The road system in Atlanta is an atrocity. I swear, the plans were drawn up by someone smoking copious amounts of weed who then threw up on the proposal for good measure. Aside from the interstate system, which is a travesty unto itself, there’s the 71 Peachtree Streets. Yes, you read that right. There are 71 streets in the metro Atlanta area that have some variation of Peachtree in its name.
Today I’m going to help you navigate the cavalcade of confusion caused by all the Peachtrees…
First off, Peachtree Street is the main drag in Atlanta. It’s like Broadway in New York City. There are other Peachtree’s but they all cower before this one.
Peachtree Street – Midtown: The Connector to N. Druid Hills Road
I consider this section of Peachtree Street to be the heart and soul of Atlanta. It runs through its nicest areas, Midtown, Buckhead, and Brookhaven. The Fabulous Fox Theatre is also on this stretch.
Other Peachtrees to watch out for: West Peachtree Street runs parallel to Peachtree Street. for a few miles in Midtown. It connects with Peachtree Street. on the north end, so it shouldn’t cause too much trouble. There’s also Peachtree Place and Peachtree Circle, but they are smaller roads and there’s no need to be scared of them.
Peachtree Road – N. Druid Hills Road to I-285
Note: Peachtree Street changes to Peachtree Road after you cross I-85. As you head north on Peachtree, Peachtree-Dunwoody Road splits off in Brookhaven and then the road itself becomes Peachtree Industrial Boulevard as you near I-285.
Other Peachtrees to watch out for: As I mentioned above, Peachtree-Dunwoody Road splits off and heads towards Dunwoody. A smaller Peachtree Road continues for a couple of miles after the Peachtree Industrial Blvd. split, but it runs back into Peachtree Ind. by the old GM plant. There’s also a smaller road, N. Peachtree Rd., that bisects Peachtree Ind. right before you get to I-285.
Peachtree Industrial Boulevard – I-285 to Buford
This is the confusing part of the Peachtree Adventure. Peachtree Ind. Blvd. goes straight up to Buford, but there are several places where another Peachtree bastard child bisects it. I swear, it’s like navigating Henry VIII’s wives.
The good news is, PIB is a limited access road through the first section, so you have to work at it to get lost at Peachtree Corners Circle. The big problem on this end comes when you get to Peachtree Parkway. It splits off to the left and keeps the 141 highway designation while PIB continues north to Buford. A lot of people will refer to this as Hwy 141, which is technically true, but pretty confusing if you’re coming from the south.
Other Peachtrees to watch out for: Peachtree Corners Circle, Peachtree Pkwy (Hwy 141). Also be careful in Downtown Norcross. They have their own W. Peachtree Street and N. Peachtree Street There’s also a S. Old Peachtree Street in the area, but it only lasts for a mile or so.
Peachtree Street – Downtown: Connector to Whitehall Street
This is the Downtown stretch of Peachtree Street It’s the only Peachtree in the area, so you shouldn’t have any problems. Watch out for the prison as you get near Whitehall St.
This concludes our Peachtree Street education for today. Hopefully you’ve learned something about navigating the grandest route in all of the ATL (Besides Ponce, of course.)
You neglected to mention Peachtree Battle Ave. and Peachtree Hills Ave. as other Peachtrees to watch out for in the midtown section of Peachtree St./Rd., which is a shame; they are lovely Peachtrees. And speaking of lovely places to be, I hear that Peachtree Street and Renaissance Pkwy. is lovely around 4:30 in the morning. Have you heard similar rumors?
Downtown Norcross made it on to biloxxi.com! Go Blue Devils! What-What!!