South Atlantans for Neighborhood Development (SAND), the non-profit organization that represents the residents of seven neighborhoods, was incorporated in 1979. This makes SAND Inc., one of the oldest and longest serving neighborhood organizations in the City of Atlanta.

This area was the territory of the Creek Indian Nation until approximately 1825 when the Treaty of Indian Springs was signed under Governor George Troup. He then began forcing the Creek from their lands and by 1827, they were all gone. Any white settler could enter a land lottery for the cost of $4.00, and 160 or 200 acre parcels were awarded. Most of these lots were working farms until the late 1800s. For more information on this part of Georgia's history see www.ngeorgia.com/history.

In 1892, some of the farms were further subdivided into building lots of approximately 2 acres in size. A Civil War soldiers home was constructed on what is now the area occupied by the complex of State buildings on East Confederate Avenue. In 1898, construction began on the United States Penitentiary, located at the south west corner of SAND, on McDonough Blvd at Boulevard Avenue. It consists of 328 acres of land, and is one of the oldest facilities in the Penitentiary system at 102 years old.

In the early 1900s, an Atlanta Electric Light Trolley Company official named Aquilla J. Orme approved a plan to extend the trolley line from downtown Atlanta to the Old Soldiers Home on East Confederate. The path of the trolley can still be traced through the neighborhood by examining the odd wall angles of buildings at the north east corner Woodland Avenue and Delaware Avenue. The trolley ran between these buildings, and out to Moreland Avenue at the intersection of Ormewood and Moreland Avenue.

The trolley service made this area more accessible to city workers and a number of Victorian homes were constructed. Some of these restored beauties have been featured on previous SAND Tour of Homes.

After World War I there was a construction boom during which Craftsman style homes, shotgun style homes and small brick bungalows were constructed. There are even prefabricated and catalog homes from this era that survive to this day. In 1922, the City of Atlanta annexed the area and construction of Anne E. West Elementary School, located in the heart of Ormewood Park, began around that time.

Another period of growth took place after World War II. The wood sided cottages that are scattered between the older Victorian and Craftsman homes are typical of this era. During the late 1950s and early 1960s a number of brick ranch style homes appeared and many of these still retain their original particular charm.

In the early 1970s, the City of Atlanta assigned names to neighborhoods that we now live in: Benteen Park, Boulevard Heights, McDonough-Guice, North Ormewood Park, Ormewood Park, Woodland Hills. These neighborhoods were established to allow the City and the residents to communicate with each other through the Neighborhood Planning Units.

There has been a great deal of infill development over the past seven years with vacant side lots being used for the construction of modern homes that capture the style and character of earlier homes. New residents love the access to downtown that this area allows. Services for residents are continuing to improve with better grocery stores, retail shopping, medical facilities and library facilities. Diversity of all aspects of life are celebrated in the SAND neighborhoods.

As a tribute to the important role that the trolley has had on the growth of this community, it has been adopted as the official symbol of the SAND neighborhoods. You can get yours at any SAND meeting or by contacting any of the SAND officers.