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Atlanta (pronounced /ətˈlæntə/ or /ætˈlæntə/) is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Georgia, and the core city of the ninth most populous metropolitan area in the United States at 5,278,904. It is the county seat of Fulton County, although a small portion of the city extends into DeKalb County. As of July 2007, the city of Atlanta had a population of 519,145^[4], and a combined statistical area population of 5,626,400^[5]. Residents of the city are known as Atlantans.^[6]

Despite its large metropolitan population, Atlanta ranks as the 33rd-largest city in the United States, and the sixth-largest city in the southeastern region – behind Jacksonville, Memphis, Charlotte, Louisville, and Nashville. The larger populations of the other southeastern cities reflect their city-government boundaries, which range from two to six times in size, and have lesser average population density.^[7]

Atlanta has in recent years undergone a transition from a city of regional commerce to a city of international influence, and has been among the fastest growing cities in the developed world for much of the 1990s and 2000s.^[8] Between 2000 and 2006, the metropolitan area grew by 20.5%, making it the fastest growing metropolitan area in the nation.^[9]^[10] Atlanta is sometimes considered a poster child for cities worldwide experiencing rapid growth and urban sprawl,^[11]^[10] though the city has recently been commended by bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency for its eco-friendly policies.^[12]

History

Main article: History of Atlanta

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.

On December 21, 1836 the Georgia General Assembly voted to build the Western and Atlantic Railroad to provide a trade route to the Midwest.^[13] Following the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation between 1838 and 1839 the newly depopulated area was opened for the construction of a railroad. The area around the eastern terminus to the line began to develop first. By 1842, the settlement had six buildings and 30 residents and the town was renamed "Marthasville".^[14] 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".^[14] The residents approved, and the town was incorporated as Atlanta on December 29, 1847.^[15]

A slave auction house on Whitehall Street

As more railroads were constructed, the town experienced a small boom, reaching 2,500 in population. 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, and the town grew to 7,741 by 1860.^[16]^[17]

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 march south, though he spared the city's churches and hospitals.^[18]

The rebuilding of the city — immortalized by the phoenix and motto "Resurgens" (Latin for "rising again") on the city seal — 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's Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Land [Freedmen's Bureau] worked in tandem with a number of freedmen's aid organizations, especially the American Missionary Association (A.M.A.). The A.M.A. established two well-respected black schools by 1866 (Storrs School and Summer Hill School) which became part of the Atlanta public schools in 1872. It also created the Washburn Orphanage to aid homeless children and launched the charter for Atlanta University in 1867, the first of several historically black colleges in Atlanta, in part to begin the training of black teachers. The First Congregational Church of Atlanta was begun as a collaboration between whites, especially Northerners of the A.M.A. and Atlanta's freedmen; today its congregation still celebrates their Reconstruction-era roots.

In 1868, Atlanta became the fifth city to serve as the state capital.^[19] 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. In the 1880s Georgia School of Technology and Atlanta Hospital were founded.^[20]

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^[21] 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.

On December 15, 1939 Atlanta hosted the premiere of Gone With the Wind, the movie based on Atlanta-born Margaret Mitchell's best-selling novel. Stars Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, and Olivia de Haviland were in attendance. It was held at Loew's Grand Theatre, at Peachtree and Forsyth Streets, current site of the Georgia-Pacific building. According to the Atlanta Constitution, 300,000 people were on the streets on this ice-cold night. A rousing ovation greeted a group of Confederate veterans who were guests of honor. A young Martin Luther King, Jr. sang in a boys' choir from his father's church, Ebenezer Baptist.^[22]

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 (CDC) was founded in Atlanta.^[23]

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 synagogue's rabbi, Jacob Rothschild, was an outspoken advocate of integration.^[24] A group of anti-Semitic white supremacists calling themselves the "Confederate Underground" claimed responsibility.

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 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. Two of the most important civil rights organizations -- SCLC and SNCC -- had their national headquarters in Atlanta. In April 1960 black students published "AN APPEAL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS" condemning segregation and laying the justification for direct action against it. A wave of sit-ins followed resulting in almost 100 arrests.^[25] On October 19, 1960, sit-ins at the lunch counters of several Atlanta department stores led to the arrest of Dr. King and more than 50 students, drawing attention from the national media and from presidential candidate John F. Kennedy.^[26] Sit-ins and other forms of student-led protests against various forms of segregation at both commercial and public venues such as the City Hall cafeteria and Atlanta airport continued until passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Despite these incidents, Atlanta's political and business leaders labored to foster 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.^[27]

Fairlie-Poplar District

The city's progressive civil rights record, growing economy and existing population of blacks made it increasingly popular as a relocation destination for black Americans after 1970 in the New Great Migration. Blacks demonstrated growing political influence with election of the first African-American mayor in 1973. They became a majority in the city during the late 20th century but suburbanization, rising prices, a booming economy and new migrants have decreased their percentage in the city from a high of 66.8 percent in 1990 to about 54 percent in 2004. New immigrants such as Latinos and Asians are also altering city demographics, in addition to an influx of white residents.^[28] .

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. 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.^[29]

On March 14, 2008, at approximately 9:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time, a category EF2 tornado hit downtown Atlanta with winds up to 135 mph (217 kph). The tornado caused damage to Philips Arena, 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

Atlanta, Georgia

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History