Atlanta's Ponce de Leon Avenue: A History

Named for the famous Spanish explorer who was said to have discovered the Fountain of Youth, Atlanta s Ponce de Leon Avenue began as a simple country road that conveyed visitors to the healing springs that once bubbled along it. Now, few motorists realize that the avenue, one of Atlanta s major commuter thoroughfares, was a prestigious residential street in Victorian Atlanta, home to mayors and millionaires. An economic turn in the twentieth century transformed the avenue into a crime-ridden …