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Atlanta’s ‘Confederate’ streets are officially no more

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Commemoration of changes in Grant Park and nearby neighborhoods comes on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

A Change.org petition, now closed, that collected more than 10,500 signatures in calling Grant Park’s Confederate Avenue a vestige of hate.
A Change.org petition, now closed, that collected more than 10,000 signatures in calling Grant Park’s Confederate Avenue a vestige of hate.
Change.org

After more than a decade of debate and grassroots pushes for change, a trio of streets southeast of downtown Atlanta officially dropped their “Confederate” names on a fitting occasion Monday.

In Grant Park, on the morning of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, streets formerly named after an association with the Confederacy were formally commemorated as United Avenue and Trestletree Court, city officials announced.

Sure, new street signs may have been posted for several weeks, but District 1 Atlanta City Councilmember Carla Smith, who represents the area, made the revised monikers official during an unveiling ceremony. (Google recognizes the changes now, too; MapQuest, as one example, does not).

Formerly, Confederate Avenue and East Confederate Avenue snaked through southeast Atlanta neighborhoods Grant Park, Ormewood Park, Boulevard Heights, and Woodland Hills.

Former signage at what was the intersection of Confederate and Ormewood avenues. Nearby, where United meets Atlanta Avenue, a coincidental nod to the city’s beloved MLS Soccer team was created.
Google Maps

Last year, Atlanta City Council passed legislation renaming the streets, which Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms signed into law in October.

Confederate Avenue and East Confederate Avenue have become United Avenue. Meanwhile, Confederate Court is now Trestletree Court, a nod to the large apartment complex that surrounds the street.

A view of the Trestletree Village Apartments from an elevated section of the future Beltline Southside Trail.
Curbed Atlanta

As CNN notes as part of a deep dive into the inspirations, challenges, and even pushback against the street name changes, Atlanta still counts about three dozen roadways named for Confederate figures or the Confederacy in general.

Blue markers atop the revised street signs now indicate what previous “Confederate” names were.