Before European settlement, the land that is now College Park was inhabited by the Creek (Muscogee) Nation. The area eventually opened to European-American settlement in the 19th century as agricultural land and a railway corridor. In 1890, the community was incorporated as Manchester.
In 1896, the city was renamed "College Park" to reflect its growing identity as an educational center. It was home to Cox College, a prominent women's college, and the Georgia Military Academy, which was founded in 1900 and later renamed Woodward Academy. The city developed rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a wealthy railroad suburb of Atlanta, leading to the construction of hundreds of beautiful Victorian and Craftsman homes.
In the mid-to-late 20th century, the massive expansion of the neighboring airport fundamentally altered the city's trajectory. While some residential areas were lost to airport noise and expansion, the city gained immense economic importance. By the 1990s and 2000s, College Park emerged as a cultural epicenter, playing a foundational role in the "Dirty South" hip-hop movement and shaping modern pop culture. Today, the city honors its deep historic roots—boasting the fourth-largest urban historic district in Georgia—while embracing its modern role as an international transit and entertainment hub.