Atlanta

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This article is about the city in the U.S. state of Georgia. For other uses, see Atlanta (disambiguation).
Atlanta
—  City  —
City of Atlanta
From top to bottom left to right: Atlanta skyline seen from Buckhead, Fox Theatre, Georgia State Capitol, Centennial Olympic Park, Millennium Gate, Canopy Walk, Georgia Aquarium, The Phoenix statue, and Midtown skyline from Piedmont Park

Flag
Seal
Nickname(s): Hotlanta,[1] The ATL,[1] The A, Gate City[2] (historic), City in a Forest[3]
Motto: Resurgens (Latin for rising again)
City highlighted in Fulton County, location of Fulton County in the state of Georgia
Atlanta is located in United States
Atlanta
Location of the city of Atlanta, Georgia
Coordinates: 33°45′18″N 84°23′24″W / 33.755°N 84.39°W / 33.755; -84.39Coordinates: 33°45′18″N 84°23′24″W / 33.755°N 84.39°W / 33.755; -84.39
Country United States of America
State Georgia
County Fulton and DeKalb
Terminus 1837
Marthasville 1843
City of Atlanta 1847
Government
 • Mayor Kasim Reed
Area
 • City 132.4 sq mi (343.0 km2)
 • Land 131.8 sq mi (341.2 km2)
 • Water 0.6 sq mi (1.8 km2)
 • Urban 1,963 sq mi (5,084.1 km2)
 • Metro 8,376 sq mi (21,693.7 km2)
Elevation 738 to 1,050 ft (225 to 320 m)
Population (2010)
 • City 420,003
 • Density 4,019.7/sq mi (1,552/km2)
 • Urban 4,750,000
 • Metro 5,268,860 (9th)
 • Metro density 629.4/sq mi (243/km2)
 • Demonym Atlantan
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code(s) 30060, 30301-30322, 30324-30334, 30336-30350, 30353
Area code(s) 404, 470, 678, 770
FIPS code 13-04000[4]
GNIS feature ID 0351615[5]
Website atlantaga.gov

Atlanta (play /ətˈlæntə/, stressed /ætˈlæntə/, locally play /ætˈlænə/) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003.[6] 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 in the U.S., [7] which is in turn part of the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion. Atlanta is the county seat of Fulton County, and a small portion of the city extends eastward into DeKalb County. Residents of the city and its surroundings are known as "Atlantans."[8]

Atlanta began as a settlement located at the intersection of two railroad lines, and it was incorporated in 1845. Today, the city is a major business city and the primary transportation hub of the Southeastern United States (via highway, railroad, and air), with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being the world's busiest airport since 1998.[9][10][11][12] The World Cities Study Group at Loughborough University rated Atlanta as an "alpha(-) world city."[13] With a gross domestic product of US$270 billion, Atlanta's economy ranks 15th among world cities and sixth in the nation.[14] The city is a center for services, finance, information technology, government, and higher education. Metro Atlanta contains the country's third largest concentration[15] of Fortune 500 companies, and is the world headquarters of The Coca-Cola Company, Turner Broadcasting, The Home Depot, AT&T Mobility, UPS, and Delta Air Lines. As of 2010, Atlanta is the seventh most visited city in the United States, with over 35 million visitors per year.[16]

The city has long been known as a center of black wealth, political power and culture; a cradle of the Civil Rights Movement[17] and home to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. However, the city's white population is growing rapidly, while Metro Atlanta has quickly become ethnically diverse with large Hispanic and Asian populations. The arts and entertainment are well represented in Atlanta, and the city is an important base for hip hop, gospel, and neo soul music; in addition, it has become a major center of film and TV production. Atlanta stands out among major U.S. cities for its dense tree coverage. In 1996, Atlanta played host to the Summer Olympics, an event that spurred a wave of gentrification that has intensified into the 21st century, revitalizing the city's center and in-town neighborhoods.

Contents

History

Main article: History of Atlanta
Marietta Street, 1864

The history of Atlanta dates back to 1836, when Georgia decided to built a railroad to the U.S. Midwest and a location was chosen to be the line's terminus. In 1839 homes and a store were built there and the settlement grew. Between 1845 and 1854 rail lines arrived from four different directions, and the rapidly growing town quickly become the rail hub for the entire Southern United States. During the American Civil War, Atlanta, as a distribution hub, became the target of a major Union campaign, and in 1864 Union General Sherman's troops set on fire and destroyed the city's assets and buildings, save churches and hospitals. After the war the population grew rapidly, as did manufacturing, while the city retained its role as a rail hub. Coca-Cola was launched here in 1886 and grew into an Atlanta-based world empire. Electric streetcars arrived in 1889, and the city added new "streetcar suburbs".

The city's elite black colleges were founded between 1865 and 1885, and despite disenfranchisement and the later imposition of Jim Crow laws in the 1910s, a prosperous black middle class and upper class emerged. By the early 20th century, "Sweet" Auburn Avenue was called "the most prosperous Negro street in the nation". In the 1950s blacks started moving into city neighborhoods that had previously kept them out, while Atlanta's first freeways enabled large numbers of whites to move to, and commute from, new suburbs. Atlanta was home to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and a major center for the Civil Rights Movement. Resulting desegregation occurred in stages over the 1960s. Slums were razed and the new Atlanta Housing Authority built public housing projects.

From the mid-60s to mid-70s, nine suburban malls opened, and the downtown shopping district declined. But just north of it, gleaming office towers and hotels rose, and in 1976 the new Georgia World Congress Center signaled Atlanta's rise as a major convention city. In 1973 the city elected its first black mayor, Maynard Jackson, and in ensuing decades, black political leaders worked successfully with the white business community to promote business growth, while still empowering black businesses. From the mid-70s to mid-80s most of the MARTA rapid transit system was built. While the suburbs grew rapidly, much of the city itself deteriorated and the city lost 21% of its population between 1970 and 1990.

The diving event at the 1996 Summer Games, with Atlanta's Olympic logo in the background

In 1996 Atlanta hosted the Summer Olympics, for which new facilities and infrastructure were built. Hometown airline Delta continued to grow, and by 1998-9, Atlanta's airport was the busiest in the world. Since the mid-90s, gentrification has given new life to many of the city's intown neighborhoods. The 2010 census showed blacks leaving the city, whites moving to the city, and a much more diverse metro area with heaviest growth in the exurbs at its outer edges.

Geography

The city of Atlanta from Stone Mountain. Downtown and Midtown to the left, and Buckhead to the right.

Topography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city encompases 132.4 square miles (342.9 km2), of which 131.7 square miles (341.1 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) is water. At about 1,050 feet (320 m) above mean sea level, Atlanta sits atop a ridge south of the Chattahoochee River.

The Eastern Continental Divide line enters Atlanta from the south, proceeding to the downtown area. From downtown, the divide line runs eastward along DeKalb Avenue and the CSX rail lines through Decatur.[18] Rainwater that falls on the south and east side runs eventually into the Atlantic Ocean, while rainwater on the north and west side of the divide runs into the Gulf of Mexico[18] via the Chattahoochee River. That river is part of the ACF River Basin, and from which Atlanta and many of its neighbors draw most of their water. Being at the far northwestern edge of the city, much of the river's natural habitat is still preserved, in part by the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Downstream however, excessive water use during droughts and pollution during floods has been a source of contention and legal battles with neighboring states Alabama and Florida.[19][20]

Climate

Main article: Climate of Atlanta
Atlanta
Climate chart (explanation)
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches

Atlanta has a humid subtropical climate, (Cfa) according to the Köppen classification, with hot, humid summers and cool winters that are occasionally cold by the standards of the southern United States. January averages 42.7 °F (5.9 °C), with temperatures in the suburbs slightly cooler. Warm, maritime air can bring springlike highs while strong Arctic air masses can push lows into the teens (−11 to −7 °C). High temperatures in July average 89 °F (31.7 °C) but occasionally exceed to near 100 °F (38 °C). Atlanta's high mean elevation distinguishes it from most other southern and eastern cities, and contributes to a more temperate climate than is found in areas farther south.[21]

Typical of the southeastern U.S., Atlanta receives abundant rainfall, which is relatively evenly distributed throughout the year, though spring and early fall are markedly drier. Average annual rainfall is 50.2 inches (1,280 mm). Temperatures at or above 90 °F (32 °C) occur more than 40 days per year; overnight freezing can be expected over 45 days, but high temperatures that do not climb above the freezing mark are rare. Annual snowfall averages 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) annually. The heaviest single storm brought around 16 inches on March 12–14, 1993 during The Storm of the Century.[22] True blizzards are rare but possible; one hit in March 1993. Ice storms usually cause more trouble than does snowfall; the most severe such storms may have occurred on January 7, 1973 and January 9, 2011.[23] In 2010, Atlanta had its first White Christmas since 1882.

Extremes range from −9 °F (−23 °C) in February 1899 to 105 °F (41 °C) in July 1980.[24] More recently, a low one degree away from the record, was observed on January 21, 1985.[24]


Environmental issues

Announcement of Virginia-Highland's carbon-neutral zone, the first in the United States

In 2007, the American Lung Association ranked Atlanta as having the 13th highest level of particle pollution in the United States.[28][broken citation] The combination of pollution and pollen levels, and uninsured citizens caused the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America to name Atlanta as the worst American city for asthma sufferers to live in.[29][dead link]

Bright spots include projects that encourage smart growth, such as the BeltLine and Atlantic Station mixed-use development, which the Environmental Protection Agency commended in 2005.[30] In 2009, Atlanta's Virginia-Highland became the first carbon-neutral zone in the United States. There, neighborhood merchants, through the Chicago Climate Exchange, directly fund the Valley Wood Carbon Sequestration Project (thousands of acres of forest in rural Georgia).[31][32]

On March 14, 2008, an EF2 tornado hit downtown Atlanta with winds up to 135 mph (217 km/h). The tornado caused damage to Philips Arena, the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, the Georgia Dome, Centennial Olympic Park, the CNN Center, and the Georgia World Congress Center. It also damaged the nearby neighborhoods of Vine City to the west and Cabbagetown, and Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills to the east. While there were dozens of injuries, only one fatality was reported.[33] City officials warned it could take months to clear the devastation left by the tornado.[34]

Cityscape

The Midtown skyline from Piedmont Park
Midtown Atlanta from the Northwest near the Cobb County/Fulton County border on the Chattahoochee River. In the middle is the largest mosque in Atlanta (Masjid Al-Farooq) .Atlantic Station is visible to the left with the Atlantic skyscraper in the foreground. April 2010
A 2008 aerial photo of Atlanta's urban core viewed from the Southwest near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Downtown Atlanta (in the foreground) is followed by Midtown, and then Buckhead. Sandy Springs and Dunwoody's Perimeter Center skyline is visible in the background. In 2008, the entire region had a population of 5,729,304.

Architecture

Further information: Architecture of Atlanta and List of tallest buildings in Atlanta

Most of Atlanta was burned during the Civil War, depleting the city of a large stock of its historic architecture. Yet Atlanta, architecturally, had never been particularly "southern." Because Atlanta originated as a railroad town, rather than a patrician southern seaport like Savannah or Charleston, many of the city's landmarks could have easily been erected in the Northeast or Midwest.[35] In addition, unlike many other Southern cities, such as Richmond, Charleston, Wilmington, and New Orleans, Atlanta chose not to retain what remained of its historic antebellum architectural characteristics. Instead, Atlanta viewed itself as the leading city of a progressive "New South," and opted for expressive modern structures.[36]

As a result of Atlanta's embrace of modernism, its cityscape is dominated by relatively recent architectural styles, containing works by most major U.S. firms and some of the more prominent architects of the 20th century, including Michael Graves, Richard Meier, Marcel Breuer, Renzo Piano, Pickard Chilton, and locally-based, internationally-known Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam Architects. The city's skyline, which began its marked rise in the 1960s, is punctuated with highrise and midrise buildings of both modern and postmodern vintage. At 1,023 feet (312 m), Atlanta's tallest skyscraper—the Bank of America Plaza—is the 52nd-tallest building in the world and the 9th tallest building in the United States.[37]

Unfortunately, the city's embrace of modernism and postmodernism resulted in an ambivalent approach toward historic preservation. Such an approach ultimately led to the destruction of notable architectural landmarks, including the Equitable Building (Atlanta's first skyscraper), Terminal Station, and the Carnegie Library. Atlanta's cultural icon, the Fox Theatre, would have met the same fate had it not been for a grassroots effort to save it in the mid-1970s.[35]

The city's most notable hometown architect may be John Portman, whose creation of the atrium hotel beginning with the Hyatt Regency Atlanta—one of the tallest buildings in Atlanta at the time of its completion in 1967[38]—made a significant mark on hospitality architecture, both nationally and internationally. Through his work, Portman—a graduate of Georgia Tech's College of Architecture—reshaped downtown Atlanta with his designs for the Atlanta Merchandise Mart, Peachtree Center, the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, and SunTrust Plaza.[35]

Tree canopy

Main article: Atlanta tree canopy
The Atlanta Plaza skyscraper surrounded by trees

Atlanta is nicknamed the "city in a forest" due to its abundance of trees, unique among major cities.[39][40][41][42][43] The city's main street is named after a tree, and beyond the Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead business districts, the skyline gives way to a dense canopy of woods that spreads into the suburbs. The nickname "city in a forest" is factually accurate, as the city's tree coverage percentage is at 36%, the highest out of all major American cities, and above the national average of 27%.[44] National Geographic magazine, in naming Atlanta a "Place of a Lifetime", noted:[45]

"For a sprawling city with the nation’s ninth-largest metro area, Atlanta is surprisingly lush with trees—magnolias, dogwoods, Southern pines, and magnificent oaks."[46]

The canopy filters out pollutants and cools sidewalks and buildings. However, Atlanta's tree canopy has increasingly been under assault from man and nature due to heavy rains, drought, aged forests, new pests, and urban construction.

The city is home to the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, an annual arts and crafts festival held one weekend during early April, when the native dogwoods are in bloom.

Parks, gardens, and trails

Atlanta's Piedmont Park, with a blanket of winter snow.
Main article: Parks in Atlanta

Atlanta's green space is composed of 343 parks, nature preserves, gardens, and public spaces (3,622 acres (14.66 km2) in all). Piedmont Park, site of the 1895 Cotton States Expo, is Atlanta's iconic green space. The Midtown park, which underwent a major renovation and expansion in 2010, attracts visitors from across the region and hosts various cultural events throughout the year. Centennial Olympic Park forms a centerpoint for downtown visitors in and around which key visitor attractions are located; nearby Woodruff Park and Hurt Park cater to the downtown lunch crowd. Grant Park, located on the east side, is home to the city zoo, as well as the Cyclorama exhibit. Chastain Park, the primary recreational center for the northern Buckhead district, contains an amphitheater for live music concerts. Atlanta's largest park, Southside Park, is remote and nearly undeveloped, and the planned Westside Park in northwest Atlanta, which will be constructed on the site of a former gravel quarry, will eclipse Southside as the city's largest. Several nature preserves line the south fork of Peachtree Creek in the Morningside neighborhood, while part of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area lies in the city's northwest corner. The Atlanta Botanical Garden is home to the Canopy Walk, a 600-foot elevated walkway ambling 40 feet from the ground through a 15-acre forest of mature hardwoods, and the only canopy-level pathway of its kind in the United States.

The BeltLine, a former rail corridor that forms a 22-mile loop around Atlanta's central neighborhoods, has been acquired and transformed into public space. Most of the corridor opened in the late-2000s as a walking path, with plans for development of multi-use trails and, eventually, public transit. A trail has already been constructed near the West End neighborhood, while another one, under construction as of 2012, will connect Piedmont Park to Inman Park. BeltLine projects will increase Atlanta's park space by 40%,[47] including two new parks: Historic Fourth Ward Park, now open, and Westside Park. In addition to BeltLine trails, PATH maintains a network of biking and walking trails in Metro Atlanta, including one that traverses Atlanta's east side, traveling past the Carter Center and through Freedom Park.

Neighborhoods

Main article: Neighborhoods of Atlanta
Bungalows in Inman Park
Rowhouses in Glenwood Park, an example of gentrification in Atlanta

The city is divided into 25 neighborhood planning units or NPUs, which in turn are divided into 242 officially defined neighborhoods.[48] Two of those, Downtown and Midtown, are in fact large areas of the city consisting of a number of smaller neighborhoods.[49][50]

The city's contains three major high-rise districts, which form a north-south axis along Peachtree: Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead (there are also two major suburban business districts, Perimeter Center to the north and Cumberland to the northwest).[51] Surrounding these high-density districts are leafy single-family residential neighborhoods, such that Atlanta is known as a "city of neighborhoods."[52][53]

Downtown contains the most office space in the metro area and is home to many government offices. Notable skyscrapers include the 191 Peachtree Tower, Westin Peachtree Plaza, SunTrust Plaza, Georgia-Pacific Tower, and the buildings of Peachtree Center.

Midtown Atlanta, located north of Downtown, developed rapidly after the completion of One Atlantic Center in 1987. Midtown is a major employment center for the metro area, and also contains the offices of many of the region's law firms.[54] In 2006, former Mayor Franklin set in motion a plan to make the 14-block stretch of Peachtree Street in Midtown (the "Midtown Mile") a street-level luxury shopping destination to rival Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive or Chicago's Magnificent Mile,[55][56] but in 2011 these plans were rolled back to more modest levels.[57]

Buckhead, the city's uptown district, is eight miles (13 km) north of Downtown. Beginning as a wealthy suburban community with the construction of Lenox Square mall in the 1950s, the area has since developed into a major commercial and financial center. Skyscapers and hotels surround the Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza malls, forming the core Buckhead business district. Just south of the malls is Buckhead Village, the historic center of the district and the location of the planned "Buckhead Atlanta" (formerly "Streets of Buckhead") mixed-use development. Surrounding this commercial core are wealthy neighborhoods of single-family homes, including historic, pre-war Garden Hills and Brookwood Hills.

Atlanta's east side is marked by historic streetcar suburbs built from the 1890s-1930s as havens for the upper middle class. Each of these neighborhoods are unique, containing separate commercial villages surrounded by leafy, architecturally-distinct residential streets. East side neighborhoods include Victorian Inman Park and Grant Park, craftsman Virginia-Highland and Kirkwood, and Bohemian Candler Park and East Atlanta.[58] On Atlanta's west side, former warehouses and factories have been transformed into condos, apartments, retail space, art galleries, and sophisticated restaurants, making the once-industrial West Midtown a model neighborhood for smart growth, historic rehabilitation, and infill construction.[59]

In Southwestern Atlanta, the areas closest to Downtown are streetcar suburbs, including the historic West End. Farther from Downtown are postwar suburban neighborhoods, including Collier Heights and Cascade Heights, home to the city's established and affluent African-American elite.[60][61] Further southwest are newer neighborhoods that are also havens for middle-class and upper-class black homeowners.[62]

Northwestern Atlanta is marked by Atlanta's poorest and most dangerous areas, such as The Bluff and English Avenue.

Gentrification

Main article: Gentrification of Atlanta

Many of Atlanta's neighborhoods experienced the urban flight that affected other major American cities in the 20th century, causing the decline of well-to-do east side neighborhoods such as Inman Park and Candler Park. In the 1970s, after neighborhood opposition blocked two freeways from being built through the east side, the area became the starting point for Atlanta's gentrification wave. By the early 1990s, the neighborhoods had transformed into shining examples of renewal, and are now considered hip, urban neighborhoods, appealing to young residents who wish to be in close proximity to entertainment and commercial options.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, gentrification expanded into other parts of Atlanta, spreading throughout the historic streetcar suburbs east of Downtown and Midtown, such as the Old Fourth Ward, Kirkwood, and Cabbagetown, across the neighborhoods adjacent to the BeltLine, and into the once-industrial West Midtown. On the east side, historic bungalows were renovated, new homes were constructed, and once-forgotten leafy, urban villages were rehabilitated. On the western side of the city, condos, apartments, and retail space were built into former warehouses spaces, transforming once-industrial West Midtown into a vibrant neighborhood.

Culture

The High Museum of Art, a division of the Woodruff Arts Center in Midtown Atlanta

Atlanta, while geographically at the center of the American South, has a culture that is no longer strictly Southern. More than half of Metro Atlanta residents were born outside Georgia[63] including 13% born outside the U.S.[64] Atlanta's culture reveals itself at the High Museum of Art, the bohemian shops of Little Five Points, at its many neighborhood festivals, and in the cuisines from around the world found along Buford Highway.[65]

Arts and entertainment

Main article: Arts in Atlanta

Atlanta is a capital of hip hop, including Southern hip hop or "crunk", of R&B and of neo soul. The city is home to Ludacris, Usher, Toni Braxton, Ciara, and India.Arie. It is also a center of gospel music where the Gospel Music Association Dove Awards take place. Atlanta also has strong live music, pop, rock, indie-rock, country, blues and jazz scenes, including artists such as the Indigo Girls, and Justin Bieber.

The Fox Theatre is an historic landmark and is among the highest grossing theatres in of its size.[66] The city also has a large collection of highly successful music venues of various sizes that host top and emerging touring acts including the Tabernacle, the Variety Playhouse and The Masquerade.

The city contains a flourishing theater community. Theater groups include the Alliance Theater, winner of the 2007 Regional Theatre Tony Award, the internationally-known Center for Puppetry Arts and dozens of other groups across the city and Metro Atlanta.

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra plays at its concert hall at the Woodruff Arts Center in Midtown, which also houses the High Museum of Art and Alliance Theatre. The Atlanta Opera and The Atlanta Ballet usually perform at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre at the city's northwest edge. Atlanta's renowned classical musicians have included conductors Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony's Robert Spano.

In literature, Atlanta has been the home of Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind, one of the best-selling books of all time; Alice Walker, author of Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple; Alfred Uhry, playwright of Driving Miss Daisy, and Joel Chandler Harris, author of the Brer Rabbit children's stories. Famous journalists include Ralph McGill, the anti-segregationist editor and publisher of the Atlanta Constitution newspaper. Atlanta is also the home of contemporary editorial cartoonist Mike Luckovich, who is syndicated nationally to 150 newspapers.

Further information: Category:Films set in Atlanta, Georgia and List of television shows set in Atlanta

Atlanta has become a major regional center for film and television production, especially since 2008 when Georgia state tax credits were increased. Tyler Perry Studios, TurnerStudios and EUE/Screen Gems studios are located in the city. Metro Atlanta is frequently seen in films and on TV including the top-rated Real Housewives of Atlanta, and The Vampire Diaries, shot in the historic suburb of Covington. Atlanta has gained recognition as a center of production of horror and zombie-related productions,[67] with Atlanta magazine dubbing the city the "Zombie Capital of the World".[68][69]

Museums

Main article: Museums in Atlanta

In 2010, American Style Magazine ranked Atlanta as the ninth-best city for the arts.[70] The renowned High Museum of Art is arguably the South's leading art museum and among the 100 most-visited art museums in the world. Other art institutions include the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA), the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, and the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory, containing the largest collection of ancient art in the Southeast.[71]

Museums geared specifically towards children including the Fernbank Science Center and Imagine It! The Children's Museum of Atlanta. The Atlanta Botanical Garden next to Piedmont Park, home to the 600-foot-long (180 m) Kendeda Canopy Walk, the only canopy-level pathway of its kind in the United States. Zoo Atlanta, located in Grant Park, is one of only four zoos in the U.S. currently housing giant pandas.[72]

Tourism

Main article: Tourism in Atlanta

Atlanta is one of the nation's leading tourist destinations, both for Americans and those visiting the U.S. from abroad. As of 2010, the city is the seventh-most visited city in the United States, with over 35 million visitors per year.[16]

Besides its museums, Atlanta major attractions include the world's largest indoor aquarium,[73] the Georgia Aquarium,[74] the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, the Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum, the Carter Center and Presidential Library, the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum (where Mitchell wrote Gone With the Wind), and the World of Coca-Cola.

Festivals and traditions

Main article: Festivals in Atlanta

Due to Atlanta's mild climate, outdoor events and attractions are plentiful in the city. Piedmont Park hosts many of Atlanta's festivals, including the annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival, Festival Peachtree Latino, Music Midtown, and Atlanta Pride.[75] Most older intown neighborhoods hold yearly festivals as well, such as the Inman Park Festival and Virginia Highland Summerfest. Atlanta's film festivals include Independent Film Month,[76]the Out on Film gay and lesbian film festival, Atlanta Film Festival 365, Atlanta Underground Film Festival and Atlanta Docufest.

Yearly traditions include the Southeastern Flower Show, and at Christmastime the Macy's (originally Rich's Great Tree and "Pink Pig" ride at Macy's Lenox Square.

Cuisine

A meal at The Varsity

Atlanta's cuisine contains a mix of urban establishments garnering national attention, ethnic restaurants offering cuisine from every corner of the world, and traditional eateries specializing in Southern dining. In the last decade, Atlanta has emerged as a sophisticated restaurant town.[77] Many of the restaurants that have opened within the city's gentrifying neighborhoods since 2000 have garnered praise on a national scale, including Bocado, Bacchanalia, Flip Burger Boutique, and Miller Union in West Midtown, Empire State South in Midtown, and Two Urban Licks, Parish, and Rathbun's on the east side.[78][79][80][81] Empire State South and Miller Union reflect "a new kind of sophisticated Southern sensibility centered on the farm but experienced in the city".[82]

Buford Highway, stretching from near Buckhead to Gwinnett County, is the area's international food destination. There, the million-plus immigrants that make Atlanta home have established various authentic ethnic restaurants, ranging from Vietnamese, Indian, Cuban, Korean, Mexican, and Chinese, to Ethiopian.[83]

Local landmarks include The Varsity, opened in 1928 and the world's largest drive-in restaurant,[84] and Mary Mac's Tea Room, opened in 1945, a traditional destination for Southern food.

Religion

The Roman Catholic Cathedral of Christ the King, located on Peachtree Road in Buckhead
Main article: Religion in Atlanta

There are over 1,000 places of worship within the city of Atlanta.[85] Protestant Christian faiths are well represented in Atlanta,[86] the city historically being a major center for traditional Southern denominations such as the Southern Baptist Convention, the United Methodist Church, and the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Traditional African American denominations such as the National Baptist Convention, the Church of God in Christ, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church are represented in the area. These churches have several seminaries that form the Interdenominational Theological Center complex in the Atlanta University Center.

Megachurches in the area include pastor Andy Stanley's North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, which Forbes magazine ranked as the third largest church in the United States,[87] and the First Baptist Church of Woodstock, with 14,000 members.[88] Primarily African American megachurches in Metro Atlanta include Creflo Dollar's World Changers Church International in College Park claiming nearly 30,000 members[89] and Eddie Long's New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia with 25,000 members.[90]

Atlanta contains a large Roman Catholic population that has more than doubled from 292,300 members in 1998 to 900,000 members in 2010, about 16% of the metro area's population.[91][92] Atlanta is the see of the 84 parish Archdiocese of Atlanta, and the metropolitan see for the Province of Atlanta. The archdiocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Christ the King and the current archbishop is the Most Rev. Wilton D. Gregory.[93][94]

Atlanta is the see of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, headquartered at the Cathedral of St Philip in Buckhead and led by the Right Reverend J. Neil Alexander.[95] Atlanta is the headquarters of the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and of the Salvation Army's U.S. Southern Territory.[96]

Other Christian groups include The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with its "Atlanta Georgia Temple" in Sandy Springs; Eastern Catholic churches; and Eastern Orthodox churches including the Greek Orthodox Annunciation Cathedral, the see of the Metropolis of Atlanta and its bishop, Alexios. Ethnic congregations include the Korean Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian Churches, the Tamil Church Atlanta, Telugu Church, Hindi Church, Malayalam Church, Ethiopian, Chinese, and many others.

The metro's Jewish community numbers approximately 120,000,[97] ranked the 11th largest in the U.S. as of 2006.[97] One of Metro Atlanta's approximately 15 Hindu temples, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta in Lilburn is the largest Hindu temple in the world outside of India.[98] There also are an estimated 75,000 Muslims in the metro area and approximately 35 mosques.[99] Buddhist temples in Metro Atlanta include the Tibetan Buddhist Drepung Loseling Monastery in Brookhaven, associated with Emory University and where the Dalai Lama has spoken.[100]

Sports

Main article: Sports in Atlanta
Turner Field

Atlanta is home to professional franchises for three major team sports: the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball, the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association, and the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League.

The Braves began playing in 1871 as the Boston Red Stockings, and is the oldest continually operating professional sports franchise in America.[101] The Braves won the World Series in 1995, and had an unprecedented run of 14 straight divisional championships from 1991 to 2005.

The Atlanta Falcons (American football) have played in Atlanta since 1966 and currently play at the Georgia Dome. They have won the division title four times (1980, 1998, 2004, 2010) and one conference championship—going on to finish as the runner-up to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999.[102]

The Atlanta Hawks basketball team has been the National Basketball Association franchise of Atlanta since 1969; The team's sole NBA championship was in 1958, when they were the St. Louis Hawks. The Atlanta Dream plays in the Women's National Basketball Association.

Atlanta does not currently have an National Hockey League (NHL) team, but from 1972 to 1980, the Atlanta Flames played for the city in the NHL, as did the Atlanta Thrashers from 1999 to 2011.

The Atlanta Silverbacks play in the United Soccer Leagues First Division (Men) and W-League (Women). In 1968 the Atlanta Chiefs professional soccer team won the NASL championship, playing their home games at the now demolished Atlanta Fulton County Stadium.

In golf, the final event of the PGA Tour season, The Tour Championship, is played annually at East Lake Golf Club, a club associated with the great amateur golfer Bobby Jones, an Atlanta native.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets participate in 17 intercollegiate sports, including football and basketball, competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Atlanta hosted the second intercollegiate football game in the South, played between Auburn and the University of Georgia in 1892; this game is now called the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.[103]

Atlanta is also home to the Atlanta Harlequins (women's rugby union), Atlanta Legion (rugby league football), Atlanta Kookaburras (men's and women's Australian rules football), and two Gaelic football teams.

Auto racetracks near Atlanta include the Atlanta Motor Speedway (a NASCAR track) and Road Atlanta.

Atlanta was the host city for the Centennial 1996 Summer Olympics. Atlanta has also hosted Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994 and Super Bowl XXXIV, as well as the NCAA Final Four Men's Basketball Championship, most recently in 2007. The city hosts college football's annual Chick-fil-A Bowl (Formerly known as the Peach Bowl) and the Peachtree Road Race, the world’s largest 10 km race.[104]

Club Sport League Home Venue League Championships
Atlanta Falcons Football NFL Georgia Dome 0
Atlanta Braves Baseball MLB Turner Field 1 (1995)
Atlanta Hawks Basketball NBA Philips Arena 0
Atlanta Dream Women's Basketball WNBA Philips Arena 0
Atlanta Silverbacks Soccer NASL Atlanta Silverbacks Park 1 (2007)
Atlanta Silverbacks Women Women's Soccer W-League Atlanta Silverbacks Park 0
Atlanta Beat Women's Soccer WPS KSU Soccer Stadium 0
Atlanta Xplosion Women's Football IWFL James R. Hallford Stadium 1 (2006)
Gwinnett Gladiators Hockey ECHL Arena at Gwinnett Center 0
Gwinnett Braves Baseball IL Coolray Field 0
Georgia Force Arena Football AFL Arena at Gwinnett Center 0
Atlanta Legion Rugby league American National Rugby League Silverbacks Park 0

Media

Main article: Media in Atlanta

The Atlanta metro area is served by many local television stations and is the eighth largest designated market area (DMA) in the U.S. with 2,387,520 homes (2.0% of the total U.S.).[105] There are also numerous local radio stations serving every genre of music and sports.

Cox Enterprises, a privately held company controlled by Anne Cox Chambers, has substantial media holdings in and beyond Atlanta. Its Cox Communications division is the nation's third-largest cable television service provider;[106] the company also publishes over a dozen daily newspapers in the United States, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. WSB AM—the flagship station of Cox Radio—was the first broadcast station in the South.

The notable television stations in Atlanta are Cox Enterprises-owned ABC affiliate (and the city's first TV station) WSB-TV (Channel 2.1), Fox Television's WAGA-TV (Channel 5.1), Gannett Company's NBC affiliate WXIA-TV (Channel 11.1, also known as "11 Alive") and its sister station MyNetworkTV affiliate WATL-TV (Channel 36.1, known as MyAtlTV), the Univision owned station WUVG-TV (Channel 34.1) and its sister station Telefutura (Channel 34.2), the Meredith Corporation's CBS affiliate WGCL-TV (Channel 46.1), and CBS-owned CW station WUPA (Channel 69.1).

The market has two PBS affiliates: WGTV (Channel 8.1), the flagship station of the statewide Georgia Public Television network, and WPBA (Channel 30.1), owned by Atlanta Public Schools.

Atlanta is the home of the nation's first cable superstation, then known as WTCG (Channel 17), first transmitting its signal via satellite in December 1976; the station itself first signed-on in Atlanta as WJRJ-TV in 1967. The station changed its call letters to the more-familiar WTBS in 1979, and became WPCH-TV (also known as "Peachtree TV") in 2007, when its parent company, the Time Warner-owned Turner Broadcasting System decided to separate the local and national programming feeds.

The Atlanta area is also home to other Turner Broadcasting properties TNT, CNN, Cartoon Network, HLN, truTV, and Turner Classic Movies, as well as NBC Universal's The Weather Channel.

The Atlanta radio market is ranked seventh in the nation by Arbitron, and is home to more than forty radio stations, notably of which including WSB-AM (750), WCNN-AM (680), WQXI-AM (790), WGST-AM (640), WVEE-FM (103.3), WSB-FM (98.5), WWWQ-FM (99.7), and WSBB-FM (95.5).

Economy

See also: List of companies in Atlanta
CNN Center
Delta Air Lines headquarters

Atlanta is one of ten U.S. cities classified as an "alpha-world city" by a 2010 study at Loughborough University,[107] and ranks fourth in the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered within city boundaries, behind New York City, Houston, and Dallas.[108] Several major national and international companies are headquartered in metro Atlanta, including four Fortune 100 companies: The Coca-Cola Company, Home Depot, United Parcel Service, Delta Air Lines, AT&T Mobility, and Newell Rubbermaid. Other headquarters for some major companies in Atlanta and around the metro area include Arby's, Chick-fil-A, Earthlink, Equifax, First Data, Gentiva Health Services, Georgia-Pacific, NCR, Oxford Industries, RaceTrac Petroleum, Southern Company, SunTrust Banks, Mirant, and Waffle House. Over 75% of the Fortune 1000 companies have a presence in the Atlanta area, and the region hosts offices of about 1,250 multinational corporations. As of 2006 Atlanta Metropolitan Area ranks as the 10th largest cybercity (high-tech center) in the US, with 126,700 high-tech jobs.[109]

Delta Air Lines is the city's largest employer and the metro area's third largest.[110] Delta operates the world's largest airline hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and, together with the hub of competing carrier AirTran Airways, has helped make Hartsfield-Jackson the world's busiest airport, both in terms of passenger traffic and aircraft operations. The airport, since its construction in the 1950s, has served as a key engine of Atlanta's economic growth.[111]

The Coca-Cola world headquarters

Atlanta has a sizable financial sector. SunTrust Banks, the seventh largest bank by asset holdings in the United States,[112] has its home office on Peachtree Street in downtown.[113] The Federal Reserve System has a district headquarters in Atlanta; the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, which oversees much of the deep South, relocated from downtown to midtown in 2001.[114] Wachovia announced plans in August 2006 to place its new credit-card division in Atlanta,[115] and city, state and civic leaders harbor long-term hopes of having the city serve as the home of the secretariat of a future Free Trade Area of the Americas.[116]

Atlanta is also home to a growing Biotechnology sector, gaining recognition through such events as the 2009 BIO International Convention.[117] Atlanta is also the headquarters of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region II.

The auto manufacturing sector in metropolitan Atlanta has suffered setbacks recently, including the closure of the General Motors Doraville Assembly plant in 2008, and the shutdown of Ford Motor Company's Atlanta Assembly plant in Hapeville in 2006. Kia, however, has opened a new assembly plant near West Point, Georgia.[118]

The city is a major cable television programming center. Ted Turner began the Turner Broadcasting System media empire in Atlanta, where he bought a UHF station that eventually became WTBS. Turner established the headquarters of the Cable News Network at CNN Center, adjacent today to Centennial Olympic Park. As his company grew, its other channels—the Cartoon Network, Boomerang, TNT, Turner South, Turner Classic Movies, CNN International, CNN en Español, HLN, and CNN Airport Network—centered their operations in Atlanta as well (Turner South has since been sold). Turner Broadcasting is a division of Time Warner. The Weather Channel, owned by a consortium of NBC Universal, Blackstone Group, and Bain Capital, has its offices in the Cumberland district northwest of downtown Atlanta.

Federal Reserve Bank in Midtown Atlanta.

Cox Enterprises, a privately held company controlled by James C. Kennedy, his sister Blair Parry-Okeden and their aunt Anne Cox Chambers, has substantial media holdings in and beyond Atlanta; it is headquartered in the city of Sandy Springs.[119][120] Its Cox Communications division, headquartered in unincorporated DeKalb County,[121] is the third-largest cable television service provider in the United States.[122]

Unincorporated DeKalb County is also home to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Adjacent to Emory University, with a staff of nearly 15,000 including: engineers, entomologists, epidemiologists, biologists, physicians, veterinarians, behavioral scientists, nurses, medical technologists, economists, health communicators, toxicologists, chemists, computer scientists, and statisticians. CDC has 10 other offices throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, and other staff in 45 countries around the world.[123]

Law and government

See also: Political structure of Atlanta and List of Mayors of Atlanta
Atlanta City Hall
Atlanta city seal

Atlanta is governed by a mayor and the Atlanta City Council. The city council consists of 15 representatives—one from each of the city's 12 districts and three at-large positions (a district system superseded the ward system in 1954). The mayor may veto a bill passed by the council, but the council can override the veto with a two-thirds majority.[124] The mayor of Atlanta is Kasim Reed.

Every mayor elected since 1973 has been black.[125] In 2001, Shirley Franklin became the first woman to be elected Mayor of Atlanta, and the first African-American woman to serve as mayor of a major southern city.[126] Atlanta city politics suffered from a notorious reputation for corruption during the 1990s administration of Bill Campbell, who was convicted by a federal jury in 2006 on three counts of tax evasion in connection with gambling income he received while Mayor during trips he took with city contractors.[127]

As the state capital, Atlanta is the site of most of Georgia's state government. The Georgia State Capitol building, located downtown, houses the offices of the governor, lieutenant governor and secretary of state, as well as the General Assembly. The Governor's Mansion is located on West Paces Ferry Road, in a residential section of Buckhead. The city has several properties relating to the United States federal government, including the John C. Godbold Federal Building, Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center, Richard B. Russell Federal Building, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Building.[128] Atlanta also serves as the home of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia; Atlanta is the headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (the Sixth District of the Federal Reserve).

Crime

Main article: Crime in Atlanta

Crime in Atlanta has been consistently dropping. Between 2001 and 2009 the crime rate in Atlanta dropped by 40 percent, according to the FBI. Homicide fell 57 percent. Rape is down 72 percent. Violent crime overall is down 55 percent. Atlanta’s public safety improvement has occurred at more than twice the rate of the rest of the country. Crime is down across the country, but Atlanta’s improvement has far surpassed the national trend. This relative improvement explains why Atlanta—after ranking in the top five highest crime cities for most of the previous three decades—now ranks 31st. Atlanta has lower crime than Salt Lake City, Orlando and Tacoma, Washington.[129] The city is served by the Atlanta Police Department, which has an estimated 1,700 officers working in the force. Atlanta is divided into six police zones.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Atlanta
See also: Demographics of Metro Atlanta
Historical populations
Census City[130] Region[131]
1850 2,572 N/A
1860 9,554 N/A
1870 21,789 N/A
1880 37,409 N/A
1890 65,533 N/A
1900 89,872 419,375
1910 154,839 522,442
1920 200,616 622,283
1930 270,366 715,391
1940 302,288 820,579
1950 331,314 997,666
1960 487,455 1,312,474
1970 496,973 1,763,626
1980 425,022 2,233,324
1990 394,017 2,959,950
2000 416,474 4,112,198
2010 420,003 5,729,304
*Estimates[132][133][134]
Region: Combined Statistical Area (CSA)

The 2010 Census indicates a population of 420,003 – 22.4% lower than 2009 estimates of 540,921.[135] The difference between the 2010 official count and the 2009 estimates caused some to question the reliability of the 2010 count.[136] However, Atlanta's daytime population is much larger. According to a 2000 daytime population estimate by the Census Bureau,[137] over 250,000 more people commuted to Atlanta on any given workday, boosting the city's estimated daytime population to 676,431. This is an increase of 62.4% over Atlanta's resident population, making it the largest gain in daytime population in the country among cities with fewer than 500,000 residents.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,464 and the median income for a family was $59,711. About 21.8% of the population and 17.2% of families lived below the poverty line.[138]

Race and ethnicity

The 2010 and 2000 composition of Atlanta by race, ethnicity and foreign-born status was:[139][140][141][142]

Race, ethnicity, or
foreign-born status		 Pop. 2010  % of total 2010 Pop. 2000  % of total 2000 absolute
change 2000-2010		  % change 2000-2010
Black 226,894 54.0% 255,689 61.4% -31,678 -12.3%
White 161,115 38.4% 138,352 33.2% 22,763 16.5%
White non-Hispanic 152,377 36.3% 130,222 31.3% 22,155 17.0%
Asian and Pacific Islander 13,188 3.1% 8,219 1.9% 4,969 60.5%
Hispanic or Latino of any race 21,815 5.2% 18,720 4.5% 3,095 16.5%
Foreign-born 33,621[143] 8.0%[144] 27,352 6.6% 6,269 22.9%

Atlanta is, as of 2010, the nation's 4th largest black-majority city and has long been known as a "black mecca" for its role as a center of black wealth, political power, education, and culture including film and music.[145] However, the area's African Americans have rapidly suburbanized since 1990. The city's black population shrunk from 2000 to 2010 by 31,678 people, dropping from 61.4% to 54.0% of the population.[146][147][147][148] While blacks exited the city and neighboring DeKalb County, the black population increased sharply in other areas of Metro Atlanta by 93.1%.[149]

The proportion of whites in the city's population has grown dramatically: according to the Brookings Institution, faster than that of any other major U.S. city between 2000-2006. Between 2000 and 2010, Atlanta's white population had increased by 22,763 people, from 31% to 38%, more than triple the increase between 1990 and 2000.

Atlanta is home to many ethnic festivals, such as the Atlanta Turkish Festival

The city of Atlanta has recently become relatively more diverse. The city long consisted overwhelmingly of blacks and non-Hispanic whites; those groups made up 97.1% of the city in 1990, but by 2010 their proportion had shrunk to 90.3%. Atlanta's Hispanic population increased by 16.5% from 2000 to 2010, and in 2010 the city was 5.2% Hispanic. The Asian American population increased by 60.5%, and in 2010 Asian Americans made up 3.1% of the city.

The trend towards ethnic diversity is much stronger in Metro Atlanta as a whole in which blacks and non-Hispanic whites make up only 83.1% of the population. The metro area's Hispanic population more than doubled from 268,851 in 2000 to 547,400 in 2010, and now makes up over 10% of the region's population.[150] These immigrant communities have altered the economic, cultural, and religious landscape of metro Atlanta.[143][151] The Asian American population in the metro nearly doubled and makes up just under 5% of the region's population. Gwinnett County became one of the most diverse counties in the nation.[152]

While the city was 6.6% foreign-born in 2010, the metro as a whole was 13.6% foreign-born.

Sexual orientation and marital status

The city of Atlanta also has one of the highest LGBT populations per capita. It ranks 3rd of all major cities, behind San Francisco and slightly behind Seattle, with 12.8% of the city's total population recognizing themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.[153][154]

According to the 2000 United States Census (revised in 2004), Atlanta has the twelfth highest proportion of single-person households nationwide among cities of 100,000 or more residents, which was at 38.5%.[155]

Education

Main Quad on Emory University's Druid Hills Campus
Part of the Henry W. Grady High School Campus in Midtown Atlanta.

Colleges and universities

See also: List of colleges and universities in metropolitan Atlanta

The city has more than 30 institutions of higher education, including Emory University, a prominent liberal arts and research institution that has been consistently ranked as one of the top 20 schools in the United States by U.S. News & World Report and is widely considered one of the leading universities in the world; Georgia Institute of Technology, a premier research university that has been ranked among the nation's top ten public universities since 1999 by U.S. News & World Report; Georgia State University, a comprehensive public research university located downtown; SCAD-Atlanta, the Atlanta campus of Savannah College of Art and Design, a private arts university; the Mercer University Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Studies campus; Morris Brown College, a four-year, private, coed, liberal arts college; and the Atlanta University Center, the largest contiguous consortium of historically-black colleges, comprising Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Interdenominational Theological Center.

Greater Atlanta contains several notable colleges and universities, including Oglethorpe University, a small liberal arts school named for the founder of Georgia with a faculty rated 15th in the nation by the Princeton Review; Agnes Scott College, a women's college; Kennesaw State University, the third largest university in Georgia; other state-run institutions such as Georgia Gwinnett College, Clayton State University, Atlanta Metropolitan College, Georgia Perimeter College, Southern Polytechnic State University, University of West Georgia, and Gordon College; as well as private colleges, including Reinhardt University and the Atlanta Christian College.

Primary and secondary schools

Main article: List of schools in Atlanta

The public school system (Atlanta Public Schools) is run by the Atlanta Board of Education with interim superintendent Erroll Davis. As of 2007, the system has an active enrollment of 49,773 students, attending a total of 106 schools: including 58 elementary schools (three of which operate on a year-round calendar), 16 middle schools, 20 high schools, and 7 charter schools.[156] The school system also supports two alternative schools for middle and/or high school students, two single-sex academies, and an adult learning center.[156] The school system also owns and operates radio station WABE-FM 90.1, a National Public Radio affiliate, and Public Broadcasting Service television station WPBA 30.

Transportation

Air

Main article: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
A concourse at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (IATA: ATL, ICAO: KATL), the world's busiest airport as measured by passenger traffic and by aircraft traffic,[157] provides air service between Atlanta and many national and international destinations. Delta Air Lines and AirTran Airways maintain their largest hubs at the airport.[158][159] Situated 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown, the airport covers most of the land inside a wedge formed by Interstate 75, Interstate 85, and Interstate 285. The MARTA rail system has a station in the airport terminal, and provides direct service to Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, and Sandy Springs. The major general aviation airports near the city proper are DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (IATA: PDK, ICAO: KPDK) and Brown Field (IATA: FTY, ICAO: KFTY). See List of airports in the Atlanta area for a more complete listing.

Freeways

With a comprehensive network of freeways that radiate out from the city, Atlantans rely on their cars as the dominant mode of transportation in the region.[160] Atlanta is mostly encircled by Interstate 285, a beltway locally known as "the Perimeter" which has come to mark the boundary between the interior of the region and its surrounding suburbs.

The Downtown Connector, seen at night in Midtown.

Three major interstate highways converge in Atlanta; I-20 runs east to west across town, while I-75 runs from northwest to southeast, and I-85 runs from northeast to southwest. The latter two combine to form the Downtown Connector (I-75/85) through the middle of the city. The combined highway carries more than 340,000 vehicles per day. The Connector is one of the ten most congested segments of interstate highway in the United States.[161] The intersection of I-85 and I-285 in Doraville—officially called the Tom Moreland Interchange, is known to most residents as Spaghetti Junction.[162] Metropolitan Atlanta is approached by 13 freeways. In addition to the aforementioned interstates, I-575, Georgia 400, Georgia 141, I-675, Georgia 316, I-985, Stone Mountain Freeway (US 78), and Langford Parkway (SR 166) all terminate just within or beyond the Perimeter, with the exception of Langford Parkway, limiting the transportation options in the central city.

This strong automotive reliance has resulted in heavy traffic and contributes to Atlanta's air pollution, which has made Atlanta one of the more polluted cities in the country.[163] The Clean Air Campaign was created in 1996 to help reduce pollution in metro Atlanta.

Around 2008 the Atlanta metro area has ranked at or near the top of the longest average commute times in the U.S. Also, the Atlanta metro area has ranked at or near the top for worst traffic in the country.[164]

Public transportation

Main articles: Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Xpress GA, Commuter rail in Atlanta, Streetcars in Atlanta, and Trolleybuses in Atlanta
The Peachtree Center MARTA Station

Notwithstanding heavy automotive usage, Atlanta's subway system, operated by Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), is the eighth busiest in the country.[165] Feeding into the rail system is MARTA's bus system. the 14th largest in the country. MARTA rail lines connect many key destinations in the area such as the airport, Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, Perimeter Center, and Decatur. However key central destinations, such as Emory University and Turner Field, remain unserved.

There is no commuter rail in Metro Atlanta at this time, and MARTA rail lines only reach the innermost suburbs such as Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, College Park and Decatur – only Fulton and DeKalb Counties chose to join MARTA; Cobb, Gwinnett and other counties chose to stay out of MARTA. To provide a public transportation option for suburban and exurban commuters, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority operates the Xpress GA bus service from Downtown and Midtown Atlanta to key destinations in the outer metro.

Cycling in Atlanta

Public transportation originally consisted of horsecars (from 1871), which were replaced by electric streetcars (1889–1949), which were in turn replaced by trolleybuses ("trackless trolleys") (1937–1963) and buses. In 1963 all existing trolleybuses were replaced by buses. Various proposals would bring streetcars back to Atlanta. The Downtown Connector route, now funded, will connect Centennial Olympic Park with Peachtree Center and the MLK historic site. Other proposed routes include lines along the 22-mile Beltline around Atlanta's central neighborhoods, as well as on Peachtree Street, Ralph David Abernathy Blvd., North Ave., and 17th St.[166] Proposals also exist for a commuter rail system, MARTA rail line extensions, light rail lines, bus rapid transit, and more suburban express buses.[167]

Intercity rail

Atlanta began as a railroad town and it still serves as a major rail junction, with several freight lines belonging to Norfolk Southern and CSX intersecting below street level in downtown. It is the home of major classification yards for both railroads, Inman Yard on the NS and Tilford Yard on the CSX. Long-distance passenger service is provided by Amtrak's Crescent train, which connects Atlanta with many cities between New Orleans and New York. The Amtrak station is located several miles north of downtown—and it lacks a connection to the MARTA rail system. An ambitious, long-standing proposal would create a Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal downtown, adjacent to Philips Arena and the Five Points MARTA station, which would link, in a single facility, MARTA bus and rail, intercity bus services, proposed commuter rail services to other Georgia cities, and Amtrak.

Cycling

Main article: Cycling in Atlanta

Cycling is a growing mode of transportation in Atlanta, taking 1.1% of all commutes in 2009, up from 0.3% in 2000,[168] and organizations like the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition[169] continue to lobby for increased accessibility to bicyclists. However, heavy automobile traffic, Atlanta's famed hills, the lack of bike lanes on many streets, and difficulty in crossing major streets deter many residents from cycling frequently in Atlanta.[170] The city's transportation plan calls for the construction of 226 miles of bike lanes by 2020.[171] The Beltline, which will include bike lanes, may help the city achieve this goal.[citation needed]

International relations

Diplomatic missions

See also: List of diplomatic missions in Atlanta

Atlanta, as the home of 24 general consulates, contains the seventh-highest concentration of diplomatic missions in the United States. Most of the diplomatic missions are located in Buckhead, Midtown, or Peachtree Center. The city is also home to 36 honorary consulates.[172] In 2011, it was announced that Atlanta would be the host of the next Indian consulate.[173]

Sister cities

See also: List of sister cities in the United States

Atlanta has 19 sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):[174]

Surrounding municipalities

Main article: Metro Atlanta

The population of the Atlanta region spreads across a metropolitan area of 8,376 square miles (21,694 km2)—a land area larger than that of Massachusetts.[177] Because Georgia contains the second highest number of counties in the country,[178] area residents live under a heavily decentralized collection of governments. As of the 2000 census, fewer than one in twelve residents of the metropolitan area lived inside Atlanta city proper.[179]

Marietta Sandy Springs Norcross
Douglasville Lithonia
   Atlanta    
Columbus Riverdale Panthersville

In popular culture

See also Nicknames of Atlanta and Films and TV shows set in Atlanta

Atlanta has numerous nicknames including "Hotlanta", for its hot summers, exciting nightlife, or both; "The ATL", for its airport code; and "The A". The city is the setting for many films, most famously Gone with the Wind. It is also the setting for numerous television shows, including Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Meet the Browns, and for Real Housewives of Atlanta. The nearby CDC is often mentioned in fiction novels.

See also

Portal icon Atlanta portal
Portal icon Georgia (U.S. state) portal

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Love it or loathe it, the city's nickname is accurate for the summer", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 16, 2008
  2. ^ "Our Quiz Column", Sunny South, p.5
  3. ^ "Atlanta May No Longer Be the City in a Forest", WSB-TV
  4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  5. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  6. ^ "US Census Bureau". 2010.census.gov. March 17, 2011. http://2010.census.gov/news/releases/operations/cb11-cn97.html. Retrieved June 27, 2011. 
  7. ^ "Metropolitan Area Population & Housing Patterns: 2000–2010". http://proximityone.com/metros0010.htm. 
  8. ^ The term "Atlantans" is widely used by both local media and national media.
  9. ^ "MONTHLY AIRPORT TRAFFIC REPORT". Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. December 2008. http://www.atlanta-airport.com/docs/Traffic/200812.pdf. Retrieved December 13, 2010. 
  10. ^ "DOT: Hartsfield-Jackson busiest airport, Delta had 3rd-most passengers". March 13, 2008. http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/03/10/daily44.html. 
  11. ^ "Top Industry Publications Rank Atlanta as a LeadingCity for Business. | North America > United States from". AllBusiness.com. http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/company-locations-facilities/6399916-1.html. Retrieved April 5, 2010. 
  12. ^ "Doing Business in Atlanta, Georgia". Business.gov. http://www.business.gov/states/georgia/local/atlanta.html. Retrieved April 5, 2010. 
  13. ^ http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2010t.html
  14. ^ "Global Cities 2010: The Rankings". Foreign Policy. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/node/373401. Retrieved November 6, 2010. 
  15. ^ "CNN Money - Fortune Magazine - Fortune 500 2011". http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2011/cities/. 
  16. ^ a b Murray, Valaer. "List: America's Most-Visited Cities". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/28/tourism-new-york-lifestyle-travel-las-vegas-cities_slide_5.html. 
  17. ^ "Who's right? Cities lay claim to civil rights 'cradle' mantle" Politifact/'"Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 28, 2011
  18. ^ a b Yeazel, Jack (March 23, 2007). "Eastern Continental Divide in Georgia". http://www.gpsinformation.org/jack/Divide/Divide.html. Retrieved July 5, 2007. 
  19. ^ "Florida, Alabama, Georgia water sharing" (news archive). WaterWebster. http://www.waterwebster.com/FloridaAlabamaGeorgia.htm. Retrieved July 5, 2007. 
  20. ^ "Fact Sheet – Interstate Water Conflicts: Georgia — Alabama — Florida" (PDF). Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on October 31, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061031192854/http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/macoc/initiatives/img/tri-statefactsheet.pdf. Retrieved July 5, 2007. 
  21. ^ "New Georgia Encyclopedia: Atlanta". Georgiaencyclopedia.org. January 5, 2010. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2207. Retrieved June 27, 2011. 
  22. ^ "Atlanta, Georgia (1900–2000)". Our Georgia History. http://www.ourgeorgiahistory.com/chronpop/1000010. Retrieved April 2, 2006. 
  23. ^ "Ice Storms". Storm Encyclopedia. Weather.com. http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/winter/ice.html. Retrieved April 2, 2006. 
  24. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Atlanta, Georgia (30303)" (Table). Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/30303?from=36hr_bottomnav_business. Retrieved March 23, 2008. 
  25. ^ "NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=ffc. Retrieved 2011-12-14. 
  26. ^ "Climatological Normals of Atlanta". Hong Kong Observatory. http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/n_america/us/atlanta_e.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-12. 
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References

  • Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events: Years of Change and Challenge, 1940–1976 by Franklin M. Garrett, Harold H. Martin
  • Atlanta, Then and Now. Part of the Then and Now book series.
  • Craig, Robert (1995). Atlanta Architecture: Art Deco to Modern Classic, 1929–1959. Gretna, LA: Pelican. ISBN 0-88289-961-9. 
  • Darlene R. Roth and Andy Ambrose. Metropolitan Frontiers: A short history of Atlanta. Atlanta: Longstreet Press, 1996. An overview of the city's history with an emphasis on its growth.
  • Sjoquist, Dave (ed.) The Atlanta Paradox. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. 2000.
  • Stone, Clarence. Regime Politics: Governing Atlanta, 1946–1988. University Press of Kansas. 1989.
  • Elise Reid Boylston. Atlanta: Its Lore, Legends and Laughter. Doraville: privately printed, 1968. Lots of neat anecdotes about the history of the city.
  • Frederick Allen. Atlanta Rising. Atlanta: Longstreet Press, 1996. A detailed history of Atlanta from 1946 to 1996, with much about City Councilman, later Mayor, William B. Hartsfield's work in making Atlanta a major air transport hub, and about the American Civil Rights Movement as it affected (and was affected by) Atlanta.

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