State Route 42 is a Georgia state highway that runs in a generally north–south orientation from a short distance northeast of Atlanta

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

 in DeKalb County

DeKalb County, Georgia

DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...

 to Byron

Byron, Georgia

Byron is a city in Peach County, Georgia, United States. A small portion of the city extends into Houston County. The population was 2,887 at the 2000 census...

 in Peach County

Peach County, Georgia

Peach County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 23,668. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 25,672. Its county seat is Fort Valley....

.

Routing

S.R. 42 spends a significant portion of its route concurrent

Concurrency (road)

A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...

 with U.S. 23. The highway begins at an intersection with S.R. 13

State Route 13 (Georgia)

State Route 13 , known as Buford Highway, Falcon Parkway, and Atlanta Highway, is a state highway in Georgia. It begins at West Peachtree Street and Spring Street just to the north of 17th Street in north Midtown Atlanta. The section near downtown Atlanta is a full freeway, from its south end to...

 (Buford Highway) northeast of Atlanta, following North Druid Hills Road past Interstate 85

Interstate 85

Interstate 85 is a major interstate highway in the Southeastern United States. Its current southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus interchanges with Interstate 95 in Petersburg, Virginia, near Richmond...

 exit 89. The route then follows Briarcliff Road to an intersection with Ponce de Leon Avenue (U.S. 23/U.S. 29/U.S. 78/U.S. 278), where it continues south concurrent with U.S. 23 via Moreland Avenue. Moreland Avenue straddles the Fulton

Fulton County, Georgia

Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...

-DeKalb county line for about six miles (10 km) before diverging to the southeast, leaving Atlanta, and crossing the Perimeter

Interstate 285

Interstate 285 is an Interstate Highway loop encircling Atlanta, Georgia, for . I-285 is also known as unsigned State Route 407 and is colloquially referred to as the Perimeter. Suburban sprawl has made it one of the most heavily traveled roadways in the United States, and portions of the highway...

.

S.R. 42 crosses I-675

Interstate 675 (Georgia)

Interstate 675 was built in southeast metro Atlanta during the mid-1980s to alleviate Interstate 75 to the west, for traffic bound to Interstate 285 east. It is 11.04 miles in length, running from I-75 in the south from the city of Stockbridge to I-285 at its north end...

 before entering the city of Stockbridge

Stockbridge, Georgia

Stockbridge is a city in Henry County, Georgia, United States with a population of 25,636 as of the 2010 census. It is the hometown of the multi-platinum selling alternative rock/post-grunge band Collective Soul and home to one of the youngest starting pitchers ever to play for the Atlanta Braves,...

 in Henry County

Henry County, Georgia

Henry County is a growing suburban county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 119,341. As of 2010, the county's population swelled to 203,922, up 70.9% from the previous census and becoming Georgia's 8th most populous county and the 10th fastest growing...

. After a brief additional concurrency with S.R. 138, the highway continues southward through McDonough

McDonough, Georgia

McDonough is a city in Henry County, Georgia, United States. The population was 22084 at the 2010 census. Inclusion of the unincorporated neighborhoods surrounding McDonough, which are not part of a town/city, raises the population to approximately 30,000 from an estimate in 2008. The city is the...

 and Locust Grove

Locust Grove, Georgia

Locust Grove is a city in Henry County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,322 at the 2000 census. Census Estimates for 2005 show a population of 3,434...

, both of which nearby Interstate 75

Interstate 75

Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...

 skirts to the west. Although most concurrencies of U.S. and state routes in Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

 are referred to by their U.S. route number, S.R. 42 in Henry County is almost never referred to as U.S. 23 by local residents, who instead prefer the state designation.

S.R. 42 continues into Butts County

Butts County, Georgia

Butts County is a county located in the northern half of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 24, 1825. As of 2000, the population was 19,522. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 23,759...

, passing through the city of Jackson

Jackson, Georgia

Jackson is a city in Butts County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,934 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Butts County. The center of population of Georgia is located in Jackson. The community was named after President Andrew Jackson. Founded in 1826, Jackson began as...

 before splitting off from U.S. 23. The route crosses I-75 at exit 188, serving the Monroe County

Monroe County, Georgia

Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on May 15, 1821. As of 2000, the population was 21,757. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 25,145...

 city of Forsyth

Forsyth, Georgia

Forsyth is a city in Monroe County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,776 at the 2000 census. This number was corrected to read 4,300. The city is the county seat of Monroe County.Forsyth is part of the Macon Metropolitan Statistical Area...

. Continuing south through Crawford County

Crawford County, Georgia

Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 12,495. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 12,483. The unincorporated county seat is Knoxville.-History:...

, it serves the towns of Roberta

Roberta, Georgia

Roberta is a city in Crawford County, Georgia, United States. The population was 808 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Macon Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Roberta is located at ....

 and Knoxville

Knoxville, Georgia

Knoxville is an unincorporated community in and the county seat of Crawford County, Georgia, United States. The community is part of the Macon Metropolitan Statistical Area....

 via brief concurrencies with U.S. 341 and U.S. 80. The route at last proceeds southeast to Byron

Byron, Georgia

Byron is a city in Peach County, Georgia, United States. A small portion of the city extends into Houston County. The population was 2,887 at the 2000 census...

, ending at S.R. 49 near I-75 exit 149.

S.R. 42 consists of two lanes for most of its route, notable exceptions being along part of Moreland Avenue, through the city of Stockbridge where it runs concurrent with S.R. 138, and in McDonough where it is divided and one way

One-way traffic

One-way traffic is traffic that moves in a single direction. A one-way street is a street either facilitating only one-way traffic, or designed to direct vehicles to move in one direction.-General signs:...

 around and south of the McDonough Square

Town square

A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...

.