Atlanta (IPA: /ætˈlæntə/ or
/ətˈlæntə/) is the capital and the most
populous city of the state of Georgia, and the
core city of the ninth most populous metropolitan area in the
United States. It is the county seat of
Fulton County, although portions of the city extend into DeKalb County. As of July 2006, the city of Atlanta had a population of 486,411[4] and a metropolitan population of 5,138,223.[5] The July 2006 census estimate put the combined
statistical area (CSA) population at 5,478,667.[6] Residents of the city are known as Atlantans.
Atlanta has in recent years undergone a transition from a city of regional commerce to a city of international
influence.[7] Between 2000 and 2006, the Atlanta
metropolitan area grew 20.5%, the highest percentage amongst the top-ten metro areas.[8] Atlanta is often considered a poster child
for cities worldwide experiencing rapid growth and urban sprawl.[9][10]
During the Civil Rights Movement, Atlanta stood
apart from southern cities that supported segregation, touting itself as "The City Too Busy to Hate." The city's progressive
civil rights record and existing population of blacks, made it increasingly popular as a relocation destination for black
Americans. Blacks soon became the dominant social and political force in the city, though today some measure of demographic
diversification has taken place.[11]
Along with St. Louis and Los
Angeles, Atlanta is one of three cities in the United States to have hosted the Summer Olympic Games.
History
-
- See also: Atlanta in the Civil
War
A map showing roads and Indian trails circa 1815, with late 19th century Fulton County and City of Atlanta outlines
overlaid.
The region where Atlanta and its suburbs were built was originally Creek and
Cherokee Native American
territory. The Creek land in the eastern part of the current metro area (including Decatur) was opened to white settlement in
1823. In 1835, leaders of the Cherokee nation ceded their land to the government in exchange for land out west under the
Treaty of New Echota, an act that eventually led to the Trail of Tears.
In 1836 the Georgia General Assembly voted to build the Western and Atlantic Railroad to provide a trade route to the Midwest. The initial route was to run from Chattanooga to a spot called simply "Terminus", located somewhere east of the Chattahoochee
River, which would eventually be linked to the Georgia Railroad
from Augusta and the Macon & Western, which ran from Macon to Savannah. Though the initial location of the Terminus
was near present-day Norcross, work was moved to Montgomery's Ferry for a savings of $18,000 per mile from the geography
differences. Several months later in 1837, the legislature finally established the zero-mile marker for the Terminus at a point
near the present-day Georgia World Congress Center, chosen because the
area was relatively flat and would better allow for turnarounds. The first store, a general store, was opened at the site in 1839
by John Thrasher and a Mr. Johnson.
The area around Atlanta also began to develop. By 1842, the settlement at the Terminus had six buildings and 30 residents. A
two-story depot building was constructed, and after a few renames, the Chief Engineer of the Georgia Railroad, (J. Edgar Thomson) suggested that the area be renamed "Atlantica-Pacifica", which was quickly
shortened to "Atlanta". The residents approved, and the town was incorporated as "Atlanta" on December 29, 1847.[12]
The first Georgia Railroad freight and passenger trains arrived in 1845. In 1846, a third railroad, the Macon & Western,
completed tracks to Terminus, connecting the little settlement with Macon and Savannah.[13] The town experienced a small boom and the population grew to 2,500 citizens. In
1848, the first mayor was elected, the first homicide occurred and the first jail was built. Sidewalks were constructed and a
town marshal appointed. By 1854 another railroad connected Atlanta to LaGrange.[14] The town had grown
to 6,000 residents.
During the American Civil War, Atlanta served as an important railroad and
military supply hub. In 1864, the city became the target of a major Union invasion. The
area now covered by Atlanta was the scene of several battles, including the Battle of
Peachtree Creek, the Battle of Atlanta, and the Battle of Ezra Church. On September 1, 1864, Confederate General John Bell Hood evacuated Atlanta after a four-month siege mounted by Union General William T. Sherman and ordered all public buildings and possible Confederate assets destroyed.
The next day, Mayor James Calhoun surrendered the city, and on September 7 Sherman ordered the civilian population to evacuate. He then ordered Atlanta burned to the
ground on November 11 in preparation for his punitive march south.
After a plea by Father Thomas O'Reilly of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Sherman did not burn the city's churches or
hospitals. The remaining war resources were then destroyed in the aftermath, and in Sherman's March to the Sea. The fall of Atlanta was a crucial event in the Civil War because
of the confidence it instilled in the Union.
The rebuilding of the city — immortalized in the city's symbol, the phoenix — was
gradual. From 1867 until 1888, U.S. Army soldiers occupied McPherson Barracks in southwest Atlanta to ensure Reconstruction era reforms. To help the newly freed slaves, the Federal Government set up a
Freedmen's Bureau, which helped establish what is now
Clark Atlanta University, one of several historically black colleges in
Atlanta.
In 1868, Atlanta became the fifth city to serve as the state capital. Henry W. Grady,
the editor of the Atlanta Constitution, promoted the city to
investors as a city of the "New South", one built on a modern economy, less reliant on agriculture. As part of the effort to
modernize the South, Grady and many others also supported the creation of the Georgia School of Technology (now the Georgia Institute of Technology), which was
founded in 1885. In 1880, Sister Cecilia Carroll, RSM, and three companions traveled from Savannah to Atlanta to minister to the
sick. The sisters opened the Atlanta Hospital (later to become Saint Joseph's Hospital), the first medical facility in the city
after the Civil War.
In 1907, Peachtree Street, the main street of Atlanta, was busy with streetcars and automobiles.
As Atlanta grew, ethnic and racial tensions mounted. The Atlanta Race Riot of 1906
left at least 27 dead[15] and over seventy injured. In
1913, Leo Frank, a Jewish supervisor at a factory in Atlanta was put on trial for raping and
murdering a thirteen-year old white employee from a suburb of Atlanta, ultimately resulting in Frank's lynching. This became the
storyline for the hit 1998 musical Parade
In the 1930s, the Great Depression hit Atlanta. The federal
government established Techwood Homes, the nation's first federal housing project in 1935. With the entry of the United States into World
War II, soldiers from around the Southeastern United States went
through Atlanta to train and later be discharged at Fort McPherson. War-related manufacturing such as the Bell Aircraft factory in the suburb of Marietta helped boost
the city's population and economy. Shortly after the war, the Communicable Disease Center (now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) was founded in Atlanta.
In the wake of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision
Brown v. Board of Education, which helped usher in the
Civil Rights Movement, racial tensions in Atlanta began to express themselves in
acts of violence. On October 12, 1958, a Reform Jewish temple on Peachtree Street was bombed. The
"Confederate Underground" claimed responsibility. Many believed that Jews, especially those from the northeast, were advocates of
the Civil Rights Movement.
Atlanta's
Inman Park neighborhood was the city's first planned suburb. Today, it features
several mansions and many colorful restored
bungalows.
In the 1960s, Atlanta was a major organizing center of the US Civil Rights Movement, with Dr. Martin Luther King and students from Atlanta's historically black colleges and universities
playing major roles in the movement's leadership. On October 19, 1960, a sit-in at the lunch counters of several Atlanta department stores led to the arrest of Dr. King and several
students, drawing attention from the national media and from presidential candidate John F.
Kennedy. Despite this incident, Atlanta's political and business leaders fostered Atlanta's image as "the city too busy to
hate". In 1961, Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. became one of the few Southern white mayors to
support desegregation of Atlanta's public schools. While the city mostly avoided confrontation, minor race riots did occur in
1965 and in 1968.
In 1990, Atlanta was selected as the site for the Centennial Olympic Games 1996 Summer
Olympics. Following the announcement, Atlanta undertook several major construction projects to improve the city's parks,
sports facilities, and transportation. Former Mayor Bill Campbell allowed
many "tent cities" to be built. Atlanta became the third American city to host the Summer
Olympics, after St. Louis and Los
Angeles. The games themselves were marred by numerous organizational inefficiencies as well as the Centennial Olympic Park bombing.
Geography
Topography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 343.0 km² (132.4 mi²). 341.2 km² (131.8 mi²) of it is land and 1.8 km² (0.7 mi²) of it is water.
The total area is 0.51% water. At about 1050 feet or 320 meters above mean sea level (the airport is 1010 ft), Atlanta
sits atop a ridge south of the Chattahoochee
River.
The Eastern Continental Divide line enters Atlanta from the south,
proceeding to downtown. From downtown, the divide line runs eastward along DeKalb Avenue and the CSX rail lines through Decatur.[16] 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.[16]
The latter is via the Chattahoochee River, 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.[17][18]
Climate
Atlanta averages 2 inches of snowfall annually.
Atlanta has a humid subtropical climate, (Cfa) according to the
Köppen classification, with hot, humid summers and chilly (but not
extreme) winters by the standards of the United States. July highs average 90 °F
(32 °C) or above, and low average 67 °F (19 °C). Infrequently, temperatures can even exceed 100 °F
(38 °C). The highest temperature recorded in the city is 105 °F (40.6 °C), reached on July 13 and July 17, 1980. January is the coldest
month, with an average high of 50 °F (10 °C), and low of 29 °F (-1 °C). Warm fronts can bring springlike
temperatures in the 60s and 70s in winter, and Arctic air masses can drop temperatures into the teens as well. The coldest
temperature ever recorded was -9 °F on 13 February 1899.
A close second was -8 °F, reached on 21 January 1985.
Like the rest of the southeastern U.S., Atlanta receives abundant rainfall, which is relatively evenly distributed throughout
the year. Average annual rainfall is 50.2 inches (1275 mm).[19] An average year sees frost on 36 days; snowfall
averages about two inches (5 centimeters) annually. The
heaviest single storm brought 10 inches on January 23, 1940.[20] Frequent ice storms can cause more problems than snow; the most severe such storm may have occurred on January 7, 1973.[21]
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures for Atlanta, GA
(30328) |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Rec High °F |
75 |
80 |
85 |
91 |
95 |
101 |
102 |
100 |
98 |
88 |
84 |
76 |
| Norm High °F |
50 |
55 |
63 |
71 |
78 |
84 |
90 |
86 |
81 |
72 |
62 |
53 |
| Norm Low °F |
29 |
32 |
38 |
45 |
54 |
62 |
67 |
66 |
60 |
47 |
39 |
32 |
| Rec Low °F |
-9 |
1 |
6 |
24 |
31 |
40 |
48 |
50 |
28 |
25 |
10 |
-1 |
| Precip (in) |
5.34 |
4.28 |
5.52 |
4.04 |
4.63 |
3.66 |
4.17 |
4.32 |
3.87 |
3.58 |
3.73 |
4.18 |
| Source: The Weather Channel[22] |
Cityscape
- See also: Architecture of
Atlanta and List of Atlanta neighborhoods
Atlanta's skyline is punctuated with highrise and midrise buildings of modern and postmodern vintage. Its tallest landmark –
the Bank of America Plaza – is the 26th-tallest building in the world at
feet ( m), and was one of the ten tallest buildings on Earth when built. It is also the tallest building in the United
States outside of Chicago and New York
City.[23]
Image:ATL Suntrust Plaza.jpg
The city's highrises are clustered in three districts in the city—Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead.[24] (there are two more major suburban clusters, Perimeter
Center to the north and Cumberland/Vinings to the northwest). The central business district, clustered around the Westin Peachtree Plaza hotel – the tallest building in Atlanta at the time of its
completion in 1976 – also includes the newer 191 Peachtree Tower, SunTrust Plaza, Georgia-Pacific Tower, and the buildings
of Peachtree Center. Midtown Atlanta, farther
north, developed rapidly after the completion of One Atlantic Center in 1987.
The influx of business to Midtown has continued – the district's newest tower, 1180
Peachtree, opened in 2006 at a height of feet ( m), and won a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) Award that year from the U.S. Green Building Council. Atlanta has been in the midst of a construction and retail boom,
with over 60 new highrise or midrise buildings either proposed or under construction as of April 19, 2006.[2] October 2005 marked the opening of Atlantic Station, a former brownfield steel plant site
redeveloped into a mixed-use urban district. In early 2006, Mayor Franklin set in motion a plan to make the 14-block stretch of
Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta (nicknamed "Midtown Mile") a street-level shopping
destination envisioned to rival Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive or Chicago's Magnificent Mile.[25][26]
In spite of civic efforts such as the opening of Centennial Olympic Park in
downtown in 1996, Atlanta ranks near last in area of park land per capita among cities of similar population density, with
8.9 acres per thousand residents (36 m²/resident) in 2005.[27] The city has a reputation, however, as a "city of trees" or a "city in a forest";[28][29] beyond the central Atlanta and Buckhead business districts, the skyline gives way to a sometimes
dense canopy of woods that spreads into the suburbs. Founded in 1985, Trees Atlanta has
planted and distributed over 68,000 shade trees.[30]
The city's northern section, Buckhead, is consistently ranked by the
Robb Report as one of the most affluent communities in the United States. Since the
opening of the intown segment of the Georgia 400 tollway, which linked the district to the city superhighway system in the early 1990s, Buckhead has developed
a dense commercial district, clustered around the high-end retail centers at Lenox Square
and Phipps Plaza and including a growing number of office buildings and residential
highrises, some in the 40+ story range. The Mansion on Peachtree, a 42 Story Luxury Hotel and Condominium tower will open in
Early 2008 and the 50 story 3344 Peachtree/Sovereign, planned to reach feet ( m), is due for completion in late
2007.[31]
The edge cities clustered around Perimeter Mall and Cumberland Mall have distinct skylines of their own. The Concourse at Landmark Center, located near Perimeter Mall in Sandy Springs, includes a pair
of buildings called the King and Queen that each measure feet ( m) in total height.
Culture
-
Tourism
- See also: Atlanta
attractions
The Varsity has been an Atlanta landmark for over 75 years.
Atlanta hosts a variety of museums on subjects ranging from history to fine arts, natural history, and beverages. Prominent
among them are sites honoring Atlanta's participation in the civil rights movement. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in the city, and his boyhood home on Auburn Avenue in the Sweet
Auburn district is preserved as the Martin Luther King, Jr.
National Historic Site. Meetings with other civil rights leaders, including Hosea Williams and Congressman John Lewis, often happened at Paschal's,
a diner and motor inn which was a favorite for "colored" people, banned from "white" restaurants in an era of racial segregation
and intolerance. King's final resting place is in the tomb at the center of the reflecting pool at the King Center.
Other history museums and attractions include the Atlanta History Center; the
Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum (a huge painting and diorama in-the-round, with a rotating central audience platform, that depicts the Battle of Atlanta in the Civil War); the Carter Center and
Presidential Library; historic house museum Rhodes Hall; and the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum.
The arts are represented by several theaters and museums, including the Fox
Theatre. The Woodruff Arts Center is home to the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony, and High Museum of Art.
The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center is the city's home for challenging contemporary art and education geared toward working
artists and collectors of art. Museums geared specifically towards children include the Fernbank Science Center and Imagine It! Atlanta's Children's Museum. The High Museum of Art is
the city's major fine/visual arts venue, with a significant permanent collection and an assortment of traveling exhibitions. The
Atlanta Opera, which was founded in 1979 by members of two struggling local companies,
is now one of the fastest growing opera companies in the nation and garners attention from audiences around the world.[32]
Atlanta features the world's largest aquarium, the Georgia Aquarium, which
officially opened to the public on November 23, 2005. The
aquarium features more aquatic life than can be found in any other aquarium, in tanks holding approximately eight million gallons
of water.[33] Adjacent is the World of Coca-Cola which opened in May 2007, featuring the history of the world famous soft drink
brand and its well-known advertising. Pemberton Place, the 20 acre site which houses the Georgia Aquarium and the World of
Coca-Cola is within walking distance of Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Dome, Philips Arena, the CNN Center and other
downtown Atlanta tourist attractions. Underground Atlanta, a historic shopping and
entertainment complex is situated under the streets of downtown Atlanta. In addition Atlantic
Station, a huge new urban renewal project on the northwestern edge of Midtown Atlanta, officially opened in October 2005.
While not a museum per se, The Varsity is the main branch of the long-lived fast food chain,
featured as the world's largest drive-in restaurant.[34]
Piedmont Park hosts many of Atlanta's festivals and cultural events.[35] In 1887, a group of prominent
Atlantans purchased acres ( km²) of farmland to build a horse racing track, later developed into the site of the
Cotton States International Exposition of 1895, made famous by W.E.B Dubois' "Fingers of the Hand" speech.[35] In 1904, the city council purchased
the land for US$98,000,[36] and today it is the largest park in metro Atlanta,[37] with more than 2.5 million visitors each year.[38] The grounds were part of the Battle of Peachtree
Creek – a Confederate division occupied the northern edge on July 20, 1864 as part of the outer defense line against Sherman's approach. Next to the park is the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Zoo Atlanta, with a
panda exhibit, is in Grant Park.
Just east of the city, Stone Mountain is the largest piece of exposed
granite in the world.[39] On its face are giant carvings of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson. It is also the site of laser shows in the summer. A
few miles west of Atlanta on I-20 is the Six
Flags Over Georgia Theme Park, which opened near the city in 1967, and was the second theme park in the Six Flags chain.
Entertainment and performing arts
Atlanta has a thriving music industry and is home to many famous hip-hop and R&B musicians. Jermaine Dupri's 2001 hip hop single "Welcome to Atlanta" (feat. Ludacris) declares Atlanta the "new Motown", referencing the city of
Detroit, Michigan, which was known for its contributions to popular music, fertile job
market and affordable urban housing in the 1950s to 1980s. The Dirty South style of
hip-hop emerged in part from Atlanta artists such as Outkast and Goodie Mob. More recently, rapper/producer Lil Jon has been a driving force
behind the party-oriented style known as crunk.
Record Producers L.A. Reid and Babyface founded LaFace Records in Atlanta
in the late-1980s; the label has eventually become the home to multi-platinum selling artists such as Toni Braxton, TLC, OutKast,
Goodie Mob, Monica, Usher and Ciara, many of whom are Atlantans themselves. It is also
the home of So So Def Records, a label founded by Jermaine Dupri in the mid-1990s,
that signed acts such as Da Brat, Jagged Edge,
