Riverdale is in Clayton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 15,129 in 2020. Riverdale is a suburb just south of HartsfieldâÂÂJackson Atlanta International Airport and is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area.
The area now known as Riverdale was settled before the Civil War. Riverdale was founded in 1886, when the railroad was extended there. Named for Mr. W. S. Rivers, the original owner of the town site who donated his land to the railroad company, the city was incorporated in 1908.
Monroe Huie, a farmer, supplied lumber to the local railway network. Whenever the train arrived to collect wood, it also delivered fertilizer to the region. As a result, fertilizer sales 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.
In 2024, an investigation by the "FOX 5 I-Team" in Atlanta discovered that hundreds of traffic tickets had been issued improperly by robotic traffic control cameras in school zones. The city was compelled to issue refunds and an apology. Police Chief Todd Spivey put it this way: "Initially, this was presented as a good idea, as a good way to slow the people down and create safer school zones. But if weâÂÂre going to engage in constant problems and losing the trust of the public because of the issuing of civil-penalty citations, do we need to revisit the idea of, is it really working?"
Riverdale is in western Clayton County, south of downtown Atlanta and northwest of Jonesboro, the county seat.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Riverdale has an area of , of which , or 0.22%, is water.
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,129 people, 5,517 households, and 3,404 families residing in the city.
The city currently has three parks, all within a mile of each other:
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. They also further appoint a municipal judge and judges pro tempore to serve in the city's municipal court.
Schools in Riverdale are in the Clayton County School System. Schools located in Riverdale include:
These are roads with more than four lanes.
These are roads with two to four lanes. or other 785.
Interstate 75 passes northeast of the city limits.
Two MARTA bus routes serve the city, including:
I-785 like NC.