Atlanta has a penchant for frequent street renamings, even in the central business district, usually to honor the recently deceased.
Many recent Atlanta street renamings commemorate prominent African Americans in Atlanta's history. These renamings can be identified by the use of the person's full name (e.g., Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard) rather than the more traditional last name only (e.g., Cain Street).
According to local and state rules and regulations, street renamings must have support of 75% of property owners along that street, and state guides advise against using proper names as street names. However, these rules and procedures are usually ignored or waived, as demonstrated by the recent Ted Turner Drive at Historic Spring Street renaming resolution by the Atlanta City Council.
On October 17, 1903 the Atlanta Constitution published the list shown below (and also transcribed online) that developer Forrest Adair had provided the Atlanta City Council of street name changes that had occurred since the founding of the city up until that time: