Where is East Point, Georgia? Most people can’t locate this town of 40,000 on a map despite more than 286,000 visitors passing by its doors every day. The newly created East Point Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB) wants to change that by harnessing the power of tourism to remember the town’s past and shape its future.
The village of East Point, founded in 1870, draws its name from its position as the eastern terminus of the Atlanta and West Point Rail Road. Only 16 families lived there at first, but the railroad brought a boom of growth and industry. In 1925, the Mayor of Atlanta signed a deal to transform an abandoned race track into an airport. Over the years, that airport, now called Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, became the busiest airport in the world.
East Point certainly benefits from its location next to the Atlanta Airport, especially after the decline of rail travel. Despite that decline, the old tracks still benefit the town today. Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) tracks connect the city to the airport and downtown Atlanta, only seven miles away. However, the rail system and airport names are a harbinger of East Point’s accomplishments fading into its more prominent and famous neighboring city.
Seen but Unknown
East Point is in an ideal location for film and TV production in the middle of an area known as the “Film Triangle” of Tyler Perry Studios, EUE/Screen Gems, and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The town often serves as a backdrop for television and film but is seldom called East Point.
For example, the Wheeler House and hospital in Stranger Things are in East Point, not Hawkins, Indiana. Viewers can catch other city views in Hidden Figures, Ozark, The Walking Dead, and Netflix’s Fear Street series as well.
Fans of Southern hip-hop are likely familiar with Organized Noize producer Rico Wade, who led the Dungeon Family music collective that operated within his mother’s East Point basement, lovingly referred to as the “Dungeon.” The pioneer of the “Dirty South” sound notably worked with artists like Outkast, Future, and TLC.
Additionally, sports fans can explore the Dick Lane Velodrome. The velodrome, or track cycling arena, is the only one in Georgia and one of just 22 similar venues in the U.S. The arena housed training cyclists ahead of the 1996 Summer Olympics in nearby Atlanta.
Change Is Coming
Thanks to the work and dedication of the tourism board, East Point is trading obscurity for the limelight. Chantel Ross Francois, President of the East Point Convention and Visitor Bureau, spoke to us, sharing details of a meeting she had with an international movie producer looking to film a segment in East Point as a stand-in for another, more renowned location.
The documentary featured the United Kingdom, Ghana, and Grenada as hospitable cities. During the conversation with Francois, the producer realized that East Point was just as hospitable and should be explicitly named. Francois proudly said, “In the plans for the upcoming movie, East Point emerges as a pivotal location, capturing the essence of our vibrant community.”
Interactions like this are why Francois recently received the Women in Tourism and Hospitality Trailblazer Award for her outstanding achievements and pioneering vision in Destination Marketing, Tourism, and Hospitality.
What makes East Point such an attractive city and storyline for an international movie producer? Francois believes it’s because of the city’s progressive leadership and historic past.
“East Point was one of the First CVBs led by a woman of color in Georgia and one of only five led by a woman of color in the Nation,” explains Francois. “Of the estimated 800 CVBs in America, less than 1% are Black-led.” It’s only appropriate that a Black woman leads this charge since East Point is the home of the incomparable Patsy Jo Hilliard.
The Past Informs the Future
Hilliard was the first Black woman mayor in Georgia and the longest-tenured mayor in East Point history. She hosted the television talk show In the Know with Patsy Jo and served on the Executive Board of the NAACP’s Atlanta chapter. The Atlanta Business League inducted Hilliard into the Women’s Hall of Fame, and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women has named her one of the “100 Most Influential Black Women” for six consecutive years.
Pride in the past helps guide hope and innovation for the future, which might be why East Point is emerging as a vibrant art and creator community. They’re home to Cultured South, Georgia’s first kombucha taproom, and the Southern Cultural Treasure, Ballethnic.
These dancers are on a mission to be a global catalyst for social change through ballet fused with African dance concepts placed on pointe. You’ll also find Windmill Arts in East Point, which provides low-cost access to rehearsal space and a professional black box theater for emerging artists to develop, create, and advance new work in the performing arts.
The convention and visitor bureau utilizes a hospitality tax on the city’s 20 branded hotels to build for today and plan for tomorrow. Francois says her organization is “dedicated to promoting travel and enhancing the overall visitor experience, ultimately stimulating economic growth and prosperity within the vibrant city of East Point.”
Redeveloping the Vision
In November of 2023, the city announced an ambitious $110 downtown redevelopment plan to transform an area known as the Commons into a vibrant community space that will bring tens of thousands of square feet of shops and restaurants and create approximately 1,500 new jobs.
Francois emphasizes this vision based on her professional opinion, “Tourism not only fuels our economy but also shapes our community. East Point is stepping out of Atlanta’s shadow, and the future holds boundless possibilities at various points across the world inviting travelers to experience the culture and beauty of our city.”
East Point isn’t the only regional community forging an independent identity. The BeltLine Trails are creating linear outdoor art galleries and walkable spaces between distinct and unique neighborhoods. Further south in Henry County, they’re blending the natural beauty of Panola Mountain Park with the region’s unique cultural heritage to create a tourist stop and preserve their history. The formula works, and East Point is already becoming the next Georgia tourist success story.
