Virginia-Tierras Altas

En la década de 1880, el ejecutivo de Georgia Railroad, Richard Peters, y el promotor inmobiliario George Washington Adair organizaron la Atlanta Street Railway Company . ^{[ 9 ]} Su primer proyecto fue el tranvía Nine Mile , que comenzó a prestar servicio en la zona entre 1888 y 1890. Al principio, los usuarios utilizaban esta línea de tranvía para visitar el campo a las afueras de la ciudad, y la línea impulsó el desarrollo posterior de la zona. Adair construyó su casa en el número 964 de Rupley Drive (que aún se conserva y está dividida en apartamentos de lujo ). Las icónicas curvas de la calle en las intersecciones de Virginia Ave. con N. Highland y Monroe son vestigios de la línea de tranvía, que requería curvas suaves. Los apartamentos Trolley Square (ahora "Virginia Highlands [sic] Apartments") cerca de Virginia y Monroe se construyeron en el lugar donde se encontraban las instalaciones de mantenimiento del tranvía.

El primer terreno que se subdividió en lo que ahora es Virginia-Highland fue Highland Park en la década de 1890, ubicado a ambos lados de la Avenida Ponce de León entre la actual Calle Barnett y la Avenida N. Highland. La mayoría de las casas y calles en Virginia-Highland se construyeron entre 1909 y 1926. ^{[ 10 ]} En 1916, la controversia de Arc Light arreció entre los vecinos de la Avenida Adair y la Avenida N. Highland.

Some businesses opened around the intersection of Virginia and N. Highland starting in 1908, with many more opening starting in 1925. At the same time development started in the Atkins Park commercial district around St. Charles. Ave. and N. Highland, including the present-day Atkins Park Restaurant (1922), which reportedly got what is now Atlanta's oldest liquor license when it became a bar and restaurant in 1927. Between 1928 and 1930, the Howard Dry Cleaning Company and the Phelps Millard Grocery opened, anchoring the Amsterdam and N. Highland business district. The Samuel N. Inman School, named after the nineteenth-century cottonmerchant, was built in 1923. In 1924, fire station 19 was built on N. Highland at Los Angeles Ave.

Streetcar service to Virginia–Highland ended around 1947, along with all of the other trolley lines into and out of central Atlanta.

Virginia–Highland, like most intown Atlanta neighborhoods, suffered decline starting in the 1960s as residents moved to the suburbs. Less-affluent residents moved in, some single-family houses were turned into apartments, and crime increased. Some businesses closed and were replaced by lower-rent tenants such as pawn shops. Others, such as Moe’s and Joe’s (which opened in 1947) and Atkins Park Restaurant, stayed open. Many buildings deteriorated.

What could have been the death knell for the neighborhood sounded in the mid-1960s, when the Georgia Department of Transportation proposed building Interstate 485 to connect what is now Freedom Parkway through the neighborhood and to what is now Georgia 400 at Interstate 85. It would have included an interchange at Virginia Avenue where John Howell Memorial Park is today. Despite the I-485 proposal moving forward, a few middle-class families began moving back into the neighborhood, renovating homes.

En otoño de 1971, Joseph (Joe) Drolet y otros fundaron la Asociación Cívica Virginia–Highland (VHCA), cuya misión era derrotar la I-485 , ^{[ 11 ]} y registraron la asociación ante la Secretaría de Estado de Georgia el 22 de agosto de 1972. ^{[ 12 ]} Ellos junto con los residentes de Stone Mountain , Inman Park y Morningside finalmente derrotaron la I-485 y se convirtieron en una fuerza política a tener en cuenta. El sistema actual de Unidades de Planificación Vecinal ( NPU ) es un resultado de estos eventos. En 2009, la autopista original norte/sur (que conecta la 675 con la 400) se volvió a incluir en la lista de tareas pendientes del GDOT, pero esta vez discurría por un túnel debajo de los vecindarios, con edificios para ventilar los gases de escape y el smog en la superficie.

Entre 1972 y 1975, el valor de las propiedades aumentó entre un 20 y un 50 por ciento. Los niveles de propiedad de vivienda subieron un 20 por ciento. En 1972 se inició un recorrido por casas renovadas. El Departamento de Transporte de Georgia comenzó a vender las propiedades que había adquirido para la I-485, prácticamente todas destinadas a la construcción de viviendas en terrenos baldíos . Sin embargo, las 3 acres (12 000 m²) de ^terreno en Virginia Avenue, donde se habían expropiado y demolido 11 casas para dar paso a una salida de Virginia Avenue, se inauguraron finalmente en 1988 como el Parque Conmemorativo John Howell, en memoria de John Howell , residente de Virginia-Highland y activista contra las autopistas , quien falleció por complicaciones del VIH en 1988. 

A principios de la década de 1980, el restaurante Atkins Park fue renovado. Mientras tanto, Stuart Meddin compró y renovó la manzana comercial de 1925 ubicada en la intersección de North Highland y Virginia.

En 1988, los depósitos de tranvías de principios de siglo, ubicados en un terreno de 2 hectáreas (5 acres) en Virginia Avenue, al este del BeltLine Eastside Trail (actualmente Virginia–Highland Apartments), fueron demolidos a pesar de los intentos del Ayuntamiento y la VHCA por salvarlos. Si bien el alcalde Andrew Young había asegurado previamente a los residentes locales que estaba a favor de conservar las estructuras históricas, posteriormente vetó la resolución, y la votación del Ayuntamiento, con un resultado de 11-3, no fue suficiente para anularla. Young citó el descubrimiento de amianto en los edificios y otros materiales peligrosos en la propiedad. ^{[ 13 ] [ 14 ]} 

As the neighborhood continued to regentrify, property values increased rapidly; the shops and restaurants became progressively more upscale. Towards the end of the 1990s, the neighborhood-oriented character of the business districts gave way to businesses serving patrons from across greater Atlanta.^[15] Virginia–Highland wrestled with traffic and parking issues. Apartments affordable to students became more difficult to find.

In 2000, a spat among organizers and a shakeup in the organizing committee made local headlines.^[16] However, Summerfest did continue as usual in 2001 as one of Atlanta's highest profile neighborhood festivals.

In November 2006, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation added Virginia–Highland to its list of "places in peril" due to an acceleration of teardowns and infill projects by real estate developers and newcomers to the area. However, Virginia–Highland remains one of the most architecturallyhistoric, distinct and vibrant neighborhoods in Atlanta.

Residents, through the VHCA, succeeded in getting the city council to pass zoning legislation prescribing development that fits the scale of the streets, rolling back loose zoning ordinances passed in the 1960s.^[17][18] The new zoning also prescribes a maximum number of each type of establishment – restaurants, bars, retail and other types.

The zoning aims to preserve a vibrant mix of enterprises while keeping control noise, parking and traffic issues but also addresses specific problems which came up in 2005-2008:

• Avoiding Virginia–Highland suffering the same fate as Buckhead Village, where a large number of bars opened, eventually attracting crime from other areas of the city.
• Fighting a liquor permit for the 700-seat Hilan Theatre^[19]).
• Opposing "The Mix@841" project at 841 N. Highland Ave., originally proposed to be 80 feet tall.

In December 2008 the VHCA bought the land for New Highland Park, a small 0.41 acres (0.17 ha) park at N. Highland and St. Charles.

In Autumn 2010, a rash of seven muggings occurred. These statistics were far lower than those of the 1980s, when the neighborhood was rougher, but the news shook up the neighborhood in 2010.^[20] Partly in response, the local security patrol, FBAC, expanded patrol coverage to the entire neighborhood. Shortly thereafter, in November 2010, Charles Boyer was murdered during a mugging, for which the "Jack Boys" were indicted in Jan. 2011.^[21] Police continued to step up patrols and since then Virginia–Highland has returned to its status as one of Atlanta's lower-crime neighborhoods.^[22]

Currently the neighborhood is enjoying adjacent development projects including a new biking and walking trail along the BeltLineEastside Trail from Piedmont Park to Inman Park, as well as the redeveloped Ponce City Market, the old Sears building, now a major multi-use development. Behind Ponce City Market is Historic Fourth Ward Park, opened in 2011.

In July 2014, the Atlanta City Council accepted the Virginia–Highland Civic Association's master plan, as a result of which the plan becomes part of the City of Atlanta’s Comprehensive Development Plan.^[23]

Within these boundaries is Atkins Park, a neighborhood listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The City of Atlanta recognizes Atkins Park as a separate neighborhood,^[25] however, Atkins Park is a part of the Virginia–Highland Civic Association.

St. Charles-Greenwood had its own neighborhood association in the 1980s,^[26] but was then absorbed into Virginia–Highland.

Virginia–Highland is a neighborhood of Atlanta, which unlike in many other cities, are officially defined and organized and given specific areas of control. The Virginia–Highland Civic Association consists of a volunteer board and oversees matters controlled at the neighborhood level such as community festivals, community safety, beautification, and efforts to improve parks, sidewalks, etc. As noted above, the Atkins Park neighborhood, while having its own neighborhoods association, participates in the VaHi association much as if it were part of VaHi. Planning, building permits, etc. are controlled by the Neighborhood planning unit F, which also includes Morningside-Lenox Park, Piedmont Heights and Lindridge-Martin Manor.

Virginia–Highland serves as a model for other neighborhoods of Atlanta in implementing a comprehensive range of safety measures:

• Virginia–Highland is part of APD patrol zone 6.
• FBAC is the neighborhood security patrol, funded by members, run by volunteers and staffed by off-duty APD officers.
• The VaHi Civic Association organizes a neighborhood watch program via its Safety Team.
• VHAlertsArchived December 9, 2010, at the Wayback Machine is a system which leverages the text-message features of Twitter to allow members to text-message all other members in case of a dangerous situation in the neighborhood.

Virginia–Highland borders:

• Atlanta's landmark Piedmont Park (vastly expanded in 2011)
• the Eastside Trail, part of the BeltLine, a former railroad line, now a 22-mile trail around the central neighborhoods of Atlanta. The BeltLine features dozens of outdoor artworks along its length through the Art on the BeltLineArchived March 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine project.

Within the boundaries of Virginia–Highland are:

• John Howell Memorial Park, along Virginia Ave. between Barnett and Arcadia Streets
• Orme Park , delimitado por Brookridge Dr. y Elkmont Dr., por donde discurre Clear Creek.
• North Highland Park , que la asociación cívica compró en 2008 y fue desarrollado en 2012 como un parque ecológico y jardín de lluvia ^{[ 32 ].}

En 2014, los residentes limpiaron y embellecieron el callejón sin pavimentar entre St. Charles Avenue y Ponce, y ahora se le conoce como Maiden Trail . ^{[ 33 ]}

Virginia–Highland cuenta con uno de los siete “arboretos vecinales” de Atlanta, que en realidad son rutas peatonales con árboles (identificados con marcadores) en jardines, franjas de vegetación en las aceras y parques. Un folleto describe la ruta y los árboles a lo largo de cada tramo, además de brindar información a los visitantes sobre los árboles. ^{[ 34 ]}

El primer fin de semana de junio, la Asociación Cívica de Virginia-Highland (VHCA) organiza el festival anual de arte y música Virginia-Highland Summerfest , que también incluye una popular carrera popular, ^{[ 35 ]} y es uno de los festivales de arte más grandes del sureste de Estados Unidos y uno de los festivales vecinales más populares de Atlanta. La VHCA también organiza el Tour anual de Casas de Virginia-Highland en diciembre. En mayo, A Taste of the Highlands en John Howell Park ofrece degustaciones de los restaurantes favoritos del vecindario y música en vivo. Cada marzo o abril, se lleva a cabo la carrera y fiesta vecinal North Highland Mile (anteriormente Morningside Mile). ^{[ 36 ] [ 37 ] [ 38 ] [ 39 ] [ 40 ]}

Partes de las películas Life as We Know It (la panadería retratada era la real Belly General Store) y Trouble with the Curve (el restaurante de George) se filmaron en Virginia–Highland. Partes del episodio piloto de Being Mary Jane de la cadena "BET" se filmaron en 780 N. Highland Ave. en abril de 2012. ^{[ 41 ] [ 42 ]}

Virginia–Highland alberga varias iglesias:

• Iglesia de Nuestro Salvador (anglocatólica episcopal) – edificio actual de mediados de la década de 1930
• Iglesia Presbiteriana de Druid Hills – construida en 1923, ampliada en 1940 y 1963.
• Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana Reformada Asociada – construida en 1924
• Iglesia UCC de Virginia-Highland – construida en 1923

La sinagoga Chabad Intown está ubicada en la plaza Ponce de León.

• Hobson-Pape, Karri; Lola Carlisle (2011). Virginia-Tierras Altas . Imágenes de América. Editorial Arcadia. ISBN 978-0-7385-8802-5. Consultado el 8 de septiembre de 2011 .
• Historia de Virginia–Highland , compilada en junio de 1998 por la ciudad de Atlanta; Departamento de Planificación, Desarrollo y Conservación de Vecindarios; Oficina de Planificación.