Sandy Springs, Georgia

Sandy Springs is a city in north Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. With a 2010 population of 93,853, Sandy Springs is the sixth-largest city in the state (after Athens), and the second-largest city in Metro Atlanta. Sandy Springs is located in north Fulton County, Georgia, just south of Roswell and west of Dunwoody. The city is named for the sandy springs that still exist as a protected historic site.

History
In 1842, the Austin-Johnson House was erected on what is now Johnson Ferry Road. It is the oldest house in Sandy Springs. In 1851, Wilson Spruill donated five acres (two hectares) of land for the founding of the Sandy Springs United Methodist Church, near the sandy spring for which the city is named. In 1905, the Hammond School was built at Johnson Ferry Road and Mt. Vernon Highway, across the street from the church.

After the Interstate Highway System was authorized by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, Sandy Springs experienced a housing boom, bringing new residents and major land development. In the 1960s and 1970s, Georgia 400 and Interstate 285 connected Sandy Springs to metro Atlanta.

Debate over incorporation
Debate over incorporation began in the 1970s when the city of Atlanta attempted to use a state law to force annexation of Sandy Springs. (Buckhead had joined Atlanta in 1952.) The attempt failed when the Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that the law was unconstitutional. In response, the Committee for Sandy Springs was formed in 1975. In every legislative session since 1989, state legislators representing the area introduced a bill in the Georgia General Assembly to authorize a referendum on incorporation. Legislators representing the city of Atlanta and southwestern Fulton County, who feared for the tax revenue that would be lost, blocked the bills using the procedural requirement that all local legislation be approved first by a delegation of representatives from the affected area.

Referendum
When the Republican Party gained a majority in both houses of the General Assembly in early 2005, the procedural rules previously used to prevent a vote by the full chamber were changed so that the bill was handled as a state bill and not as a local bill. It was introduced and passed as HB 37. The referendum initiative was approved by the Assembly and signed by Governor Sonny Perdue. The Assembly also temporarily repealed the 1995 law that all Georgia cities must provide at least three municipal services on their own or have their cityhood revoked, because the new city would need time to start up and would be contracting most of its services from the county through the end of 2006. The assembly also repealed the requirement that new cities must be at least three miles (4.8 km) from existing cities, because the new city limits border both Roswell and Atlanta.

The referendum was held on June 21, 2005, and residents voted 94% to 6% in favor of incorporation. Many residents expressed displeasure with county services, claiming, based upon financial information provided by the county, that the county was redistributing revenues to fund services in less financially-stable areas of the county, ignoring local opposition to rezoning, and allowing excessive development. Many residents of unincorporated and less-developed south Fulton County strongly opposed incorporation, fearing the loss of tax revenues which fund county services. County residents outside Sandy Springs were not allowed to vote on the matter. Efforts such as requesting the U.S. Justice Department to reject the plan were unsuccessful.

Interim government
As provided for by law, Governor Sonny Perdue named five residents to an interim government committee for the city, called the Governor's Commission On Sandy Springs. In five years (2010), the charter drawn up by the legislature will have to be reviewed for any proposed or necessary changes.

Elections and formal incorporation
A mayor and six city council members were elected in early November 2005, and formal incorporation occurred on December 1, making it the third-largest city ever to incorporate in the U.S. (Centennial, Colorado, Miami Gardens, Florida, and Spokane Valley, Washington, did the same in 2001, February 2003, and March 2003, respectively, making them first, second, and fourth). The six city council districts are roughly northwest (along the Chattahoochee River), northeast (north of Dunwoody), southwest, southeast, east (along Georgia 400), and central.

Timeline

 * In 1950, the state legislature blocked Atlanta from annexing the area.
 * In 1952, the Buckhead area north of Atlanta and south of Sandy Springs was annexed.
 * In 1959, after a fire at Hammond Elementary School, Atlanta Mayor William Hartsfield urged residents to support annexation so that the area would have better firefighting protection.
 * In 1966, annexation was defeated in a referendum, with two-thirds voting against.
 * In 1975 and 1976, the Committee For Sandy Springs was created and efforts in the legislature began.
 * In 1989, a new push was made, this time to join neighboring Chattahoochee Plantation in Cobb County. This move was blocked by Speaker of the House Tom Murphy.
 * In July 2005, residents voted 94% for incorporation in a referendum.
 * In November 2005, Sandy Springs residents elected the city's first mayor and city council. Eva Galambos, who had initiated and led the charge for incorporation, was elected mayor by a wide margin. All city officials took office when the city was incorporated on December 1.
 * In 2006, the city's police force began service on July 1 with 86 police officers with the average 10 years of service. Today SSPD has 128 Sworn Officers.
 * In 2006, the city's fire department was launched on December 29.
 * In 2010, the city became the first jurisdiction in Georgia to successfully "bail out" from the preclearance requirements of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

Geography
The boundaries of Sandy Springs are Atlanta to the south, Cobb County (at the Chattahoochee River) to the west and north, Roswell (also at the river) to the north, and Dunwoody and Brookhaven, at the DeKalb County line, to the east. A small panhandle in the northeast extends between the Chattahoochee River to the north and Dunwoody to the south, ending in a very small border with Peachtree Corners in Gwinnett County.

Climate
Sandy Springs has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa).

Downtown
Although it does not resemble a traditional downtown, the area around bounded by Abernathy Road to the north, I-285 to the south, and Sandy Springs Circle and Hildebrand Drive on the west and east is defined by the city and business groups as "Downtown Sandy Springs." The heart of Downtown is defined as Roswell Road in between Johnson Ferry Road and Cliftwood Drive, and is designated by the iconic nine-story Northside Tower, at Roswell Road and Sandy Springs Place, which has served as an unofficial landmark for the center of the district since its completion in 1971. Downtown is also the site of the actual sandy springs that spurred the name of the city. The city owns the former site of the Target store on Sandy Springs Circle, with long-term plans of developing the site into a mixed-use municipal complex, complete with a City Hall. Also, the city is seeking to add more roads to the district so it resembles a more traditional street grid pattern. Historically, the downtown area was known as the Hammond community.

Riverside
Riverside is the western district of the city, bordering the Chattahoochee River, and forms the western border with Cobb County. It is a very affluent area and is marked by large mansions sitting on large lots on winding, hilly roads. The main road is Riverside Drive, and it is located off the Riverside Drive exit of I-285.

Perimeter Center
Perimeter Center is a commercial edge city and business district surrounding Perimeter Mall. Although about 40% of Perimeter Center, including the mall, is located in Dunwoody, the western 60%, including most of the area's office towers, are located in Sandy Springs. Pill Hill is located in the Sandy Springs section of Perimeter Center and is the largest medical center in Georgia. It includes Northside Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital, and Children's Health Care of Atlanta. Hammond Park is located in this neighborhood, and it is also where the Sandy Springs (MARTA station) and Medical Center (MARTA station) are located.

Dunwoody Panhandle
The Dunwoody Panhandle is an affluent residential area bounded by Roberts and Dunwoody Club Drives at the Dunwoody city limit to the south, the Chattahoochee River to the north, GA 400 to the west, and Peachtree Corners to the east. The district's name is derived from its location, sandwiched in between the river and Dunwoody, forming a geographic panhandle. Major roads include Dunwoody Club and Spalding Drives, and interstate access is through the Northridge Road exit of GA 400. It is a controversial area for the city, as it had been considered Dunwoody for many years. Tension mounted when Dunwoody street sign toppers were removed and replaced with Sandy Springs street sign toppers, and a compromise proposed by the Dunwoody Homeowners Association was rejected by the Sandy Springs city council. The area also resisted being within the city limits, with residents stating that they considered themselves Dunwoody. Sandy Springs responded with a claim that the area would be marketed as Dunwoody in Sandy Springs, much like Buckhead in Atlanta, but this has yet to be seen. Many residents still refer to their address as Dunwoody.

North Springs
North Springs is the large northernmost district of the city, and is generally defined as the area west of GA 400, east of Brandon Mill Road and the Chattahoochee River, and north of Abernathy Road. The main thoroughfare is Roswell Road. North Springs High School, named after the district in which it is located, is off Trowbridge Road. North Springs (MARTA station) serves the district, and happens to be the terminus of the MARTA Northeast-South line.

Sandy Springs ITP
Although a small portion of Sandy Springs extends into the Perimeter, it is technically not part of the Buckhead district of Atlanta. The main commercial road is Roswell Road. Peachtree Dunwoody Road is the approximate eastern border, while the Chattahoochee River forms the western border. The southern border is the city of Atlanta. Most of this area is extremely affluent and centers around scenic, mansion-filled single-lane roads such as Northside Drive, Mt. Paran Road, and Powers Ferry Road.

In its February 2010 rankings of 420 U.S. communities with populations above 75,000, Portfolio.com determined Sandy Springs to be the 2nd wealthiest in the South, and the 9th wealthiest in the United States. This is mostly due to 30327 zip code, which is the wealthiest zip code in Georgia, and is split between Sandy Springs ITP and Buckhead.

Demographics
(Note: the 2000 census numbers are for Sandy Springs prior to incorporation, but cover the same area.)

According to the 2010 US Census in 2010 the population of Sandy Springs was 93,853. There were 42,334 households. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 65.0% white, 20.0% black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 5.0% Asian, 6.9% from some other race and 2.7% from two or more races. 14.2% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In the official census of 2000, when there were 85,781 people, 39,288 households, and 19,683 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,274.1 people per square mile (878.1/km²). There were 42,794 housing units at an average density of 1,134.5 per square mile (438.0/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 77.55% White, 12.04% African American, 0.18% Native American, 3.29% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.94% from other races, and 1.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.93% of the population. According to a 2006 report by the Atlanta Jewish Federation, 15,300 Jews reside in Sandy Springs and the adjacent city of Dunwoody.

There were 48,288 households, out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.9% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 17.8% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 40.3% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

According to a 2008 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $106,240, and the median income for a family was $129,810. The average income for a household was $116,406 and the average income for a family was $169,815. Males had a median income of $60,053 versus $50,030 for females. The per capita income for the city was $70,790. About 3.1% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Sandy Springs is home to over 8,000 business and the headquarters of more Fortune 500 companies than anywhere in the State including Atlanta. United Parcel Service, Newell Rubbermaid, and First Data are all headquartered in Sandy Springs. Global Payments, Inc., Mirant Corp., Spectrum Brands, and Wendy's/Arby's Group, which are Fortune 1000 companies, are also based in the city. The city is also home to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, InterContinental Hotels Group, IBM Internet Security Systems, Northside Hospital, Porsche Cars North America and Saint Joseph's Hospital.

The city's largest business district is the Roswell Road corridor and Perimeter Center (although Perimeter Mall itself lies in adjacent DeKalb County). Perimeter Center, which is the biggest edge city in the Atlanta area, includes many high-rise buildings, including the 570 ft Concourse Towers, which are often identified locally as the "king and queen" towers because of their distinctive architecture. Just south of this business district, across I-285, is a major medical center, anchored by Northside Hospital, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and Saint Joseph's Hospital.

AFC Enterprises (owner of Popeye's Chicken and Cinnabon) has its headquarters in Sandy Springs. Church's Chicken has its headquarters in Sandy Springs. First Data has its headquarters in Sandy Springs. Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, Inc. and its subsidiary Arby's have their headquarters in Sandy Springs. Cox Enterprises and subsidiary Cox Radio are headquartered in Sandy Springs.

Sumitomo Corporation operates its Atlanta Office in Suite 2150 at Six Concourse Parkway, NE. Industries supported include Living Related Products and Real Estate.

Top employers
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Annual Festivals
The Sandy Springs Festival is an annual pet-friendly, celebration to help raise proceeds to maintain and protect the remaining green-space of Sandy Springs. They have the Kiwanis Pet Parade and Award Ceremony, a 2 hour blast-from-the-past 80's music fest, singing groups and marching bands. It will be on September 25th and 26th.

Points of Interest
The Heritage Sandy Springs Museum that opened on March 20, 2010. It is dedicated to the history of the Sandy Springs community and is located in the repurposed Williams-Payne house at Heritage Green. Two notable exhibits are "Sandy Springs: Land and People" which tells the changing story of Sandy Springs as the home of Native Americans, rural farmers, and modern suburbanites and "A Land Nearby" which features a collection of 20 photographs of Georgia's Barrier Island taken by Dr. Curt Hames Jr.

Parks & Recreation
Sandy Springs is home to twelve parks and green space areas, three of which provide recreational facilities.
 * Hammond Park - Multipurpose building, gym, game room, AstroTurf soccer field, lighted tennis courts, basketball courts, picnic pavilions, playground, restrooms
 * Morgan Falls Overlook - Picnic pavilions, children's playground, boat dock/fishing pier, hiking trail, fire pit, porch swings, scenic views, restrooms
 * Morgan Falls Athletic Complex - Baseball fields, T-ball fields, football fields, picnic pavilions, playgrounds, concessions stand, restrooms
 * Sandy Springs Tennis Center - Clubhouse, pro shop, restrooms, locker rooms, lighted tennis courts, jogging trail
 * Abernathy Park - Tennis courts, playground, picnic tables, arts center
 * Allen - Playground, multipurpose court, walking trail, basketball court
 * John Ripley Forbes Big Trees Forest Nature - trails, tree, plant and wildlife sanctuary
 * Ridgeview - Nature trails, picnic pavilion, playground
 * Heritage Green

Officials

 * Mayor: Eva Galambos
 * District 1: John Paulson
 * District 2: Dianne Fries
 * District 3: Chip Collins
 * District 4: Gabriel Sterling
 * District 5: Tiberio "Tibby" DeJulio
 * District 6: Karen Meinzen McEnerny
 * City Manager: John McDonough

Services
City services are performed in a public-private partnership. Most services are being handled by the engineering and operations firm CH2M HILL, although public safety is not outsourced. Sandy Springs, at first glance, appears to be run just like other similarly-sized cities, with a council-manager form of government. However, it is the first city in the nation to outsource services to such a great extent to a private sector company.

The city's police department took over services from the county on July 1, 2006 with 86 Police Officers from all over the State of Georgia,and is now staffed by 128 officers. The city's fire department began operations in December 2006. The department consists of 97 full time firefighters. The former Police Chief Gene Wilson Jr. was replaced by current Police Chief Terry Sult in 2009 while the fire department is headed by Chief Jack McElfish. It is staffed by 91 full-time firefighters and 52 part-time firefighters. The police department answered 98,250 calls in FY 2010 while the fire department handled 17,000 responses to 8,205 calls for service.

The city of Sandy Springs has purchased the old Target Corporation building located on the corner of Sandy Springs Circle and Johnson Ferry Road. The building has sat vacant since the December 2008 purchase. Rumors say that this location will one day be the new home to the Sandy Springs City Hall.

Disputes with Fulton County
During the transition period, the city has had some disputes with the county. Most notable among these was over the existing parks then within the city. The county commission voted to sell them on the "open market", but later the Commissioner At-Large, Rob Pitts, clarified that there was no intent to sell for land development purposes. , there was still harsh debate over whether to sell the parks for $5,000 each, $1 per acre, or at market value, or to lease them for 50 years for one dollar each annually. Under state law, the county cannot legally give the parks away, nor can any parks be used for development. In December 2006, Sandy Springs purchased 11 parks and greenspace areas from the county.

The newly-purchased facilities include:
 * Abernathy Park
 * Allen Road Park
 * The John Ripley Forbes Big Trees Forest Preserve
 * East Conway Drive Park
 * Ed Morey Pocket Park
 * Hammond Park
 * Island Ford Park
 * Johnson Ferry Road Greenspace
 * Lost Corner Preserve
 * Morgan Falls Athletic Fields
 * Morgan Falls Overlook Park
 * Ridgeview Park
 * Sandy Springs Tennis Center
 * Sandy Springs Historic Site & Park

Primary and secondary schools
Public schools continue to be operated by the Fulton County School System.

Elementary schools serving sections of Sandy Springs include Dunwoody Springs Charter Elementary School, Heards Ferry Elementary School, High Point Elementary School, Ison Springs Elementary School, Lake Forest Elementary School, Spalding Drive Charter Elementary School, and Woodland Charter Elementary School.

Two middle schools, Sandy Springs Middle School and Ridgeview Middle School, are in and serve Sandy Springs. Two high schools, North Springs Charter School of Arts and Sciences and Riverwood High School, are in and serve Sandy Springs.

There are private schools located in Sandy Springs. Some of those are:
 * Brandon Hall School (4th grade through high school)
 * First Montessori School of Atlanta (preschool through middle school)
 * Greenfield Hebrew Academy (k-8)
 * Holy Innocents' Episcopal School (preschool through high school)
 * Mount Vernon Presbyterian School (preschool through high school)
 * St. Jude the Apostle Catholic School (k-8)
 * The Alfred and Adele Davis Academy (k-8)
 * The Doris & Alex Weber School (high school) - Rated Top High School by the Sandy Springs School Association in 2009.
 * The Epstein School(k-8)
 * Holy Spirit Preparatory School (k-12)

Public libraries
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System operates the Sandy Springs Branch.

Media
Some notable newspapers that cover areas of interest to sandy springs include the Sandy Springs Neighbor and The Atlanta Journal Constitution,

Roads
Sandy Springs is served by two major limited-access highways, Georgia 400 – which runs north-south – and I-285 – which runs east-west. Major surface streets include Roswell Road (U.S. 19/Ga. 9), Spalding Drive, Johnson Ferry Road, Abernathy Road, Glenridge Drive, and Dunwoody Club Drive.

The City's public works department has made significant improvements in the conditions of roads and traffic signals since incorporation in December 2005. The department has cleaned approximately 1,500 catch basins, striped 30 mi of roadway, responded to more than 2,000 calls for repair and service, re-timed hundreds of traffic lights to help improve the flow of traffic and reduce automobile idling, and repaved 60 miles (nearly 100 km) of roads.

The GDOT is widening Abernathy Road between Johnson Ferry and Roswell Roads from two lanes to four plus a road median, and the city is developing a linear park where homes along Abernathy were demolished, with sidewalks and walking trails to add greenspace and improve connectivity in the city. The western intersection is being reconfigured so that traffic to and from Johnson Ferry Road – which now carries heavy loads of Cobb County commuters across the Chattahoochee River at rush hour – will flow directly with Abernathy to and from the northwest.

The 2008 fiscal year saw the creation of the Sandy Springs Traffic Management Center (TMC). The TMC was constructed and began to operate in less than six months. Construction began in February 2008, five cameras viewed traffic along Roswell Road by the end of June. Special features of the TMC include a webpage that allows the public access to real-time traffic conditions and voice-activated controls. By June 2009, 16 traffic cameras are now available and can be viewed onilne at www.sandyspringsga.org.

There are a number of roadway Capital Improvement Projects that have either been completed by the City or are currently underway:


 * T-0001 - Johnson Ferry Road from the Chattahoochee River to Abernathy Road and Abernathy Road from Johnson Ferry to Roswell Road
 * T-0002 - Abernathy Greenway Linear Park
 * T-0003 - Roswell Road at Dunwoody Place Intersection Improvement
 * T-0004 - Roswell Road at Northridge Road Intersection Improvement
 * T-0010 - Johnson Ferry Road at Sandy Springs Circle Intersection Improvement
 * T-0011 - Johnson Ferry Road and Glenridge Drive Improvements from Abernathy to Hammond (Earmark)
 * T-0012 - Roswell Road Streetscape/Sidewalks from Johnson Ferry to Abernathy Road
 * T-0013 - Roswell Road Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) from Abernathy Road to Forsyth County Line
 * T-0016 - Dunwoody Club Drive at Spalding Drive Intersection Improvement
 * T-0021 - Peachtree Dunwoody Road at Lake Hearn Drive Intersection Improvement
 * T-0023 - I-285 Tunnel Sandy Springs Circle Underpass
 * T-0024 - Hammond Widening from Roswell Road to Barfield
 * T-0025 - Dunwoody Place Widening from Roswell Road to Northridge
 * T-0026 - Peachtree Dunwoody and Spalding Drive Intersection Improvements
 * T-0027 - Jett Road Bridge Upgrade
 * T-0028 - Hammond Interchange at SR 400
 * T-0030 - Livable Communities Initiative (LCI)
 * T-0031 - Roswell Road Bridge over I-285 Operational and Safety Improvements
 * T-0032 - PCID Sidewalk and Intersection Improvement Projects
 * T-0034 - Morgan Falls Road Improvements

Mass transportation
The major provider of mass transit is MARTA, which operates a heavy rail rapid transit line and several bus lines through Sandy Springs. The city is served by the Medical Center, Sandy Springs and North Springs stations. The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority also operates express buses from the North Springs station to other counties.

Diplomatic missions
The city has two consulate generals. The Consulate-General of Colombia in Atlanta is located in Suite 405 at 5901 B Peachtree Dunwoody Road. The Consulate-General of Nigeria in Atlanta is located at 8060 Roswell Road.