Scottdale Real Estate

Scottdale, Georgia

Scottdale is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in DeKalb County, home to roughly 10,700 residents across about three and a half square miles. It sits between Decatur and Clarkston, about seven miles east of downtown Atlanta and roughly six miles, or a ten minute drive, from SRA's office in Tucker. East Ponce de Leon Avenue runs through the heart of Scottdale from southwest to northeast, with Stone Mountain Freeway forming its northern edge, Interstate 285 its eastern edge, DeKalb Industrial Way its western edge, and the Avondale Estates city line marking its southern boundary.

Built Around a Mill

Scottdale takes its name from Colonel George Washington Scott, an Atlanta businessman who founded the Scottdale Cotton Mill in 1901. At its peak, the mill occupied a 75,000 square foot, steam powered plant on sixteen acres and spun and wove an average of twenty five thousand bales of cotton a year, employing several hundred workers during its busiest periods. Employment at the mill peaked at around 750 workers during the 1960s, driven in part by wartime demand for uniform cloth and sandbags. Workers also fielded a company baseball team from the 1920s through the 1940s, playing weekend games against squads from other Atlanta-area mills, a common form of recreation in Southern mill towns of that era. Scott's investment company built a surrounding mill village of small worker houses, which were gradually improved over the decades with bathrooms, concrete foundations, and fireplaces, and which workers eventually had the option to purchase outright. The village was largely self-sufficient in its early decades, with its own church, health clinic, general store, and laundry facilities serving mill families on site. The mill closed in 1982, and its former site, near East Ponce de Leon Avenue and Exchange Street, sits close to the Scottdale post office.

Parks and Recreation

Scottdale is served by several DeKalb County parks scaled to a close-knit community. Cedar Park, on Cedar Street, offers a multi-use field, basketball court, and playground on about three acres. Hamilton Recreation Center and Park, on Chapel Street, spans roughly eight acres with a softball field, football field, and recreation center. Needham Park provides additional greenspace at the corner of McLendon Drive and East Ponce de Leon Avenue, and Tobie Grant Park adds a pool and recreation center to the mix, giving residents several nearby options for outdoor activity.

Shopping and Local Business

East Ponce de Leon Avenue is Scottdale's commercial spine, anchored by Your DeKalb Farmers Market, a well-known destination grocer drawing shoppers from across the region for its extensive selection. The corridor also includes antique shops and a mix of smaller commercial and light industrial businesses, including a steel fabrication and distribution operation near North Clarendon Avenue, reflecting the area's working history alongside its more recent redevelopment. East Ponce de Leon Avenue continues west through Decatur toward Atlanta, giving Scottdale's business corridor a direct surface-street connection to both downtowns.

Housing Character

Scottdale's housing stock still carries the imprint of its mill village origins. Many of the original worker cottages, simple frame houses built in the early twentieth century and expanded or updated over time, remain in the neighborhoods closest to the old mill site, giving those blocks a distinctive, historic mill-village character. Elsewhere in Scottdale, brick ranch homes and other mid-twentieth century construction fill out the community, offering a broader mix of modest, established housing built as DeKalb County grew up around the original mill town. Lot sizes and setbacks throughout the community still trace back to the original mill village plan, giving many streets a consistent, walkable scale even where individual homes have been updated or expanded over the years.

• Your DeKalb Farmers Market on East Ponce de Leon Avenue


• Cedar Park and Hamilton Recreation Center and Park


• The historic Scottdale mill village cottages


• Easy access to Decatur, Clarkston, and Avondale Estates


• A short, direct drive to Tucker and Interstate 285

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Scottdale its own city?

No. Scottdale is an unincorporated community and census-designated place within DeKalb County, governed at the county level rather than by its own city government.

How far is Scottdale from Downtown Atlanta and Tucker?

Scottdale sits about seven miles east of downtown Atlanta and roughly six miles, about a ten minute drive, from SRA's office in Tucker.

What communities border Scottdale?

Scottdale sits between Decatur and Clarkston, with Avondale Estates along its southern edge and Interstate 285 marking its eastern boundary.

What kinds of homes are found in Scottdale?

Original mill village cottages from the early twentieth century sit alongside brick ranch homes and other mid-century construction built as the surrounding area developed.

What is Scottdale known for historically?

Scottdale grew up around the Scottdale Cotton Mill, founded in 1901 by Colonel George Washington Scott, which operated for more than eighty years, employing hundreds of workers at its peak, before closing in 1982.