Story of Peachtree Street
Atlanta grew on a site previously occupied by the Creek Indians, which included a village called Standing Peachtree. There is some dispute over whether the Creek settlement was called Standing Peachtree or Standing Pitch Tree, adapted later to 'peach.' Pine trees common to the area were known as 'pitch' trees because of their sap. A trail known as the Peachtree Trail stretched from northeast Georgia to Standing Pitch Tree along the Chattahoochee River.
The original Peachtree Road began in 1812 at Fort Daniel located at Hog Mountain in present-day Gwinnett County and ran along the course of the trail to the Chattahoochee. Some portions of the present road trace this route. After the American Civil War a shantytown named "Tight Squeeze" developed at Peachtree at what is now 10th Street in Midtown Atlanta. It was infamous for vagrancy, desperation, robberies of merchants transiting the settlement.
It is often joked that half of the streets in Atlanta are named "Peachtree." While the name “Peachtree” (by itself) almost always refers to this street, some estimates put the number of streets in Atlanta (with a variant of “Peachtree” in their name) at 70+.
The original Peachtree Road began in 1812 at Fort Daniel located at Hog Mountain in present-day Gwinnett County and ran along the course of the trail to the Chattahoochee. Some portions of the present road trace this route. After the American Civil War a shantytown named "Tight Squeeze" developed at Peachtree at what is now 10th Street in Midtown Atlanta. It was infamous for vagrancy, desperation, robberies of merchants transiting the settlement.
It is often joked that half of the streets in Atlanta are named "Peachtree." While the name “Peachtree” (by itself) almost always refers to this street, some estimates put the number of streets in Atlanta (with a variant of “Peachtree” in their name) at 70+.