   #copyright

Atlanta, Georgia

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: North American Geography

   Atlanta, Georgia
   The Atlanta skyline at night
   The Atlanta skyline at night

   Official flag of Atlanta, Georgia

                                    Official seal of Atlanta, Georgia
   Flag                             Seal
   Nickname: "Hotlanta, The Big Peach, The ATL, A-Town"
   Location in Fulton County in the state of Georgia
   Location in Fulton County in the state of Georgia
   Coordinates: 33°45′18″N, 84°23′24″W
   Country United States
   State Georgia
   Counties Fulton, Dekalb
   Mayor Shirley Franklin ( D)
   Area
    - City 343.0 km²  (132.4  sq mi)
    - Land 341.2 km²  (131.8 sq mi)
    - Water 1.8 km² (0.7 sq mi)
   Elevation 225-320 m
   Population
    - City (2005) 470,688
    - Density 1,221/km²
    - Urban 4,708,297
    - Metro 4,949,121
   Time zone EST ( UTC-5)
    - Summer ( DST) EDT ( UTC-4)
   Website: http://www.atlantaga.gov/

   Atlanta ( IPA: /ˌætˈlɛ̃n.nə/ or /ˌɛtˈlɛ̃n.nə/) is the capital and the
   most populous city of the State of Georgia, and the central city of the
   ninth most populous metropolitan area in the United States. It is the
   county seat of Fulton County, although a portion of the city extends
   into DeKalb County. According to the July 2005 census estimate, the
   city has a population of 470,688 and a metropolitan population of
   4,917,717. As of July 1, 2005, Atlanta's combined statistical area
   (CSA) is estimated to have a population of 5,249,121.

   A major city in its own right, Atlanta is considered a poster child for
   cities world wide experiencing rapid urban sprawl, economic development
   and growth. In the last decade, the Atlanta metropolitan area added
   over 1,150,000 residents – the fourth-largest gain in absolute numbers
   of any metropolitan area in the United States. Atlanta is recognized as
   one of the driving forces of the "New South," and has in recent years,
   along with Houston, Miami and Dallas, undergone a transition from a
   city of regional commerce to a city of international influence.

   During the Civil Rights Movement, Atlanta stood apart from Southern
   cities that supported segregation, and became known as the "City Too
   Busy to Hate." The city's progressive civil rights record made it
   increasingly popular as a relocation destination for African Americans,
   and the city's population became majority-black by 1972. African
   Americans soon became the dominant political force in the city; since
   1974, all of the mayors of Atlanta have been African-American, as well
   as the majority of the city's fire chiefs, police chiefs, and other
   high-profile government officials. White flight occurred in the city in
   the 1970s and 1980s; the city's population dropped by more than 100,000
   from 1970 to 1990. That trend has reversed itself, however, and with
   accelerating gentrification, the black majority has dropped from 69
   percent in 1980 to 54 percent in 2005.

   Common nicknames for the city include A Town, The A-T-L (derived from
   its IATA airport code), the Big Peach, and Hotlanta.

History

   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 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, with the
   area around Atlanta--then called Terminus--serving as the terminal. The
   terminus was originally planned for Decatur, but its citizens did not
   want it. Besides Decatur, several other suburbs of Atlanta predate the
   city by several years, including Marietta and Lawrenceville.

   Terminus grew as a railroad town; later it was renamed Marthasville
   after then-Governor Wilson Lumpkin's daughter Martha. Marthasville was
   renamed Atlanta in 1845 (a feminized version of Atlantic suggested by
   J. Edgar Thomson) and was incorporated as such in 1847.
   A slave auction house on Whitehall St.
   Enlarge
   A slave auction house on Whitehall St.

   In 1864, the city became the target of a major Union invasion (the
   subject of the 1939 film Gone with the Wind). 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 union assets
   destroyed. The next day, mayor James Calhoun surrendered the city, and
   on September 7 Sherman ordered the civilian population to evacuate. His
   forces occupied the city for several months, and 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 critical point in the Civil War, giving the North more
   confidence, and (along with the Battle of Mobile Bay) leading to the
   re-election of Abraham Lincoln and the eventual surrender of the
   Confederacy.

   The city emerged from the ashes – hence the city's symbol, the
   phoenix – and was gradually rebuilt. It soon became the industrial and
   commercial centre of the South. From 1867 until 1888, U.S. Army
   soldiers occupied McPherson Barracks (later renamed Fort McPherson) 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", by which he meant a
   diversification of the economy away from agriculture and a shift from
   the " Old South" attitudes of slavery and rebellion. 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 on the city's northern outskirts in
   1885.

   In 1880, Sister Cecilia Carroll, RSM, and three companions traveled
   from Savannah, Georgia to Atlanta to minister to the sick. With just 50
   cents in their collective purse, the sisters opened the Atlanta
   Hospital, the first medical facility in the city after the Civil War.
   This later became known as Saint Joseph's Hospital.
   In 1907, Peachtree Street, the main street of Atlanta, was busy with
   streetcars and automobiles.
   Enlarge
   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 and over seventy injured. In 1913,
   Leo Frank, a Jewish supervisor at an Atlanta factory, was put on trial
   for raping and murdering a thirteen-year old white employee. After
   doubts about Frank's guilt led his death sentence to be commuted in
   1915, riots broke out in Atlanta and Frank was lynched.

   In the 1930s, the Great Depression hit Atlanta. With the city
   government nearing bankruptcy, the Coca-Cola Company had to help bail
   out the city's deficit. The federal government stepped in to help
   Atlantans by establishing 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 in 1946, the Communicable Disease Centre, later
   called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was founded
   in Atlanta from the old Malaria Control in War Areas offices and staff.

   In 1951, the city received the All-America City Award, due to its rapid
   growth and high standard of living in the southern U.S.

   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.
   For example, 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.

   In the 1960s, Atlanta was a major organizing centre 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, small race riots did occur in 1965 and in 1968.

   In 1990, the International Olympic Committee selected Atlanta 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,
   creating a carnival atmosphere around the games. Atlanta became the
   third American city to host the Olympics, after St. Louis and Los
   Angeles, which hosted the 1904 games, 1932 games and the 1984 games.
   The games themselves were notable in the realm of sporting events, but
   they were marred by numerous organizational inefficiencies as well as
   the Centennial Olympic Park bombing, which resulted in the death of one
   person and injured several others. Much later it was determined that
   the bombing was carried out by North Carolinian Eric Robert Rudolph as
   an anti-government and pro-life protest.

Geography and climate

Geography

   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 feet), Atlanta sits atop a ridge south of the Chattahoochee River.
   Amongst the 25 largest MSAs, Atlanta is the fourth-highest in
   elevation, slightly lower than Pittsburgh (the city itself is higher
   than downtown Pittsburgh, however) and Phoenix, but significantly lower
   than Denver (1 mile or 1,600 m).

   According to folklore, its central avenue, Peachtree Street, runs
   through the centre of the city on the Eastern Continental Divide. In
   actuality, the divide line enters Atlanta from the southwest,
   proceeding to downtown. From downtown, the divide line runs eastward
   along DeKalb Avenue and the CSX rail lines through Decatur. 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.

   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.

Cityscape

   Panoramic view of the central Atlanta skyline, spanning Midtown (left)
   and Downtown (right)
   Panoramic view of the central Atlanta skyline, spanning Midtown (left)
   and Downtown (right)

   Atlanta has a prominent skyline, punctuated with highrises and
   comprising buildings of modern and postmodern vintage. Its tallest
   landmark – the Bank of America Plaza – is the 20th-tallest building in
   the world at 1,023 feet, and the newest skyscraper in America to have
   been one of the ten tallest buildings on Earth.

   The city centre actually contains two distinct skylines. 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 low-slung buildings of Peachtree Centre.
   Midtown Atlanta, farther north, developed rapidly after the completion
   of One Atlantic Centre in 1987 established the neighborhood as a centre
   of commercial development. The skylines meet at the Bank of America
   Plaza, which sits at the border of downtown and midtown on North
   Avenue.

   The influx of business to Midtown has continued – the district's newest
   tower, 1180 Peachtree, opened in 2006 at a height of 645 feet, 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 highrise construction and retail boom, with over 60 new highrise
   buildings either proposed or under construction as of April 19, 2006.
   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.

   In spite of civic efforts such as the opening of Centennial Olympic
   Park in downtown in 1996, Atlanta ranks near last in acreage of park
   land per capita among cities of similar population density, with 8.9
   acres per thousand residents in 2005. The city has a reputation,
   however, as a "city of trees" or a "city in a forest"; beyond the
   central Atlanta and Buckhead business districts, the skyline gives way
   to a sometimes dense canopy of woods that spreads into the suburbs.

   The city's northern section, Buckhead, is consistently ranked by the
   Robb Report as one of the most affluent communities in the United
   States, comparable to Los Angeles' Bel-Air and Manhattan's Upper East
   Side. Since the opening of the intown segment of the Georgia 400
   tollway 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. Viewed from certain angles, the Buckhead skyline
   can blend into those of downtown and midtown to the south.

   The edge cities clustered around Perimeter Mall and Cumberland Mall
   have distinct skylines of their own. The Concourse at Landmark Centre,
   located near Perimeter Mall in Sandy Springs, includes a pair of
   buildings that each measure 570 feet in total height.

   The sprawling layout of the Atlanta region has resulted in serious
   traffic and air quality problems. The metro area has one of America's
   longest average daily commutes, and is one of the most car-dependent
   cities on the planet due both to suburban sprawl and underfunded mass
   transit systems. It also has a reputation as being one of the most
   dangerous for pedestrians, as far back as 1949 when Gone with the Wind
   author Margaret Mitchell was struck by a speeding car and killed as she
   was crossing the street to the premiere of her movie at Lowe's Theatre.

Climate

   Atlanta has a humid subtropical climate, (Cfa) according to the Köppen
   classification, with hot, humid summers and mild winters by the
   standards of the United States.

   The summers are hot and humid, with afternoon highs peaking at about
   90°F (32°C) in late July. Temperatures can also exceed 100°F (38°C) in
   a major heat wave. 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 52°F (11°C), and
   low of 33°F (1°C). Warm fronts can bring springlike temperatures in the
   60s in winter, and arctic air masses can drop temperatures into the low
   teens as well. An average year sees frost on 48 days; snowfall averages
   2 inches (5 centimeters) annually. The heaviest single storm brought 10
   inches on January 23, 1940. The lowest temperature recorded in the city
   is -9°F (-22°C), reached on 13 February 1899. A close second was -8°F
   on 21 January 1985. The frequent ice storms can cause more problems
   than snow; the most severe such storm may have occurred on January 7,
   1973.

   Like the rest of the Southeastern U.S., Atlanta receives abundant
   rainfall, which is relatively evenly distributed throughout the year.
   Average annual rainfall is 50.5 inches (127 centimeters).
   Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
   Average high °F (°C) 52 (11) 57 (14) 65 (18) 73 (23) 80 (27) 87 (31) 89
   (32) 88 (31) 82 (28) 73 (23) 63 (17) 55 (13) 72 (22)
   Average low °F (°C) 33 (1) 37 (3) 45 (7) 50 (10) 59 (15) 66 (19) 72
   (22) 70 (21) 64 (18) 54 (12) 45 (7) 34 (1) 51 (11)
   Average rainfall: inches (millimeters) 5.03 (127.8) 4.68 (118.9) 5.38
   (136.7) 3.62 (91.9) 3.95 (100.3) 3.63 (92.2) 5.12 (130.0) 3.63 (92.2)
   4.09 (103.9) 3.11 (79.0) 4.10 (104.1) 3.82 (97.0) 50.16 (1274)

Demographics

    Atlanta population
   Year  City
        proper    Metro
                area
   1850 2,572
   1860 9,554
   1870 21,789
   1880 37,409
   1890 65,533
   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
   2005 470,688 4,926,611

   The census of 2000 states there are 416,474 people (470,688 in the July
   2005 estimate), 168,147 households, and 83,232 families residing in the
   city. The population density is 1,221/km² (3,161/mi²). There are
   186,925 housing units at an average density of 548/km² (1,419/mi²). The
   racial makeup of the city is 61.39% Black, 33.22% White,1.93% Asian,
   0.18% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.99% from other races,
   and 1.24% from two or more races. 4.49% of the population are Hispanic
   or Latino of any race. The city has one of the largest gay populations
   in the nation; according to Census 2000 both DeKalb and Fulton counties
   are among the ten most heavily gay counties in America.

   There are 168,147 households out of which 22.4% have children under the
   age of 18 living with them, 24.5% are married couples living together,
   20.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 50.5% are
   non-families. 38.5% of all households are made up of individuals and
   8.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The
   average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 3.16.

   In the city the population is spread out with 22.3% under the age of
   18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 35.2% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and
   9.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For
   every 100 females there are 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18
   and over, there are 97.6 males.

   The median income for a household in the city is $51,482 and the median
   income for a family is $55,939. Males have a median income of $36,162
   compared to $30,178 for females. The per capita income for the city is
   $29,772, and 24.4% of the population and 21.3% of families are below
   the poverty line. 38.8% of those under the age of 18 and 20.7% of those
   65 and older are living below the poverty line.

   In July 2006, several neighborhoods in South Fulton county voted to
   join the city of Atlanta, which would become effective October 30,
   2006. If these applications for annexation are accepted, this could add
   another 17,000 or so residents to the city and increase the land area
   as well.

   According to a 2000 daytime population estimate by the Census Bureau,
   over 250,000 more people commute to Atlanta on any given workday,
   boosting the city's estimated daytime population at the time to
   676,431. This is an increase of 62.4 percent over Atlanta's resident
   population – the second-largest daytime population swing in America
   among cities with more than 250,000 residents.

Law and government

   Atlanta City Hall
   Enlarge
   Atlanta City Hall
   Image:Shirleyfranklin.jpg
   Mayor of Atlanta: Shirley Franklin

   Atlanta is governed by a mayor and a city council. The city council
   consists of 15 representatives—one from each of the city's twelve
   districts and three at-large positions. The mayor may veto a bill
   passed by the council, but the council can override the veto with a
   two-thirds majority. The current mayor of Atlanta is Shirley Franklin.

   Possibly owing to the city's African American majority, each mayor
   elected since 1973 has been black. The uninterrupted string of black
   mayors in excess of thirty years is a first for any metropolitan area
   in the country. Maynard Jackson served two terms and was succeeded by
   Andrew Young in 1982. Jackson returned for a third term in 1990 and was
   succeeded by Bill Campbell. In 2001, Shirley Franklin became the first
   woman to be elected Mayor of Atlanta. She was re-elected for a second
   term in 2005, winning 90 percent of the vote. Atlanta city politics
   during the Campbell administration suffered from a notorious reputation
   for corruption, and in 2006 a federal jury convicted former mayor Bill
   Campbell on three counts of tax evasion in connection with gambling
   income he received while Mayor during trips he took with city
   contractors.
   The Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta
   Enlarge
   The Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta

   As the state capital, Atlanta is also the site of most of Georgia's
   state government, including the Georgia State Capitol (topped with gold
   from Dahlonega, Georgia)and constructed in 1886 houses the General
   Assembly. Atlanta is the residence of the Governor of Georgia in
   Buckhead. The "Governor's Mansion" is located on West Paces Ferry Road,
   in the heart of the up-scale residential community of Buckhead. Atlanta
   is also home to Georgia Public Broadcasting headquarters and Peachnet,
   and is the county seat of Fulton County, with which it shares
   responsibility for the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System.

Crime

   For several decades, Atlanta had been among the most violent cities in
   North America but in recent years the city has reduced violent crime
   considerably. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual
   Uniform Crime Report, Atlanta recorded 90 homicides in 2005, down from
   111 in 2004. Violent crime in 2005 was the lowest since 1969.

   However, in 2005 Atlanta received media attention for the high-profile
   Brian Nichols manhunt, who became internationally known as the
   "Courthouse Killer". In addition, broadcast media focused attention on
   a standoff involving a murder suspect (not an Atlanta resident) who
   perched himself on top of a construction crane for several days in the
   upscale Buckhead district.

Surrounding cities

   The town square in downtown Marietta, a Cobb County suburb of Atlanta
   Enlarge
   The town square in downtown Marietta, a Cobb County suburb of Atlanta

   The population of the Atlanta region spreads across a metropolitan area
   of 8,376 square miles – a land area larger than that of six states.
   Because Georgia contains more counties than any other state east of the
   Mississippi River (an accident of history explained by the now-defunct
   county unit system of weighing votes in primary elections), area
   residents live under a heavily decentralized collection of governments.
   As of the 2000 census, only one in ten area residents lived inside
   Atlanta itself.

   A 2006 survey by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce counted 140
   cities and towns in the 28-county metropolitan statistical area in
   mid-2005. Three cities – one of them Atlanta's most populous suburb,
   Sandy Springs – have incorporated or won legislative approval for
   incorporation since then.

   Atlanta's environs include the following suburbs, listed in order of
   population:
     * Sandy Springs: Pop. 85,781
     * Roswell: Pop. 79,338
     * Marietta: Pop. 58,748
     * Smyrna: Pop. 40,999
     * East Point: Pop. 39,595
     * Alpharetta: Pop. 35,139
     * Kennesaw: Pop. 30,522
     * Forest Park: Pop. 21,447
     * College Park: Pop. 20,382
     * Decatur: Pop. 18,147

Economy

   Despite romantic associations in the public mind from Gone With the
   Wind and other pop cultural touchstones, Atlanta has always been more a
   commercial city than a reflection of the region's antebellum past. It
   is the major centre of commerce in the South, and boasts an especially
   strong convention and trade-show business.

   One of seven American cities classified as Gamma world cities, Atlanta
   ranks third in the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered in its
   metropolitan area, behind New York City and Houston. Several major
   national and international companies are headquartered in Atlanta or
   its nearby suburbs, including four Fortune 100 companies: The Coca-Cola
   Company, Home Depot, BellSouth, and United Parcel Service in adjacent
   Sandy Springs. The headquarters of Cingular Wireless, the largest
   mobile phone service provider in the United States, can be found a
   short distance inside the Perimeter beside Georgia State Route 400.
   Newell Rubbermaid is one of the most recent companies to relocate to
   the metro area; in October 2006, it announced plans to move its
   headquarters to Sandy Springs. Over 75 percent of the Fortune 1000
   companies have a presence in the Atlanta area, and the region hosts
   offices of about 1,250 multinational corporations.

   Delta Air Lines claims Atlanta as home, and employs thousands through
   its hub operations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
   The Delta hub, together with the hub of competing carrier AirTran
   Airways, has helped to make Hartsfield-Jackson the world's busiest
   airport, both in terms of passenger traffic and landings and takeoffs.
   The airport, since its construction in the 1950s, has served as a key
   engine of Atlanta's economic growth.

   Much of the wealth created by local companies' growth has found itself
   reinvested in the region through philanthropy. Home Depot co-founder
   Bernie Marcus contributed more than $200 million dollars to build the
   new Georgia Aquarium near Centennial Olympic Park. Fellow Home Depot
   co-founder Arthur Blank purchased the Atlanta Falcons in 2002, and has
   pledged $35 million for construction of the new Santiago
   Calatrava-designed Atlanta Symphony Centre in Midtown. The late
   Coca-Cola executive Robert W. Woodruff established an Atlanta-based
   charitable foundation currently worth nearly $2 billion, and made a
   grant to Emory University in 1979 that at the time was the largest
   single contribution to a university endowment in American history.
   Roberto Goizueta also made substantial contributions to Emory
   University before his death; the business school there now bears his
   name.
   Federal Reserve Bank in Midtown Atlanta.
   Enlarge
   Federal Reserve Bank in Midtown Atlanta.

   While liberal banking laws in North Carolina permitted Charlotte to
   grow into the South's largest financial centre, Atlanta still has a
   sizable financial sector. SunTrust Banks, the ninth-largest bank by
   asset holdings in the United States, has its home office on Peachtree
   Street in downtown. 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. Wachovia announced plans in August 2006 to place its new
   credit-card division in Atlanta, and city, state and civic leaders
   harbour long-term hopes of having the city serve as the home of the
   secretariat of a future Free Trade Area of the Americas.

   The auto manufacturing sector in metropolitan Atlanta has suffered
   setbacks recently, including the planned 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. Together the
   closures mean the loss of 6,000 to 8,000 jobs in the Atlanta region.
   Kia, however, has broken ground on a new assembly plant near West
   Point, Georgia.
   The Downtown Connector
   Enlarge
   The Downtown Connector

   The city is a major cable television programming centre. 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 Centre, adjacent
   today to Centennial Olympic Park. As his company grew, its other
   channels – the Cartoon Network (see also Adult Swim) and companion
   channel Boomerang, TNT, Turner South, CNN International, CNN en
   Español, CNN Headline News, and CNN Airport Network – centered their
   operations in Atlanta as well. The Weather Channel, owned by Landmark
   Communications, has its offices in the nearby suburb of Marietta.

   Cox Enterprises – a privately held company controlled by billionaire
   siblings Barbara Cox Anthony and 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; the
   company also publishes over a dozen daily newspapers in the United
   States, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. WSB – the flagship
   station of Cox Radio – was the first AM radio station in the South; its
   call letters stand for "Welcome South, Brother."

   Atlanta has also reached the city's second high-rise boom in its
   history. According to Emporis, 45 new high-rises are currently proposed
   for the city's Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead Districts. 16 high-rises
   have been approved for construction, while 16 are currently under
   construction. Much of the development is due to recent residential
   growth, a shortage of office space, and inadequate hotel capacity.

Education

Colleges and universities

   Georgia Tech Tower
   Enlarge
   Georgia Tech Tower

   Atlanta has more than 30 institutions of higher education, among which
   Emory University, the Georgia Institute of Technology (popularly known
   as Georgia Tech), Georgia State University, and Oglethorpe University
   are prominent. Atlanta University Centre, a consortium of historically
   black colleges and universities, is also located in the city; members
   of the consortium include Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College,
   Morehouse School of Medicine, Morris Brown College, and Spelman
   College. Adjoining the AUC schools, but independent from them, is the
   Interdenominational Theological Centre, a collection of seminaries and
   theological schools from a variety of denominations. The Reformed
   Theological Seminary is another Atlanta school. The Savannah College of
   Art and Design opened a Midtown, Atlanta, campus in 2005 and acquired
   the Atlanta College of Art shortly thereafter. John Marshall Law School
   is the city's only freestanding law school.

   Institutions in the metropolitan area include Agnes Scott College, in
   Decatur; Columbia Theological Seminary, also in Decatur; Clayton State
   University, in Morrow; DeVry University, in Decatur; Georgia Perimeter
   College, with campuses in Alpharetta, Clarkston, Conyers, Covington
   (scheduled to open in January 2007), Decatur, Dunwoody, and
   Lawrenceville; Gwinnett University Centre (soon to be known as Georgia
   Gwinnett College, in Lawrenceville); Kennesaw State University, in
   Kennesaw; Mercer University, in Chamblee; Southern Polytechnic State
   University, in Marietta; and the University of West Georgia, in
   Carrollton.

Public schools

   Part of the Henry W. Grady High School Campus in Midtown Atlanta.
   Enlarge
   Part of the Henry W. Grady High School Campus in Midtown Atlanta.

   The public school system ( Atlanta Public Schools) is run by the
   Atlanta Board of Education with superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall.
   Currently, the system has an active enrollment of 51,000 students,
   attending a total of 85 schools: 59 elementary schools (three of which
   operate on a year-round calendar), 16 middle schools, 10 high schools,
   and 7 charter schools. The school system also supports two alternative
   schools for middle and/or high school students, two community schools,
   and an adult learning centre. The school system also owns and operates
   radio station WABE-FM 90.1 (the National Public Radio affiliate) and
   PBS television station WPBA 30.

Private schools

   Notable private schools in Atlanta include The Westminster Schools
   (Buckhead), Pace Academy (Buckhead), The Lovett School (Buckhead), The
   Paideia School (Druid Hills), The Galloway School (Chastain Park),
   Atlanta International School (Buckhead), Dar-un-Noor School, The
   Benjamin Franklin Academy, Killian Hill Christian School, Cliff Valley
   School, and the Atlanta Girls School.

   Notable private schools near Atlanta include Woodward Academy ( College
   Park), Bridgeway Christian Academy ( Alpharetta), St. Pius X Catholic
   High School ( Chamblee), Marist School ( Dunwoody in uninc. DeKalb
   County), Holy Innocents' Episcopal School ( Sandy Springs) and Wesleyan
   School ( Norcross, Georgia).

Culture

Attractions, events, and recreation

   The Sweet Auburn district is preserved as the Martin Luther King, Jr.
   National Historic Site.
   Enlarge
   The Sweet Auburn district is preserved as the Martin Luther King, Jr.
   National Historic Site.
   The Varsity has been an Atlanta landmark for over 75 years.
   Enlarge
   The Varsity has been an Atlanta landmark for over 75 years.
   The Georgia Aquarium.
   Enlarge
   The Georgia Aquarium.
   Atlanta's Piedmont Park is the city's largest park. A portion of the
   park is seen here with the Midtown Atlanta Skyline.
   Enlarge
   Atlanta's Piedmont Park is the city's largest park. A portion of the
   park is seen here with the Midtown Atlanta Skyline.
   The Fox Theatre at night.
   Enlarge
   The Fox Theatre at night.

   Atlanta boasts 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 current
   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 Centre.

   Other history museums and attractions include the Atlanta History
   Centre; 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 Centre 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 Centre is home to the Alliance Theatre,
   Atlanta Symphony, High Museum of Art, and Atlanta College of Art. The
   Atlanta Contemporary Art Centre 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 Centre 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 arguably the most
   important opera company in the southeastern United States and enjoys a
   growing audience and international reputation.

   Atlanta features the world's largest aquarium, the Georgia Aquarium,
   which officially opened to the public on November 23, 2005. The
   aquarium features over 100,000 specimens in tanks holding approximately
   eight million gallons of water. One unique museum is the World of
   Coca-Cola featuring the history of the world famous soft drink brand
   and its well-known advertising. Adjacent is Underground Atlanta, a
   historic shopping and entertainment complex situated under the streets
   of downtown Atlanta. In addition the Atlantic Station, a huge new urban
   renewal project on the northwestern edge of Midtown Atlanta, officially
   opened in October of 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.

   The heart of the city's festivals is Piedmont Park. In 1887, a group of
   prominent Atlantans purchased 189 acres (0.76 km²) of farmland to build
   a horse racing track, later developed into the site of the Cotton
   States International Exposition of 1895. In 1904, the city council
   purchased the land for US$99,000, and today it is the largest park in
   metro Atlanta, with more than 2.5 million visitors each year. 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. On its face are giant carvings of Jefferson
   Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson. It is also the site of
   impressive 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.

   Popular annual cultural events include:
     * Atlanta Dogwood Festival, a Spring arts and crafts festival at
       Piedmont Park.
     * Music Midtown - Three-day music festival in early summer. (Now on
       hiatus)
     * Screen on the Green - Outdoor classic movies in June in Piedmont
       Park.
     * Atlanta Gay Pride
     * Atlanta Jazz Festival – largest free jazz festival in the USA
     * Sweet Auburn SpringFest
     * Inman Park Festival
     * Virginia-Highlands Summerfest
     * Georgia Renaissance Festival
     * Greek Festival

Music

   Atlanta has a reputation as a highly musical city, especially
   well-known for 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 1950's to 1980's. 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 Jon Boii Productions & So So Def
   Records, a label founded by Jermaine Dupri in the mid-1990s, that
   signed acts such as Da Brat, Jagged Edge, Xscape, Bow Wow, and Dem
   Franchise Boyz. The success of LaFace and SoSo Def led to Atlanta as an
   established scene for record labels such as LaFace parent company
   Arista Records to set up satellite offices. Atlanta is also home to
   multi-platinum rappers Ludacris and T.I., among others. Artists such as
   B5, Phife Dawg, and Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys have moved to
   the city and made it their home. Atlanta is also a well known place for
   producers and artists trying to get into the music business.

   Atlanta has also produced rock and pop music singers, such as The Black
   Crowes, alternative metal band Sevendust, rock bands Collective Soul
   and Third Day, the folk-pop Indigo Girls, Butch Walker, and was a
   proving ground for Connecticut-born pop-rock-blues musician John Mayer.
   Mayer, as well as Indie.Arie and Shawn Mullins, all performed pre-fame
   at Eddie's Attic, an independent club in the intown suburb of Decatur.
   The "Open Mic Shootout" at Eddie's Attic consistently draws
   singer-songwriter talent from across the nation, and is held every
   Monday night.

   Atlanta's classical music scene includes well-renowned ensembles such
   as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Opera, Atlanta Ballet,
   period-instrument ensemble New Trinity Baroque, Atlanta Boy Choir, and
   many others. Classical musicians include renowned conductors such as
   the late Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony's Robert Spano.

   The city has a well-known and active live music scene, though recently
   rapid gentrification and early venue closing times have hurt small
   clubs and other music venues. In the early 1980s, Atlanta was the home
   of a thriving new wave music scene featuring such bands as The Brains
   and The Producers, closely linked to the new wave scenes in Athens,
   Georgia and other college towns in the southeast.

   Video Concert Hall, precursor to MTV, was founded in Atlanta.

Sports

   Club Sport League Venue
   Atlanta Falcons American Football National Football League Georgia Dome
   Atlanta Braves Baseball Major League Baseball, NL Turner Field
   Atlanta Hawks Basketball National Basketball Association Philips Arena
   Atlanta Thrashers Ice Hockey National Hockey League Philips Arena
   Atlanta Rollergirls Roller Derby Women's Flat Track Derby Association
   All American Skating Centre
   Atlanta Silverbacks Soccer (Football) USL First Division Silverbacks
   Park
   Georgia Force Arena Football Arena Football League Philips Arena
   Atlanta Vision Basketball ABA: Blue Conference The Sampson's Centre
   Turner Field
   Enlarge
   Turner Field

   Atlanta has a rich sports history, including the oldest on-campus
   Division I football stadium, Bobby Dodd Stadium, built in 1913 by the
   students of Georgia Tech. Atlanta also played host to the second
   intercollegiate football game in the South, Auburn University vs.
   University of Georgia in 1892. This game is often considered the Oldest
   Rivalry in the South. Currently it hosts college football's annual
   Chick-fil-A Bowl and the Peachtree Road Race, the world’s largest 10 km
   race. Atlanta was the host city for the Centennial 1996 Summer
   Olympics. Centennial Olympic Park, built for 1996 Summer Olympics, sits
   adjacent to CNN Centre and Philips Arena. It is now operated by the
   Georgia World Congress Centre Authority.

   The city is also host to four different major league sports. The
   Atlanta Braves baseball team has been the Major League Baseball
   franchise of Atlanta since 1966; the franchise was previously known as
   the Boston Braves (1912-1952), and the Milwaukee Braves (1953-1965).
   The team was founded in 1871 in Boston, Massachusetts as a National
   Association club, making it the oldest continuously operating sports
   franchise in North American sports. The Braves won the World Series in
   1995 and had a recently ended unprecedented run of 14 straight
   divisional championships from 1991 to 2005. Before the Braves moved to
   Atlanta, the Atlanta Crackers were Atlanta's professional baseball team
   from 1901 until their last season in 1965. They won 17 league
   championships in the minor leagues. The Atlanta Black Crackers were
   Atlanta's Negro League team from around 1921 until 1949.

   The Atlanta Falcons American football team plays at the Georgia Dome.
   They have been Atlanta's National Football League franchise since 1966.
   They have won the division title three times, and a conference
   championship once, only to go on to lose to the Denver Broncos in Super
   Bowl XXXIII. Super Bowl XXVIII and XXXIV were held in the city. In the
   Arena Football League, The Georgia Force has been Atlanta's team since
   the franchise relocated from Nashville in 2002. The 2005 National
   Conference champions currently play in Philips Arena.

   The Atlanta Hawks basketball team has been the National Basketball
   Association franchise of Atlanta since 1969; the team was previously
   known as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1946-1951), Milwaukee Hawks
   (1951-55), St. Louis Hawks (1955-68). Their only NBA championship was
   in 1958, when they were the St. Louis Hawks.

   From 1992 to 1996 Atlanta was home to the short-lived Atlanta Knights,
   an International Hockey League team. Their inaugural season was
   excellent for a new team, and was only bested by their sophomore season
   in which they won the championship Turner Cup. In 1996 they moved to
   Quebec City and became the Quebec Rafales. In 1999 the Atlanta
   Thrashers hockey team became Atlanta's National Hockey League
   franchise. They replaced the Atlanta Flames which had departed for
   Calgary, Alberta in 1980, becoming the Calgary Flames. The Thrashers
   have yet to make it to the playoffs. Both the Thrashers and the Hawks
   play in Philips Arena.

   In golf, the final event of the PGA Tour season, THE TOUR Championship,
   is played annually at East Lake Golf Club. This golf course is used
   because of its connection to the great amateur golfer Bobby Jones, an
   Atlanta native.

   From 2001 to 2003 Atlanta hosted the Atlanta Beat soccer team of the
   defunct Women's United Soccer Association. They appeared in two of the
   three Founders Cup championships held, losing to the Bay Area CyberRays
   in 2001, and the Washington Freedom team in 2003. Currently, Atlanta is
   the home of the Atlanta Silverbacks of the United Soccer Leagues First
   Division (Men) and W-League (Women)

   The Atlanta Kookaburras are a successful Australian rules football club
   that compete in mens and women's divisions in the MAAFL and SEAFL and
   USAFL National Championships.

   Other nearby sports facilities include Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.5
   mile (2.4 km) NASCAR race track in Hampton, Georgia. Road Atlanta is
   another famous local race track, located in Braselton, Georgia.

Religion

   An example of Christianity in Atlanta.
   Enlarge
   An example of Christianity in Atlanta.

   There are over 1,000 churches and other places of worship within the
   city of Atlanta. A large majority of Atlantans profess to following a
   Protestant Christian faith. A number of African-American megachurches
   are located in the Atlanta area, including New Birth Missionary Baptist
   Church, led by Bishop Eddie Long, and World Changers Ministries, led by
   Creflo Dollar. In addition to nearly 50 nonsectarian private schools
   listed in Fulton and DeKalb counties, there are over 80
   religiously-affiliated private schools.

   Atlanta is also home to a large, vibrant Jewish community estimated by
   the Jewish Federation of Atlanta's Jewish Community Study to include
   120,000 individuals in 61,300 households (study by the Ukeles
   Associates, 2006). This study places Atlanta's Jewish population as the
   11th largest in the United States, up from 17th largest in 1996. The
   Temple synagogue, located on Peachtree Street, and its then-rabbi,
   Alvin Sugarman, were featured in the film Driving Miss Daisy.

   As the see of the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, Atlanta serves as
   the Provincial See for the Province of Atlanta. It is currently the
   second fastest growing diocese in the United States.

   The city is also a major Southern Baptist centre.

   Atlanta is also the see of the Episcopal Diocese of Altanta, one of the
   largest in the country, both in number of member parishes and in
   individual worshipers. The Diocese is headquartered at Saint Philip's
   Cathedral and is currently lead by the Right Reverend J. Neil Alexander
   whose powerful and influential voice within the Church made him a
   candidate for Primacy at the 2006 General Convention.

   The city is also the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of
   Atlanta, with Annunciation Cathedral and Metropolitan Alexios
   presiding. In total, there are eleven Orthodox parishes in Atlanta,
   including Greek, Orthodox Church in America, Antiochian, Serbian,
   Ukrainian and Romanian.

   The Southeast Conference, United Church of Christ, is also
   headquartered in Atlanta and serves the states of Alabama, Georgia,
   Mississippi, South Carolina, and central and eastern Tennessee. There
   are eight United Church of Christ congregations in the Atlanta metro
   area.

Transportation

   MARTA provides public transportation in Atlanta
   Enlarge
   MARTA provides public transportation in Atlanta
   The Downtown Connector, with the downtown skyline in the background
   Enlarge
   The Downtown Connector, with the downtown skyline in the background
   A MARTA bus
   Enlarge
   A MARTA bus

   Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport ( IATA: ATL,  ICAO:
   KATL), the world's busiest airport as measured by passenger traffic and
   by aircraft traffic, provides air service between Atlanta many national
   and international destinations. Situated 10 miles (16 km) south of
   downtown, the airport covers most of the land inside a wedge formed by
   Interstates 75, 85, and 285. The MARTA rail system has a station within
   the airport terminal, and provides direct service to downtown Atlanta,
   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.

   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 – a fact that leads some to call the city
   "the Los Angeles of the South." 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. Terms such as ITP (Inside The Perimeter) and OTP
   (Outside The Perimeter) have arisen to describe area neighborhoods,
   residents, and businesses. The Perimeter plays a social and
   geographical role in Atlanta similar to that of the Capital Beltway
   around Washington, D.C.

   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 merge to form the
   Downtown Connector through the centre of the city; the combined highway
   carries more than 340,000 vehicles per day. The Connector is considered
   one of the ten most congested segments of interstate highway in the
   United States.

   Interstate 75 just north of the Windy Hill Road interchange in Cobb
   County carries 17 lanes, making it one of the widest expressways on
   Earth. The intersection of I-85 and I-285 in Doraville – officially
   called the Tom Moreland Interchange, but known to most residents as
   Spaghetti Junction – contains some of the tallest overpasses in the
   eastern United States. Metropolitan Atlanta is crisscrossed by thirteen
   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)). One of the most notable features
   of Atlanta's roads are the sheer number of them named Peachtree Street
   or some variation thereof.

   The Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is Atlanta's
   public-transit system, operating the rail and bus system within Fulton
   and Dekalb Counties. Clayton, Cobb, and Gwinnett counties each operate
   separate, autonomous transit authorities, using buses but no trains.
   However, many commuters in Atlanta and the surrounding suburbs use
   private automobiles as their primary transportation. (This may be
   partly because Georgia has had one of the lowest excise taxes on
   gasoline in the United States. Such taxes in Georgia have risen,
   however, in recent years: for example, in July 2002, Alaska was the
   only state with a tax lower than Georgia's 30.6 cents per gallon, but,
   by August 2005, Georgia's tax had risen by 34.6%, to 41.2 cents per
   gallon, and 21 states and the District of Columbia had taxes lower than
   Georgia's.) This results in heavy traffic during rush hour and
   contributes to Atlanta's air pollution. In recent years, the Atlanta
   metro area has ranked at or near the top of the longest average commute
   times in the U.S. In 2001, a group of transit riders joined to form
   Citizens for Progressive Transit, an organization dedicated to
   increasing the reach and improving the quality of public transportation
   in metro Atlanta.

   The proposed Beltline would create a greenway and public transit system
   in a circle around the city from a series of mostly abandoned rail
   lines. This rail right-of-way would also accommodate multi-use trails
   connecting a string of existing and new parks. In addition, there is a
   proposed streetcar project that would create a streetcar line along
   Peachtree from downtown to Buckhead as well as possibly another
   East-West line.

   Atlanta began as a railroad town and still serves as a major rail
   junction, with several freight lines belonging to Norfolk Southern and
   CSX intersecting below street level in downtown. Long-distance
   passenger service is provided by Amtrak's Crescent train, which
   connects Atlanta with Baltimore, Maryland; Birmingham, Alabama;
   Charlotte, North Carolina; New Orleans, Louisiana; New York, New York;
   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Washington, D.C. The Amtrak station at
   1688 Peachtree Street, N.W., known as Brookwood Station (leased to
   Amtrak by Norfolk Southern), is several miles north of downtown,
   however, and 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.

   Greyhound Lines provides intercity bus service between Atlanta and many
   locations throughout the United States and Canada. The Greyhound
   terminal is situated at 232 Forsyth Street, on the southern edge of the
   downtown area and directly beneath MARTA's Garnett rail station.

Sister cities

   Atlanta has nineteen sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities
   International, Inc. (SCI):
     * Belgium Brussels, Belgium
     * Romania Bucharest, Romania
     * Australia Canberra, Australia
     * Benin Cotonou, Benin
     * South Korea Daegu, South Korea
     * Japan Fukuoka, Japan
     * Nigeria Lagos, Nigeria
     * Jamaica Montego Bay, Jamaica
     * United Kingdom Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
     * Germany Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Germany
     * Greece Ancient Olympia, Greece
     * Trinidad and Tobago Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
     * Israel Ra'anana, Israel
     * Brazil Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
     * Dominican Republic Salcedo, Dominican Republic
     * Austria Salzburg, Austria
     * Republic of China Taipei, Taiwan
     * Georgia (country) Tbilisi, Georgia
     * France Toulouse, France

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta%2C_Georgia"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
