Country Club of the South Part I: A View from Within

Country Club of the South, located in Johns Creek, Georgia (a wealthy area of north Fulton county that incorporated in 2006 to avoid paying taxes to Fulton County), is one of the South's premier golf course gated communities. Centered around a 7044-yard, Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, it is especially noted as the home of (former) Atlanta Braves pitchers Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. Seen by some as an example of "Fortess America," this subdivision features 24-hour "staffed security gatehouses" (quoted from http://www.atlantaexecutivehomes.com/communities-atlanta-golf-country-club/country-club-of-the-south.htm) ranging from $500,000 to well over $5 million dollars. Its 733 homes sit on over 900 acres of land. The southeastern side borders the Chattahoochee River, and even the west side, facing Barnwell Road, is separated from the public street by inner property fences, a strip of woods, and an outer fence. As a wholly private community, Country Club of the South features private roads with privately maintained road signs and lighting. As with Ansley Park a century earlier, this subdivision features mostly custom-built homes (a step up from the cookie-cutter "McMansion") that nonetheless must adhere to strict residential covenants, bylaws, and an architectural standards committee. Unlike earlier, close-in suburbs, Country Club of the South is truly a world apart from downtown Atlanta and the urban environment. Private amenities include a massive pool, tennis courts, recreation center, and even babysitting services. It is surrounded by other upscale neighborhoods (such as Rivers Edge), many of which are gated as well. In some instances, private electric security fences provide additional home security.

For this blog entry, I wished to examine the effects of such a "Fortress America." In part I, I examine the view from the inside. As I have been invited in the past to visit at the home of a plastic surgeon, I have had an opportunity to take pictures as an invited guest, one whose name had to be checked on a pre-called in guest list housed as the security guardhouse. The views, while not quite Beverly Hills, are still striking. For Part II I will examine this gated community from the outside to see what happens when an uninvited guest with a nonetheless compelling public/educational interest attempts a visit.