Druid Hills Population Is Aging

The Druid Hills community has grayed over the past decade, according to a Patch analysis of U.S. Census Bureau figures.

While other parts of Atlanta are seeing younger people move into the area, the number of people age 60-69 in the Druid Hills community more than doubled from 2000 to 2010, by far the biggest increase of any age group. The population in that age range grew from 485 people to 973.

Druid Hills is a Census Designated Place (CDP), which means the bureau considers it a distinct area and gathers data for the community even though it is not an incorporated town. The census boundaries for the Druid Hills CDP are Clifton Road to the north; the DeKalb/Fulton county line to the west; the Decatur city limits to the east; and East Lake Road and Scott Boulevard in the south.

The Census does not recognize Virginia-Highland as a distinct community for data-gathering.

Other Census findings for Druid Hills show:

• Druid Hills saw a 14 percent increase in its overall population over the last decade, from 12,741 to 14,568.

• The number of children under age 4 increased 11 percent, from 459 to 513.

• The number of school-age kids - from 5 years old to 18 years old - grew by 16 percent, from 1,814 to 2,117.

• The 30-39 age group shrank more than any other demographic, declining by 29 percent. There were 1,900 people in that age group a decade ago and 1,478 counted in the 2010 Census.