The area now known as Riverdale was settled before the
Civil War. Riverdale was founded in 1886, when the railroad was extended to that point.[8]
In 1908, the city was incorporated with the name Riverdale, named in honor of Mr. W.S. Rivers, the original owner of the town site who donated his land to the railroad company.[9][10]
Monroe Huie, a farmer, conceived a notion to supply wood to the local railway network. Whenever the train arrived to collect wood, it also delivered fertilizer to the region. As a result, the sales of fertilizer became the primary business endeavor in the area. Prior to the construction of the spur, fertilizer had to be transported in wagons from the nearby town of Jonesboro.[11]
Geography
Riverdale is in western Clayton County, 12 miles (19 km) south of downtown
Atlanta and 6 miles (10 km) northwest of
Jonesboro, the county seat.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, Riverdale has an area of 4.5 square miles (11.6 km2), of which 0.012 square miles (0.03 km2), or 0.22%, is water.[5]
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 15,129 people, 5,517 households, and 3,404 families residing in the city.
2000 census
As of the
census[2] of 2000, there were 12,478 people, 4,389 households, and 3,107 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,926.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,129.9/km2). There were 4,590 housing units at an average density of 1,076.4 per square mile (415.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 20.09%
White, 67.42%
African American, 0.30%
Native American, 7.73%
Asian, 0.08%
Pacific Islander, 2.28% from
other races, and 2.10% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 4.81% of the population.
There were 4,389 households, out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% were
married couples living together, 25.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.32.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 32.5% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 36.1% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,530, and the median income for a family was $42,323. Males had a median income of $30,802 versus $26,102 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $15,377. About 10.6% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 18.8% of those age 65 or over.
Parks and recreation
The city currently has three parks, all within a mile of each other:
Travon D. Wilson Memorial Park on Church St. behind the Merchant Shopping Center
Church Park on Wilson Rd. behind the First Baptist Church of Riverdale
Banks Park on Main St. and West St. next to city hall
Government
The city is governed by a mayor and four council members. Each council member represents the entire city and is elected at-large. Council members come from the four wards that divide the city. The mayor and council appoint a
city manager, who has oversight over five departments.[14]They also further appoint a municipal judge and judges pro tempore to serve in the city's municipal court.[15]
^"Loudermilk, Barry D."US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives.
Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.