The Northwoods Area Neighborhood Association (NANA) is a volunteer-led not-for-profit organization dedicated to celebrating the character, history, and sense of community within the Historic Northwoods District and Greater Northwoods Area in Doraville, Georgia and DeKalb County. Our mission is to sustain and build relationships among all neighbors, celebrate our neighborhood’s architecture & the diversity of its people, and promote our neighborhood, and the surrounding areas.

Our current project supports and expands the continued preservation and public recognition of the Historic Northwoods District and its five adjoining neighborhoods: Northwoods, Gordon Hills, Gordon Heights, Fleetwood Hills, and Sequoyah Woods.

The Historic Northwoods District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in May 2014, having been established in 1952 as affordable housing for workers at Doraville’s GM plant. Northwoods is widely recognized as one of Georgia’s earliest planned unit developments (PUDs) and one of only a few that survive today with such a high level of integrity. This designation reflects the neighborhood’s unique role in Georgia’s post-war suburban development.

In 2018, NANA initiated a grassroots effort to install historic street sign toppers in the district. This project was partially funded through a small Cross Keys Initiative grant and generous contributions from residents.

Unfortunately, due to limited resources, only half of the district received signage, and no further progress has been made since.

We are now finishing what we started.

Based on an updated quote from the original vendor, and due to inflation, the remaining project cost is approximately $5,000 to purchase and install 20 additional toppers. We are soliciting funds from neighbors through various activities and events, and are seeking additional contributions from external sources to reach our goal.

Completing this project will ensure that streets in all five historic neighborhoods in the district will be marked with uniform, historically themed toppers, reinforcing our identity and educating visitors about our community’s significance. Our goal is to complete the project before the end of the 2026 calendar year.

Your support will help us preserve a piece of Georgia’s history and strengthen the sense of pride in our community. Every contribution brings us closer to completing this important project.

Learn more about our historic district, our greater neighborhood area, and its history here.