Ranch houses may not be sexy and they haven’t been on the cutting edge of American architecture for 50 years. But they are located throughout Druid Hills and other Atlanta neighborhoods and they remain popular homes among all age groups. They are the sublime in post-World-War II suburban housing and according to state and DeKalb County officials, they are historic. Ranch houses exploded across the American landscape in the late 1940s. The surge was fueled by easy mortgages guaranteed by federal agencies, abundant building supplies, and builders eager to house veterans and their families. The …

Signposts, roads, railroad tracks, creeks, and even gates mark the boundaries of many Atlanta neighborhoods. Some Orthodox Jewish communities, including one Virginia-Highland synagogue, use strings, wires, and utility poles to create enclosed areas that help relax strict religious laws that prohibit carrying objects during the 25-hour Jewish Sabbath. Known as an eruv, the enclosure is virtually invisible to most people. Eruv is a Hebrew word that means to mingle or mix. There are several Atlanta area eruvim (the Hebrew plural for eruv), including the region’s oldest in Toco Hills, Dunwoody, …