Dozesns of Syrian refugees move to Stone Mountain, Georgia
Stone Mountain, Georgia is only a 10 minute drive from the heart of Atlanta, Georgia. Despite being a few miles away from the world famous Gladys Knight “Chicken and Waffles”, it is the home to several major TV shows and feature films as Stone Mountain features some of the nicest movie studios in the country. In fact, the recently canceled TV series Devious Maids, filmed their four seasons in Stone Mountain, Georgia. However, new changes may be turning the small city upside down.
According to reports, Stone Mountain, Georgia – a city with a population of 6,00 residents and a high poverty rate – has become the home for more Syrian refugees than Los Angeles and New York City combined.
According to the Daily Caller, since October 1st, 72 Syrian refugees have been transferred to Stone Mountain, Georgia. Los Angeles has resettled 45 Syrian refugees. Meanwhile, New York City has only resettled nine. In fact, 5% of Stone Mountain’s July, 2015 population is composed of Syrian Refugees.
So who are these refugees? Well, according to the report, a large amount of the refugees come from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which had 83 refugees placed in Stone Mountain. Another 36 refugees came from Burma, 26 from Somalia, 21 from Central African Republic, 18 from Eritrea, 14 from Bhutan, eight from Ethiopia, seven from Afghanistan, six from the Ivory Coast, four from Iraq, and two each from Pakistan and Iraq.
It is important to point out that the media income in Stone Mountain is $36,444, which is well below the national average of $53,482. In addition, Stone Mountain has a poverty rate of 22.5%, which is higher than the national average of 13.5 percent. Consequently, the population of Stone Mountain, who was already struggling to earn a living wage, presumably has even more competition in order to find employment.
The City Manager of Stone Mountain released the following statement after gaining national attention:
There has been no action presented to or taken by City Council in regards to any refugees in our community.
The refugees that have been reported are not represented within the city limits of the City of Stone Mountain. Of the approximately 6,000 person population residing within the city limits there has been no report of the resettlement of refugees. The number reported represents resettlement in those areas outside of the city limits that have Stone Mountain addresses (covering 4 zip codes). Those areas having Stone Mountain addresses accounts for over 117,000 people, with over 111,000 not residing within our town’s city limits.
The number reported may also represent those refugees that arrive as “free” cases (those not linked to a relative that already has a permanent address) that are given the address of the resettlement agency they are sponsored by. The most local refugee resettlement agency has a Stone Mountain address but is not located within the city limits of Stone Mountain. Unfortunately, and more often than we would like, the 1.7 square miles of City of Stone Mountain is equated with the larger area of land that encompasses Stone Mountain addresses when reports like the one referenced below are made and published.
The City of Stone Mountain is a warm and friendly community and we welcome all who chose to visit and reside here.
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