Coan Park
Afternoons pass more slowly now at the biggest park in East Atlanta’s Edgewood neighborhood. Coan Park is surrounded by mid-sized suburban homes, starting at the intersection of Woodbine and Anniston and ending in front of Maynard Jackson High School. The streets and public spaces honor famous civil rights activists, like Hosea Williams. Named after philanthropist Wesley Coan, the neighborhood park is now managed by the Health Education and Communication Center of Atlanta, a distributor of health services and products.
Schoolchildren don’t rush to the playground after stepping off the bus. “It’s colder nowadays, and the children don’t want to be all bundled up outside when they got Xboxes and Nintendos at home,” says a Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs employee wishing to remain anonymous.
The 13 acre lot houses a lightly used playground, basketball and tennis courts, and artwork from local schoolchildren. Parkgoers will probably not notice the white noise caused by a few car engines and rustling leaves. Planes constantly passing overhead do remind visitors of their proximity to the city and the busiest airport in the world.
Despite the large playground and newly paved basketball courts, the park primarily serves adults that avoid them. The lacking attendance can be attributed in part to the cool 50 to 60 degree weather. Or to the 20 to 30 mile per hour winds that make tennis and basketball a little less fair, and a lot less fun. Free tennis lessons, fitness awareness campaigns, and free concerts filled the park during the last year, even if kids don’t.
Power lines ring around the deciduous landscape. New neon green signs remind visitors they are in the City of Atlanta. Coan Park has been modernized and renovated over the past decade, which may have driven away guests looking for a nostalgic park visit in this historic Atlanta neighborhood.
Schoolchildren don’t rush to the playground after stepping off the bus. “It’s colder nowadays, and the children don’t want to be all bundled up outside when they got Xboxes and Nintendos at home,” says a Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs employee wishing to remain anonymous.
The 13 acre lot houses a lightly used playground, basketball and tennis courts, and artwork from local schoolchildren. Parkgoers will probably not notice the white noise caused by a few car engines and rustling leaves. Planes constantly passing overhead do remind visitors of their proximity to the city and the busiest airport in the world.
Despite the large playground and newly paved basketball courts, the park primarily serves adults that avoid them. The lacking attendance can be attributed in part to the cool 50 to 60 degree weather. Or to the 20 to 30 mile per hour winds that make tennis and basketball a little less fair, and a lot less fun. Free tennis lessons, fitness awareness campaigns, and free concerts filled the park during the last year, even if kids don’t.
Power lines ring around the deciduous landscape. New neon green signs remind visitors they are in the City of Atlanta. Coan Park has been modernized and renovated over the past decade, which may have driven away guests looking for a nostalgic park visit in this historic Atlanta neighborhood.