Our town: Westview Eclectic neighborhood celebrates summer

Free admission; $7 tickets buy a drink and tastes of the grilling competition

Information: www.westviewatlanta.com

It took Ayana Gabriel almost a year before she realized a surprising fact about her new home. It turned out that her cozy bungalow was really not part of Atlanta’s West End; rather, it was located in that community’s historic neighbor, Westview.

“All that time, I really thought I was in the West End, and I’ve since learned that a lot of other people have the same problem,” said Gabriel, who moved into the area six years ago. “So one of the first things I worked on was getting street-sign toppers so everyone knew where Westview was.”

The residential portion of the neighborhood has its roots in the 1900s, when a variety of Craftsman cottages were built on 40 streets in the area off of Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard and Cascade Road. Today, the area includes John A. White Park, home to a 9-hole golf courses and tennis courts operated by the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority.

But most Atlantans hear the name “Westview,” they recognize the community as home to Westview Cemetery, the city’s second most historic burial ground after Oakland. Since the 1880s, many of the city’s leading residents have been laid to rest in its rolling 580 acres or the mausoleum. Among them are Coca-Cola founder Asa Candler, “Uncle Remus” author Joel Chandler Harris, symphony conductor Robert Shaw and a long list of state governors and city mayors.

Recently, more people are discovering the neighborhood since a link to the Beltline opened near Muse Street. And they’re pitching in to make improvements; last year, residents worked together to reclaim an overgrown lot and turn it into the Stokes Avenue pocket park.

“We have a lot of younger people moving in,” said Gabriel, an administrator for Teach for America. “I’m always amazed at how eclectic our neighborhood is. There are lots of artists, graphic designers, DJjs - a really great mix of people who are looking to be intown. I say we are the younger, funkier side of the west end.”

For the last six years, the community has hosted the Summer Solstice, a festival that began as a block party to promote better relationships with the local police and firefighters. In the last few years, it’s attracted visitors from beyond Westview who come for the face painting, kids’ games, music, arts and crafts vendors and a grilling cook-off.

“It started as a small neighborhood cookout as a way to do something positive for our police and fire people,” said Gabriel. “Now, we get a lot of teams from nearby neighborhoods who want to be part of the grilling competition.”

This year’s Solstice party kicks off at 2 p.m. today. Muse Street alongside the Beltline will be closed off so attendees can enjoy the festivities, sample the grilled dishes and soak up some of the history of the community.

Each Saturday, we shine a spotlight on a local neighborhood, city or community. To suggest a place for us to visit, e-mail H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or call 404-514-6162.