Riverdale is a city in Clayton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 15,129 in 2020. Riverdale is an Atlanta suburb just south of Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The city is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area.

History

The area now known as Riverdale was settled before the Civil War. Riverdale was founded in 1886, when the railroad was extended there. Named for Mr. W. S. Rivers, the original owner of the town site who donated his land to the railroad company, the city was incorporated in 1908.

Monroe Huie, a farmer, supplied lumber to the local railway network. Whenever the train arrived to collect wood, it also delivered fertilizer to the region. As a result, fertilizer sales became the primary business endeavor in the area. Prior to the construction of the spur, fertilizer had to be transported in wagons from the nearby town of Jonesboro.

Geography

Riverdale is in western Clayton County, south of downtown Atlanta and northwest of Jonesboro, the county seat.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Riverdale has an area of , of which , or 0.22%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Riverdale had a population of 15,129. The median age was 35.8 years. About 25.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.8% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 79.6 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 5,608 households in Riverdale, including 3,404 families. Of all households, 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 27.7% were married-couple households, 21.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 43.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!Race

!Num.

!Perc.

|-

|White (non-Hispanic)

|620

|4.1%

|-

|Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

|11,776

|77.84%

|-

|Native American

|34

|0.22%

|-

|Asian

|881

|5.82%

|-

|Pacific Islander

|1

|0.01%

|-

|Other/Mixed

|442

|2.92%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino

|1,375

|9.09%

|}

Parks and recreation

The city currently has three parks, all within a mile of each other:

  • Travon D. Wilson Memorial Park on Church St. behind the Merchant Shopping Center
  • Church Park on Wilson Rd. behind the First Baptist Church of Riverdale
  • Banks Park on Main St. and West St. next to city hall

Government

thumb|right|Riverdale City Hall

The city is governed by a mayor and four council members. Each council member represents the entire city and is elected at-large. Council members come from the four wards that divide the city. The mayor and council appoint a city manager, who has oversight over five departments. They also further appoint a municipal judge and judges pro tempore to serve in the city's municipal court.

Education

Schools in Riverdale are in the Clayton County School System. Schools located in Riverdale include:

  • Charles Drew High School
  • Church Street Elementary School
  • Harper Elementary School
  • Lake Ridge Elementary
  • Oliver Elementary School
  • Pointe South Elementary School
  • Riverdale Elementary School
  • Riverdale High School
  • Riverdale Middle School
  • Sequoyah Middle School
  • Smith Elementary School

Infrastructure

Transportation

State highways

  • 20px Georgia State Route 85 (Clark Howell Memorial Hwy)
  • 20px Georgia State Route 138 (Martin Luther King Jr. Hwy)
  • 20px Georgia State Route 139 (Main St./Riverdale Rd.)
  • 20px Georgia State Route 314 (Fayetteville Rd., running west of the city limits)

Main roads

These are roads with more than four lanes.

  • Gardenwalk Boulevard
  • Lamar Hutcheson Parkway
  • Pointe South Parkway
  • Upper Riverdale Road

Minor roads

These are roads with two to four lanes. or other 785.

  • Church Street
  • Roberts Drive
  • Taylor Road
  • Valley Hill Road
  • Bethsaida Road
  • Helmer Road
  • Thomas Road
  • E. Fayetteville Road
  • Rountree Road
  • Roy Huie Road

Interstate highway

Interstate 75 passes northeast of the city limits.

Transit

Two MARTA bus routes serve the city, including:

  • Route 191 – Justice Center/Hartsfield Intl
  • Route 196 – Church/Upper Riverdale/Mt.Zion

Notable people

  • Kofi Amichia, professional football player
  • Nina BoNina Brown, drag queen, appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race TV competition series, season 9
  • Devontae Cacok, NBA player
  • Playboi Carti, rapper, hip-hop artist,
  • Ciara, singer
  • Edawn Coughman, NFL and CFL football player
  • Cordy Glenn, NFL player
  • Ashley Holcombe, softball player
  • Larry June, rapper
  • Sherrilyn Kenyon, author
  • Barry Loudermilk, U.S. representative for Georgia
  • Will Rackley, NFL player
  • DJ Shockley, NFL player
  • Cecil Travis, professional baseball player
  • Waka Flocka Flame, hip-hop musician
  • Lavelle Westbrooks, NFL and CFL professional football player
  • James Woodall, president of the Georgia NAACP

References

  • City of Riverdale official website

I-785 like NC.