East Lake is one of Atlanta's more historic neighborhoods that is filled with 1910 to 1940s bungalows, and cottages. The area known as East Lake was actually once part of a plantation owned by a Civil War Col. The Colonel, Robert Alston’s antebellum which home still stands across from the East Lake Golf Course and is the second oldest home in Atlanta (cir. 1856). It is one of only a few homes that were not destroyed and burned by Union General Sherman during the Civil War.

The street that is now East Lake Drive had a street car line running down the middle of it. Many of the smaller cottage lots and homes were bought as vacation homes for Atlanta residents in the 1800’s that wanted to have a nearby lake home that they could go to for an escape from the hot city during the Summer months long before air conditioning was invented. Up to 1900, there was actually a beach pavilion and amusement park.

In 1902, Candler (former mayor of Atlanta and president of Coca Cola) built the Atlanta Athletic Club at East Lake and in 1908, the East Lake Golf Course was completed. In 1912, the paved road from Atlanta to East Lake was completed and by 1916 demand for East Lake homes became very strong.

All was good at East Lake until the 1970’s when residents were lured to the newer suburban areas that were developing particularly to the far North side of Atlanta into Cobb, North Fulton, and Gwinnett Counties. At the same time, a public housing facility was constructed at East Lake and the neighborhood began to go through a period of economic decline.

During the resurgence and revitalization of in-town neighborhoods that characterized the 1990’s, many young urbanites began to buy up the bargain homes of East Lake and renovate them; causing properties in this area to nearly triple in value during that time. There has been some pull-back in very recent years but prices are still way above what they were in the 1970’s and 1980’s and most expect this community to continue its period of prosperity and rebirth once the market conditions become ripe again.