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Atlanta Photo Gallery
Introduction
Atlanta, capital
city of Georgia, located in the northern part of the
state. The seat of Fulton County, Atlanta also
occupies portions of De Kalb County. Atlanta is
located on the Piedmont Plateau, a rolling upland
region on the eastern slope of the Appalachian
Mountains. The city’s high mean elevation—323 m
(1,059 ft) above sea level—distinguishes Atlanta
from most other southern cities and gives it a more
temperate climate than urban areas located further
south. The city itself is relatively small in land
area at 340.8 sq km (131.6 sq mi), but the
metropolitan region is one of the largest in the
southeastern United States, encompassing 15,867 sq
km (6,126 sq mi), occupying 20 counties, and
containing a number of smaller established
municipalities such as Decatur, Marietta,
Douglasville, and Roswell.
Population
The population of the city of Atlanta
declined from 425,022 in 1980 to 394,017 in
1990, as residents moved to suburban
portions of the metropolitan region. During
the 1990s, however, the city increased in
population. In 2000 Atlanta had 416,474
inhabitants.
Urban renewal and interstate highway
construction projects in the 1960s wiped
out areas of black, low-income housing
in the inner city. Subsequently, blacks
moved into areas of the city previously
inhabited mainly by whites, while
thousands of whites departed Atlanta for
the suburbs. As a result, in 1970
Atlanta had a black majority for the
first time in its history. According to
the 2000 census, blacks represent 61.4
percent of the city’s population;
whites, 33.2 percent; Asians, 1.9
percent; Native Americans, 0.2 percent;
and those of mixed heritage or not
reporting race, 3.2 percent. Native
Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders
numbered 173 at the time of the census.
Hispanics, who may be of any race,
constitute 4.5 percent of the
population.
The population of the Atlanta
metropolitan area increased at a
rapid rate in recent decades. In
1980 it had a population of
2,233,000; in 2000 it had 4,112,200
inhabitants. In the metropolitan
area, whites were the largest group.
However, in recent years the area
has experienced an influx of new
cultural and ethnic groups.
Economy
The Atlanta region’s recent
growth in population has
been matched by rapid
economic growth. The
undisputed business capital
of the Southeast, Atlanta
houses the headquarters of
some of the largest and
best-known companies in the
United States, including
Coca-Cola, United Parcel
Service, Georgia-Pacific
Corporation, Turner
Broadcasting System, and
Delta Air Lines, Inc. In
addition, more than
four-fifths of the nation’s
largest businesses maintain
branch offices in the
metropolitan area. The city
is also gaining a reputation
as an international business
center.
Other important
components of Atlanta’s
economic mix are
government agencies and
activities,
transportation
facilities and
industries, and the
convention trade.
Municipal, county,
state, and federal
agencies, including the
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention,
employ a large number of
Atlanta area residents.
Atlanta’s William B.
Hartsfield International
Airport, one of the
largest and busiest air
terminals in the United
States, has established
the city as a leader in
air transport and
commerce. The city is
also served by three
interstate highways, as
well as freight and
passenger railroads. The
hospitality and
convention industries
also contribute to
Atlanta’s economy, with
three large trade
facilities within the
downtown area: the World
Congress Center, the
Merchandise Mart, and
the Apparel Mart. The
two largest newspapers
in the city are the
Atlanta Constitution
and the Atlanta
Journal.
The Urban
Landscape
Atlanta is
sometimes
described as a
“horizontal
city.” With few
natural barriers
to contain or
restrict its
growth, the city
has developed in
a sprawling,
dispersed
fashion. The
city’s low
population
density levels
contrast sharply
with those of
older, more
densely packed
northern cities
such as New
York, Boston, or
Chicago. The
tallest and most
closely grouped
buildings are
found in
downtown Atlanta
around an
intersection
called Five
Points, and in
the area
immediately
north. This is
the business and
historic heart
of the city.
Further north of
this area are
Midtown and
Buckhead, the
location of many
of the city’s
cultural
institutions,
Piedmont Park
(Atlanta’s
largest public
park), and a
number of older,
traditionally
white
residential
communities. To
the immediate
east of downtown
is the Auburn
Avenue
community, the
historic center
of the city’s
black business,
religious, and
entertainment
life. Also in
the east are
Inman Park
(Atlanta’s first
planned suburb),
and Georgia’s
Stone Mountain
Park, featuring
the largest
granite
outcropping in
the world and a
massive relief
carving of
Confederate
leaders from the
American Civil
War (1861-1865);
the park also
contains
historic houses,
a museum,
recreational
facilities, and
a campground.
Points
of
Interest
Notable
structures
and
sites of
interest
in
downtown
Atlanta
include
the
State
Capitol
(1889);
Underground
Atlanta,
a
subterranean
marketplace
with
shops,
bars,
and
cafes;
City
Hall
(1930);
and the
Peachtree
Center
business
complex.
The
Georgia
Dome,
the home
of the
Atlanta
Falcons
football
team,
and the
Philips
Arena,
where
the
Atlanta
Hawks
basketball
team and
the
Atlanta
Thrashers
hockey
team
began
play in
1999,
are also
located
downtown.
Points
of
interest
in
southern
Atlanta
include
the
Atlanta
Zoo;
the
Cyclorama
(a
109-m/358-ft
mural
depicting
the
Civil
War
Battle
of
Atlanta);
The
Wren’s
Nest
(former
home
of
19th
and
early-20th
century
writer
Joel
Chandler
Harris);
and
Turner
Field,
home
of
the
Atlanta
Braves
baseball
team,
which
opened
in
1997.
Northern
Atlanta
is
the
site
of
Ansley
Park
residential
community,
the
governor’s
mansion,
and
the
Atlanta
Botanical
Gardens.
Eastern Atlanta features the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site (including King’s birthplace; Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King preached; and the King Center, where his tomb is located). The Herndon Home (the residence of Atlanta’s first black millionaire, a former slave named Alonzo Franklin Herndon) and Six Flags Over Georgia amusement park are located in western Atlanta.
Educational and Cultural Institutions
Among the region’s private institutions of higher learning are Emory University (1836); Agnes Scott College (1889); the Cecil B. Day Campus of Mercer University, originally established as Atlanta Baptist College in 1969; Oglethorpe University (1835); and the Atlanta University Center, the largest consortium of black colleges and universities in the nation, comprised of Spelman College (1881), Morris Brown College (1881), Morehouse College (1867), Clark Atlanta University (combined in 1988), the Interdenominational Theological Center (1958), and the Morehouse School of Medicine (1981). Publicly supported colleges include Georgia Institute of Technology (1885) and Georgia State University (1913).
Prominent cultural and historical institutions in the city include the High Museum of Art (1983), designed by the noted postmodern American architect Richard Meier; the Atlanta Symphony; the Atlanta History Center, which maintains a history museum, historic houses and gardens, and extensive library and archives; Nexus Contemporary Art Center; the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center; the Apex Museum; the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University; the Clark Atlanta University Art Gallery; Fernbank Science Center; and the Carter Presidential Center, a library-museum dedicated to the presidency of Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States.
History
Atlanta’s founding was based on two events that occurred in the 1830s—the forcible removal of the Creek and Cherokee peoples and the extension of railroad lines into the state’s interior. In 1837 surveyors for the Western and Atlantic Railroad selected a locale 11 km (7 mi) southeast of the Chattahoochee River as a southern terminus for their line. A small settlement, aptly named Terminus, arose at this location. While work was progressing on the Western and Atlantic, Terminus grew, changing its name to Marthasville in 1843 and to Atlanta (in honor of the railroad) in 1845. Atlanta was incorporated as a city in 1847.
Two more railroads soon established connections with Atlanta. The extensive rail facilities made Atlanta the center of a growing regional transportation network and hastened the city’s development as a commercial center. By the American Civil War (1861-1865) Atlanta’s population had grown to over 9,000. As a vital Confederate production center and supply depot during the war, Atlanta became a prime objective of Union General William T. Sherman in his efforts to subdue the Confederacy. Sherman captured Atlanta on September 2, 1864, and subsequently burned much of the city.
Despite the destruction, Atlanta recovered and grew quickly after the war. Between 1865 and 1867, almost 20,000 people migrated to the city. Atlanta became the temporary capital of Georgia in 1868 and the permanent state capital in 1877. By the end of the 19th century, Atlanta had become the largest city in the state.
Atlanta experienced strong racial tensions in the early 20th century. In 1906 the city suffered a serious race riot, and in the 1920s Atlanta served as headquarters for the Ku Klux Klan, a white terrorist society whose activities are directed against blacks and other minorities. On the other hand, Atlanta was also home to organizations founded to combat racial violence, such as the Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching and the Commission on Interracial Cooperation. As a result of the rigid racial segregation which characterized Atlanta and the rest of the South during this period, an extremely rich and vibrant black business, cultural, and entertainment center arose along Auburn Avenue to the east of downtown.
By the end of World War II (1939-1945), Atlanta’s laws promoting racial segregation were beginning to erode. In comparison to other southern cities, Atlanta became progressive on racial matters. A movement for increased black political and civil rights led to a successful voter registration drive in 1946 and the peaceful desegregation of four of the city’s public high schools in 1961. In 1973 Atlanta became the first major city in the South to elect a black mayor, Maynard Jackson. In 2001 Atlanta elected its first woman mayor, Shirley Franklin.
Atlanta’s physical landscape also underwent a dramatic transformation during the mid-20th century. In 1952 the city annexed 238 sq km (92 sq mi), which added more than 100,000 people. The skyline of Atlanta changed as numerous high-rise buildings were built in the downtown and midtown areas. New interstate highways and Hartsfield International Airport drew more people and businesses to the metropolitan area.
In 1996 Atlanta hosted the Summer Olympic Games. The games were generally considered a success by most Atlantans, although many athletes and international visitors complained about transportation and lodging problems. In addition, the games were marred when a pipe bomb exploded in Centennial Olympic Park, which had become a popular gathering place for tourists during the games. The bomb killed one person and injured more than 100 others. The Games provided many benefits to Atlanta, including the buildings and facilities that were constructed or improved for the event. A reconfigured Olympic Stadium became Turner Field, the home of the Atlanta Braves baseball team. The 8-hectare (21-acre) Centennial Olympic Park in the city’s downtown area represented the largest urban park built in the United States in the last 25 years. The Olympic Village, which housed athletes, became student housing at Georgia State University. Preparations for the games resulted in $2 billion in publicly financed transportation projects, including $700 million in improvements to Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport. Atlanta Photo Gallery
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