continued steadily until the 1960s, when most of the city's original suburbs including the Virginia-Highlands began to decline.
In the 1970s, the Highlands were swept up in a wave of revitalization that was also bringing new life to surrounding areas. Proposed freeway construction threatened to crush this renaissance, but the idea was defeated by the community.
In 1988, John Howell Park on Virginia Avenue was dedicated to the memory of Highlands resident John Howell, one of the many residents who fought hard to stop the development of I-485. The park occupies three acres of land where 11 homes were demolished for the proposed highway. Howell died from complications of HIV in 1988.
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