Welcome to East Lake

Welcome to RANA's East Lake Home Page. Here you will find important information about the community. If you can't find the information you desire here, please contact us.

East Lake History

The neighborhood that is now known as East Lake is located 4-1/2 miles east of downtown Atlanta, and is part of the City of Atlanta, DeKalb County. East Lake has a vibrant, interesting history and continues to make history even today.

East Lake is on part of a plantation once owned by Civil War Col. Robert A. Alston, whose home, Meadow Nook, still stands on its original foundation on Alston Drive. This antebellum home was built in 1856 for his South Carolina bride and was occupied, but not destroyed, during the Civil War. It is the second oldest home in Atlanta.

In 1892, the East Lake Land Company was chartered and land was acquired and divided up into lots. A.C. Bruce was president of the East Lake Land Company, and was instrumental in getting a street car line built down East Lake Drive, which started running cars every 20 minutes in 1893. This helped to increase the demand for the lots, many of which were being bought by Atlantans to build country homes to escape the city during the summer months.

The Atlanta Athletic Club began looking for land to build a country location and in 1908, East Lake Country Club opened. Although there was a golf course, the primary recreation at that time was not golf. East Lake was the site of an amusement park with swimming pool, hot dog stands, penny arcades and even had a steamboat on the lake. The lake was also an excellent spot for fishing and boating.

In 1909, an auto road was constructed from Ponce de Leon to the gates of the East Lake Country Club, making East Lake even more accessible. By 1916, a $10,000 school building had been erected on Fourth Avenue, making East Lake the perfect suburban neighborhood. According to an AJC article in May, 1916, demand for East Lake homes was ìalmost to boom proportions.

In 1928, East Lake was annexed into the City of Atlanta. Many famous people have been forefront in East Lakeís history, including Asa Candler, golfers Bobby Jones and Alexa Stirling and Johnny Weissmuller (winner of 5 Olympic gold medals and the first movie Tarzan), who swam at East Lake. Accomplished amateur golfers Charlie Yates, Tommy Barnes and Charlie Harrison have been famous residents, as well as Georgia Techís Bobby Dodd.

In more recent history, East Lake Golf Club has been restored to its former glory and is now permanent home to the annual PGA Tour Championship, which attracts top golfers from around the world. There is a state-of-the art YMCA, Drew Charter School, the Charlie Yates Golf Course, an 18 hole executive golf course (rated one of the 10 best in the US by a leading golf magazine), and new commercial development. Many of the old homes have been renovated and rebuilt, and East Lake is once again one of Atlanta's most desirable intown neighborhoods. Make a home at East Lake, and enjoy the small town feel of a neighborhood without giving up the benefits of intown city life.