Atlanta

capital city of Georgia, United States

Atlanta is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is one of the South's largest cities. Atlanta is known as a major business city. It is the home of Coca-Cola Company, CNN, AT&T, and Home Depot, as well as many other Fortune 500 companies. Atlanta's airport, called Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, is the busiest airport in the world. Atlanta is near the center of Georgia and is on the Chattahoochee River.

Atlanta, Georgia
State capital of Georgia
City of Atlanta
alt = Atlanta montage. Clicking on an image in the picture causes the browser to load the appropriate article.Equitable Building (Atlanta)Georgia-Pacific TowerCentennial Tower (Atlanta)191 Peachtree TowerWestin Peachtree Plaza HotelAtlanta Marriott MarquisSunTrust PlazaGeorgia Power Company Corporate HeadquartersBank of America Plaza (Atlanta)AT&T Midtown CenterNational Center for Civil and Human RightsWorld of Coca-ColaCNN CenterEbenezer Baptist ChurchGeorgia State CapitolCenters for Disease Control and PreventionKrog Street TunnelSwan HousePiedmont ParkGLG Grand1100 Peachtree1180 PeachtreePromenade II1010 Midtown
alt = Atlanta montage. Clicking on an image in the picture causes the browser to load the appropriate article.
Flag of Atlanta, Georgia
Official seal of Atlanta, Georgia
Nicknames: 
The City in a Forest,[1] ATL,[2] The A,[3] Hotlanta,[4] The Gate City,[5] Hollywood of the South[6]
(See also Nicknames of Atlanta)
Motto(s): 
Resurgens (Latin for Rising again, alluding to the myth of the phoenix bird)
Map
Interactive map of Atlanta
Coordinates: 33°44′56″N 84°23′24″W / 33.74889°N 84.39000°W / 33.74889; -84.39000
Country United States
State Georgia
CountiesFulton, DeKalb
Terminus1837; 187 years ago (1837)
Marthasville1843; 181 years ago (1843)
City of AtlantaDecember 29, 1847; 176 years ago (1847-12-29)
Government
 • MayorAndre Dickens (D)
 • BodyAtlanta City Council
Area
 • State capital of Georgia136.76 sq mi (354.22 km2)
 • Land135.73 sq mi (351.53 km2)
 • Water1.04 sq mi (2.68 km2)
 • Urban
2,553 sq mi (6,610 km2)
 • Metro
8,376 sq mi (21,690 km2)
Elevation
738 to 1,050 ft (225 to 320 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • State capital of Georgia498,715
 • Rank38th in the United States
1st in Georgia
 • Density3,600/sq mi (1,400/km2)
 • Urban
5,100,112
 • Urban density2,000/sq mi (770/km2)
 • Metro
6,104,803 (9th)
 • Metro density710.5/sq mi (274.32/km2)
 • CSA
6,976,171 (10th)
 • Demonym
Atlantan
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
30060, 30301–30322, 30324–30334, 30336–30350, 30340, 30353, 30363
Area codes404/678/470/770
FIPS code13-04000[8]
GNIS feature ID0351615[9]
Interstates
Rapid transit
Primary airportHartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Websiteatlantaga.gov

History

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Atlanta was built on Cherokee Native American land. It was called Terminus until 1843, when the name was changed to Marthasville. In 1845 the name was changed again to Atlanta.[10]

During the American Civil War, Atlanta was where several battles happened. Some of the battles were the Battle of Peachtree Creek, the Battle of Atlanta, and the Battle of Ezra Church. The city was burnt down and almost entirely destroyed. After the war, the city was built again, and got a nickname because it was built so fast: "the Phoenix City", after the bird which burns itself then rises from the ashes in old myths. A picture of the bird is on the city seal.

Atlanta became the state capital in 1868.

There have been racial problems in Atlanta. During riots in 1906, at least 12 people died and more than 70 other people were hurt. In 1913, a Jewish man named Leo Frank was tried in court for raping and killing a girl in a factory where he worked. He was found guilty, but then the government decided not to execute him because not everyone was convinced he had done it. This upset people who thought he had killed the girl, and there were more riots in 1915 and Frank was lynched (hanged with a rope until he died).

In the 1930s, the Great Depression came to Atlanta. Many people did not have jobs and were hungry. The city government was almost out of money and the Coca-Cola company gave the city some money to help. In 1935, the government built the first federal housing project in the United States.

Atlanta's airport is named Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It is the busiest airport in the world. Delta Air Lines is an airline that has its main office in Atlanta, and it uses Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for many of its flights.

Turner Broadcasting, which broadcasts CNN, has their main office in Atlanta. The Coca Cola Company also has their main office in Atlanta.

Education

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The City of Atlanta is home to two colleges. Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech for short, and Georgia State University.

TV stations

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Events

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Year Notes
1996 The Olympic Games took place in Atlanta.
2000 The census records Atlanta's population as 416,474 people.

Images

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References

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  1. "Atlanta May No Longer Be the City in a Forest". WSB-TV. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  2. "The service, dubbed the Atlanta Tourist Loop as a play on the city's 'ATL' nickname, will start April 29 downtown." "Buses to link tourist favorites" The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  3. "Because we're the only city easily identified by just one letter". Creative Loafing. November 23, 2011. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  4. "Love it or loathe it, the city's nickname is accurate for the summer". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. June 16, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  5. "Our Quiz Column". Sunny South. p. 5. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  6. "How Atlanta became the Hollywood of the South". The Washington Times. August 29, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  7. "2018 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  8. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  9. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  10. Reed, Wallace Putnam (1889). History of Atlanta, Georgia: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Company. p. 60. Retrieved August 8, 2018.