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{{Short description|Capital city of Georgia, United States}}
Atlanta is an American city and the capital of the state of Georgia. It is best known as being the home to [[Skeleton Realm]], [[Skeleton Realm Studios]] and the shooting location of [[Skeleton Realm LIVE!]]
{{about|the city in the U.S. state of Georgia}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{Use American English|date = March 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->| name                    = Atlanta, Georgia
| official_name            = City of Atlanta
| settlement_type          = [[List of capitals in the United States|State capital]]
| nicknames                = The City in a Forest,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/atlanta-may-no-longer-be-the-city-in-a-forest/nDLGr/|title=Atlanta May No Longer Be the City in a Forest |publisher=WSB-TV |access-date=October 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028224916/http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/atlanta-may-no-longer-be-the-city-in-a-forest/nDLGr/|archive-date=October 28, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> ATL,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AT&p_theme=at&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=111029FE6BC70418&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D|access-date=2022-01-06|website=nl.newsbank.com|title=Archived copy|archive-date=November 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117063243/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AT&p_theme=at&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=111029FE6BC70418&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D|url-status=dead}}</ref> The A,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://clatl.com/atlanta/because-were-the-only-city-easily-identified-by-just-one-letter/Content?oid=4291994|title=Because we're the only city easily identified by just one letter|work=[[Creative Loafing]]|date=November 23, 2011|access-date=October 7, 2012|archive-date=May 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512230957/http://clatl.com/atlanta/because-were-the-only-city-easily-identified-by-just-one-letter/Content?oid=4291994|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hotlanta,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/atlanta-weather/love-or-loathe-it-citys-nickname-is-accurate-for-summer/UN3SNYM5UVGELOH6IJE3MMQ734/|title=Love it or loathe it, the city's nickname is accurate for the summer |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |date=June 16, 2008|access-date=June 4, 2021}}</ref> The Gate City,<ref name=sunnysouth1891>{{cite news|url=http://atlnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/atlnewspapers/view?docId=news/ssw1891/ssw1891-0021.xml|title=Our Quiz Column|work=Sunny South|page=5}}</ref> Hollywood of the South<ref>{{cite news|title=How Atlanta became the Hollywood of the South|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/29/how-atlanta-became-the-hollywood-of-the-south/?page=all|access-date=May 25, 2016|newspaper=[[The Washington Times]]|date=August 29, 2015}}</ref><br />(See also [[Nicknames of Atlanta]])
| motto                    = ''Resurgens'' (Latin for ''Rising again'', alluding to the myth of the phoenix bird)
| image_skyline            = <div style="display:inline-block;"><imagemap>File:Atlanta Montage 2018.png|center|305px| alt                        = Atlanta montage. Clicking on an image in the picture causes the browser to load the appropriate article.
rect 77 195 115 259 [[Equitable Building (Atlanta)]]
rect 116 117 168 293 [[Georgia-Pacific Tower]]
rect 169 226 200 290 [[Centennial Tower (Atlanta)]]
rect 296 95 339 315 [[191 Peachtree Tower]]
rect 350 113 382 298 [[Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel]]
rect 601 165 654 240 [[Atlanta Marriott Marquis]]
rect 665 108 719 234 [[SunTrust Plaza]]
rect 979 211 1080 324 [[Georgia Power Company Corporate Headquarters]]
rect 1235 122 1281 310 [[Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta)]]
rect 1294 206 1348 291 [[AT&T Midtown Center]]
rect 0 338 465 687 [[National Center for Civil and Human Rights]]
rect 473 338 945 687 [[World of Coca-Cola]]
rect 953 338 1410 687 [[CNN Center]]
rect 0 696 465 1007 [[Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta, Georgia)|Ebenezer Baptist Church]]
rect 473 696 945 1007 [[Georgia State Capitol]]
rect 953 696 1410 1007 [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]]
rect 953 1014 1410 1271 [[Krog Street Tunnel]]
rect 953 1278 1410 1605 [[Swan House (Atlanta)|Swan House]]
rect 0 1298 945 1602 [[Piedmont Park]]
rect 551 1134 587 1255 [[GLG Grand]]
rect 349 1149 430 1289 [[1100 Peachtree]]
rect 661 1077 726 1254 [[1180 Peachtree]]
rect 738 1119 792 1209 [[Promenade II]]
rect 224 1169 246 1276 [[1010 Midtown]]
</imagemap></div>
| imagesize                = 305px
| image_caption            = From top to bottom, left to right: [[Downtown Atlanta]] skyline seen from [[Old Fourth Ward]], the [[National Center for Civil and Human Rights|Center for Civil and Human Rights]], [[World of Coca-Cola]], [[CNN Center]], [[Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta, Georgia)|Ebenezer Baptist Church]] at the [[Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park]], the [[Georgia State Capitol]], the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]], [[Midtown Atlanta]] skyline from [[Piedmont Park]], [[Krog Street Tunnel]], and [[Swan House (Atlanta)|Swan House]] at the [[Atlanta History Center]]
| image_flag              = Flag of Atlanta.svg
| image_seal              = Seal of Atlanta.png
| image_map                = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=y|frame-width=300|frame-height=200|frame-align=right|zoom=4|type=point|title=Atlanta|marker=city|type2=shape|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080|text=Interactive map of Atlanta.}}
| map_caption              = Interactive map of Atlanta
<!-- Location ------------------>
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Georgia (U.S. state)|Counties]]
| subdivision_name        = United States
| subdivision_name1        = [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton]], [[DeKalb County, Georgia|DeKalb]]
| government_footnotes    =
| government_type          =
| leader_title            = [[List of mayors of Atlanta|Mayor]]
| leader_name              = [[Andre Dickens]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| leader_title1            = Body
| leader_name1            = [[Atlanta City Council]]
| established_title        = Terminus
| established_date        = 1837
| established_title2      = Marthasville
| established_date2        = 1843
| established_title3      = City of Atlanta
| established_date3        = December 29, 1847
<!-- Area    ------------------>| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes          = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_13.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=December 18, 2021}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi        = 136.31
| area_total_km2          = 353.04
| area_land_sq_mi          = 135.32
| area_land_km2            = 350.48
| area_water_sq_mi        = 0.99
| area_water_km2          = 2.57
<!-- Population  ----------------------->| population_total        = 498,715
| population_as_of        = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_footnotes    =
| population_rank          = [[List of United States cities by population|38th]] in the United States<br />[[List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state)|1st]] in Georgia
| population_density_sq_mi = 3685.45
| population_density_km2  = 1422.96
| population_metro_footnotes = <ref name="2020Pop">{{cite web |title=2020 Population and Housing State Data |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=22 August 2021}}</ref>
| population_metro        = 6144050 ([[List of metropolitan statistical areas|8th]])
| population_demonym      = Atlantan
<!-- General information  --------------->| timezone                = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset              = −5
| timezone_DST            = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST          = −4
| coordinates              = {{coord|33|44|56|N|84|23|24|W|region:US-GA|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_footnotes      = <!--for references: use tags-->
| elevation_m              = 225 to 320
| elevation_ft            = 738 to 1050
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->| area_code_type          = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area codes]]
| area_code                = [[Area code 404|404]]/[[Area codes 678, 470, and 943|678/470/943]]/[[Area code 770|770]]
| postal_code_type        = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code              = 30301–30322, 30324–30329, 30331–30334, 30336-30346, 30348-30350, 30353-30364, 30366, 30368-30371, 30374-30375, 30377-30378, 30380, 30384-30385, 30388, 30392, 30394, 30396, 30398, 31106-31107, 31119, 31126, 31131, 31136, 31139, 31141, 31145-31146, 31150, 31156, 31192-31193, 31195-31196, 39901
| blank1_name_sec2        = [[Interstate Highway System|Interstates]]
| blank1_info_sec2        = [[File:I-20 (GA).svg|25px|link=Interstate 20 in Georgia]] [[File:I-75 (GA).svg|25px|link=Interstate 75 in Georgia]] [[File:I-85 (GA).svg|25px|link=Interstate 85 in Georgia]] [[File:I-285 (GA).svg|30px|link=Interstate 285 (Georgia)]]
| blank2_name_sec2        = [[Rapid transit]]
| blank2_info_sec2        = [[File:Logo of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.svg|115px|link=Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority]]
| blank3_name_sec2        = [[International airport|Major airport]]
| blank3_info_sec2        = [[Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport]]
| blank_name              = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info              = 13-04000<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 0351615<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
| website                  = {{URL|atlantaga.gov}}
| footnotes                =
| pop_est_as_of            =
| pop_est_footnotes        =
| population_est          =
}}
 
'''Atlanta''' ({{IPAc-en|æ|t|ˈ|l|æ|n|t|ə}} {{respell|at|LAN|tə}}) is the [[capital city|capital]] and [[List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state)|most populous city]] of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. It lies primarily within [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton County]] (for which it serves as [[county seat]]), with about 10% of the city lying within neighboring [[DeKalb County, Georgia|DeKalb County]].  With a population of 498,715 living within the city limits, it is the eighth most populous city in the [[Southeastern United States|Southeast]] and [[List of United States cities by population|38th most populous city in the United States]] according to the [[2020 United States census|2020 U.S. census]].<ref name="QuickFacts">{{cite web |title=QuickFacts: Atlanta city, Georgia |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/atlantacitygeorgia/POP010220 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=27 August 2021}}</ref> It is the core of the much larger [[Atlanta metropolitan area]], which is home to more than 6.1 million people, making it the [[List of metropolitan statistical areas|eighth-largest metropolitan area]] in the United States.<ref name=2020Pop/> It is the [[county seat|seat]] of [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton County]], the most populous county in Georgia. Situated among the foothills of the [[Appalachian Mountains]] at an elevation of just over {{convert|1,000|ft}} above sea level, it features unique topography that includes rolling hills, lush greenery, and the most [[Atlanta tree canopy|dense urban tree coverage]] of any major city in the United States.<ref>{{Cite book|title=AIA Guide to the Architecture of Atlanta|last=Gournay|first=Isabelle|publisher=University of Georgia Press|year=1993|isbn=0820314390}}</ref>
 
Atlanta was originally founded as the [[Rail terminus|terminus]] of a major state-sponsored railroad, but it soon became the convergence point among several railroads, spurring its rapid growth. The largest was the [[Western and Atlantic Railroad]], from which the name "Atlanta" is derived, signifying the city's growing reputation as a major hub of transportation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Atlanta|url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/atlanta#Population-Patterns|website=New Georgia Encyclopedia}}</ref> During the [[American Civil War]], it served a strategically important role for [[the Confederacy]] until it was captured in 1864. The city was almost entirely burnt to the ground during [[General William T. Sherman]]'s [[Sherman's March to the Sea|March to the Sea]]. However, the city rebounded dramatically in the post-war period and quickly became a national industrial center and the unofficial capital of the "[[New South]]". After [[World War II]], it also became a manufacturing and technology hub.<ref name="jstor509">{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40581436 | title=Engineering the New South: Georgia Tech, 1885–1985 | journal=The Georgia Historical Quarterly | jstor=40581436 | access-date=November 29, 2020| last1=Hair | first1=William I. | year=1985 | volume=69 | issue=4 | pages=509–517 }}</ref> During the 1950s and 1960s, it became a major organizing center of the [[American Civil Rights Movement]], with [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], [[Ralph David Abernathy]], and many other locals becoming prominent figures in the movement's leadership.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politifact.com/georgia/statements/2011/jun/28/al-roker/whos-right-cities-lay-claim-civil-rights-cradle-ma/|title=Who's right? Cities lay claim to civil rights "cradle" mantle|publisher=Politifact|last=Stirgus|first=Eric|date=June 28, 2011|access-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref> In the modern era, Atlanta has stayed true to its reputation as a major center of transportation, with [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]] becoming the [[world's busiest airport]] by passenger traffic in 1998 (a position it has held every year since, with the exception of 2020 as a result of the worldwide [[COVID-19 pandemic]]).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20170126/BLOGS02/170129876/worlds-busiest-airport-title-slips-further-from-ohares-grasp|title=World's busiest airport title slips further from O'Hare's grasp|access-date=February 14, 2017|newspaper=[[Crain's Chicago Business]]|date=January 26, 2017|author=Hinz, Greg}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/03/10/daily44.html|title=DOT: Hartsfield-Jackson busiest airport, Delta had 3rd-most passengers|date=March 13, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/company-locations-facilities/6399916-1.html|title=Top Industry Publications Rank Atlanta as a LeadingCity for Business|publisher=AllBusiness.com|access-date=April 5, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419091606/http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/company-locations-facilities/6399916-1.html|archive-date=April 19, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.business.gov/states/georgia/local/atlanta.html|title=Doing Business in Atlanta, Georgia|publisher=Business.gov|access-date=April 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402084413/http://www.business.gov/states/georgia/local/atlanta.html|archive-date=April 2, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
With a [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) of $406&nbsp;billion, Atlanta has the tenth largest economy of cities in the U.S. and the 20th largest in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apps.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?reqid=70&step=30&isuri=1&major_area=5&area=xx&year=2018&tableid=501&category=2501&area_type=5&year_end=-1&classification=naics&state=5&statistic=1&yearbegin=-1&unit_of_measure=levels|title=CAGDP2 Gross domestic product (GDP) by county and metropolitan area|publisher=Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce |access-date=August 7, 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807190321/https://apps.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?reqid=70&step=30&isuri=1&major_area=5&area=xx&year=2018&tableid=501&category=2501&area_type=5&year_end=-1&classification=naics&state=5&statistic=1&yearbegin=-1&unit_of_measure=levels|archive-date=August 7, 2021}}</ref> Its economy is considered diverse, with dominant sectors in industries including transportation, aerospace, logistics, healthcare, news and media operations, film and television production, information technology, finance, and biomedical research and public policy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-South/Atlanta-Economy.html|title=Atlanta: Economy – Major Industries and Commercial Activity|publisher=City-data.com|access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref> The [[Gentrification of Atlanta|gentrification]] of some its neighborhoods, initially spurred by the [[1996 Summer Olympics]], has intensified in the 21st century with the growth of the [[Atlanta Beltline]]. This has altered its [[Demographics of Atlanta|demographics]], [[Government of Atlanta|politics]], [[Architecture of Atlanta|aesthetics]], and [[Culture of Atlanta|culture]].<ref>{{citation |title=IDEALS @ Illinois: Governmentality: the new urbanism and the creative class within Atlanta, Georgia|date=May 22, 2012|publisher=University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign|hdl=2142/31169|last1=Robert|first1=Cochran}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Pooley|first1=Karen Beck|title=Segregation's New Geography: The Atlanta Metro Region, Race, and the Declining Prospects for Upward Mobility|journal=Southern Spaces|date=April 15, 2015|doi=10.18737/M74S47|url=http://southernspaces.org/2015/segregations-new-geography-atlanta-metro-region-race-and-declining-prospects-upward-mobility|access-date=May 26, 2015|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/oct/23/nowhere-for-people-to-go-who-will-survive-the-gentrification-of-atlanta|title=Nowhere for people to go: who will survive the gentrification of Atlanta?|first=Jamiles|last=Lartey|date=October 23, 2018|website=The Guardian}}</ref>
 
==History==
{{Main|History of Atlanta}}
{{For timeline|Timeline of Atlanta}}
 
===Native American settlements===
For thousands of years prior to the arrival of European settlers in [[North Georgia]], the indigenous [[Muscogee|Creek people]] and their ancestors inhabited the area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chieftainstrail.com/ |title=Northwest Georgia's Native American History |publisher=Chieftains Trail |access-date=June 27, 2011 |archive-date=July 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708144206/http://chieftainstrail.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Standing Peachtree]], a Creek village where [[Peachtree Creek]] flows into the [[Chattahoochee River]], was the closest Native American settlement to what is now Atlanta.<ref name=buckhead>{{cite web|url=http://www.buckhead.net/history/fort-peachtree/index.html|title=Fort Peachtree | website=Buckhead.net | access-date=February 19, 2017}}</ref> Through the early 19th century, European Americans systematically encroached on the Creek of northern Georgia, forcing them out of the area from 1802 to 1825.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ngeorgia.com/history/indianla.html |title=Land Cessions of American Indians in Georgia |publisher=Ngeorgia.com |date=June 5, 2007 |access-date=June 27, 2011}}</ref> The Creek were forced to leave the area in 1821, under [[Indian removal|Indian Removal]] by the federal government,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/CitiesCounties/Counties&id=h-2335 |title=New Georgia Encyclopedia, "Fulton County" |publisher=Georgiaencyclopedia.org |access-date=June 27, 2011}}</ref> and European American settlers arrived the following year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1403 |title=New Georgia Encyclopedia, "DeKalb County" |website=Georgiaencyclopedia.org |date=June 19, 2008 |access-date=June 27, 2011}}</ref>
 
===Western and Atlantic Railroad===
In 1836, the [[Georgia General Assembly]] voted to build the [[Western and Atlantic Railroad]] in order to provide a link between the port of [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]] and the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]].<ref name="W&ARR">{{cite web|title=Creation of the Western and Atlantic Railroad|work=About North Georgia|publisher=Golden Ink|url=http://ngeorgia.com/railroads/warr01.html|access-date=November 12, 2007|archive-date=October 3, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071003030525/http://ngeorgia.com/railroads/warr01.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The initial route was to run southward from [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]] to a terminus east of the [[Chattahoochee River]], which would be linked to Savannah. After engineers surveyed various possible locations for the terminus, the "zero milepost" was driven into the ground in what is now Foundry Street, [[Five Points, Atlanta|Five Points]]. When asked in 1837 about the future of the little village, [[Stephen Harriman Long]], the railroad's chief engineer said the place would be good "for one tavern, a blacksmith shop, a grocery store, and nothing else".<ref>{{Cite news|last=McQuigg|first=Jackson|date=9 January 2022|title=Atlanta didn't build the railroad - The railroads built Atlanta|page=6|work=The Atlanta Journal - Constitution}}</ref> A year later, the area around the milepost had developed into a settlement, first known as ''Terminus'', and later ''Thrasherville'', after a local merchant who built homes and a [[general store]] in the area.<ref name="ThrashervilleHistoricalMarker">{{cite web|title=Thrasherville|url=http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/historical_markers/county/fulton/thrasherville|website=Georgia Info|access-date=February 6, 2017}}</ref> By 1842, the town had six buildings and 30 residents and was renamed ''[[Marthasville, Georgia|Marthasville]]'' to honor Governor [[Wilson Lumpkin|Wilson Lumpkin's]] daughter Martha. Later, [[John Edgar Thomson]], Chief Engineer of the [[Georgia Railroad and Banking Company|Georgia Railroad]], suggested the town be renamed ''Atlanta''.<ref name="NGEAtlanta">{{cite web|last1=Ambrose|first1=Andy|title=Atlanta|url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/atlanta#Population-Patterns|website=New Georgia Encyclopedia|publisher=Georgia Humanities Council|access-date=February 6, 2017}}</ref> The residents approved, and the town was incorporated as Atlanta on December 29, 1847.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/date/December_29|title=Georgia History Timeline Chronology for December&nbsp;29|publisher=Our Georgia History|access-date=August 30, 2007}}</ref>
 
===Civil War===
[[File:United States Colored Troop enlisted African-American soldier reading at 8 Whitehall Street, Atlanta slave auction house, Fall 1864- 'Auction & Negro Sales,' Whitehall Street LOC cwpb.03351 (cropped).tif|alt=|left|thumb|[[George N. Barnard]]'s 1864 photograph of a [[Slave-trader|slave trader's]] business on Whitehall Street shows a corporal from the [[United States Colored Troops]] sitting by the door.]]
 
By 1860, Atlanta's population had grown to 9,554.<ref>{{cite web|last=Storey|first=Steve|title=Atlanta & West Point Railroad|publisher=Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage|url=http://railga.com/atlwp.html|access-date=September 28, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Atlanta Old and New: 1848 to 1868|work=Roadside Georgia|publisher=Golden Ink|url=http://roadsidegeorgia.com/city/atlanta02.html|access-date=November 13, 2007|archive-date=October 21, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021093026/http://roadsidegeorgia.com/city/atlanta02.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> During the [[American Civil War]], the nexus of multiple railroads in Atlanta made the city a strategic hub for the distribution of military supplies.<ref>{{cite web |title=Atlanta's Role in the Civil War |url=https://www.americaslibrary.gov/es/ga/es_ga_atlanta_1.html |website=americaslibrary.gov |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=January 12, 2022 |quote=Because of its location and commercial importance, Atlanta was used as a center for military operations and as a supply route by the Confederate army during the Civil War. Therefore, it also became a target for the Union army.}}</ref>
 
In 1864, the [[Union Army]] moved southward following the capture of Chattanooga and began its [[Atlanta campaign|invasion of north Georgia]]. The region surrounding Atlanta was the location of several major army battles, culminating with the [[Battle of Atlanta]] and a four-month-long siege of the city by the Union Army under the command of General [[William Tecumseh Sherman]]. On September 1, 1864, [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] General [[John Bell Hood]] decided to retreat from Atlanta, and he ordered the destruction of all public buildings and possible assets that could be of use to the Union Army. On the next day, Mayor [[James Calhoun (politician, born 1811)|James Calhoun]] surrendered Atlanta to the Union Army, and on September 7, Sherman ordered the city's civilian population to evacuate. On November 11, 1864, Sherman prepared for the Union Army's [[Sherman's March to the Sea|March to the Sea]] by ordering the destruction of Atlanta's remaining military assets.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.civilwarlibrary.org/sherman-s-march-chronology.html|title=Sherman's March Chronology|website=civilwarlibrary.org}}</ref>
 
===Reconstruction and late 19th century===
[[File:Marietta-Street-Atlanta.jpg|thumb|left|Marietta Street, 1864]]After the Civil War ended in 1865, Atlanta was gradually rebuilt during the [[Reconstruction era]]. The work attracted many new residents. Due to the city's superior [[rail transportation]] network, the [[List of U.S. state historical capitals|state capital]] was moved from [[Milledgeville, Georgia|Milledgeville]] to Atlanta in 1868.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jackson|first=Edwin L.|title=The Story of Georgia's Capitols and Capital Cities|publisher=Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia|url=http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/capital.htm#anchor671763|access-date=November 13, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009145856/http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/capital.htm|archive-date=October 9, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the 1880 Census, Atlanta had surpassed Savannah as Georgia's largest city.<ref>{{cite web |title=1880 Census: Volume 1. Statistics of the Population of the United States |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1880/vol-01-population/1880_v1-09.pdf |access-date=2 July 2022}}</ref>
 
Beginning in the 1880s, [[Henry W. Grady]], the editor of the ''[[Atlanta Constitution]]'' newspaper, promoted Atlanta to potential investors as a city of the "[[New South]]" that would be based upon a modern economy and less reliant on agriculture. By 1885, the founding of the Georgia School of Technology (now [[History of Georgia Tech|Georgia Tech]]) and the [[Atlanta University Center]], a consortium of [[historically black colleges]] made up of units for men and women, had established Atlanta as a center for higher education. In 1895, Atlanta hosted the [[Cotton States and International Exposition]], which attracted nearly 800,000 attendees and successfully promoted the New South's development to the world.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1895/06/08/102515577.pdf|title=The South: Vast Resources, Rapid Development, Wonderful Opportunities for Capital and Labor&nbsp;...|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 8, 1895}}</ref>
 
===20th century===
[[File:Peachtree1907.jpg|thumb|left|In 1907, Peachtree Street, the main street of Atlanta, was busy with streetcars and automobiles.]]
 
During the first decades of the 20th century, Atlanta enjoyed a period of unprecedented growth. In three decades' time, Atlanta's population tripled as the city limits expanded to include nearby streetcar suburbs. The city's skyline grew taller with the construction of the [[Equitable Building (Atlanta 1892)|Equitable]], [[Flatiron Building (Atlanta)|Flatiron]], [[J. Mack Robinson College of Business Administration Building|Empire]], and [[Candler Building (Atlanta)|Candler]] buildings. [[Sweet Auburn]] emerged as a center of black commerce. The period was also marked by strife and tragedy. Increased racial tensions led to the [[Atlanta Race Riot]] of 1906, when whites attacked blacks, leaving at least 27 people dead and over 70 injured, with extensive damage in black neighborhoods. In 1913, [[Leo Frank]], a Jewish-American factory superintendent, was convicted of the murder of a 13-year-old girl in a highly publicized trial. He was sentenced to death but the governor commuted his sentence to life. An enraged and organized [[Lynching|lynch mob]] took him from jail in 1915 and hanged him in [[Marietta, Georgia|Marietta]]. The Jewish community in Atlanta and across the country were horrified.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Jewish Community of Atlanta|url=https://dbs.bh.org.il/place/atlanta|website=Beit Hatfutsot Open Databases Project|publisher=The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Teachinghistory.org|url=https://teachinghistory.org/history-content/beyond-the-textbook/25059|access-date=2022-01-06|website=teachinghistory.org}}</ref> On May 21, 1917, the [[Great Atlanta Fire of 1917|Great Atlanta Fire]] destroyed 1,938 buildings in what is now the [[Old Fourth Ward]], resulting in one fatality and the displacement of 10,000 people.<ref name=NGEAtlanta/>
 
On December 15, 1939, Atlanta hosted the [[premiere]] of ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'', the epic film based on the best-selling novel by Atlanta's [[Margaret Mitchell]]. The gala event at [[Loew's Grand Theatre]] was attended by the film's legendary producer, [[David O. Selznick]], and the film's stars [[Clark Gable]], [[Vivien Leigh]], and [[Olivia de Havilland]], but Oscar winner [[Hattie McDaniel]], an African-American actress, was barred from the event due to racial segregation laws.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ngeorgia.com/ang/Atlanta_Premiere_of_Gone_With_The_Wind|title=Atlanta Premiere of Gone with the Wind|publisher=Ngeorgia.com|access-date=April 5, 2010|archive-date=January 15, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115033241/http://ngeorgia.com/ang/Atlanta_Premiere_of_Gone_With_The_Wind|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
===Metropolitan area's growth===
Atlanta played a vital role in the Allied effort during [[World War II]] due to the city's war-related manufacturing companies, railroad network and military bases. The defense industries attracted thousands of new residents and generated revenues, resulting in rapid population and economic growth. In the 1950s, the city's newly constructed highway system, supported by federal subsidies, allowed middle class Atlantans the ability to relocate to the suburbs. As a result, the city began to make up an ever-smaller proportion of the metropolitan area's population.<ref name=NGEAtlanta/> [[Georgia Tech]]'s president [[Blake R. Van Leer]] played an important role with a goal of making Atlanta the "[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] of the South."<ref name="jstor509"/> In 1946 Georgia Tech secured about $240,000 ({{Inflation|US|240000|1946|r=-4|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}) annually in sponsored research and purchased an [[electron microscope]] for $13,000 ({{Inflation|US|13000|1946|r=-4|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}), the first such instrument in the [[Southeastern United States]] and one of few in the United States at the time.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://smartech.gatech.edu/handle/1853/26051|title=New Microscope For Experiment Installed at Tech|work=[[The Technique]]|date=January 19, 1946|access-date=January 26, 2010}}</ref> The Research Building was expanded, and a $300,000 ({{Inflation|US|300000|1947|r=-6|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}) [[Westinghouse Electric (1886)|Westinghouse]] [[Network analyzer (AC power)|A-C network calculator]] was given to Georgia Tech by [[Georgia Power]] in 1947.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://history.gtri.gatech.edu/our-history/ees-installs-%E2%80%9Celectro-mechanical-brain%E2%80%9D|title=EES Installs "Electro-Mechanical Brain"|publisher=[[Georgia Tech Research Institute]]|access-date=May 28, 2021}}</ref> In 1953, Van Leer assisted with helping Lockheed establish a [[research and development]] and production line in Marietta. Later in 1955 he helped set up a committee to assist with establishing a nuclear research facility, which would later become the [[Neely Nuclear Research Center]]. Van Leer also co-founded [[Southern Polytechnic State University]] now absorbed by and made part of [[Kennesaw State University]] to help meet the need for technicians after the war.<ref>W. L. Hughes, "A Brief Chronology of the Technical Institute Movement in America." The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), 1947.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/TimLenoir/SiliconValley99/ScientificAtlanta.pdf |work=Stanford|title=The Case of Scientific Atlanta|author=Richard S Combes|date=February 26, 1999}}</ref> Van Leer was instrumental in making the school and Atlanta the first major research center in the [[Southern United States|American South]]. The building that houses Tech's school of [[Electrical and Computer Engineering]] bears his name.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ece.gatech.edu/about/ece-buildings|title=Campus Map: Van Leer Building|access-date=May 20, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/30/sports/how-to-get-to-bowl-games-and-then-win-them.html |work=[[The New York Times]]|title=Bobby Dodd Interview|author=Bobby Dodd|date=December 30, 1984}}</ref>
 
===Civil Rights movement===
[[File:Martin Luther King Jr Coretta Scott King Tomb.jpg|thumb|The [[sarcophagus]] for Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King is within the [[Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park]] in Atlanta proper.]]
 
African-American veterans returned from World War II seeking full rights in their country and began heightened activism. In exchange for support by that portion of the black community that could vote, in 1948 the mayor ordered the hiring of the first eight African-American police officers in the city. Much controversy preceded the [[1956 Sugar Bowl]], when the [[1955 Pittsburgh Panthers football team|Pitt Panthers]], with African-American fullback [[Bobby Grier (Pittsburgh Panthers)|Bobby Grier]] on the roster, met the [[1955 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team|Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets]].<ref name=fcflu>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Cs9RAAAAIBAJ&pg=4796%2C5131560 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |last=Sell |first=Jack |title=Panthers defeat flu; face Ga. Tech next |date=December 30, 1955 |page=1}}</ref> There had been controversy over whether Grier should be allowed to play due to his race, and whether Georgia Tech should even play at all due to Georgia's [[List of governors of Georgia|Governor]] [[Marvin Griffin]]'s opposition to racial integration.<ref name="Mulé">Mulé, Marty – [http://www.blackathlete.net/artman/publish/article_01392.shtml "A Time For Change: Bobby Grier And The 1956 Sugar Bowl"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610185435/http://www.blackathlete.net/artman/publish/article_01392.shtml |date=June 10, 2007 }}. Black Athlete Sports Network, December 28, 2005</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Bobby Grier broke bowl's color line|url=https://old.post-gazette.com/pg/05280/584401.stm|access-date=2022-01-06|website=old.post-gazette.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Thamel|first=Pete|date=2006-01-01|title=Grier Integrated a Game and Earned the World's Respect|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/01/sports/ncaafootball/grier-integrated-a-game-and-earned-the-worlds-respect.html|access-date=2022-01-06|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> After Griffin publicly sent a telegram to the state's Board of Regents requesting Georgia Tech not to engage in racially integrated events, Georgia Tech's president [[Blake R. Van Leer]] rejected the request and threatened to resign. The game went on as planned.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fromtherumbleseat.com/2019/11/14/20914927/rearview-revisited-segregation-and-the-sugar-bowl-georgia-tech-pittsburgh-bobby-grier-1955-1956-game |publisher=Georgia Tech|title=Rearview Revisited: Segregation and the Sugar Bowl|author=Jake Grantl|date=November 14, 2019|access-date=November 14, 2019}}</ref>
 
In the 1960s, Atlanta became a major organizing center of the [[civil rights movement]], with [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], [[Ralph David Abernathy]], and students from Atlanta's [[historically black colleges and universities]] playing major roles in the movement's leadership. While Atlanta in the postwar years had relatively minimal racial strife compared to other cities, blacks were limited by discrimination, segregation, and continued [[Disfranchisement after Reconstruction era|disenfranchisement]] of most voters.<ref name="kruse">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c5763Zgu4_oC&pg=PP1|title=White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism|author=Kevin Michael Kruse|publisher=Princeton University Press|date=February 1, 2008|isbn=978-0-691-09260-7}}</ref> In 1961, the city attempted to thwart [[blockbusting]] by realtors by erecting road barriers in [[Cascade Heights]], <!-- How was this supposed to work? -->countering the efforts of civic and business leaders to foster Atlanta as the "city too busy to hate".<ref name="kruse"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,874660,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220123816/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,874660,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 20, 2008|title=The South: Divided City|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=January 18, 1963|access-date=June 27, 2011}}</ref>
 
Desegregation of the public sphere came in stages, with public transportation desegregated by 1959,<ref name="NGEbusDesegregation">{{cite web|last1=Hatfield|first1=Edward|title=Bus Desegregation in Atlanta|url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/bus-desegregation-atlanta|website=New Georgia Encyclopedia|publisher=Georgia Humanities Council|access-date=February 6, 2017}}</ref> the restaurant at [[Rich's (department store)|Rich's]] department store by 1961,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1888|title=Rich's Department Store|encyclopedia=[[New Georgia Encyclopedia]]}}</ref> movie theaters by 1963,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Negroes Attend Atlanta Theaters|newspaper=[[Atlanta Journal]]|date=May 15, 1962}}</ref> and public schools by 1973 (nearly 20 years after the US Supreme Court ruled that segregated public schools were unconstitutional).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atlantahighered.org/civilrights/essay_detail.asp?phase=3|title=APS Timeline|publisher=Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education|access-date=February 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113134157/http://www.atlantahighered.org/civilrights/essay_detail.asp?phase=3|archive-date=January 13, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
In 1960, whites comprised 61.7% of the city's population.<ref name="census1">{{cite web|title=Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html|access-date=January 2, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html|archive-date=August 12, 2012}}</ref> During the 1950s–70s, suburbanization and [[white flight]] from urban areas led to a significant demographic shift.<ref name="kruse"/> By 1970, African Americans were the majority of the city's population and exercised their recently enforced voting rights and political influence by electing Atlanta's first black mayor, [[Maynard Jackson]], in 1973. Under Mayor Jackson's tenure, Atlanta's airport was modernized, strengthening the city's role as a transportation center. The opening of the [[Georgia World Congress Center]] in 1976 heralded Atlanta's rise as a convention city.<ref name="GWCCfacts">{{cite web|title=Campus Development|url=https://www.gwcca.org/about-the-gwcca/campus-development/|website=gwcca.org|publisher=Georgia World Congress Center Authority|access-date=February 6, 2017}}</ref> Construction of the city's [[Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority|subway system]] began in 1975, with rail service commencing in 1979.<ref name=hist1970>{{cite web|url=http://itsmarta.com/about/history02.htm|title=History of MARTA – 1970–1979|access-date=March 2, 2008|publisher=Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050204222807/http://itsmarta.com/about/history02.htm|archive-date=February 4, 2005}}</ref> Despite these improvements, Atlanta lost more than 100,000 residents between 1970 and 1990, over 20% of its population.<ref name="nytimes1">{{cite news|url=http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/do-olympic-host-cities-ever-win/|title=Do Olympic Host Cities Ever Win? |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 2, 2009|access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref> At the same time, it developed new office space after attracting numerous corporations, with an increasing portion of workers from northern areas.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}
 
===1996 Summer Olympic games===
[[File:JO Atlanta 1996 - Drapeau.jpg|thumb|The Olympic flag waves at the 1996 games.|alt=]]
Atlanta was selected as the site for the [[1996 Summer Olympic Games]]. Following the [[Bids for the 1996 Summer Olympics|announcement]], the city government undertook several major construction projects to improve Atlanta's parks, sporting venues, and transportation infrastructure; however, for the first time, none of the $1.7&nbsp;billion cost of the games was governmentally funded. While the games experienced transportation and accommodation problems and, despite extra security precautions, there was the [[Centennial Olympic Park bombing]],<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Olympic Games Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., 1996|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica online|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-249564/Olympic-Games|access-date=January 2, 2008}}</ref> the spectacle was a watershed event in Atlanta's history. For the first time in Olympic history, every one of the record 197 national Olympic committees invited to compete sent athletes, sending more than 10,000 contestants participating in a record 271 events. The related projects such as [[Atlanta's Olympic Legacy Program]] and civic effort initiated a fundamental transformation of the city in the following decade.<ref name="nytimes1"/>
 
===Since the 21st century===
[[File:Atlanta Downtown July 2010.JPG|thumb|Downtown has been a major growing center of the city since the turn of the 21st century.]]
 
During the 2000s, city of Atlanta underwent a profound physical, [[human culture|cultural]], and [[demographics|demographic]] change. As some of the African American middle and upper classes also began to move to the suburbs, a booming economy drew numerous new migrants from other cities in the United States, who contributed to changes in the city's demographics. African Americans made up a decreasing portion of the population, from a high of 67% in 1990 to 54% in 2010.<ref name="spelman">{{cite web|url=http://www.spelman.edu/academics/enrichment/census/pdf/cicnewsletterjan2009vs2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111208211609/http://www.spelman.edu/academics/enrichment/census/pdf/cicnewsletterjan2009vs2.pdf |archive-date=December 8, 2011 |title=The U.S. Census in the Past and Present|author=Tiffany Davis, B.A.|publisher=Spelman College|date=January 22, 2009}}</ref> From 2000 to 2010, Atlanta gained 22,763 white residents, 5,142 Asian residents, and 3,095 Hispanic residents, while the city's black population decreased by 31,678.<ref name="blogs.ajc.com">{{cite web|first=Jim |last=Galloway |url=https://www.ajc.com/politics/politics-blog/a-census-speeds-atlanta-toward-racially-neutral-ground/52AG4EFMIBARFCUHPNRKXAMWSE/ |title=A census speeds Atlanta toward racially neutral ground |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |date=March 23, 2011 |access-date=June 4, 2021 }}</ref><ref name="nyt-031106">{{cite news |work=The New York Times |first=Shaila |last=Dewan |date=March 11, 2006 |title=Gentrification Changing Face of New Atlanta |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/11/national/11atlanta.html}}</ref> Much of the city's demographic change during the decade was driven by young, college-educated professionals: from 2000 to 2009, the [[Intown Atlanta|three-mile radius]] surrounding [[Downtown Atlanta]] gained 9,722 residents aged 25 to 34 and holding at least a four-year degree, an increase of 61%.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-04-01-1Ayoungrestless01_ST_N.htm |work=USA Today |title=Urban centers draw more young, educated adults |date=April 1, 2011}}</ref> This was similar to the tendency in other cities for young, college educated, single or married couples to live in downtown areas.<ref>{{cite news|last=Schneider |first=Craig |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/young-professionals-lead-surge-intown-living/4kQU4TmoIKuorXuV3FPDPP/ |title=Young professionals lead surge of intown living |newspaper=ajc.com |date=April 13, 2011 |access-date=June 4, 2021}}</ref>
 
Between the mid-1990s and 2010, stimulated by funding from the [[HOPE VI]] program and under leadership of CEO Renee Lewis Glover (1994–2013),<ref name="trubey">{{cite news|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/atlanta-housing-authority-chief-glover-sues-agency-for-legal-fees/XN8ny9KeM7eF52QesPbMzM/|last=Trubey|first=J. Scott|title=Ex-Atlanta Housing Authority chief Glover sues agency for legal fees|work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=August 6, 2018|access-date=August 29, 2019}}</ref> the [[Atlanta Housing Authority]] demolished nearly all of its public housing, a total of 17,000 units and about 10% of all housing units in the city.<ref name="oakley">{{cite web|url=http://urbanhealth.gsu.edu/files/gsu_public_housing_report1.pdf |author1=Deirdre Oakley |author2=Erin Ruel |author3=G. Elton Wilson |title=A Choice with No Options: Atlanta Public Housing Residents' Lived Experiences in the Face of Relocation |publisher=[[Georgia State University]] |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218203321/http://urbanhealth.gsu.edu/files/gsu_public_housing_report1.pdf |archive-date=December 18, 2014}}</ref><ref name="manhattan">{{cite web|url=http://www.iut.nu/members/USA/Georgia/ReinventingPublHous2009.pdf|first=Howard|last=Husock|title=Reinventing Public Housing: Is the Atlanta Model Right for Your City?|publisher=[[Manhattan Institute for Policy Research]]|access-date=July 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426052355/http://www.iut.nu/members/USA/Georgia/ReinventingPublHous2009.pdf|archive-date=April 26, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>US Census Bureau 1990 census – total number of housing units in Atlanta city</ref> After reserving 2,000 units mostly for elderly, the AHA allowed redevelopment of the sites for mixed-use and mixed-income, higher density developments, with 40% of the units to be reserved for affordable housing. Two-fifths of previous public housing residents attained new housing in such units; the remainder received vouchers to be used at other units, including in suburbs. At the same time, in an effort to change the culture of those receiving subsidized housing, the AHA imposed a requirement for such residents to work (or be enrolled in a genuine, limited-time training program). It is virtually the only housing authority to have created this requirement. To prevent problems, the AHA also gave authority to management of the mixed-income or voucher units to evict tenants who did not comply with the work requirement or who caused behavior problems.<ref name="husock"/>
 
In 2005, the city approved the $2.8&nbsp;billion [[BeltLine]] project. It was intended to convert a disused 22-mile freight railroad loop that surrounds the central city into an art-filled multi-use trail and light rail transit line, which would increase the city's park space by 40%.<ref name="BeltlineFacts">{{cite web|title=The Atlanta BeltLine in 5|url=https://beltline.org/about/the-atlanta-beltline-project/atlanta-beltline-overview/|website=Atlanta Beltline|publisher=Atlanta Beltline Inc.|access-date=February 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207033044/https://beltline.org/about/the-atlanta-beltline-project/atlanta-beltline-overview/|archive-date=February 7, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The project stimulated retail and residential development along the loop, but has been criticized for its adverse effects on some Black communities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.curbed.com/2020/7/16/21315678/city-racism-urbanism-atlanta-beltline|title=Urbanism Hasn't Worked for Everyone|last=Walker|first=Alissa|date=July 16, 2020|website=Curbed|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref> In 2013, the project received a federal grant of $18 million to develop the southwest corridor. In September 2019 the James M. Cox Foundation gave $6 Million to the PATH Foundation which will connect the [[Silver Comet Trail]] to The Atlanta BeltLine which is expected to be completed by 2022. Upon completion, the total combined interconnected trail distance around Atlanta for The Atlanta BeltLine and Silver Comet Trail will be the longest paved trail surface in the U.S. totaling about {{convert|300|miles}}.<ref name="BeltlineFacts" />
 
Atlanta's cultural offerings expanded during the 2000s: the [[High Museum of Art]] doubled in size; the [[Alliance Theatre]] won a [[Tony Award]]; and art galleries were established on the once-industrial [[West Midtown|Westside]].<ref name="online.wsj.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704415104576250962970106874 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |first=Timothy W. |last=Martin |title=The New New South |date=April 16, 2011}}</ref> The city of Atlanta was the subject of a [[2018 Atlanta cyberattack|massive cyberattack]] which began in March 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Perlroth |first1=Nicole |last2=Benner |first2=Katie |title=Iranians Accused in Cyberattacks, Including One That Hobbled Atlanta |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/28/us/politics/atlanta-cyberattack-iran.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/28/us/politics/atlanta-cyberattack-iran.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited |work=The New York Times |date=November 28, 2018 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> On June 16, 2022, Atlanta was selected as a host city for the [[2026 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/media-releases/media-release-greater-than-fwc-2026-greater-than-host-cities-announcement|title=FIFA unveils stellar line-up of FIFA World Cup 2026 Host Cities|publisher=FIFA|date=June 16, 2022|access-date=June 16, 2022}}</ref>
 
==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Atlanta}}
Atlanta encompasses {{convert|347.1|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|344.9|sqkm|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|2.2|sqkm|order=flip}} is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web|url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US1304000|title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Atlanta city, Georgia|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder|access-date=October 21, 2015}}{{dead link|bot=medic|date=April 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The city is situated among the foothills of the [[Appalachian Mountains]]. At {{convert|1050|ft|m|0}} above mean sea level, Atlanta has the highest elevation among major cities east of the [[Mississippi River]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Champlin |first1=Eric |title=Get high in Atlanta: great high-elevation spots for a summer chill |url=https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/get-high-atlanta-great-high-elevation-spots-for-summer-chill/dLsRTDdU5VgfEv0WATIZpM |website=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |access-date=May 28, 2021 |date=October 4, 2018}}</ref> Atlanta straddles the [[Eastern Continental Divide]]. Rainwater that falls on the south and east side of the divide flows into the Atlantic Ocean, while rainwater on the north and west side of the divide flows into the [[Gulf of Mexico]].<ref name=divide>{{cite web|last = Yeazel |first = Jack |title = Eastern Continental Divide in Georgia |date= March 23, 2007 |url = http://www.gpsinformation.org/jack/Divide/Divide.html |access-date=July 5, 2007}}</ref> Atlanta developed on a [[ridge]] south of the [[Chattahoochee River]], which is part of the [[ACF River Basin]]. The river borders the far northwestern edge of the city, and much of its natural habitat has been preserved, in part by the [[Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area]].<ref>{{cite web |title = Florida, Alabama, Georgia water sharing |publisher = WaterWebster |url = http://www.waterwebster.com/FloridaAlabamaGeorgia.htm |format = news archive |access-date = July 5, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070624223432/http://www.waterwebster.com/FloridaAlabamaGeorgia.htm |archive-date = June 24, 2007 |url-status = dead }}</ref>
 
Atlanta is sometimes called "City of Trees" or "city in a forest", despite having lost approximately {{convert|560,000|acres}} of trees between 1973 and 1999.<ref>{{cite web | last=Balch | first=Oliver | title=Green streets: which city has the most trees? | website=The Guardian | date=November 5, 2019 | url=http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/nov/05/green-streets-which-city-has-the-most-trees | access-date=March 1, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Atlanta's moniker, City of Trees, focus of new book | website=ajc | date=August 19, 2020 | url=https://www.ajc.com/life/arts-culture/atlantas-moniker-city-of-trees-focus-of-new-book/ZHJONNO5HVHQHBU6APQKU7H3P4/|first=Felicia |last=Feaster | access-date=March 1, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Preserving the City of Trees| website=geospatial.gatech.edu | url=http://geospatial.gatech.edu/Greenspace/ | access-date=March 1, 2021}}</ref>
 
===Cityscape===
{{Main|Architecture of Atlanta|Neighborhoods of Atlanta}}
{{See also|List of tallest buildings in Atlanta}}
{{wide image|Atlanta Downtown Skyline.jpg|align-cap=center|1000px|The [[Downtown Atlanta|Downtown]] skyline at sunset}}
{{wide image|Midtown atlanta (cropped).jpg|850px|align-cap=center|[[Midtown Atlanta]] as seen along the Downtown Connector}}
 
Most of Atlanta was burned during the American Civil War, depleting the city of a large stock of its historic architecture. Yet architecturally, the city had never been traditionally "southern" because Atlanta originated as a railroad town, rather than a southern seaport dominated by the planter class, such as [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]] or [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]]. Because of its later development, many of the city's landmarks share architectural characteristics with buildings in the Northeast or Midwest, as they were designed at a time of shared national architectural styles.<ref name="Gournay">{{cite book|title=AIA Guide to the Architecture of Atlanta|last=Gournay|first=Isabelle|publisher=University of Georgia Press|isbn = 0820314501|year = 1993}}</ref>
 
[[File:Midtown Atlanta.JPG|thumb|The skyline of Midtown (viewed from [[Piedmont Park]]) emerged with the construction of modernist [[Colony Square]] in 1972.]]
 
During the late 20th century, Atlanta embraced the global trend of [[modern architecture]], especially for commercial and institutional structures. Examples include the [[State of Georgia Building]] built in 1966, and the [[Georgia-Pacific Tower]] in 1982. Many of the most notable examples from this period were designed by world renowned Atlanta architect [[John C. Portman Jr.|John Portman]]. Most of the buildings that define the downtown skyline were designed by Portman during this period, including the [[Westin Peachtree Plaza]] and the [[Atlanta Marriott Marquis]]. In the latter half of the 1980s, Atlanta became one of the early homes of postmodern buildings that reintroduced classical elements to their designs. Many of Atlanta's tallest skyscrapers were built in this period and style, displaying tapering spires or otherwise ornamented crowns, such as [[One Atlantic Center]] (1987), [[191 Peachtree Tower]] (1991), and the [[Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta]] (1992). Also completed during the era is the Portman-designed [[Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta)|Bank of America Plaza]] built in 1992. At {{convert|1023|ft|m|0}}, it is the tallest building in the city and the 14th-tallest in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001338.html|title=World's Tallest Buildings|publisher=Infoplease |access-date=June 26, 2007}}</ref>
 
[[File:Peachtree St in Midtown.jpg|thumb|A section of [[Peachtree Street]] in Midtown Atlanta]]
 
The city's embrace of modern architecture has often translated into an ambivalent approach toward historic preservation, leading to the destruction of many notable architectural landmarks. These include the [[Equitable Building (Atlanta 1892)|Equitable Building]] (1892–1971), [[Terminal Station (Atlanta)|Terminal Station]] (1905–1972), and the [[Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System#The Carnegie Library|Carnegie Library]] (1902–1977).<ref name="Guardian preservation">{{cite web |last1=Van Mead |first1=Nick |title=The lost city of Atlanta |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/oct/23/lost-city-of-atlanta-historic-building-parking-lot |website=The Guardian |date=October 23, 2018  |access-date=May 16, 2020}}</ref> In the mid-1970s, the [[Fox Theatre (Atlanta, Georgia)|Fox Theatre]], now a cultural icon of the city, would have met the same fate if not for a grassroots effort to save it.<ref name="Gournay"/> More recently, preservationists may have made some inroads. For example, in 2016 activists convinced the Atlanta City Council not to demolish the Atlanta-Fulton Central Library, the last building designed by noted architect [[Marcel Breuer]].<ref name="Central Library Saved">{{cite news |last1=Jason |first1=Sayer |title=Marcel Breuer's Central Library in Atlanta to be renovated and NOT demolished |url=https://archpaper.com/2016/07/marcel-breuer-central-library-atlanta-saved/ |access-date=May 16, 2020 |work=The Architect's Newspaper |publisher=The Architect's Newspaper, LLC |date=July 21, 2016}}</ref>
 
Atlanta is divided into 242 officially defined [[Neighborhoods of Atlanta|neighborhoods]].<ref name="Atlanta Neighborhoods">{{cite web |title=NPU by Neighborhood |url=https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/city-planning/office-of-zoning-development/neighborhood-planning-unit-npu/npu-by-neighborhood |website=City of Atlanta |publisher=City of Atlanta |access-date=May 15, 2020}}</ref> The city contains three major high-rise districts, which form a north–south axis along [[Peachtree Street|Peachtree]]: [[Downtown Atlanta|Downtown]], [[Midtown Atlanta|Midtown]], and [[Buckhead (Atlanta)|Buckhead]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bo/?id=101302 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040602033112/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bo/?id=101302 |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 2, 2004 |title=Districts and Zones of Atlanta |publisher=Emporis.com |access-date=June 26, 2007 }}</ref> Surrounding these high-density districts are leafy, low-density neighborhoods, most of which are dominated by single-family homes.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Joseph F. Thompson|author2=Robert Isbell|title=Atlanta: A City of Neighborhoods|url=https://archive.org/details/atlantacityofnei0000thom|url-access=registration|year=1994|publisher=University of South Carolina Press|isbn=978-0-87249-979-9}}</ref>
 
Downtown Atlanta contains the most office space in the metro area, much of it occupied by government entities. Downtown is home to the city's sporting venues and many of its tourist attractions. [[Midtown Atlanta]] is the city's second-largest business district, containing the offices of many of the region's law firms. Midtown is known for its art institutions, cultural attractions, institutions of higher education, and dense form.<ref>{{cite news|last=Southerland|first=Randy|title=What do Atlanta's big law firms see in Midtown?|newspaper=Atlanta Business Chronicle|date=November 19, 2004|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2004/11/22/focus10.html|access-date=December 1, 2008}}</ref> [[Buckhead (Atlanta)|Buckhead]], the city's uptown district, is {{convert|8|mi|km|spell=in}} north of Downtown and the city's third-largest business district. The district is marked by an urbanized core along [[Peachtree Street|Peachtree Road]], surrounded by suburban single-family neighborhoods situated among woods and rolling hills.<ref name="nytimes2003">{{cite news|first=David|last=Kirby|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/02/travel/a-tab-of-two-cities-atlanta-old-and-new.html|title=A Tab of Two Cities: Atlanta, Old And New|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 2, 2003|access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref>
 
[[File:Atlanta by Sentinel-2 2022-04-19.jpg|thumb|Atlanta and its surrounding suburbs, from Sentinel-2A satellite, 2022]]
[[File:Beath Dickey House Exterior 2018.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Beath-Dickey House]] (1890) in [[Inman Park]] neighborhood, 2018]]
 
Surrounding Atlanta's three high-rise districts are the city's low- and medium-density [[Neighborhoods of Atlanta|neighborhoods]],<ref name="nytimes2003"/> where the [[American Craftsman|craftsman]] [[bungalow]] single-family home is dominant.<ref>[AIA guide to the architecture of Atlanta, edited by Gerald W. Sams, University of Georgia Press, 1993, p. 195]</ref> The [[Eastside (Atlanta)|eastside]] is marked by historic [[streetcar suburbs]], built from the 1890s–1930s as havens for the upper middle class. These neighborhoods, many of which contain their own villages encircled by shaded, architecturally distinct residential streets, include the [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] [[Inman Park]], [[Bohemianism|Bohemian]] [[East Atlanta]], and eclectic [[Old Fourth Ward]].<ref name="Gournay"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Greenfield |first=Beth |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E0DC1239F93AA15756C0A9639C8B63 |title=Surfacing – East Atlanta – The Signs of Chic Are Emerging |location=Atlanta (Ga); Georgia |work=The New York Times|date=May 29, 2005 |access-date=October 16, 2012}}</ref> On the [[West Midtown|westside]] and along the [[BeltLine]] on the [[Eastside, Atlanta|eastside]], former warehouses and factories have been converted into housing, retail space, and art galleries, transforming the once-industrial areas such as [[West Midtown]] into model neighborhoods for [[smart growth]], historic rehabilitation, and infill construction.<ref>{{cite news|last=Dewan|first=Shaila|url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/travel/22surfacing.html|title=An Upstart Art Scene, on Atlanta's West Side |work=[[The New York Times]] |location=Atlanta (Ga)|date=November 19, 2009|access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref>
 
In southwest Atlanta, neighborhoods closer to downtown originated as streetcar suburbs, including the historic [[West End (Atlanta)|West End]], while those farther from downtown retain a postwar suburban layout. These include [[Collier Heights]] and [[Cascade Heights]], home to much of the city's affluent African-American population.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/atlanta-mayor-race-words-support/IKXiSw5xbFHUYhNC9kyMfM/|title=Atlanta mayor's race: Words of support |newspaper=Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=November 1, 2009|access-date=June 4, 2021 |author1=Stirgus, Eric |author2=Torpy, Bill }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YKXsm19fBpkC&pg=PA38|title="The Black Middle Class: Where It Lives"|work=Ebony|access-date=October 28, 2014 |date=August 1987|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-06-27/business/0406270223_1_black-homeowners-neighborhoods-home-buyers/2|title=Atlanta's minorities see dramatic rise in homeownership| date= June 27, 2004|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=October 28, 2014}}</ref> Northwest Atlanta contains the areas of the city to west of Marietta Boulevard and to the north of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, including those neighborhoods remote to downtown, such as Riverside, Bolton and Whittier Mill. The latter is one of Atlanta's designated Landmark Historical Neighborhoods. Vine City, though technically Northwest, adjoins the city's Downtown area and has recently been the target of community outreach programs and economic development initiatives.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wheatley |first=Thomas |url=http://clatl.com/atlanta/wal-mart-and-prince-charles-give-vine-city-a-boost/Content?oid=2515713 |title=Wal-Mart and Prince Charles give Vine City a boost |work=Creative Loafing|date=December 15, 2010 |access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref>
 
Gentrification of the city's neighborhoods is one of the more controversial and transformative forces shaping contemporary Atlanta. The [[gentrification of Atlanta]] has its origins in the 1970s, after many of Atlanta's neighborhoods had declined and suffered the urban decay that affected other major American cities in the mid-20th century. When neighborhood opposition successfully prevented two [[Interstate 485 (Georgia)|freeways]] from being built through the city's east side in 1975, the area became the starting point for Atlanta's [[gentrification]]. After Atlanta was awarded the Olympic games in 1990, gentrification expanded into other parts of the city, stimulated by infrastructure improvements undertaken in preparation for the games. New development post-2000 has been aided by the [[Atlanta Housing Authority]]'s eradication of the city's public housing. As noted above, it allowed development of these sites for mixed-income housing, requiring developers to reserve a considerable portion for affordable housing units. It has also provided for other former residents to be given vouchers to gain housing in other areas.<ref name="husock">{{cite web|url=http://www.city-journal.org/2010/20_4_atlanta-public-housing.html |title=Atlanta's Public-Housing Revolution |last=Husock |first=Howard |work=City Journal |date=Autumn 2010|access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref> Construction of the Beltline has stimulated new and related development along its path.<ref>{{cite news|last=Powers |first=Benjamin |url=https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/11/putting-the-brakes-on-runaway-gentrification-in-atlanta/545555/ |title=Putting the Brakes on Runaway Gentrification in Atlanta |work=[[CityLab (web magazine)|CityLab]] |date=November 10, 2017 |access-date=September 28, 2018}}</ref>
 
===Climate===
[[File:Georgia snow IMG 5076 (24082748877).jpg|thumb|Atlanta's [[Piedmont Park]] with winter snowfall]]
Under the [[Köppen climate classification|Köppen classification]], Atlanta has a [[humid subtropical climate]] (''Cfa'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228553732|title=Impact of Climate Change on Buildings|website=ResearchGate|language=en|access-date=December 2, 2018}}</ref> with four distinct seasons and generous precipitation year-round, typical for the [[Upland South]]; the city is situated in [[Hardiness zone|USDA Plant Hardiness Zone]] 8a, with the northern and western suburbs, as well as part of Midtown transitioning to 7b.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/Maps.aspx|title=View Maps – USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map|website=planthardiness.ars.usda.gov|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-date=March 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330021508/https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/Maps.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> Summers are hot and humid, with temperatures somewhat moderated by the city's elevation. Winters are overall mild but variable, occasionally susceptible to [[Winter storm|snowstorms]] even if in small quantities on several occasions, unlike the central and southern portions of the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sercc.com/ClimateoftheSoutheastUnitedStates.pdf |title=Climate of the Southeast of the United States |publisher=National Climate Assessment Regional Technical Input Report Series |page=27 |access-date=July 18, 2020 |archive-date=March 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328213706/https://www.sercc.com/ClimateoftheSoutheastUnitedStates.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sercc.com/climateinfo/historical/avgsnowfall.html|title=Average Total Snowfall (inches) for Selected Cities in the Southeast {{pipe}} Welcome – Southeast Regional Climate Center|publisher=Sercc.com|access-date=June 10, 2013|archive-date=April 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130417204503/http://www.sercc.com/climateinfo/historical/avgsnowfall.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Warm air from the [[Gulf of Mexico]] can bring spring-like highs while strong Arctic air masses can push lows into the teens&nbsp;°F (−7 to −12&nbsp;°C).
 
July averages {{convert|80.9|°F|1}}, with high temperatures reaching {{convert|90|°F|0}} on an average of 47 days per year, though {{convert|100|°F|0}} readings are not seen most years.<ref name="NCDC txt KATL"/><!--22 years out of POR since 1878 and 5 out of the current 1981–2010 normals period--> January averages {{convert|44.8|°F|1}}, with temperatures in the suburbs slightly cooler due largely to the [[urban heat island]] effect. Lows at or below freezing can be expected 36 nights annually,<ref name = "NOWData NWS Peachtree City, GA (FFC) - ATLthr"/> but the last occurrence of temperatures below {{convert|10|°F|0}} is [[Early 2014 North American cold wave|January 6, 2014]].<ref name = "NOWData NWS Peachtree City, GA (FFC) - ATLthr"/> Extremes range from {{convert|-9|°F|0}} on [[Great Blizzard of 1899|February 13, 1899]] to {{convert|106|°F|0}} on [[Summer 2012 North American heat wave|June 30, 2012]].<ref name = "NOWData NWS Peachtree City, GA (FFC) - ATLthr"/> Average dewpoints in the summer range from {{convert|17.6|°C|disp=flip}} in June to {{convert|19.9|°C|disp=flip}} in July.<ref name = noaasun/>
 
Typical of the southeastern U.S., Atlanta receives abundant rainfall that is evenly distributed throughout the year, though late spring and early fall are somewhat drier. The average annual precipitation is {{convert|50.43|in|mm|abbr=on}}, while snowfall is typically light with a normal of {{convert|2.2|in|cm|1}} per winter.<ref name = "NOWData NWS Peachtree City, GA (FFC) - ATLthr"/> The heaviest single snowfall occurred on January 23, 1940, with around {{convert|10|in|cm|0}} of snow.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourgeorgiahistory.com/chronpop/1000010|publisher=Our Georgia History|title=Atlanta, Georgia (1900–2000)|access-date=April 2, 2006|archive-date=March 27, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060327073140/http://www.ourgeorgiahistory.com/chronpop/1000010|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, [[ice storm]]s usually cause more problems than snowfall does, the most severe occurring on January 7, 1973.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2014/02/13/us/atlanta-1973-ice-storm|title=This is how bad it could have been: Atlanta's crippling ice storm of 1973|last=Goldberg|first=Steve|date=February 14, 2014|website=[[CNN]]|access-date=August 13, 2022}}</ref> Tornadoes are rare in the city itself, but the [[2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak|March 14, 2008]] [[Enhanced Fujita scale|EF2]] [[tornado]] damaged prominent structures in downtown Atlanta.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/march-14-downtown-atlanta-tornado-anniversary/85-3476c9f6-ef64-45ab-b73d-0676f6d24e00|title=14 years ago, a deadly tornado tore through downtown Atlanta|date=March 14, 2022|website=11alive.com|access-date=August 13, 2022}}</ref>
{{Atlanta weatherbox}}
 
{|style="width:100%;text-align:center;line-height:1.2em;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
!Colspan=14|Climate data for Atlanta
|-
!Month
!Jan
!Feb
!Mar
!Apr
!May
!Jun
!Jul
!Aug
!Sep
!Oct
!Nov
!Dec
!style="border-left-width:medium"|Year
|-
!Mean daily daylight hours
| style="background:#f0f011; color:#000;"|10.2
| style="background:#f7f722; color:#000;"|11.0
| style="background:#ff3; color:#000;"|12.0
| style="background:#ff4; color:#000;"|13.1
| style="background:#ff5; color:#000;"|13.9
| style="background:#ff5; color:#000;"|14.4
| style="background:#ff5; color:#000;"|14.1
| style="background:#ff4; color:#000;"|13.4
| style="background:#ff3; color:#000;"|12.4
| style="background:#f7f722; color:#000;"|11.3
| style="background:#f0f011; color:#000;"|10.4
| style="background:#f0f011; color:#000;"|9.9
| style="background:#ff3; color:#000; border-left-width:medium;"|12.175
|-
!Average [[Ultraviolet index]]
| style="background:#f7e400; color:#000;"|3
| style="background:#f7e400; color:#000;"|5
| style="background:#f85900; color:#000;"|6
| style="background:#d8001d; color:#000;"|8
| style="background:#d8001d; color:#000;"|9
| style="background:#d8001d; color:#000;"|10
| style="background:#d8001d; color:#000;"|10
| style="background:#d8001d; color:#000;"|10
| style="background:#d8001d; color:#000;"|8
| style="background:#f85900; color:#000;"|6
| style="background:#f7e400; color:#000;"|4
| style="background:#f7e400; color:#000;"|3
| style="background:#f85900; color:#000; border-left-width:medium;"|6.8
|-
!Colspan=14 style="background:#f8f9fa;font-weight:normal;font-size:95%;"|Source: Weather Atlas <ref name="Weather Atlas">{{cite web |url=https://www.weather-us.com/en/georgia-usa/atlanta-climate |title=Atlanta, Georgia, USA – Monthly weather forecast and Climate data |publisher=Weather Atlas |access-date=January 23, 2019 }}</ref>
|}
 
==Demographics==
===Population===
{{Main|Demographics of Atlanta}}
{{See also|Religion in Atlanta|Hispanic and Latino communities in Metro Atlanta|History of the Jews in Atlanta}}
{{US Census population
|1850= 2572
|1860= 9554
|1870= 21789
|1880= 37409
|1890= 65533
|1900= 89872
|1910= 154839
|1920= 200616
|1930= 270366
|1940= 302288
|1950= 331314
|1960= 487455
|1970= 495039
|1980= 425022
|1990= 394017
|2000= 416474
|2010= 420003
|2020= 498715
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="census1"/><br />2010–2020<ref name="QuickFacts"/>
|align-fn=center
}}
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! Racial composition
!2020<ref name=atl1020>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US1304000&y=2020&d=DEC%20Redistricting%20Data%20%28PL%2094-171%29&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|title=Explore Census Data|publisher=data.census.gov|access-date=June 23, 2022}}</ref>!! 2010<ref name=atl1020/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_14_1YR_B03002&prodType=table |title=Atlanta (city), Georgia |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214011041/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_14_1YR_B03002&prodType=table |archive-date=February 14, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref> !! 1990<ref name="census1" /> !! 1970<ref name="census1" /> !! 1940<ref name="census1" />
|-
|[[African American|Black or African American]]
|46.7%||54.0% ||67.1% ||54.3% ||39.6%
|-
|[[White American|White (Non-Hispanic)]]
|38.5%||38.4% ||30.3% ||39.4% ||65.4%
|-
|[[Asian American|Asian]]
|4.5%||3.9%||0.9% ||0.9% ||0.1%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race)
|6.0%||5.2% ||1.9% ||1.2% ||n/a
|}
 
The [[2020 United States census]] reported that Atlanta had a population of 498,715. The [[population density]] was 3,685.45 persons per [[square mile]] (1,422.95/[[square kilometer|km<sup>2</sup>]]). The racial makeup and population of Atlanta was 51.0% Black or African American, 40.9% White, 4.2% Asian and 0.3% Native American, and 1.0% from other races. 2.4% of the population reported [[Multiracial Americans|two or more races]].<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Atlanta city, Georgia|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/atlantacitygeorgia#qf-headnote-a|access-date=2022-01-06|website=www.census.gov|language=en}}</ref> Hispanics of any race made up 6.0% of the city's population.<ref name="AtlCensus">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010" (Select Atlanta (city), Georgia) |publisher=US Census Bureau |access-date=October 28, 2014 }}</ref> The median income for a household in the city was $66,657.<ref>{{cite web |title=INCOME IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2019 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS) |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Income%20and%20Poverty&g=1600000US1304000&tid=ACSST1Y2019.S1901&moe=false |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> The per capita income for the city was $54,414.<ref>{{cite web |title=PER CAPITA INCOME IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2019 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS) |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=B19301:%20PER%20CAPITA%20INCOME%20IN%20THE%20PAST%2012%20MONTHS%20(IN%202019%20INFLATION-ADJUSTED%20DOLLARS)&g=1600000US1304000&tid=ACSDT1Y2019.B19301 |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> 20.2% percent of the population was living below the [[Poverty threshold|poverty line]].<ref>{{cite web |title=POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Income%20and%20Poverty&g=1600000US1304000&tid=ACSST1Y2019.S1701 |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
 
[[File:Race and ethnicity 2010- Atlanta (5559880279).png|thumb|left|Map of racial distribution in Atlanta, 2010 U.S. census. Each dot is 25 people: {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ff0000|White}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#0000ff|Black}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#00ffaa|Asian}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ffa600|Hispanic}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ffff07|Other}}]]
 
In the 1920s, the black population began to grow in Southern metropolitan cities like Atlanta, [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]], [[Houston]], and [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/on-african-american-migrations/|title=The African-American Migration Story|website=PBS ([[WNET]])|date=2013|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref> In the 2010 census, Atlanta was recorded as the nation's fourth-largest majority-black city. The [[New Great Migration]] brought an insurgence of African Americans from [[California]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-may-24-me-migration24-story.html|title=In a Reverse Migration, Blacks Head to New South|last=Arax|first=Mark|website=Los Angeles Times|date=May 24, 2004|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref> and the [[Northern United States|North]] to the Atlanta area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lawrencemigration.phillipscollection.org/culture/migration-map|website=[[The Phillips Collection]]|title=The Migration Series: African American Migration Patterns|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-rise-of-black-majority-cities/|title=The rise of black-majority cities|last1=Harshabrger|first1=David|last2=Perry|first2=Andre M.|website=The Brookings Institution|date=February 26, 2019|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref> It has long been known as a center of African-American political power, education, economic prosperity, and culture, often called a [[black mecca]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/atlanta-weather/a-champion-for-atlanta-maynard-jackson-black-mecca-burgeoned-under-leader/E7QREDVYH5AKXFDZOVK7ZO2XZA/|title=A CHAMPION FOR ATLANTA: Maynard Jackson: 'Black mecca' burgeoned under leader|last1=Poole|first1=Shelia|last2=Paul|first2=Peralte|website=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=June 29, 2003|access-date=June 4, 2021}}</ref><ref>"the city that calls itself America's 'Black Mecca{{Single+double}} in "Atlanta Is Less Than Festive on Eve of Another 'Freaknik{{Single+double}}, ''Washington Post'', April 18, 1996</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Severson|first=Kim|date=2011-11-26|title=Stars Flock to Atlanta, Reshaping a Center of Black Culture|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/us/atlanta-emerges-as-a-center-of-black-entertainment.html|access-date=2022-01-06|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Some middle and upper class [[African Americans in Atlanta|African-American residents of Atlanta]] followed an influx of whites to newer housing and public schools in the suburbs in the early 21st century. From 2000 to 2010, the city's black population decreased by 31,678 people, shrinking from 61.4% of the city's population in 2000 to 54.0% in 2010, as the overall population expanded and migrants increased from other areas.<ref name="blogs.ajc.com"/> Atlanta is also home to a large African immigrant community. The foreign-born Black population in Atlanta has been rapidly increasing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-news/atlantas-foreign-born-black-population-soars-new-study-shows/FRCEM6ZQBBEEHLTQBQGWD4VMBA/|title=Atlanta's foreign-born Black population soars, new study shows|website= The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}}</ref>
 
At the same time, the white population of Atlanta has increased. Between 2000 and 2010, the proportion of whites in the city had notable growth. In that decade, Atlanta's white population grew from 31% to 38% of the city's population, an absolute increase of 22,753 people, more than triple the increase that occurred between 1990 and 2000.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gurwitt |first=Rob |url=http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/Atlanta-and-the-Urban.html |title=Atlanta and the Urban Future|work=[[Governing (magazine)|Governing]]|publisher=Governing.com |date=July 1, 2008 |access-date=February 2, 2017}}</ref>
 
Early immigrants in the Atlanta area were mostly [[American Jews|Jews]] and [[Greek Americans|Greeks]]. Since 1970, the Hispanic immigrant population, especially Mexicans, has experienced the most rapid growth, particularly in Gwinnett, Cobb, and DeKalb counties.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.asanet.org/sites/default/files/savvy/footnotes/mayjun10/am_050610.html|title=The Past and Present of Immigration in Atlanta|last1=Adelman|first1=Robert M.|last2=Jaret|first2=Charles|date=2010|website=American Sociological Association|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref> Since 2010, the Atlanta area has seen very notable growth with immigrants from India, China, South Korea, and Jamaica.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zByZal1b_RsC&q=atlanta+born+in+jamaica+demographic&pg=PA124 |title = African Diaspora in the United States and Canada at the Dawn of the 21st Century, the|isbn = 9781438436852|last1 = Frazier|first1 = John W.|last2 = Darden|first2 = Joe T.|last3 = Henry|first3 = Norah F.|date = September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/metro-atlanta-population-growth-fueled-minorities/fz4aXo7CdyhEai1RgjW8jO/|title=Metro Atlanta population growth fueled by minorities|website=AJC|date=June 24, 2019|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref> Other notable countries immigrants come from are Vietnam, Eritrea, Nigeria, the Arabian gulf, Ukraine and Poland.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ByeaAgAAQBAJ&q=atlanta+immigrants+eritrea+nigeria&pg=PA61 |title = The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 2: Geography|isbn = 9780807877210|last1 = Pillsbury|first1 = Richard|date = February 2014}}</ref> Within a few decades, and in keeping with national trends, immigrants from England, Ireland, and German-speaking central Europe were no longer the majority of Atlanta's foreign-born population. The city's Italians included immigrants from northern Italy, many of whom had been in Atlanta since the 1890s; more recent arrivals from southern Italy; and Sephardic Jews from the Isle of Rhodes, which Italy had seized from Turkey in 1912.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/743657|title=Toward an "Immigrant Turn" in Jewish Entrepreneurial History: A View from the New South|first=Marni|last=Davis|date=December 17, 2019|journal=American Jewish History|volume=103|issue=4|pages=429–456|via=Project MUSE|doi=10.1353/ajh.2019.0046|s2cid=213779756}}</ref>
 
The largest Hispanic ancestries in Atlanta are Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Hispanic&g=1600000US1304000&tid=ACSDT5Y2020.B03001 | title=Explore Census Data }}</ref>
 
Of the total population five years and older, 83.3% spoke only English at home, while 8.8% spoke Spanish, 3.9% another Indo-European language, and 2.8% an Asian language.<ref>U.S. Census 2008 American Community Survey</ref> 7.3% of Atlantans were born abroad ([[List of U.S. cities by foreign-born population|86th]] in the US).<ref name="AtlCensus"/><ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ByeaAgAAQBAJ&q=atlanta+immigrants+india+mexico+korea&pg=PA61 |title = The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 2: Geography|isbn = 9780807877210|last1 = Pillsbury|first1 = Richard|date = February 2014}}</ref> Atlanta's dialect has traditionally been a variation of [[Southern American English]]. The [[Chattahoochee River]] long formed a border between the [[Southern American English#Dialects|Coastal Southern]] and [[Southern American English#Dialects|Southern Appalachian]] dialects.<ref name=dyer>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qeECAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA86 |title="Tongue Twisters"|magazine= Atlanta magazine |date= December 2003 |access-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref> Because of the development of corporate headquarters in the region, attracting migrants from other areas of the country, by 2003, ''[[Atlanta (magazine)|Atlanta]]'' magazine concluded that Atlanta had become significantly "de-Southernized". A Southern accent was considered a handicap in some circumstances.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=seECAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA80 |title="Too Southern for Atlanta"|magazine=Atlanta magazine |date=February 2003|access-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref> In general, Southern accents are less prevalent among residents of the city and inner suburbs and among younger people; they are more common in the outer suburbs and among older people.<ref name=dyer/> At the same time, some residents of the city speak in Southern variations of [[African-American English]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Bonesteel |first=Amy |url=http://www.atlantamagazine.com/southern/atlanta-accent/ |title=Is There an Atlanta Accent? |work=Atlanta |date=November 1, 2012 |access-date=July 31, 2017}}</ref>
 
=== Sexual orientation and gender identity ===
{{See also|LGBT rights in Georgia (U.S. state)|Atlanta Pride|Atlanta Black Pride}}
 
Atlanta has a thriving and diverse [[LGBT|lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)]] community. According to a 2006 survey by the [[Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy|Williams Institute]], Atlanta ranked third among major American cities, behind [[San Francisco]] and slightly behind [[Seattle]], with 12.8% of the city's total population identifying as LGBT.<ref name="LGBTsurvey">{{cite web |url=http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Gates-Same-Sex-Couples-GLB-Pop-ACS-Oct-2006.pdf |title=Same-sex Couples and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Population: New Estimates from the American Community Survey |author=Gary J. Gates |date=October 2006 |website=The Williams Institute |publisher=The Williams Institute |access-date=June 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609015224/http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Gates-Same-Sex-Couples-GLB-Pop-ACS-Oct-2006.pdf |archive-date=June 9, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Midtown Atlanta|Midtown]] and [[Cheshire Bridge Road|Cheshire Bridge]] areas have historically been the epicenters of [[LGBT culture]] in Atlanta.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.greatamericancountry.com/places/local-life/atlanta-gay-friendly-neighborhoods|title=Atlanta Gay-Friendly Neighborhoods|website=Great American Country|last=Aguirre|first=Holly|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref> Atlanta formed a reputation for being a progressive place of tolerance after former mayor [[Ivan Allen Jr.]] dubbed it "the city too busy to hate" in the 1960s (referring to racial relations).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theatlanta100.com/history/atlanta-history/2020/04/09/atlanta-too-busy-to-hate/20219|title=Atlanta: 'The City Too Busy To Hate'|website=The Atlanta 100|date=April 9, 2020|access-date=November 7, 2020|last=Thompson|first=Taylor}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/life/preserving-atlantas-gay-history/ORUQG5KWDFF3BEASI5IZEIUE4Q/|title=Preserving Atlanta's gay history|last=Bentley|first=Rosalind|date=August 7, 2020|website=AJC|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.atlantamagazine.com/news-culture-articles/how-long-can-we-keep-cheshire-bridge-weird/|title=How long can we keep Cheshire Bridge weird?|last=Henry|first=Scott|date=August 23, 2019|website=Atlanta|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4823041/rainbow-crosswalk-atlanta-lgbtq-pride-month/|title=This Rainbow Crosswalk Is Now a Permanent Fixture of LGBTQ Pride|last=Calfas|first=Jennifer|date=June 18, 2017|magazine=Time|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref>
 
=== Religion ===
[[Religion in Atlanta]], while historically centered on [[Protestant Christianity]], now encompasses many faiths, as a result of the city and metro area's increasingly international population. Some 63% of residents identified as some type of Protestant according to the [[Pew Research Center]] in 2014,<ref>{{cite web|last=Lipka|first=Michael|title=Major U.S. metropolitan areas differ in their religious profiles|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/29/major-u-s-metropolitan-areas-differ-in-their-religious-profiles/|access-date=2022-01-06|website=Pew Research Center|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/ |title=America's Changing Religious Landscape |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]]: Religion & Public Life |date=May 12, 2015}}</ref> but in recent decades the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta|Catholic Church]] has increased in numbers and influence because of new migrants to the region. Metro Atlanta also has numerous ethnic or national Christian congregations, including Korean and Indian churches. Per the [[Public Religion Research Institute]] in 2020, overall, 73% of the population identify with some tradition or [[Christian denomination|denomination of Christianity]];<ref>{{cite web |title=PRRI – American Values Atlas |url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/MetroAreas/religion/m/1 |access-date=2022-07-14 |website=ava.prri.org}}</ref> despite continuing religious diversification, [[Black church|historically African American Protestant churches]] continue prevalence in the whole metropolitan area alongside historic [[Black Catholicism|Black Catholic]] churches. The larger non-Christian faiths according to both studies are [[Judaism]], [[Islam]], and [[Hinduism]]. Overall, there are over 1,000 places of worship within Atlanta.<ref name="infoplease">{{cite web|url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108481.html|title=Atlanta, Ga. |work= Information Please Database |publisher= Pearson Education, Inc |access-date=May 17, 2006}}</ref>
 
==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Atlanta}}
[[File:Coca Cola Building from condo buidling at Peachtree St and North Ave.JPG|thumb|upright|[[The Coca-Cola Company]] world headquarters]]
 
With a GDP of $385&nbsp;billion,<ref name=gdp2017>{{cite news|url=https://www.bea.gov/system/files/2018-09/gdp_metro0918_0.pdf|title=Gross Domestic Product by Metropolitan Area, 2017|publisher=[[Bureau of Economic Analysis]]|access-date=September 2, 2018|date=September 20, 2018}}</ref> the [[Atlanta metropolitan area]]'s economy is the [[List of cities by GDP|10th-largest in the country and among the 20-largest in the world]]. Corporate operations play a major role in Atlanta's economy, as the city claims the nation's third-largest concentration of [[Fortune 500]] companies. It also hosts the global headquarters of several corporations such as [[The Coca-Cola Company]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.coca-colacompany.com/careers/who-we-are/locations|title=Locations: Our home in Atlanta|website=[[The Coca Cola Company]]|access-date=August 12, 2022}}</ref> [[The Home Depot]], [[Delta Air Lines]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.delta.com/us/en/legal/imprint|title=Imprint – Delta Air lines|website=delta.com|publisher=[[Delta Air Lines]]|access-date=August 12, 2022}}</ref> [[Arby's]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.arbys.com/about-us/|title=About Arby's: Who We Are And What We Do|website=[[Arby's]]|access-date=June 26, 2022}}</ref> [[AT&T Mobility]], [[Georgia-Pacific]], [[Chick-fil-A]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chick-fil-a.com/about/who-we-are|title=Who we are - More Than The Original Chicken Sandwich|website=[[Chick-fil-A]]|access-date=June 26, 2022}}</ref> [[Church's Chicken]], [[Dunkin Donuts]], [[Norfolk Southern Railway]], [[Mercedes-Benz USA]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mbusa.com/en/legal-notices/privacy-statement|title=Contact us: Mercedes-Benz USA|website=[[Mercedes-Benz]]|access-date=June 26, 2022}}</ref> [[Newell Brands]], and [[United Parcel Service|UPS]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://about.ups.com/us/en/contact-us.html|title=Contact Us – About UPS|publisher=[[United Parcel Service|UPS]]|access-date=August 12, 2022}}</ref> Over 75% of [[Fortune 1000]] companies conduct business operations in the city's metro area, and the region hosts offices of over 1,250 multinational corporations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2011/cities/|title=Fortune 500 2011: Cities with most companies|website=Fortune}}</ref> Many corporations are drawn to the city by its educated workforce; {{As of|2014|lc=y}}, 45% of adults aged 25 or older residing in the city have at least four-year college degrees, compared to the national average of 28%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_5YR/S1501/1600000US1304000|title=Educational Attainment 2010–2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates Atlanta, Georgia|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=September 9, 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213101435/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_5YR/S1501/1600000US1304000|archive-date=February 13, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/S1501/0100000US1600000US1304000|title=Educational Attainment 2010–2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates U.S|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=September 9, 2016}}{{dead link|date=February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/betting-on-Atlanta/|title=Betting on Atlanta|work=[[The New York Times]] |first=Edward L.|last=Glaeser}}</ref>
 
Atlanta started as a railroad town, and [[logistics]] has been a major component of the city's economy to this day. Atlanta serves as an important rail junction and contains major [[classification yard]]s for [[Norfolk Southern]] and [[CSX Transportation|CSX]]. Since its construction in the 1950s, [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]] has served as a key engine of the city's economic growth.<ref name="allen">{{cite book |last=Allen |first=Frederick |title=Atlanta Rising |year=1996 |publisher=Longstreet Press |location=Atlanta, Georgia |isbn=1-56352-296-9}}</ref> Delta Air Lines, the city's largest employer and the metro area's third-largest, operates the world's largest airline hub at Hartsfield-Jackson, and it has helped make it the [[world's busiest airport]], in terms of both passenger traffic and aircraft operations.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce]] |title = Atlanta's top employers, 2006 |url=http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/macoc/business/img/TopEmployers2006.pdf |access-date=August 8, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070225123824/http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/macoc/business/img/TopEmployers2006.pdf |archive-date = February 25, 2007}}</ref> Partly due to the airport, Atlanta has been also a hub for diplomatic missions; {{As of|2017|lc=y}}, the city contains [[List of diplomatic missions in Atlanta|26 consulates general]], the seventh-highest concentration of diplomatic missions in the US.<ref name="Consulates">{{cite web|title=CONSULAR OFFICES|url=http://www.georgia.org/business-resources/international-relations/consular-offices/|website=Georgia.org|publisher=Georgia Department of Economic Development|access-date=February 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207112711/http://www.georgia.org/business-resources/international-relations/consular-offices/|archive-date=February 7, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
Broadcasting is also an important aspect of Atlanta's economy. In the 1980s, media mogul [[Ted Turner]] founded the [[Cable News Network]] (CNN) and the [[Turner Broadcasting System]] (TBS) in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/about|title=About CNN Digital|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=August 12, 2022}}</ref> Around the same time, [[Cox Enterprises]], now the nation's third-largest [[cable television]] service and the publisher of over a dozen American newspapers, moved its headquarters to the city.<ref name="CoxHQ">{{cite web|title=Atlanta Headquarters|url=https://www.cox.com/aboutus/headquarters.html|website=cox.com|publisher=Cox Communications, Inc.|access-date=February 6, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128174133/https://www.cox.com/aboutus/headquarters.html|archive-date=January 28, 2017}}</ref> [[The Weather Channel]] is also based just outside of the city in suburban [[Cobb County]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://weather.com/|title=The Official website of The Weather Channel|website=weather.com|publisher=[[The Weather Channel]]|access-date=April 23, 2022}}</ref> [[File:CNN Atlanta Newsroom.jpg|thumb|The CNN newsroom|alt=]]
 
[[Information technology]] (IT) has become an increasingly important part of Atlanta's economic output, earning the city the nickname the "[[Silicon peach]]". {{As of|2013}}, Atlanta contains the fourth-largest concentration of IT jobs in the US, numbering 85,000+. The city is also ranked as the sixth fastest-growing for IT jobs, with an employment growth of 4.8% in 2012 and a three-year growth near 9%, or 16,000 jobs. Companies are drawn to Atlanta's lower costs and educated workforce.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2013/05/23/the-cities-winning-the-battle-for-information-jobs/ |title=The Cities Winning The Battle For Information Jobs |magazine=Forbes |date=April 18, 2012 |access-date=June 2, 2013 |first=Joel |last=Kotkin}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print-edition/2011/10/28/growing-our-region-as-high-tech-hub.html |title=Growing our region as high-tech hub – Atlanta Business Chronicle |publisher=Bizjournals.com |date=October 28, 2011 |access-date=June 2, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author= tsabulis |url=http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-forward/2012/12/19/technology-thriving/ |title=Technology thriving {{pipe}} Atlanta Forward |publisher=Blogs.ajc.com |date=December 19, 2012 |access-date=June 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224082302/http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-forward/2012/12/19/technology-thriving/ |archive-date=December 24, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=295449 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130616031235/http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=295449 |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 16, 2013 |title=Atlanta becoming Southeast "Silicon Valley" |publisher=11alive.com |date=June 6, 2013 |access-date=June 10, 2013 }}</ref>
 
Recently, Atlanta has been the [[Economy of Atlanta#Film and television|center for film and television production]], largely because of the [[Georgia Department of Economic Development#Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act|Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act]], which awards qualified productions a transferable income tax credit of 20% of all in-state costs for film and television investments of $500,000 or more.<ref name=TVfilm>{{cite news |last1=Watson |first1=Andrea V. |title=Georgia Ranks No. 1 In Film Production With Perry, 'Ozark,' More |url=https://patch.com/georgia/atlanta/georgia-ranks-number-1-film-production |access-date=August 9, 2020 |work=[[Patch (website)|Patch]] |publisher=Patch Media |date=August 4, 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200809194131/https://patch.com/georgia/atlanta/georgia-ranks-number-1-film-production|archive-date= August 9, 2020}}</ref><ref name=ded>{{cite web|url=https://www.georgia.org/industries/film-entertainment/georgia-film-tv-production/resources-frequently-asked-questions|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213175803/http://www.georgia.org/GeorgiaIndustries/Entertainment/FilmTV/Pages/FilmFacts.aspx|url-status=dead|title=Film in Georgia |archive-date=February 13, 2012|website=Georgia Department of Economic Development}}</ref> Film and television production facilities based in Atlanta include [[Turner Entertainment|Turner Studios]], [[Pinewood Atlanta Studios]], [[Tyler Perry Studios]], [[Williams Street]] Productions, and the [[EUE/Screen Gems]] soundstages. Film and television production injected $9.5&nbsp;billion into Georgia's economy in 2017, with Atlanta garnering most of the projects.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/07/10/georgias-film-industry-generates-9-5-billion.html|title=Georgia's film industry generates $9.5 billion economic impact in fiscal 2017|date=July 10, 2017|work=Atlanta Business Chronicle|access-date=September 28, 2018}}</ref> Atlanta has emerged as the all-time most popular destination for film production in the United States and one of the 10 most popular destinations globally.<ref name=TVfilm/><ref name=10Ho>{{cite web|last1=Ho|first1=Rodney|title=Atlanta is the 10th most popular city for TV and film production in the world|url=https://www.myajc.com/blog/radiotvtalk/atlanta-the-10th-most-popular-city-for-and-film-production-the-world/priYfHYxkBJjGGL2b2XlQL/|website=myajc.com|publisher=Cox Media Group|access-date=July 1, 2018}} [https://www.ajc.com/blog/radiotvtalk/atlanta-the-10th-most-popular-city-for-and-film-production-the-world/priYfHYxkBJjGGL2b2XlQL/ Alt URL]</ref>
 
Compared to other American cities, Atlanta's economy in the past had been disproportionately affected by the [[2007–2012 global financial crisis|2008 financial crisis]] and the [[Great Recession|subsequent recession]], with the city's economy being ranked 68th among 100 American cities in a September 2014 report due to an elevated unemployment rate, declining real income levels, and a depressed housing market.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brookings.edu/research/interactives/metromonitor#/M12060|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029021850/http://www.brookings.edu/research/interactives/metromonitor|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 29, 2012|title= "Metro Monitor – September 2014 – Atlanta – Sandy Springs – Marietta Georgia", Brookings Institution|date=September 26, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/business-boosters-admit-atlanta-crisis-amid-effort-boost-city-economy/hfG5Euk2RNKOvIxONQi5gN/|title=Business boosters admit Atlanta in 'crisis' amid effort to boost city's economy| author=Bluestein, Greg | date=June 25, 2012 | newspaper=Atlanta Journal-Constitution | access-date=June 4, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ajc.com/opinion/new-olympic-moment/S3UWICR2OFHP3NBB3CSDQZ4P5U/|title=New Olympic moment|access-date=June 4, 2021 |author=Leinberger, Christopher B. | date=May 28, 2012 | newspaper=Atlanta Journal-Constitution }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/opinion/hotlanta-isn-what-once-was/ImxwAjPHGPO6u8gz3nNecP/|title='Hotlanta' isn't what it once was|access-date=June 4, 2021 |date=January 25, 2012 | author=Leinberger, Christopher B. | newspaper=Atlanta Journal-Constitution }}</ref> From 2010 to 2011, Atlanta saw a 0.9% contraction in employment and plateauing income growth at 0.4%. Although unemployment had decreased to 7% by late 2014, this was still higher than the national unemployment rate of 5.8%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/morning_call/2014/11/metro-atlanta-unemployment-rate-falls-to-7-percent.html|title=Metro Atlanta unemployment rate falls to 7 percent|date=November 27, 2014|work=Atlanta Business Chronicle|access-date=June 12, 2015}}</ref> Atlanta's housing market has also struggled, with home prices dropping by 2.1% in January 2012, reaching levels not seen since 1996. Compared with a year earlier, the average home price in Atlanta plummeted to 17.3% in February 2012, thus becoming the largest annual drop in the history of the index for any American or global city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-home-prices-drop-6th-130235133.html|title= "US home prices drop for 6th straight month", Christopher s. Rugaber, Associated Press|date=April 24, 2012|work=Yahoo Finance|access-date=October 28, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/business/economy/in-atlanta-housing-woes-reflect-nations-economic-pain.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/business/economy/in-atlanta-housing-woes-reflect-nations-economic-pain.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited|title=In Atlanta, Housing Woes Reflect Nation's Pain|date=February 1, 2012|work=The New York Times}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The decline in home prices prompted some economists to deem Atlanta the worst housing market in the nation at the height of the depression.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/atlanta-is-the-worst-housing-market-in-the-country-2012-3|title= Presenting: The Worst Housing Market in the Country |last=Platt|first=Eric|date=March 27, 2012|work=Business Insider|access-date=October 28, 2014}}</ref> Nevertheless, the city's real estate market has resurged since 2012, so much median home value and rent growth significantly outpaced the national average by 2018, thanks to a rapidly-growing regional economy.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.myajc.com/business/atlanta-rent-growth-among-nation-fastest/fZ7DCMDwjEjiH004ZqzP1L/|title= Atlanta rent growth among nation's fastest |last=Kanell|first=Michael|date=March 26, 2018|work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://atlanta.curbed.com/2018/4/17/17247758/atlanta-housing-prices-sales-remax|title= Atlanta housing price gains have (yikes) nearly doubled national average |last=Green|first=Josh|date=April 17, 2018|publisher=[[Curbed]]|access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/atlanta-named-among-america-fastest-growing-economies-new-ranking/uT3CYl472BJckpY8liW57J/|title= Atlanta named among America's fastest-growing economies in new ranking|last=Pirani|first=Fiza|date=October 3, 2017|work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref>
 
==Arts and culture==
[[File:Museum oF Design Atlanta.jpg|thumb|[[Museum of Design Atlanta|The Museum of Design Atlanta]] (MODA)]]
 
Atlanta is noted for its lack of [[Southern United States|Southern]] culture. This is due to a large population of migrants from other parts of the U.S., in addition to many recent [[Immigration to the United States|immigrants to the U.S.]] who have made the metropolitan area their home, establishing Atlanta as the cultural and economic hub of an increasingly [[Multi-culturalism|multi-cultural]] metropolitan area.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bureau|first=US Census|title=Census.gov|url=https://www.census.gov/en.html|access-date=2022-01-06|website=Census.gov|language=EN-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Garner |first1=Marcus K. |last2=Schneider |first2=Craig |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/foreign-born-population-continues-grow-metro-atlanta/tO8S1vQ3sJN4dfWKtwXFYK/ |title=Foreign-born population continues to grow in metro Atlanta |newspaper=Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=December 18, 2010 |access-date=June 4, 2021}}</ref> Thus, although traditional Southern culture is part of Atlanta's cultural fabric, it is mostly a footnote to one of the nation's most cosmopolitan cities. This unique cultural combination reveals itself in the arts district of Midtown, the quirky neighborhoods on the city's [[Eastside (Atlanta)|eastside]], and the multi-ethnic enclaves found along [[Buford Highway]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frommers.com/destinations/atlanta/0002010001.html |title=Introduction in Atlanta at Frommer's |publisher=Frommers.com |access-date=June 27, 2011}}</ref>
 
===Arts and theater===
{{Main|Arts in Atlanta}}
Atlanta is one of few United States cities with permanent, professional, and resident companies in all major performing arts disciplines: opera ([[Atlanta Opera]]), ballet ([[Atlanta Ballet]]), orchestral music ([[Atlanta Symphony Orchestra]]), and theater (the [[Alliance Theatre]]). Atlanta attracts many touring Broadway acts, concerts, shows, and exhibitions catering to a variety of interests. Atlanta's performing arts district is concentrated in [[Midtown Atlanta]] at the [[Woodruff Arts Center]], which is home to the [[Atlanta Symphony Orchestra]] and the [[Alliance Theatre]]. The city frequently hosts touring Broadway acts, especially at The [[Fox Theatre (Atlanta, Georgia)|Fox Theatre]], a historic landmark among the highest-grossing theaters of its size.<ref>{{cite web|quote="1988: ''Performance'' magazine names the Fox Theatre the number one grossing theater in the 3,000–5,000 seat category with the most events, the greatest box office receipts, and the highest attendance in the U.S. and 2009: Billboard magazine names the Fox the No. 1 non-residency theater for the decade with 5,000 seats or less."|url=http://www.foxtheatre.org/foxtimeline.aspx|title=Fox Timeline|website=Fox Theatre|access-date=February 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314030422/https://foxtheatre.org/foxtimeline.aspx|archive-date=March 14, 2014}}</ref>
 
As a national center for the arts,<ref>{{cite journal |title=Top 25 Big Cities |first=Jennifer |last= Clary |date=Summer 2010 |journal=[[AmericanStyle]] |issue=72}}</ref> Atlanta is home to significant art museums and institutions. The renowned [[High Museum of Art]] is arguably the South's leading art museum. The [[Museum of Design Atlanta]] (MODA) and the SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film are the only such museums in the Southeast.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.museumofdesign.org/history/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202194928/http://www.museumofdesign.org/history/ | access-date=February 13, 2017 | archive-date=February 2, 2017 | url-status=dead | title=History – MODA | publisher=Museum of Design Atlanta }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/arts--theater/new-scad-atlanta-museum-dedicated-fashion-open-october/4oTZ8zfpAPFZBulzDar5ZM/|title= New SCAD-Atlanta museum dedicated to fashion to open in October|last=Feaster|first=Felicia|date=August 28, 2015|work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref> Contemporary art museums include the [[Atlanta Contemporary Art Center]] and the [[Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia]]. Institutions of higher education contribute to Atlanta's art scene, with the Savannah College of Art and Design's Atlanta campus providing the city's arts community with a steady stream of curators, and Emory University's [[Michael C. Carlos Museum]] containing the largest collection of ancient art in the Southeast.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://travel.aol.com/travel-guide/united-states/georgia/atlanta-photo-michael-c-carlos-museum-pid-6093735/ |title=Michael C. Carlos Museum Pictures, Atlanta, GA – AOL Travel |publisher=Travel.aol.com |access-date=June 27, 2011}}</ref> In nearby [[Athens, Georgia|Athens]] is the [[Georgia Museum of Art]] that is associated with the [[University of Georgia]] and is both an academic museum and the official art museum of the state of Georgia.<ref>{{citation |title= State Art Museum |work= State Symbols |publisher= Office of Secretary of State |url= https://sos.ga.gov/state_symbols/state_art_museum.htm |access-date= June 24, 2019}}</ref>
 
Atlanta has become one of the USA's best cities for [[street art]] in recent years.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/16/street-art-american-cities_n_7594180.html|title=The 19 Best Cities To See Street Art In The United States|last=Brooks|first=Katherine|date=June 16, 2015|work=Huffington Post|access-date=January 24, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> It is home to [[Living Walls]], an annual street art conference and the [https://outerspaceproject.com Outerspace Project], an annual event series that merges public art, live music, design, action sports, and culture. Examples of [[street art in Atlanta]] can be found on the [https://streetartmap.org Atlanta Street Art Map].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.accessatlanta.com/news/local/new-website-provides-street-art-map-murals-all-over-atlanta/axKnRtljbLBEqoXrMUT3PL/|title=New website provides street art map to murals all over Atlanta|work=accessatlanta|access-date=January 24, 2018}}</ref>
 
===Music===
{{Main|Music of Atlanta}}
[[File:Tabernacle wide.jpg|thumbnail|The stage of the [[Tabernacle (concert hall)]] during a live performance by the band STS9]]
 
Atlanta has played a major or contributing role in the development of various genres of American music at different points in the city's history. Beginning as early as the 1920s, Atlanta emerged as a center for [[country music]], which was brought to the city by migrants from [[Appalachia]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Wayne W. Daniel |title=Pickin' on Peachtree: A History of Country Music in Atlanta, Georgia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UzSc88iNbXkC |year=2001 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-06968-0}}</ref> During the [[Counterculture of the 1960s|countercultural 1960s]], Atlanta hosted the [[Atlanta International Pop Festival (1969)|Atlanta International Pop Festival]], with the 1969 festival taking place more than a month before [[Woodstock]] and featuring many of the same bands. The city was also a center for [[Southern rock]] during its 1970s heyday: the [[Allman Brothers Band]]'s hit instrumental "[[Hot 'Lanta]]" is an ode to the city, while [[Lynyrd Skynyrd]]'s famous live rendition of "[[Free Bird]]" was recorded at the [[Fox Theatre (Atlanta, Georgia)|Fox Theatre]] in 1976, with lead singer [[Ronnie Van Zant]] directing the band to "play it pretty for Atlanta".<ref>{{cite news |title=Rock's Top Southern Sound Viewed as Lynyrd Skynyrd |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7MtVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6799%2C459278 |newspaper=The Robesonian |location=Lumberton, N.C. |date=November 7, 1976 |access-date=October 28, 2014}}</ref> During the 1980s, Atlanta had an active [[punk rock]] scene centered on two of the city's music venues, [[688 Club]] and the Metroplex, and Atlanta famously played host to the [[Sex Pistols]]' first U.S. show, which was performed at the Great Southeastern Music Hall.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://clatl.com/atlanta/atlanta-punk-a-reunion-for-688-and-metroplex/Content?oid=1275596 |title= Atlanta punk! A reunion for 688 and Metroplex |last=Henry |first=Scott |date=October 1, 2008 |work=Creative Loafing|access-date=October 28, 2014}}</ref> The 1990s saw the city produce major mainstream acts across many different musical genres. Country music artist [[Travis Tritt]], and R&B sensations [[Xscape (group)|Xscape]], [[TLC (group)|TLC]], [[Usher (musician)|Usher]] and [[Toni Braxton]], were just some of the musicians who call Atlanta home. The city also gave birth to [[Atlanta hip hop]], a subgenre that gained relevance and success with the introduction of the home-grown Atlantans known as [[Outkast]], along with other [[Dungeon Family]] artists such as [[Organized Noize]] and [[Goodie Mob]]; however, it was not until the 2000s that Atlanta moved "from the margins to becoming hip-hop's center of gravity with another sub-genre called [[Crunk]], part of a larger shift in hip-hop innovation to the South and East".<ref name=nyt>{{Cite news|last=Caramanica|first=Jon|date=2009-12-11|title=Gucci Mane, No Holds Barred|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/arts/music/13gucci.html|access-date=2022-01-06|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Also in the 2000s, Atlanta was recognized by the Brooklyn-based ''[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]'' magazine for its [[indie rock]] scene, which revolves around the various live music venues found on the city's alternative [[Eastside (Atlanta)|eastside]].<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news |last = Radford |first = Chad |title = Damn hipsters: Is Atlanta falling prey to its indie cachet? |url = http://clatl.com/atlanta/damn-hipsters-is-atlanta-falling-prey-to-its-indie-cachet/Content?oid=1278176 |work=Creative Loafing |date = February 25, 2009 |access-date=February 25, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Hines |first=Jack |url=https://www.vice.com/read/intro-100-guide-atlanta |title=The VICE Guide to Atlanta |publisher=VICE |access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref> To facilitate further local development, the state government provides qualified businesses and productions a 15% transferable income tax credit for in-state costs of music investments.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Wicker |first=Jewel |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7997377/atlanta-music-industry-next-creative-business-hub |title=Can Atlanta Become the Music Industry's Next Business Hub? |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=October 11, 2017 |access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref> [[Trap music]] became popular in Atlanta, and has since become a hub for popular trap artists and producers due to the success of [[Lil Baby]], [[T.I.]], [[Young Jeezy]], [[21 Savage]], [[Gucci Mane]], [[Future (rapper)|Future]], [[Migos]], [[Lil Yachty]], [[Playboi Carti]], [[2 Chainz]] and [[Young Thug]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.atlantamagazine.com/list/20-reasons-why-atlanta-americas-music-capital/we-are-trap/|title=20 Reasons Why Atlanta is America's Music Capital|page=1|website=[[Atlanta (magazine)|Atlanta]]|date=May 11, 2018|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/remember-chainz-pink-trap-house-going-torn-down/q5K56M1MdI4L7W9Y3LCGSK/|title=Remember 2 Chainz's Pink Trap House? It's going to be torn down|website=AJC|date=July 13, 2018|last=Northam|first=Mitchell|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://happymag.tv/the-rise-and-fall-and-rise-again-of-atlanta-trap-music/|title=The rise and fall and rise again of Atlanta trap music|last=Saunders|first=Luke|date=February 4, 2020|website=HappyMag.tv|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref>
 
===Film and television===
As the national leader for motion picture and television production,<ref name=TVfilm/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://atlantafi.com/heres-the-list-of-movies-being-filmed-in-atlanta-georgia-in-2019/|title=Here are the movies being filmed in Atlanta right now|publisher=AtlantaFi.com|access-date=April 2, 2019}}</ref> and a top ten global leader,<ref name=10Ho/><ref name=TVfilm/> Atlanta plays a significant role in the entertainment industry. Atlanta is considered a hub for filmmakers of [[person of color|color]] and houses [[Tyler Perry Studios]] (first African-American owned major studio) and Areu Bros. Studios (first Latino-American owned major studio).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2020/03/01/industry-leaders-say-tyler-perry-has-paved-the-way-for-filmmakers-of-color-to-succeed-in-georgia/4747702002/|title='Hollywood of the South:' After a decade, industry leaders succeed in making Atlanta a hub for filmmakers of color |last=Ellis|first=Nicquel Terry|date=March 1, 2020|website=USA Today|language=en-US|access-date=March 1, 2020}}</ref> Atlanta doubles for other parts of the world and fictional settlements in blockbuster productions, among them the newer titles from [[The Fast and the Furious|''The Fast and the Furious'' franchise]] and [[Marvel Studios|Marvel]] features such as ''[[Ant-Man (film)|Ant-Man]]'' (2015), ''[[Captain America: Civil War]]'' (2016), ''[[Black Panther (film)|Black Panther]]'' and ''[[Avengers: Infinity War]]'' (both 2018).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/04/13/how-much-did-fast-furious-8-spend-filming-in.html |title=How much did 'Fast & Furious 8' spend filming in Georgia?|first=Ellie |last=Hensley |date=April 13, 2017|work=Atlanta Business Chronicle |access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |url=https://deadline.com/2017/04/marvel-black-panther-california-tax-credit-kevin-feige-atlanta-1202071374/ |title=Marvel Boss Says He'd 'Love To' Shoot Blockbuster Films In California, But Tax Incentives 'A Big Part' Why They're Not |work=[[Deadline (magazine)|Deadline Hollywood]] |date=April 18, 2017 |access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref> On the other hand, ''[[Gone with the Wind (1939 film)|Gone With the Wind]]'' (1939), ''[[Smokey and the Bandit]]'' (1977), ''[[Sharky's Machine (film)|Sharkey's Machine]]'' (1981), ''[[The Slugger's Wife]]'' (1985), ''[[Driving Miss Daisy (film)|Driving Miss Daisy]]'' (1989), ''[[ATL (film)|ATL]]'' (2006), and ''[[Baby Driver]]'' (2017) are among several notable examples of films actually set in Atlanta.<ref>Barth, Jack (1991) ''Roadside Hollywood: The Movie Lover's State-By-State Guide to Film Locations, Celebrity Hangouts, Celluloid Tourist Attractions, and More''. Contemporary Books. Page 157. {{ISBN|9780809243266}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2017/06/baby-driver-loves-atlanta|title='Baby Driver' Is a High Octane Love Letter to Atlanta|first=Justin|last=Days|date=June 28, 2017|work=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]|access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref> The city also provides the backdrop for shows such as ''[[Ozark (TV series)|Ozark]]'', ''[[Watchmen (TV series)|Watchmen]]'', ''[[The Walking Dead (TV series)|The Walking Dead]]'', ''[[Stranger Things]]'', ''[[Love is Blind (TV series)|Love is Blind]]'', ''[[Star (TV series)|Star]]'', ''[[Dolly Parton's Heartstrings (TV series)|Dolly Parton's Heartstrings]]'', ''[[The Outsider (miniseries)|The Outsider]]'', ''[[The Vampire Diaries]]'' and ''[[Atlanta (TV series)|Atlanta]]'', in addition to a myriad of [[animated series|animated]] and [[reality television]] programming.<ref name=TVfilm/><ref>{{cite web|last=Marquez |first=Jennifer |url=https://www.atlantamagazine.com/news-culture-articles/why-reality-tv-shows-flocking-to-atlanta/ |title=Here's why reality TV shows keep flocking to Atlanta |work=[[Atlanta (magazine)|Atlanta]] |date=May 9, 2017 |access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/four-animated-shows-you-didn-know-were-made-atlanta/vDAvYrrG5naHeSRLTiUimK/|title= Four animated shows you didn't know were made in Atlanta|last=Watson|first=Melanie|date=April 1, 2015|work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref>
 
===Festivals===
{{Main|Festivals in Atlanta}}
Atlanta has more festivals than any city in the southeastern United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://atlantafi.com/2019-atlanta-festivals-guide-live-music-good-food-drinks-galore/|title=All the 2019 Atlanta festivals|date=June 19, 2019 |publisher=AtlantaFi.com|access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref>
 
Some notable festivals in Atlanta include [[Shaky Knees Music Festival]], [[Dragon Con]], the [[Peachtree Road Race]], [[Music Midtown]], the [[Atlanta Film Festival]], [[National Black Arts Festival]], [[Honda Battle of the Bands]], [[Festival Peachtree Latino]], [[Atlanta Pride]], the neighborhood festivals in [[Inman Park]], [[Atkins Park]], [[Virginia-Highland Summerfest|Virginia-Highland (Summerfest)]], and the [[Little Five Points]] Halloween festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.l5phalloween.com/|title=Little 5 Points Halloween Festival & Parade|website=Little 5 Points Halloween Festival & Parade}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://365atlantatraveler.com/|title=Home – 365 Atlanta Traveler|website=365atlantatraveler.com}}</ref>
 
===Tourism===
{{Main|Tourism in Atlanta|List of museums in Atlanta|Cuisine of Atlanta}}
[[File:MLK's Boyhood home.jpg|thumb|left|Martin Luther King Jr.'s childhood home]]
[[File:The World of Coca-Cola.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|The [[World of Coca-Cola]]]]
 
{{As of|2010}}, Atlanta is the seventh-most visited city in the United States, with over 35&nbsp;million visitors per year.<ref name="Murray">{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/04/28/tourism-new-york-lifestyle-travel-las-vegas-cities_slide_5.html |work=Forbes |first=Valaer |last=Murray |title=List: America's Most-Visited Cities}}</ref> Although the most popular attraction among visitors to Atlanta is the [[Georgia Aquarium]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/members-and-donors/about-us.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101009013533/http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/members-and-donors/about-us.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 9, 2010 |title=Members & Donors {{pipe}} About Us |publisher=Georgia Aquarium |date=November 23, 2005 |access-date=June 27, 2011 }}</ref> the world's largest indoor aquarium,<ref>{{cite news |title = Big window to the sea |url = http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/11/21/new.ga.aquarium/index.html |work=CNN|access-date=January 1, 2008 |date=November 23, 2005}}</ref> Atlanta's tourism industry is mostly driven by the city's history museums and outdoor attractions. Atlanta contains a notable number of historical museums and sites, including the [[Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park]], which includes the preserved childhood home of Dr. [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], as well as his final resting place; the [[Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum]], which houses a massive painting and [[diorama]] in-the-round, with a rotating central audience platform, depicting the [[Battle of Atlanta]] in the Civil War; the [[World of Coca-Cola]], featuring the history of the world-famous soft drink brand and its well-known advertising; the [[College Football Hall of Fame]], which honors college football and its athletes; the [[National Center for Civil and Human Rights]], which explores the civil rights movement and its connection to contemporary [[human rights movement]]s throughout the world; the [[Carter Center]] and Presidential Library, housing U.S. President [[Jimmy Carter]]'s papers and other material relating to the Carter administration and the Carter family's life; and the [[Margaret Mitchell House and Museum]], where Mitchell wrote the best-selling novel ''[[Gone with the Wind (novel)|Gone with the Wind]]''.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}
 
Atlanta contains several outdoor attractions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cjnews.com/node/89451 |title=Many quiet delights to be found in Atlanta |work=The Canadian Jewish News |author=Nancy Wigston |date=March 2, 2012 |access-date=July 16, 2012 |archive-date=September 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918043907/http://www.cjnews.com/node/89451 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Atlanta Botanical Garden]], adjacent to Piedmont Park, is home to the {{convert|600|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} [[Atlanta Botanical Garden#Canopy Walk|Kendeda Canopy Walk]], a [[Skyway|skywalk]] that allows visitors to tour one of the city's last remaining [[urban forest]]s from {{convert|40|ft|m|}} above the ground. The Canopy Walk is the only canopy-level pathway of its kind in the United States.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} [[Zoo Atlanta]], in [[Grant Park (Atlanta)|Grant Park]], accommodates over 1,300 animals representing more than 220 species. Home to the nation's largest collections of gorillas and orangutans, the zoo is one of only four zoos in the U.S. to house [[giant panda]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://zooatlanta.org/about/our-story/history/pandas-to-present/|title=1999–2017: Pandas to Present |publisher=[[Zoo Atlanta]] |access-date=June 27, 2011}}</ref> Festivals showcasing arts and crafts, film, and music, including the [[Atlanta Dogwood Festival]], the [[Atlanta Film Festival]], and [[Music Midtown]], respectively, are also popular with tourists.<ref name=piedmonthist>{{cite web |title = Park History |publisher=Piedmont Park Conservancy |url = http://www.piedmontpark.org/history/history.html |access-date=July 7, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070704150329/http://www.piedmontpark.org/history/history.html |archive-date = July 4, 2007}}</ref>
 
Tourists are drawn to the city's culinary scene,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://atlantafi.com/best-new-atlanta-restaurants-to-try-in-2019/ |title=Best new Atlanta restaurants in 2019|publisher=AtlantaFi.com|access-date=July 27, 2019}}</ref> which comprises a mix of urban establishments garnering national attention, ethnic restaurants serving cuisine from every corner of the world, and traditional eateries specializing in Southern dining. Since the turn of the 21st century, Atlanta has emerged as a sophisticated restaurant town.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/12923158 |title=Frommer's best bets for dining in Atlanta |work=[[NBC News]] |date=May 30, 2006 |access-date=June 27, 2011}}</ref> Many restaurants opened in the city's [[Gentrification of Atlanta|gentrifying neighborhoods]] have received praise at the national level, including Bocado, Bacchanalia, and Miller Union in [[West Midtown]], Empire State South in [[Midtown Atlanta|Midtown]], and Two Urban Licks and [[Kevin Rathbun|Rathbun's]] on the [[Eastside (Atlanta)|east side]].<ref name="online.wsj.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.twourbanlicks.com/p/about-two.html |title=About two |publisher=TWO urban licks |access-date=June 27, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kevinrathbun.com/details-magazine.html |title=Details Magazine – Official Site |publisher=Kevinrathbun.com |access-date=June 27, 2011 |archive-date=November 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101160854/http://www.kevinrathbun.com/details-magazine.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2010/11/18/america-s-hottest-new-restaurants.html |title=America's Hottest New Restaurants |website=The Daily Beast |date=November 18, 2010 |access-date=June 27, 2011}}</ref> In 2011, ''The New York Times'' characterized Empire State South and Miller Union as reflecting "a new kind of sophisticated Southern sensibility centered on the farm but experienced in the city".<ref>{{cite news |last=Severson |first=Kim |url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/travel/08choice-atlanta.html |title=Atlanta serves sophisticated Southern |department=Atlanta (Ga) |work=The New York Times |date=May 6, 2011 |access-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref> Visitors seeking to sample international Atlanta are directed to [[Buford Highway]], the city's international corridor, and suburban [[Gwinnett County, Georgia|Gwinnett County]]. There, the nearly-million [[immigrants]] that make Atlanta home have established various authentic ethnic restaurants representing virtually every nationality on the globe.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stuart|first=Gwynedd|url=http://clatl.com/atlanta/highway-to-heaven/Content?oid=1248435|title=Highway to heaven|work=Creative Loafing|date=June 24, 2004|access-date=June 27, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Yeomans |first=Curt |url=https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/local/gwinnett-a-large-draw-for-koreans-in-georgia/article_02338702-b0a7-56af-9dbd-355df0fd17ac.html |title=Gwinnett a large draw for Koreans in Georgia |work=[[Gwinnett Daily Post]] |date=April 18, 2016 |access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref> For traditional Southern fare, one of the city's most famous establishments is [[The Varsity (restaurant)|The Varsity]], a long-lived fast food chain and the world's largest drive-in restaurant.<ref>{{cite web|title = What'll Ya Have?|url = http://www.thevarsity.com/|publisher=The Varsity |access-date=July 7, 2007}}</ref> [[Mary Mac's Tea Room]] and [[Paschal's]] are more formal destinations for Southern food.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}
 
===Cuisine===
{{main|Cuisine of Atlanta}}
Atlanta is best known for its [[barbecue]], [[hamburgers]], [[Southern fried chicken]], and [[lemon pepper]] chicken wings.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.atlantaeats.com/blog/lemon-pepper-wings/ |title=Why lemon pepper wings reign supreme in Atlanta |first=Joey |last=Weiss |date=November 1, 2021 |website=atlantaeats.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://discoveratlanta.com/dining/what-food-is-atlanta-known-for/ |title=What Food is Atlanta Known For? Try These |publisher=Discover Atlanta |access-date=2022-07-24}}</ref> Buford Highway is home to many ethnic cuisines such as Mexican food and Asian food.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://discoveratlanta.com/dining/buford-highway/ |title=Where to Eat on Atlanta's Buford Highway |publisher=Discover Atlanta |access-date=2022-07-24}}</ref>
 
==Sports==
{{Main|Sports in Atlanta}}
[[File:SunTrust Park viewed from upper decks behind home plate, May 2017.jpg|thumb|[[Truist Park]]]]
[[File:Philips Arena.jpg|thumb|[[State Farm Arena]]]]
[[File:Mercedes Benz Stadium time lapse capture 2017-08-13.jpg|thumb|[[Mercedes-Benz Stadium]]]]
 
Sports are an important part of the culture of Atlanta. The city is home to professional franchises for four major team sports: the [[Atlanta Braves]] of [[Major League Baseball]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/braves|title=Official Atlanta Braves Website|website=[[Atlanta Braves]]|publisher=[[MLB Advanced Media]]|access-date=August 12, 2022}}</ref> the [[Atlanta Hawks]] of the [[National Basketball Association]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/hawks|title=The Official website of the Atlanta Hawks|website=Hawks.com|publisher=[[Atlanta Hawks]]|access-date=August 12, 2022}}</ref> the [[Atlanta Falcons]] of the [[National Football League]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.atlantafalcons.com/|title=Atlanta Falcons Homepage|website=Atlantafalcons.com|publisher=[[Atlanta Falcons]]|access-date=August 12, 2022}}</ref> and [[Atlanta United FC]] of [[Major League Soccer]].<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.atlutd.com/|title=Atlanta United FC Official website|website=atlutd.com|access-date=August 12, 2022}}</ref> In addition, many of the city's universities participate in collegiate sports. The city also regularly hosts international, professional, and collegiate sporting events.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}
 
The Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966. Originally established as the [[Boston]] Red Stockings in 1871, they are the oldest continually operating professional sports franchise in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Stirgus|first1=Eric|title=Braves go back, back, back|url=http://www.politifact.com/georgia/statements/2010/dec/14/atlanta-braves/braves-go-back-back-back/|website=Politifact|access-date=October 13, 2016|date=December 14, 2010}}</ref> The Braves franchise overall has won four [[World Series]] championships in three different cities, with their first in 1914 as the Boston Braves, in 1957 as the Milwaukee Braves, and in 1995 and 2021 as the Atlanta Braves.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ATL/index.shtml|title=Atlanta Braves Team History & Encyclopedia|publisher=Baseball-Reference.Com|access-date=July 8, 2022}}</ref> The 1995 title occurred during an unprecedented run of 14 straight divisional championships from 1991 to 2005.<ref name="braves_oldest_team">"[http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/atl/history/story_of_the_braves.jsp The Story of the Braves] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030062629/http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/atl/history/story_of_the_braves.jsp |date=October 30, 2015 }}." ''[[Atlanta Braves]].'' Retrieved on April 29, 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Braves win 1st World Series title since 1995|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/braves-win-world-series-2021|access-date=2021-11-08|website=MLB.com|language=en}}</ref> The team plays at [[Truist Park]], having moved from [[Turner Field]] for the 2017 season. The new stadium is outside the city limits, located {{convert|10|mi|km}} northwest of downtown in the Cumberland/Galleria area of Cobb County.<ref>{{cite news|title=Braves break in new ballpark with 8–5 win over Yankees|first=Dave|last=O'Brien|url=http://www.ajc.com/sports/baseball/braves-break-new-ballpark-with-win-over-yankees/IiwSEvdTwNb7aON319YxPP/|newspaper=[[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|date=March 31, 2017|access-date=April 2, 2017|archive-date=April 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401051850/http://www.ajc.com/sports/baseball/braves-break-new-ballpark-with-win-over-yankees/IiwSEvdTwNb7aON319YxPP/|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
The [[Atlanta Falcons]] have played in Atlanta since their inception in 1966. The team plays its home games at [[Mercedes-Benz Stadium]], having moved from the [[Georgia Dome]] in 2017. The Falcons have won the division title six times (1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012, 2016) and the NFC championship in 1998 and 2016. They have been unsuccessful in both of their Super Bowl trips, losing to the [[Denver Broncos]] in [[Super Bowl XXXIII]] in 1999 and to the [[New England Patriots]] in [[Super Bowl LI]] in 2017,<ref name="falcons">{{cite web |url=http://www.atlantafalcons.com/People/Alumni/History.aspx |title=History: Atlanta Falcons |publisher=[[Atlanta Falcons]] |access-date=April 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225201702/http://www.atlantafalcons.com/People/Alumni/History.aspx |archive-date=February 25, 2009 }}</ref> the largest comeback in [[Super Bowl]] history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=2017020501|title=Super Bowl LI Box Score|work=The Football Database|publisher=Patrick Gilligan|date=February 5, 2017|access-date=February 7, 2017}}</ref> In 2019, Atlanta also briefly hosted an [[Alliance of American Football]] team, the [[Atlanta Legends]], but the league was suspended during its first season and the team folded.
 
The [[Atlanta Hawks]] were founded in 1946 as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, playing in [[Moline, Illinois]]. They moved to Atlanta from [[St. Louis]] in 1968 and play their games in [[State Farm Arena]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ATL/|title=Atlanta Hawks Franchise Index|publisher=Basketball-Reference.Com|access-date=August 14, 2022}}</ref> The [[Atlanta Dream]] of the [[Women's National Basketball Association]] shared an arena with the Hawks for most of their existence; however the WNBA team moved to a smaller arena in the southern Atlanta suburb of [[College Park, Georgia|College Park]] in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|title =Welcome to the Official Home of the Atlanta Dream|work=WNBA.com|publisher=WNBA Enterprises, LLC|date = January 22, 2008|url = http://dream.wnba.com/|access-date=February 19, 2017}}</ref>
 
Professional soccer has been played in some form in Atlanta since 1967. Atlanta's first professional soccer team was the [[Atlanta Chiefs]] of the original [[North American Soccer League (1968–84)|North American Soccer League]] which won the 1968 NASL Championship and defeated English first division club [[Manchester City F.C.]] twice in international friendlies. In 1998 the [[Atlanta Silverbacks]] were formed, playing the new [[North American Soccer League (2011–2017)|North American Soccer League]]. They now play as an amateur club in the [[National Premier Soccer League]]. In 2017, [[Atlanta United FC]] began play as Atlanta's first premier-division professional soccer club since the Chiefs.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ajc.com/sports/pro-sports/atlanta-gets-mls-franchise/HvSPqVRFe47jyYxbmMAJTP/|title=Atlanta gets MLS franchise|work=ajc|access-date=November 22, 2018}}</ref> They won [[MLS Cup 2018]], defeating the [[Portland Timbers]] 2–0. Fan reception has been very positive; the team has broken several single-game and season attendance records for both MLS and the [[U.S. Open Cup]]. The club is estimated by [[Forbes]] to be the most valuable club in Major League Soccer.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2018/11/14/mls-most-valuable-teams-2018/|title=Major League Soccer's Most Valuable Teams 2018: Atlanta United Debuts On Top|last=Smith|first=Chris|work=Forbes|access-date=November 22, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
 
In ice hockey, Atlanta has had two [[National Hockey League]] franchises, both of which relocated to a city in Canada after playing in Atlanta for fewer than 15 years. The [[Atlanta Flames]] (now the [[Calgary Flames]]) played from 1972 to 1980, and the [[Atlanta Thrashers]] (now the [[Winnipeg Jets]]) played from 1999 to 2011. The [[Atlanta Gladiators]], a minor league hockey team in the [[ECHL]], have played in the Atlanta suburb of Duluth since 2003.<ref>{{cite web|date=2015-09-14|title=Official Website - Gwinnett Gladiators|url=http://www.atlantagladiators.com/site/news/article.asp?art=3435|access-date=2021-12-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914063526/http://www.atlantagladiators.com/site/news/article.asp?art=3435|archive-date=September 14, 2015}}</ref>
 
The [[ASUN Conference]] moved its headquarters to Atlanta in 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://asunsports.org/general/2019-20/releases/20190701kv6vpp|title=ASUN Conference Headquarters Relocates to Atlanta|access-date=January 29, 2021}}</ref>
 
Several other, less popular sports also have professional franchises in Atlanta. The [[Georgia Swarm]] compete in the [[National Lacrosse League]]. In Rugby union, on September 21, 2018, [[Major League Rugby]] announced that Atlanta was one of the expansion teams joining the league for the 2020 season<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americasrugbynews.com/2018/09/21/major-league-rugby-confirms-boston-atlanta-2020/ |title=Major League Rugby confirms Boston and Atlanta for 2020 – Americas Rugby News |website=www.americasrugbynews.com |date=September 21, 2018}}</ref> named [[Rugby ATL]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usmlr.com/news/atlantas-new-major-league-rugby-team-picks-a-name/ |title=Atlanta's New Major League Rugby Team Picks a Name |website=USMLR.com |date=February 26, 2019}}</ref> while in Rugby league, on 31 March 2021, [[Atlanta Rhinos]] left the [[USA Rugby League]] and turned fully professional for the first time, joining the new [[North American Rugby League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/new-north-american-rugby-league-not-sanctioned-by-governing-body/|title=New North American rugby league 'not sanctioned' by governing body|first=James|last=Gordon|date=April 15, 2021|website=LoveRugbyLeague}}</ref>
 
Atlanta has long been known as the "capital" of college football in America.<ref>{{cite web |title=How Atlanta Became The College Football Capital of America |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/rayglier/2019/12/27/how-atlanta-became-the-college-football-capital-of-america/ |website=Forbes}}</ref> Also, Atlanta is within a few hours driving distance of many of the universities that make up the [[Southeastern Conference]], college football's most profitable and popular conference,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2016/4/26/11456612/athletic-department-finances-sec-big-ten-pac-12-acc|title=The SEC makes more money than every other conference, and it's not close|last=Berkes|first=Peter|website=[[SB Nation]]|date=April 26, 2016|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref> and annually hosts the [[SEC Championship Game]]. Other annual college football events include the [[Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game]], the [[Celebration Bowl]], the [[MEAC/SWAC Challenge]], and the [[Peach Bowl|Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl]] which is one of College Football's major New Year's Six Bowl games and a college football playoff bowl.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print-edition/2011/04/29/atlanta-has-what-it-takes-to-host.html|title=Atlanta has what it takes to host major events|newspaper=Atlanta Business Chronicle|access-date=February 1, 2011|first=Dan|last=Corso|date=April 29, 2011}}</ref> Atlanta additionally hosted the [[2018 College Football Playoff National Championship]].
 
Atlanta regularly hosts a variety of sporting events. Most famous was the Centennial [[1996 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-09-19-mn-539-story.html|title=Atlanta Selected to Host Olympic Games in 1996|last=Harvey|first=Randy|date=September 19, 1990|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=August 12, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/1996-olympics-energized-atlanta-but-uneven-legacy-lives-on/PAW3MLS4DZF5VJGH3KXFBG2SI4/|title=1996 Olympics energized Atlanta, but uneven legacy lives on|last=Hallerman|first=Tamar|date=August 7, 2021|website=[[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|access-date=August 12, 2022}}</ref> The city has hosted the super bowl three times: [[Super Bowl XXVIII]] in 1994, [[Super Bowl XXXIV]] in 2000, and [[Super Bowl LIII]] in 2019.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Culpepper |first1=JuliaKate |title=Atlanta Super Bowl date announced |url=https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-super-bowl-date-announced/yiA8SP0acoKpernbvjuivJ/ |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |access-date=October 10, 2018}}</ref> In professional golf, [[The Tour Championship]], the final [[PGA Tour]] event of the season, is played annually at [[East Lake Golf Club]]. In 2001 and 2011, Atlanta hosted the [[PGA Championship]], one of the four [[Men's major golf championships|major championships]] in men's professional golf, at the [[Atlanta Athletic Club]]. In 2011, Atlanta hosted [[professional wrestling]]'s annual [[WrestleMania XXVII|WrestleMania]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://corporate.wwe.com/news/company-news/2010/02-01-2010b|title=Atlanta to Host WrestleMania XXVII|date=February 1, 2010|website=corporate.wwe.com|publisher=[[WWE]]|access-date=August 12, 2022}}</ref> In soccer, Atlanta has hosted numerous international friendlies and [[CONCACAF Gold Cup]] matches. The city has hosted the [[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA Final Four]] Men's Basketball Championship five times, most recently in [[2020 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|2020]]. Atlanta will serve as one of the eleven US host cities for the [[2026 FIFA World Cup]].
 
[[Running]] is a popular local sport, and the city declares itself to be "Running City USA".<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.atlantatrackclub.org/news/atlanta-track-club-declares-atlanta-is|title=Atlanta Track Club Declares; Atlanta is Running City USA|website=Atlanta Track Club|access-date=November 23, 2018|date=July 2, 2018}}</ref> The city hosts the [[Peachtree Road Race]], the world's largest [[10K run|{{nowrap|10 km}} race]], annually on [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]].<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2005/11/14/focus3.html|title=Peachtree race director deflects praise to others|newspaper=Atlanta Business Chronicle|access-date=January 1, 2008|first=Allison|last=Shirreffs|date=November 14, 2005}}</ref> Atlanta also hosts the nation's largest [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] day [[half marathon]], which starts and ends at [[Center Parc Stadium]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mdjonline.com/neighbor_newspapers/northside_sandy_springs/sports/to-participate-in-invesco-qqq-thanksgiving-day-half-marathon-nation/article_76ca7522-ecd7-11e8-b41f-67e9b610dfb9.html|title=11,000 to participate in Invesco QQQ Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, nation's largest|website=Northside Neighbor|access-date=November 23, 2018|date=November 20, 2018}}</ref> The [[Atlanta Marathon]], which starts and ends at [[Centennial Olympic Park]], routes through many of the city's historic landmarks,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/sports/nearly-000-participate-12th-annual-publix-georgia-marathon-half-marathon-and/Wba7menXuXXT7AaTKQFPoK/|title=Nearly 10,000 participate in 12th annual Publix Georgia Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K|website=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|last=Moore|first=Maghen|access-date=November 23, 2018|date=March 18, 2018}}</ref> and its 2020 running will coincide with the U.S. Olympic marathon trials for the [[2020 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.teamusa.org/News/2018/April/23/Atlanta-To-Host-2020-US-Olympic-Team-Trials-Marathon|title=Atlanta To Host 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon|website=Team USA|author=USA Track & Field|access-date=November 23, 2018|date=April 23, 2018}}</ref>
 
==Parks and recreation==
{{Main|Parks in Atlanta}}
[[File:View of Lake Clara Meer from bridge.jpg|alt=View of Lake Clara Meer at Piedmont Park|thumb|View of Lake Clara Meer at Piedmont Park]]
[[File:Fountains Centennial Olympic Park.jpg|thumb|left|Fountains at [[Centennial Olympic Park]]]]
[[File:Olympic Rings at Centennial Olympic Park.jpg|alt=Olympic Rings at Centennial Olympic Park|left|thumb|Olympic Rings at Centennial Olympic Park]]
Atlanta's 343 parks, nature preserves, and gardens cover {{convert|3622|acre|km2}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atlantaga.gov/index.aspx?page=258|title=List of parks, alphabetical |work=City of Atlanta Online |date=November 27, 2011 |access-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref> which amounts to only 5.6% of the city's total acreage, compared to the national average of just over 10%.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite news|last=McWilliams |first=Jeremiah |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/atlanta-parks-system-ranks-below-average/TqRKj06QfRxVm0s2i7s1zK/ |title=Atlanta parks system ranks below average |newspaper=ajc.com |date=May 28, 2012 |access-date=June 4, 2021 }}</ref><ref name="alive1">{{cite web|url=http://oldfourthward.11alive.com/news/news/124252-atlanta-parks-get-low-marks-national-survey |title=Atlanta parks get low marks in national survey |work=Old Fourth Ward News |date=July 6, 2012 |access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref> However, 64% of Atlantans live within a 10-minute walk of a park, a percentage equal to the national average.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://saportareport.com/blog/2013/06/atlanta-improves-in-national-parkscore-rating-but-still-in-bottom-half-of-u-s-cities/|title=Atlanta improves its 'ParkScore' rank, but still in bottom half of U.S. cities|date=June 5, 2013|first=Maria|last=Saporta|work=SaportaReport|access-date=October 28, 2014|archive-date=October 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029001206/http://saportareport.com/blog/2013/06/atlanta-improves-in-national-parkscore-rating-but-still-in-bottom-half-of-u-s-cities/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In its 2013 ParkScore ranking, [[The Trust for Public Land]] reported that among the park systems of the 50 most populous U.S. cities, Atlanta's park system received a ranking of 31.<ref>[http://parkscore.tpl.org/city.php?city=Atlanta "City Profiles: Atlanta"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326151619/http://parkscore.tpl.org/city.php?city=Atlanta |date=March 26, 2014 }} "[[The Trust for Public Land]]" Retrieved on July 2, 2013</ref> [[Piedmont Park]], in [[Midtown Atlanta|Midtown]], is Atlanta's most iconic green space.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kahn |first=Michael |url=https://atlanta.curbed.com/2016/5/4/11585312/parks-in-atlanta-past-present |title=Atlanta's Parks: Then and Now - Curbed Atlanta |publisher=Atlanta.curbed.com |date=2016-05-04 |access-date=2022-05-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://piedmontpark.org/things-to-do/tours-and-guides/ |title=Tours, Attractions and Sightseeing in Atlanta's Piedmont Park |publisher=Piedmontpark.org |date=2022-02-16 |access-date=2022-05-18}}</ref> The park, which underwent a major renovation and expansion in recent years, attracts visitors from across the region and hosts cultural events throughout the year. Other notable city parks include [[Centennial Olympic Park]], a legacy of the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] that forms the centerpiece of the city's tourist district; [[Woodruff Park]], which anchors the campus of [[Georgia State University]]; [[Grant Park (Atlanta)|Grant Park]], home to [[Zoo Atlanta]]; [[Chastain Park]], which houses an amphitheater used for live music concerts; and the under construction [[Westside Reservoir Park|Westside Park at Bellwood Quarry]], the 280-acre green space and reservoir project slated to become the city's largest park when fully complete in the 2020s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/atlanta-breaks-ground-city-biggest-park-bellwood-quarry/GgR7HQxDtbnPl1IpREkuYI/|title= Atlanta breaks ground on city's biggest part at Bellwood Quarry|last=Trubey|first=J. Scott|date=September 6, 2018|work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref> The [[Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area]], in the northwestern corner of the city, preserves a {{convert|48|mi|abbr=on}} stretch of the river for public recreation opportunities.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvisit/index.htm | title=Plan Your Visit - Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service) }}</ref>
The [[Atlanta Botanical Garden]], adjacent to Piedmont Park, contains formal gardens, including a Japanese garden and a rose garden, woodland areas, and a conservatory that includes indoor exhibits of plants from [[tropical rainforest]]s and [[desert]]s. The [[BeltLine]], a former rail corridor that forms a {{convert|22|mi|abbr=on}} loop around Atlanta's core, has been transformed into a series of [[city park|parks]], connected by a multi-use trail, increasing Atlanta's park space by 40%.<ref>{{cite web|first=Kaid|last=Benfield|url=http://grist.org/cities/2011-07-26-the-countrys-most-ambitious-smart-growth-project/ |title=The Atlanta BeltLine: The country's most ambitious smart growth project |publisher=Grist |date=July 27, 2011 |access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref>
 
Atlanta offers resources and opportunities for amateur and participatory sports and recreation. Golf and tennis are popular in Atlanta, and the city contains six public golf courses and 182 tennis courts. Facilities along the [[Chattahoochee River]] cater to watersports enthusiasts, providing the opportunity for kayaking, canoeing, fishing, boating, or tubing. The city's only skate park, a {{convert|15000|sqft|m2}} facility that offers bowls, curbs, and smooth-rolling concrete mounds, is at [[Historic Fourth Ward Park]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atlanta.net/things-to-do/old-fourth-ward-skate-park/|title=OLD FOURTH WARD SKATE PARK |access-date=February 14, 2017}}</ref>
 
==Government==
{{Hidden begin
|titlestyle = background:#ccccff;
|title      = Presidential election results
}}
{| class="wikitable"  style="margin:auto; float:right; font-size:95%;"
|+ '''Presidential election results in Atlanta<ref name="DL">{{cite web|title=Dave's Redistricting|url=https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::3a370cc7-f820-4af4-8fca-a27ec52502b7|access-date=April 14, 2022}}</ref>'''
|-
! style="text-align:center;" | Year
! style="text-align:center;" | [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! style="text-align:center;" | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! style="text-align:center;" | Others
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2020 United States presidential election in Georgia|2020]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''82.6%''' ''200,717''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|16.2% ''39,372''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.2% ''2,972''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2016 United States presidential election in Georgia|2016]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''80.6%''' ''164,643''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|15.7% ''32,092''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.6% ''7,452''
|}
{{Hidden end}}
 
{{Main|Government of Atlanta|List of mayors of Atlanta|Crime in Atlanta}}
[[File:Atlanta City Hall, Atlanta, GA (47474768451).jpg|thumb|left|[[Atlanta City Hall]]]]
 
Atlanta is governed by a mayor and the 15-member [[Atlanta City Council]]. The city council consists of one member from each of the city's 12 districts and three at-large members. The mayor may veto a bill passed by the council, but the council can override the veto with a two-thirds majority.<ref>{{cite web|title=Atlanta City Councilman H Lamar Willis|publisher=H Lamar Willis|url=http://www.hlamarwillis.com/CityCouncil.htm|access-date=June 19, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090824215442/http://www.hlamarwillis.com/CityCouncil.htm|archive-date=August 24, 2009}}</ref> The mayor of Atlanta is [[Andre Dickens]], a Democrat elected on a nonpartisan ballot whose first term in office began on January 3, 2022.<ref>{{cite news|title=Keisha Lance Bottoms sworn in as the new Mayor of Atlanta|newspaper=Atlanta Journal-Constitution|url=http://www.ajc.com/news/local/keisha-lance-bottoms-begins-her-inauguration-day-with-prayer/ckbTRT2kRvUxJXaTs2iVpL/}}</ref> Every mayor elected since 1973 has been black.<ref>{{cite web|first=Lawrence|last=Kestenbaum|title=Mayors of Atlanta, Georgia|website=The Political Graveyard|url=http://www.politicalgraveyard.com/geo/GA/ofc/atlanta.html|access-date=March 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080218193526/http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/GA/ofc/atlanta.html|archive-date=February 18, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2001, [[Shirley Franklin]] became the first woman to be elected mayor of Atlanta, and the first African-American woman to serve as mayor of a major Southern city.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Josh Fecht|author2=Andrew Stevens|name-list-style=amp|title=Shirley Franklin: Mayor of Atlanta|publisher=City Mayors|date=November 14, 2007|url=http://www.citymayors.com/usa/atlanta.html|access-date=January 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216164651/http://www.citymayors.com/usa/atlanta.html|archive-date=February 16, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> Atlanta city politics suffered from a notorious reputation for corruption during the 1990s administration of Mayor [[Bill Campbell (mayor)|Bill Campbell]], who was convicted by a federal jury in 2006 on three counts of tax evasion in connection with gambling winnings during trips he took with city contractors.<ref>{{cite news|title=Atlanta's former mayor sentenced to prison|work=CNN|date=June 13, 2006|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/06/13/mayor.sentenced/index.html|access-date=January 2, 2008}}</ref>
 
As the [[List of capitals in the United States|state capital]], Atlanta is the site of most of Georgia's state government. The [[Georgia State Capitol]] building, located downtown, houses the offices of the [[Governor of Georgia|governor]], lieutenant governor and secretary of state, as well as the [[Georgia General Assembly|General Assembly]]. The [[Georgia Governor's Mansion|Governor's Mansion]] is in a residential section of Buckhead. Atlanta serves as the regional hub for many arms of the federal bureaucracy, including the [[Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta]] and the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC).<ref>{{cite web |title = Commemorating CDC's 60th Anniversary |work = CDC Website |publisher = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) |url = https://www.cdc.gov/about/history/60th.htm |access-date = April 18, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080306091649/http://www.cdc.gov/about/history/60th.htm |archive-date = March 6, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/101493 |title=Georgia Federal Buildings |publisher=Gsa.gov |access-date=May 17, 2012 |archive-date=March 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322164754/http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/101493 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The City of Atlanta annexed the CDC into its territory effective January 1, 2018.<ref name=NiesseEmoryannexed>{{cite news|author=Niesse, Mark|url=http://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/city-atlanta-expansion-emory-and-cdc-approved/kMYzghHbvzD6THTyWpN1zH/|title=City of Atlanta's expansion to Emory and CDC approved|work=[[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|access-date=December 5, 2017}}</ref> Atlanta also plays an important role in the federal judiciary system, containing the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit]] and the [[United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia]].{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}
 
Historically, Atlanta has been a stronghold for the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]. Although municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, nearly all of the city's elected officials are registered Democrats. The city is split among 14 state house districts and four state senate districts, all held by Democrats. At the federal level, Atlanta is split between three congressional districts. Most of the city is in the 5th district, represented by Democrat [[Nikema Williams]]. Much of southern Atlanta is in the 13th district, represented by Democrat [[David Scott (Georgia politician)|David Scott]]. A small portion in the north is in the 11th district, represented by [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Barry Loudermilk]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Georgia Senators, Representatives, and Congressional District Maps|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/GA#representatives|website=GovTrack.us|language=en|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref>
 
==Education==
{{Main|List of colleges and universities in metropolitan Atlanta|Atlanta Public Schools|List of private schools in Atlanta}}
 
===Tertiary education===
Due to more than 15 colleges and universities in Atlanta, it is considered one of the nation's largest hubs for [[higher education]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Atlanta Business Chronicle |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2003/11/03/daily8.html |title=Atlanta a magnet for young, single, educated – Atlanta Business Chronicle |website=Bizjournals.com |date=November 3, 2003 |access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.atlanta.net/explore/colleges-universities/|title=Visit Atlanta Colleges – Take a Tour of Atlanta, GA Colleges|website=Atlanta.net|access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref>
 
[[File:Tech Tower-6.jpg|thumb|right|Tech Tower on the [[Georgia Institute of Technology|Georgia Tech]] campus]]
The [[Georgia Institute of Technology]] is a prominent public research university in [[Midtown Atlanta|Midtown]]. It offers highly ranked degree programs in engineering, design, industrial management, the sciences, business, and architecture.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/georgia-institute-technology#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20ranked%20by,other%20institution%20in%20the%20nation.|title = Georgia Institute of Technology|date = August 10, 2021}}</ref>
 
[[File:Georgia State University College of Law Building.jpeg|thumb|right|[[Georgia State University]]'s Law building]]
[[Georgia State University]] is a major public research university in [[Downtown Atlanta]]; it is the largest in student population of the 29 public colleges and universities in the [[University System of Georgia]] and is a significant contributor to the revitalization of the city's central business district.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/feature/gsu-impact-on-downtown-all-encompassing.html |title=GSU impact on downtown all-encompassing |work=Atlanta Business Chronicle |last=Sinderman |first=Martin |date=March 10, 2017 |access-date=November 16, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
[[File:Emory University - Charles and Peggy Evans Anatomy Building.JPG|thumb|left| Charles and Peggy Evans Anatomy Building, [[Emory University School of Medicine]]]]
Atlanta is home to nationally renowned private colleges and universities, most notably [[Emory University]], a leading liberal arts and research institution that operates [[Emory Healthcare]], the largest health care system in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]].<ref name="about">{{cite web|url=http://www.emoryhealthcare.org/about-us/index.html|title=About Emory Healthcare|publisher=Emory Healthcare|access-date=August 3, 2011}}</ref> The City of Atlanta annexed Emory into its territory effective January 1, 2018.<ref name=NiesseEmoryannexed/>
 
The [[Atlanta University Center]] is also in the city; it is the oldest and largest contiguous consortium of [[Historically black colleges and universities|historically black colleges]] in the nation, comprising [[Spelman College]], [[Clark Atlanta University]], [[Morehouse College]], and [[Morehouse School of Medicine]]. Atlanta contains a campus of the [[Savannah College of Art and Design]], a private art and design university that has proven to be a major factor in the recent growth of Atlanta's visual art community. Atlanta also boast [[American Bar Association]] accredited law schools: [[Atlanta's John Marshall Law School]], [[Emory University School of Law]], and [[Georgia State University College of Law]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lawyeredu.org/aba-accredited-schools.html|title = List of ABA Accredited Law Schools| date=July 2020 }}</ref>
[[File:Teec-2015.jpg|thumb|right|[[University of Georgia]]'s [[Terry College of Business]] Education Center]]
 
The Atlanta Regional Council of Higher Education (ARCHE) is dedicated to strengthening synergy among 19 public and private colleges and universities in the Atlanta region. Participating Atlanta region colleges and universities partner on [[Double degree|joint-degree programs]], [[cross-registration]], library services, and cultural events.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atlantahighered.org/about/|title=About|website=Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref>
 
The [[University of Georgia|University of Georgia's]] [[Terry College of Business]] has a satellite campus in the [[Buckhead]] district of Atlanta, one of the main financial hubs for the city.<ref>{{cite web|title=Campuses - Atlanta Buckhead {{!}} Terry College of Business|url=https://www.terry.uga.edu/about/campuses/atlanta-buckhead|access-date=2022-02-18|website=www.terry.uga.edu}}</ref> This campus is primarily for Executive and Professional [[Master of Business Administration|MBA]] programs as well as executive education programs. The campus also acts as a focal point and meeting place for Terry students, alumni, faculty, and staff to interact with the business community.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Peek at the Past: 1912-2002, Celebrating the First State-Chartered Business School, 90 Years in Business |publisher=Terry College of Business, University of Georgia |work= Terry Magazine|date=Fall 2009 |url=http://www.terry.uga.edu/about/peek_at_the_past.html | access-date=2022-04-07}}</ref>
 
===Primary and secondary education===
Fifty-five thousand students are enrolled in 106 schools in [[Atlanta Public Schools]] (APS), some of which are operated as charter schools.<ref name="stats">{{cite web|title=Atlanta|url=http://www.school-stats.com/GA/FULTON/ATLANTA_CITY.html|access-date=2022-01-06|website=www.school-stats.com}}</ref> Atlanta is served by many private schools including, without limitation, [[Atlanta Jewish Academy]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.atljewishacademy.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1058508&type=d&pREC_ID=1355088|title=Welcome – About JLA|website=atljjewishacademy.org|access-date=August 17, 2022}}</ref> [[Atlanta International School]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aischool.org/#/|title=Atlanta International School website|website=aischool.org|access-date=August 17, 2022}}</ref> [[The Westminster Schools]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.westminster.net/|title=The Westminster Schools Homepage|website=westminster.net|access-date=August 16, 2022}}</ref> [[Pace Academy]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.paceacademy.org/|title=Pace Academy – Atlanta|website=pace academy.org|access-date=August 16, 2022}}</ref> [[The Lovett School]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lovett.org/|title=The Lovett School Official webpage|website=lovett.org|access-date=August 17, 2022}}</ref> [[The Paideia School]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.paideiaschool.org/about-paideia/at-a-glance|title=The Paideia School: At-a-Glance|website=paideiaschool.org|access-date=August 17, 2022}}</ref> [[Holy Innocents' Episcopal School]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hies.org/|title=Holy Innocents Episcopal School – Atlanta|website=hies.org|access-date=August 17, 2022}}</ref> and [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] parochial schools operated by the [[Archdiocese of Atlanta]].
 
In 2018 the City of Atlanta annexed a portion of DeKalb County containing the [[Centers for Disease Control]] and [[Emory University]]; this portion will be zoned to the [[DeKalb County School District]] until 2024, when it will transition into APS.<ref>{{cite web|author=McCray, Vanessa|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/aps-dekalb-annexation-deal-could-pay-for-six-school-health-clinics/5mbGjr9WelTTKnoIUmArUJ/|title=APS, DeKalb annexation deal could pay for six school health clinics|work=[[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|date=December 10, 2019|access-date=March 11, 2020}}</ref> In 2017 the number of children living in the annexed territory who attended public schools was nine.<ref>{{cite web|author=Niesse, Mark|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/emory-annexation-won-finished-time-for-atlanta-elections/5XmFt1qUhAAH4gAn8yF5QM/|title=9 students and $2.3M stand in the way of Emory's annexation to Atlanta|work=[[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|date=October 16, 2017|access-date=March 10, 2020}}</ref>
 
==Media==
{{Main|Media in Atlanta}}
The primary network-affiliated television stations in Atlanta are [[WXIA-TV]] 11 ([[NBC]]),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.11alive.com/|title=11Alive News Homepage|website=11alive.com|access-date=August 14, 2022}}</ref> [[WGCL-TV]] 46 ([[CBS]]),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbs46.com/|title=CBS 46 News|website=cbs46.com|access-date=August 16, 2022}}</ref> [[WSB-TV]] 2 ([[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsbtv.com/|title=WSB-TV: Atlanta News, Weather, Sports and more|website=wsbtv.com|access-date=August 16, 2022}}</ref> and [[WAGA-TV]] 5 ([[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fox5atlanta.com/|title=Fox 5 Atlanta|website=fox5atlanta.com|access-date=August 16, 2022}}</ref> Other major commercial stations include [[WPXA-TV]] 14 ([[Ion Television|Ion]]), [[WPCH-TV]] 17 ([[Independent station (North America)|Ind.]]), [[WUVG-DT|WUVG-TV]] 34 ([[Univision]]/[[UniMás]]), [[WUPA]] 69 ([[The CW|CW]]), and [[WATL]] 36 ([[MyNetworkTV]]). WPXA-TV, WUVG-TV, WAGA-TV and WUPA are network [[Owned-and-operated station|O&O]]'s. The Atlanta metropolitan area is served by two public television stations (both [[PBS]] member stations), and two public radio stations. [[WGTV]] 8 is the flagship station of the statewide [[Georgia Public Broadcasting|Georgia Public Television]] network, while [[WABE-TV]] is owned by [[Atlanta Public Schools]]. Georgia Public Radio is listener-funded and comprises one [[NPR]] member station, [[WABE (FM)|WABE]], a classical music station also operated by Atlanta Public Schools. The second public radio, listener-funded [[NPR]] member station is [[WCLK]], a jazz music station owned and operated by [[Clark Atlanta University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jazzedmagazine.com/news/the-inaugural-jazz-music-awards-celebrating-the-spirit-of-jazz-is-set-for-october-2022-in-atlanta/|title = The Inaugural Jazz Music Awards: Celebrating the Spirit of Jazz is Set for October 2022 in Atlanta|date = November 12, 2021}}</ref>
 
Atlanta is served by ''[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]'', its only major daily newspaper with wide distribution. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of a 1950 merger between ''The Atlanta Journal'' and ''The Atlanta Constitution'', with staff consolidation occurring in 1982 and separate publication of the morning ''Constitution'' and afternoon ''Journal'' ceasing in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1807 |title=New Georgia Encyclopedia: Atlanta Journal-Constitution |publisher=Georgiaencyclopedia.org |access-date=July 16, 2012 |archive-date=January 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121190020/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1807 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Alternative weekly]] newspapers include ''[[Creative Loafing (Atlanta)|Creative Loafing]]'', which has a weekly print circulation of 80,000. ''[[Atlanta Daily World]]'' is the oldest [[black newspaper]] in Atlanta and one of the earliest and most influential black newspapers in American history.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/atlanta-daily-world/ |title=Atlanta Daily World - New Georgia Encyclopedia |publisher=Georgiaencyclopedia.org |date=2009-12-18 |access-date=2022-05-11}}</ref> ''[[Atlanta (magazine)|Atlanta]]'' magazine is a monthly general-interest magazine based in and covering Atlanta.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.atlantamagazine.com/about-us/ |title=About Us |publisher=Atlanta Magazine |access-date=2022-05-15}}</ref>
 
==Infrastructure==
===Transportation===
{{Main|Transportation in Atlanta}}
{{For|transportation in the Atlanta metropolitan area|Atlanta metropolitan area#Transportation}}
[[File:Marta Lakewood.png|thumb|The [[Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority]] serves the city.]]
[[File:ATL Concourse A.jpg|thumb|Concourse A at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest airport]]
[[File:Bright Atlanta.jpg|thumb|The [[Downtown Connector]], seen at night in Midtown]]
 
Atlanta's transportation infrastructure comprises a complex network that includes a [[heavy rail]] [[rapid transit]] system, a light rail [[streetcar]] loop, a multi-county bus system, [[Amtrak]] service via the [[Crescent (train)|Crescent]], multiple freight train lines, an [[Interstate Highway System]], several airports, including the world's busiest, and over {{convert|45|mi|0}} of bike paths.<ref>{{cite web|title=Intercity Visit to Atlanta, GA - 2018|url=https://charlotteregion.com/events/2018/06/20/executive-hidden/intercity-visit-to-atlanta-ga-2018/|access-date=2022-02-22|website=charlotteregion.com}}</ref>
 
Atlanta has a network of freeways that radiate out from the city, and automobiles are the dominant means of transportation in the region.<ref>{{cite web|title=Atlanta: Smart Travel Tips |work=Fodor's |publisher=Fodor's Travel |url=http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults.cfm?destination=atlanta@15&cur_section=tra&pg=2 |access-date=September 28, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018043200/http://fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults.cfm?destination=atlanta%4015&cur_section=tra&pg=2 |archive-date=October 18, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Three major [[interstate highways]] converge in Atlanta: [[Interstate 20|I-20]] (east-west), [[Interstate 75|I-75]] (northwest-southeast), and [[Interstate 85|I-85]] (northeast-southwest). The latter two combine in the middle of the city to form the [[Downtown Connector]] (I-75/85), which carries more than 340,000 vehicles per day and is one of the most congested segments of interstate highway in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/2006/02/06/cx_bm_0207trafficslide_6.html?thisSpeed=6000|work=Worst City Choke Points, Forbes |title= Atlanta, I-75 at I-85 |access-date=April 2, 2006|date=February 6, 2006}}</ref> Atlanta is mostly encircled by [[Interstate 285 (Georgia)|Interstate 285]], a [[beltway]] locally known as "the Perimeter" that has come to mark the boundary between "Inside the Perimeter" (ITP), the city and close-in suburbs, and "Outside the Perimeter" (OTP), the outer suburbs and exurbs. The heavy reliance on automobiles for transportation in Atlanta has resulted in traffic, commute, and air pollution rates that rank among the worst in the country.<ref>{{cite news|last=Copeland|first=Larry|title=Atlanta pollution going nowhere|work=USA Today |date=January 31, 2001|url=https://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2001/2001-01-31-atlanta-pollution.htm|access-date=September 28, 2007|archive-date=October 19, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019030100/http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2001/2001-01-31-atlanta-pollution.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Atlanta traffic the worst in America|url=http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/04/28/daily97.html|date=May 1, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bryancountynews.net/archives/4754/ |title=Forbes says Atlanta now most polluted city in U.S. |publisher=Bryancountynews.net |date=November 11, 2009 |access-date=July 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201112941/http://www.bryancountynews.net/archives/4754/ |archive-date=December 1, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The City of Atlanta has a higher than average percentage of households without a car. In 2015, 15.2 percent of Atlanta households lacked a car, and increased slightly to 16.4 percent in 2016. The national average is 8.7 percent in 2016. Atlanta averaged 1.31 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Car Ownership in U.S. Cities Data and Map|journal=Governing|date=December 9, 2014|url=http://www.governing.com/gov-data/car-ownership-numbers-of-vehicles-by-city-map.html|access-date=May 3, 2018|archive-date=May 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511162014/http://www.governing.com/gov-data/car-ownership-numbers-of-vehicles-by-city-map.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
The [[Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority]] (MARTA) provides public transportation in the form of buses, heavy rail, and a downtown light rail loop. Notwithstanding heavy automotive usage in Atlanta, the city's [[rapid transit|subway]] system is the [[List of United States Rapid Transit systems by Ridership|eighth busiest in the country]].<ref name=APTA>{{cite web|url=http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2011_q1_ridership_APTA.pdf|publisher=[[American Public Transportation Association]]|title=Transit Ridership Report – First Quarter 2011|date=May 13, 2011|access-date=February 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709091716/http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2011_q1_ridership_APTA.pdf|archive-date=July 9, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> MARTA rail lines connect key destinations, such as the airport, Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, and Perimeter Center. However, significant destinations, such as Emory University and [[Cumberland, Georgia|Cumberland]], remain unserved. As a result, a 2011 [[Brookings Institution]] study placed Atlanta 91st of 100 metro areas for transit accessibility.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/0512_jobs_transit.pdf |title="Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA Metro Area", part of "Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America", Brookings Institution |date=May 2011|access-date=February 13, 2017}}</ref> [[Emory University]] operates its [[The Cliff (Emory)|Cliff]] shuttle buses with 200,000 boardings per month, while private [[minibus]]es supply [[Buford Highway]]. [[Amtrak]], the national rail passenger system, provides service to Atlanta via the ''[[Crescent (train)|Crescent train]]'' (New&nbsp;York–New&nbsp;Orleans), which stops at [[Peachtree Station]]. In 2014, the [[Atlanta Streetcar]] opened to the public. The streetcar's line, which is also known as the Downtown Loop, runs {{convert|2.7|mi|1}} around the downtown tourist areas of [[Peachtree Center]], [[Centennial Olympic Park]], the [[Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park]], and Sweet Auburn.<ref>{{cite web|title=Atlanta Streetcar|url=http://streetcar.atlantaga.gov/|website=Atlanta Streetcar|access-date=April 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308042759/http://streetcar.atlantaga.gov/|archive-date=March 8, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Atlanta Streetcar line is also being expanded on in the coming years to include a wider range of Atlanta's neighborhoods and important places of interest, with a total of over {{convert|50|mi}} of track in the plan.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Flynn|first1=Jason|title=Atlanta Streetcar Plan Approval May Not Matter Much|url=http://atlanta.curbed.com/2015/12/10/9892580/atlanta-streetcar-plan-approval-may-not-matter-much|website=Curbed Atlanta|date=December 10, 2015|publisher=Vox Media|access-date=October 13, 2016}}</ref>
 
[[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]] is the world's busiest airport as measured by [[World's busiest airports by passenger traffic|passenger traffic]] and [[World's busiest airports by traffic movements|aircraft traffic]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Jim|last=Tharpe|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/atlanta-airport-still-the-busiest/YAYECFH2YVCEJDXKJREVYSUINM/|title=Atlanta airport still the "busiest": Hartsfield-Jackson nips Chicago's O'Hare for second year in a row|newspaper=[[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|date=January 4, 2007 |access-date=June 4, 2021}}</ref> The facility offers air service to over 150 U.S. destinations and more than 75 international destinations in 50 countries, with over 2,500 arrivals and departures daily.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atl.com/about-atl/atl-factsheet/ |title="ATL Fact Sheet", Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport|publisher=Atlanta-airport.com |access-date=February 13, 2017}}</ref> [[Delta Air Lines]] maintains its largest hub at the airport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.delta.com/index.php?s=43&item=615 |title=Delta Invites Customers to Improve Their Handicap with New Service to Hilton Head, Expanded Service to Myrtle Beach |publisher=News.delta.com |access-date=April 5, 2010}}</ref> Situated {{nowrap|10 miles}} ({{nowrap|16 km}}) south of downtown, the airport covers most of the land inside a wedge formed by [[Interstate 75]], [[Interstate 85]], and [[Interstate 285 (Georgia)|Interstate 285]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.interstate-guide.com/i-285-ga/|title=Interstate 285 Georgia|publisher=Interstate-Guide|access-date=23 October 2021}} The map is on the sidebar which you can click & see the airport wedge.</ref>
 
[[Cycling in Atlanta|Cycling]] is a growing mode of transportation in Atlanta, more than doubling since 2009, when it comprised 1.1% of all commutes (up from 0.3% in 2000).<ref name="clatl">{{cite web|last=Duda |first=Clay |url=http://clatl.com/atlanta/atlanta-becoming-a-bike-friendly-city/Content?oid=4296245 |title=Atlanta is on the road to becoming a bike-friendly city |work=Creative Loafing|date=November 23, 2011 |access-date=October 16, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2011/09/substantial-increases-bike-ridership-across-nation/161/ |title=Is Bicycle Commuting Really Catching On? And if So, Where? – Commute |publisher=The Atlantic Cities |date=September 16, 2011 |access-date=October 16, 2012}}</ref> Although Atlanta's lack of bike lanes and hilly topography may deter many residents from cycling,<ref name="clatl"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Duda |first=Clay |url=http://clatl.com/atlanta/atlantas-cycling-community-needs-some-help/Content?oid=1571841 |title=Atlanta's cycling community needs some help |work=Creative Loafing|date=June 30, 2010 |access-date=October 16, 2012}}</ref> the city's transportation plan calls for the construction of {{convert|226|mi|0}} of bike lanes by 2020, with the BeltLine helping to achieve this goal.<ref>{{cite web|last=Duda|first=Clay |url=http://clatl.com/atlanta/atlanta-cycling-statistics/Content?oid=1576268 |title=Atlanta cycling statistics |work=Creative Loafing|date=July 1, 2010 |access-date=October 16, 2012}}</ref> In 2012, Atlanta's first "bike track" was constructed on 10th Street in Midtown. The two lane bike track runs from Monroe Drive west to Charles Allen Drive, with connections to the Beltline and Piedmont Park.<ref>{{cite web |title = 10th Street Cycle Track |url = http://beltline.org/2013/07/24/10th-street-cycle-track/}}</ref> Starting in June 2016, Atlanta received a bike sharing program, known as [[Relay Bike Share]], with 100 bikes in Downtown and Midtown, which expanded to 500 bikes at 65 stations as of April 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/04/19/atlanta-launches-first-major-expansion-of-relay.html|title=Atlanta launches first major expansion of Relay Bike Share program|website=Bizjournals.com|access-date=April 26, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/atlanta-kicks-off-bike-sharing-with-ride-through-downtown/uUVMn9bcmHEZLyPe4AiQHJ/ |title=Atlanta kicks off bike sharing with a ride through downtown |work=[[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |date=June 9, 2016 |access-date=June 4, 2021 |author=Corson, Pete}}</ref>
 
According to the 2016 [[American Community Survey]] (five-year average), 68.6% of working city of Atlanta residents commuted by driving alone, 7% carpooled, 10% used public transportation, and 4.6% walked. About 2.1% used all other forms of transportation, including taxi, bicycle, and motorcycle. About 7.6% worked at home.<ref name=acs16>{{cite web|publisher=Census Reporter|access-date=May 10, 2018|title=Means of Transportation to Work by Age|url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B08101&geo_ids=16000US1304000,160%7C31000US12060&primary_geo_id=16000US1304000}}</ref>
 
The city has also become one of a handful of "scooter capitals", where companies like [[Lime (transportation company)|Lime]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://atlantafi.com/how-does-lime-scooter-work-in-atlanta/ |title=How to operate a Lime scooter |publisher=AtlantaFi.com |access-date=May 2, 2019}}</ref> and [[Bird (company)|Bird]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://atlantafi.com/how-to-operate-a-bird-scooter-in-atlanta/|title=How to operate a Bird scooter|publisher=AtlantaFi.com|access-date=June 7, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://atlanta.curbed.com/2018/5/3/17315024/bird-scooters-atlanta-commute-last-mile-connectivity|title=Rentable commute option Bird scooters have now landed in Atlanta|last=Green|first=Josh|date=May 3, 2018|website=Curbed Atlanta|language=en|access-date=November 25, 2019}}</ref> have gained a major foothold by placing electric scooters on street corners and byways.
 
===Law enforcement, fire, and EMS services===
The city is served by the [[Atlanta Police Department]], which numbers 2,000 officers<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.myajc.com/news/local/apd-reaches-once-elusive-goal-000-officers/Ao9jWRR0M23HJNKApTJP1L/ |title=APD reaches a once-elusive goal of 2,000 officers|author=Leslie, Katie|newspaper=Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=October 25, 2013|access-date=February 13, 2017}}</ref> and oversaw a 40% decrease in the city's crime rate between 2001 and 2009. Specifically, homicide decreased by 57%, rape by 72%, and violent crime overall by 55%. Crime is down across the country, but Atlanta's improvement has occurred at more than twice the national rate.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/opinion/how-create-safer-atlanta/qlTbsP3x55qGCYipfoqblN/ |title=How to create a safer Atlanta |first=David |last= Edwards |date=November 1, 2010 |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |access-date=June 4, 2021 }}</ref> Nevertheless, Forbes ranked Atlanta as the sixth most dangerous city in the United States in 2012.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2012/10/18/detroit-tops-the-2012-list-of-americas-most-dangerous-cities/ |title=Detroit Tops The 2012 List of America's Most Dangerous Cities |magazine=Forbes |date=October 18, 2012 |access-date=October 21, 2012 |author=Fisher, Daniel}}</ref> Aggravated assaults, burglaries and robberies were down from 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/crime-atlanta-down-slightly-2015/JjDzaqIJwsuovCDldaH7qJ/|title=Crime in Atlanta down slightly in 2015|website=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=August 28, 2016|last=Boone|first=Christian|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref> Mexican drug cartels thrive in Atlanta.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2009-03-30-0903290042-story.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219235843/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2009-03-30-0903290042-story.html|archive-date=February 19, 2020|date=March 30, 2009|title=Drug cartels spread roots into Atlanta|last=Glanton|first=Dahleen|website=South Florida Sun Sentinel|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref> 145 gangs operate in Atlanta.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/the-most-dangerous-gang-in-atlanta|title=The most dangerous gang in Atlanta|website=Fox 5 Atlanta|last=Diggs|first=Morse|date=March 8, 2018|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref>
 
The [[Atlanta Fire Rescue Department]] provides fire protection and first responder emergency medical services to the city from its 35 fire stations. In 2017, AFRD responded to over 100,000 calls for service over a coverage area of {{convert|135.7|mi2|1|abbr=off|sp=us}}. The department also protects Hartsfield–Jackson with five fire stations on the property, serving over 1&nbsp;million passengers from over 100 countries. The department protects over 3000 high-rise buildings, {{convert|23|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} of the rapid rail system, and {{convert|60|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} of interstate highway.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/fire|title=Atlanta, GA : Fire|work=City of Atlanta Online |access-date=April 16, 2018}}</ref>
 
Emergency ambulance services are provided to city residents by hospital-based [[Grady EMS]] (Fulton County),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grady-ems.org/services/|title=Services – Grady EMS|website=Grady-ems.org|access-date=April 16, 2018}}</ref> and [[American Medical Response]] (DeKalb County).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amr.net/home/dekalb|title=American Medical Response – AMR Medical Transportation|website=Amr.net|access-date=April 16, 2018}}</ref>
 
Atlanta in January 2017 declared the city was a "welcoming city" and "will remain open and welcoming to all". Nonetheless, Atlanta does not consider itself to be a "[[sanctuary city]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://saportareport.com/trump-enacts-ban-refugees-atlanta-doubles-welcoming-city/|title=As Trump enacts ban on refugees, Atlanta doubles down as a 'welcoming city' – SaportaReport|date=January 30, 2017}}</ref> Atlanta Mayor [[Keisha Lance Bottoms]] said: "Our city does not support [[U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement|ICE]]. We don't have a relationship with the U.S. Marshal[s] Service. We closed our detention center to ICE detainees, and we would not pick up people on an immigration violation."<ref>{{cite news |title=U.S. Cities Prepare For Planned ICE Raids |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/07/13/741118939/u-s-cities-prepare-for-planned-ice-raids-on-sunday?t=1567683134930 |publisher=NPR |date=July 13, 2019}}</ref>
 
==Notable people==
{{Main|List of people from Atlanta}}
 
==Tree canopy==
{{Main|Atlanta tree canopy}}
{{quote box |width=25%|align=right|quote =For a sprawling city with the nation's ninth-largest metro area, Atlanta is surprisingly lush with trees—[[magnolia]]s, [[Cornus (genus)|dogwoods]], [[Pine|Southern pines]], and magnificent [[oak]]s.|source = —''[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]'' magazine, in naming Atlanta a "Place of a Lifetime"<ref name=inside-access>{{cite web|first=Jamie|last=Gumbrecht |url=http://blogs.ajc.com/inside-access/2009/09/17/atlanta-a-national-geographic-traveler-place-of-a-lifetime/ |title=Atlanta a National Geographic Traveler 'Place of a Lifetime' |publisher=Inside Access |date=September 17, 2009 |access-date=June 27, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230102913/http://blogs.ajc.com/inside-access/2009/09/17/atlanta-a-national-geographic-traveler-place-of-a-lifetime/ |archive-date=December 30, 2011}}</ref>}}
 
Atlanta has a reputation as a "city in a forest" due to an abundance of trees that is rare among major cities.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/22/us/22trees.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/22/us/22trees.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited |work=[[The New York Times]] |first=Robbie |last=Brown |title=Atlanta Finds Its Identity as Tree Haven Is Threatened |date=July 21, 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="publicbroadcasting.net">{{cite web|last=Bonner|first=Jeanne|date=March 4, 2010|title=WABE: Atlanta's tree canopy at risk (March 4, 2010)|url=http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wabe/news.newsmain/article/0/6/1619579/Science/Atlanta%27s.tree.canopy.at.risk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623132657/http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wabe/news.newsmain/article/0/6/1619579/Science/Atlanta%27s.tree.canopy.at.risk|archive-date=June 23, 2011|access-date=June 27, 2011|publisher=[[WABE (FM)|WABE]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.atlantamagazine.com/article.php?id=207 |title= City Observed: Power Plants |access-date=September 28, 2007 |last= Warhop |first= Bill |work=Atlanta |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070607192757/http://www.atlantamagazine.com/article.php?id=207 |archive-date= June 7, 2007}}</ref> The city's [[Peachtree Street|main street]] is named after a [[Peach|tree]], and beyond the Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead business districts, the skyline gives way to a dense canopy of woods that spreads into the suburbs. The city is home to the [[Atlanta Dogwood Festival]], an annual arts and crafts festival held one weekend during early April, when the native [[Cornus (genus)|dogwoods]] are in bloom. The nickname is factually accurate, as vegetation covers 47.9% of the city as of 2017,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://saportareport.com/atlantas-urban-tree-canopy-leads-nation-trees-not-protected/ |title=Atlanta's urban tree canopy leads the nation; but most trees are not protected|publisher=Saporta Report |first=Maria |last=Saporta |date=May 7, 2017 |access-date=September 28, 2018}}</ref> the highest among all major American cities, and well above the national average of 27%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deeproot.com/blog/blog-entries/tree-cover-how-does-your-city-measure-up |title=Tree Cover % – How Does Your City Measure Up? |publisher=DeepRoot Blog |date=April 25, 2010 |access-date=June 27, 2011}}</ref> Atlanta's tree coverage does not go unnoticed—it was the main reason cited by ''[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]'' in naming Atlanta a "Place of a Lifetime".<ref name=inside-access/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/city-guides/atlanta-georgia/ |title=Atlanta, Georgia – National Geographic's Ultimate City Guides |publisher=National Geographic Society |access-date=June 27, 2011 |archive-date=July 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725081657/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/city-guides/atlanta-georgia/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
The city's lush tree canopy, which filters out pollutants and cools sidewalks and buildings, has increasingly been under assault from man and nature due to heavy rains, drought, aged forests, new pests, and urban construction. A 2001 study found Atlanta's heavy tree cover declined from 48% in 1974 to 38% in 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.treenextdoor.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=148&Itemid=179 |title=Changes in Atlanta's Tree Canopy |publisher=Treenextdoor.org |date=October 30, 2008 |access-date=June 27, 2011}}</ref> Community organizations and the city government are addressing the problem. Trees Atlanta, a non-profit organization founded in 1985, has planted and distributed over 113,000 [[shade tree]]s in the city,<ref>{{cite web |title = About Us |publisher=Trees Atlanta |url = http://www.treesatlanta.org/aboutus.html |access-date=September 28, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070922033545/http://www.treesatlanta.org/aboutus.html |archive-date=September 22, 2007}}</ref> and Atlanta's government has awarded $130,000 in grants to neighborhood groups to plant trees.<ref name="publicbroadcasting.net"/> Fees are additionally imposed on developers that remove trees on their property per a citywide ordinance, active since 1993.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/atlantas-building-boom-is-destroying-its-famous-forests |title=Atlanta's Building Boom Is Destroying Its Famous Forests|work=[[The Daily Beast]] |first=Matt |last=Smith |date=May 16, 2018 |access-date=September 28, 2018}}</ref>
 
==Sister cities==
{{See also|List of sister cities in the United States}}
Atlanta's [[sister cities]] are:<ref>{{cite web |title=List of Atlanta's 17 Sister Cities|url=https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/mayor-s-office/executive-offices/office-of-international-affairs/atlanta-sister-cities-commission/list-of-atlanta-s-18-sister-cities|website=atlantaga.gov|publisher=City of Atlanta|access-date=January 20, 2021}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*[[Montego Bay]], Jamaica (1972)
*[[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil (1972)
*[[Lagos]], Nigeria (1974)
*[[Toulouse]], France (1974)
*[[Newcastle upon Tyne]], England, UK (1977)
*[[Taipei]], Taiwan (1979)
*[[Daegu]], South Korea (1981)
*[[Brussels]], Belgium (1983)
*[[Port of Spain]], Trinidad and Tobago (1987)
*[[Tbilisi]], Georgia (1988)
*[[Olympia, Greece|Olympia]], Greece (1994)
*[[Bucharest]], Romania (1994)
*[[Cotonou]], Benin (1995)
*[[Salcedo, Dominican Republic|Salcedo]], Dominican Republic (1996)
*[[Torrejon de Ardoz]], Spain (1996)
*[[Nuremberg]], Germany (1998)
*[[Ra'anana]], Israel (2000)
*[[Fukuoka]], Japan (2005)
*[[Sassari]], Italy (2020)
{{div col end}}
 
==See also==
*[[Cities and metropolitan areas of the United States]]
*[[Gentrification of Atlanta]]
 
==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
 
==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
 
==Further reading==
{{refbegin|35em}}
* Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events: Years of Change and Challenge, 1940–1976 by Franklin M. Garrett, Harold H. Martin
* {{cite book |last = Craig |first = Robert |title = Atlanta Architecture: Art Deco to Modern Classic, 1929–1959 |publisher=Pelican |year = 1995 |location = Gretna, LA |isbn= 0-88289-961-9 }}
* Darlene R. Roth and Andy Ambrose. ''Metropolitan Frontiers: A Short History of Atlanta''. Atlanta: Longstreet Press, 1996. An overview of the city's history with an emphasis on its growth.
* Sjoquist, Dave (ed.) ''The Atlanta Paradox''. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. 2000.
* Stone, Clarence. ''Regime Politics: Governing Atlanta, 1946–1988''. University Press of Kansas. 1989.
* Elise Reid Boylston. ''Atlanta: Its Lore, Legends and Laughter''. Doraville: privately printed, 1968. Many anecdotes about the history of the city.
* Frederick Allen. ''Atlanta Rising''. Atlanta: Longstreet Press, 1996. A detailed history of Atlanta from 1946 to 1996, with much about City Councilman, later Mayor, William B. Hartsfield's work in making Atlanta a major air transport hub, and about the [[civil rights movement]] as it affected (and was affected by) Atlanta.
* {{cite book |last=McMahan |first = C. A. |title=The people of Atlanta : a demographic study of Georgia's capital city |year=1950 |publisher=[[University of Georgia]] Press |location = [[Athens, Georgia]] |isbn=9780820334493 |url = http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/ugapressbks/do-pdf:ugp9780820334493 |access-date=February 20, 2018 }}
{{refend}}
 
==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=Atlanta}}
* [http://www.atlantaga.gov/ Official city website]
** [http://www.atlantawatershed.org/ Atlanta Department of Watershed Management]
** [http://www.atlantapd.org Atlanta Police Department]
* [http://www.discoveratlanta.com/ Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau]
* [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/atlanta Atlanta entry] in the ''[[New Georgia Encyclopedia]]''
* [http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/atlnewspapers Atlanta Historic Newspapers Archive] from the [[Digital Library of Georgia]]
* [http://album.atlantahistorycenter.com/cdm/landingpage/collection/athpc Atlanta History Photograph Collection] from the [[Atlanta History Center]]
* [http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/atlanta/ Atlanta, Georgia, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary]
*[[Scientific American]], "[https://books.google.com/books?id=YIE9AQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&cad=0#v=onepage&q=carbonic%20oxide The Atlanta Exposition]", 22-Oct-1881, pp.&nbsp;257
 
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[[Category:Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Cities in DeKalb County, Georgia]]
[[Category:Cities in Fulton County, Georgia]]
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[[Category:Cities in the Atlanta metropolitan area]]
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[[Category:Georgia populated places on the Chattahoochee River]]

Latest revision as of 11:24, 12 March 2023

Atlanta is an American city and the capital of the state of Georgia. It is best known as being the home to Skeleton Realm, Skeleton Realm Studios and the shooting location of Skeleton Realm LIVE!

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