DeKalb County · Inside the Perimeter · The MARTA line
About Brookhaven
Brookhaven was unincorporated north DeKalb, known loosely as North Atlanta, until 2012, when voters created the city to take local control of planning, parks, and police. It began operations in December of that year as DeKalb County's 11th city.
The city sits on the MARTA Gold Line, runs along Peachtree Road and Dresden Drive, and keeps the leafy, older character of longtime intown DeKalb.
The short version
A neighborhood that decided to become a city
Brookhaven's commercial heart runs along Peachtree Road and the Dresden Drive block, with Town Brookhaven and Brookhaven Village as the walkable centers. Oglethorpe University anchors the west side, the MARTA Gold Line station sits at the city's core, and the neighborhoods keep the bungalows and ranch houses of the 1940s and 1950s.
Incorporating in 2012 gave the city its own police, planning, and parks while DeKalb County kept schools and county services.
How the city works
A new city, a county behind it
The city provides
- Brookhaven police, planning, zoning, and the parks department.
- The city's own park improvements, from Murphey Candler to the pocket parks.
- Mobility and sidewalk projects along the Peachtree and Dresden corridors.
The county keeps
- DeKalb County School District for all city addresses.
- The county court, jail, and elections machinery.
- County-level health and fire services.
Getting around
The train at the center
The MARTA Gold Line's Brookhaven station puts Midtown about three stops away, and the bus routes along Peachtree Road and Buford Highway cover the rest. I-85 runs the west edge and GA-400 passes just on the other side of Peachtree.
The commute and transit details are on the getting around page.
Straight answers
Questions people actually ask
Is Brookhaven a neighborhood or a city?
A city. Brookhaven incorporated in 2012 and runs its own police, planning, and parks, while DeKalb County provides schools and county services.
Which schools serve Brookhaven?
DeKalb County School District. Verify the current attendance zone with the district's boundary maps by address.
How do you get to midtown without a car?
The MARTA Gold Line station at the city's core puts Midtown about three stops away.
An editorial guide, not a listings site. Updated September 13, 2026. Real-estate guidance on this page is provided by Rob Dietrich, REALTOR® with eXp Realty, LLC.