About Atlanta: Everything you always wanted to know—and then some!
Official Web Site: http://www.atlantaga.gov/
Atlanta is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Georgia, as well as the core city of the ninth most populous metropolitan area in the United States with 5,138,223 residents. As of July 2006, the city of Atlanta was listed as the 34th largest city in the United States, and sixth largest city in the southeastern region behind Jacksonville, Memphis, Charlotte, Louisville, and Nashville. Residents of the city are known as Atlantans.
Atlanta has, in recent years, undergone a transition from a city of regional commerce to a city of international influence. Between 2000 and 2006, the metropolitan area grew by 20.5%, making it the fastest growing metropolitan area in the nation. Despite its rapid growth and urban sprawl, the city has recently been commended by bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency for its eco-friendly policies.
History In 1864, near the end of the Civil War, Atlanta became the target of a major Union invasion. On September 1, 1864, Confederate General John Bell Hood evacuated Atlanta after a four-month siege mounted by Union General William T. Sherman and ordered all public buildings and possible Confederate assets destroyed. The next day, Mayor James Calhoun surrendered the city, and on September 7 Sherman ordered the civilian population to evacuate. He then ordered Atlanta burned to the ground on November 11 in preparation for his march south, though spared the city's churches and hospitals.
The burning of Atlanta was featured in the 1939 film, Gone With the Wind. This movie’s portrayal of Atlanta and the “Old South” during the Civil War has influenced how many people in the United States—and even in the world!—view the Southern states of the US.
In the 1960s, Atlanta was a major organizing center of the US Civil Rights Movement, with Dr. Martin Luther King and students from Atlanta's historically black colleges and universities playing major roles in the movement's leadership. In April of 1960 black students published "AN APPEAL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS" condemning segregation and laying the justification for direct action against it. A wave of sit-ins followed resulting in almost 100 arrests. On October 19, 1960, sit-ins at the lunch counters of several Atlanta department stores led to the arrest of Dr. King and more than 50 students, drawing attention from the national media and from presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. Sit-ins and other forms of student-led protests against various forms of segregation at both commercial and public venues such as the City Hall cafeteria and Atlanta airport continued until passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Climate Atlanta has a humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and mild to chilly winters by the standards of the United States. July highs average 88 F (31°C) or above, and low average 67 F (19 C). Infrequently, temperatures can even exceed 100 F (38 C). The highest temperature recorded in the city is 105 F (41 C), reached in July, 1980.
Like the rest of the southeastern U.S., Atlanta receives abundant rainfall, which is relatively evenly distributed throughout the year. Average annual rainfall is 50.2 inches (1,275 mm).
To learn more about Atlanta, visit the following web sites:
Atlanta Travel Guide
Welcome to Atlanta
Atlanta Street Map and Visitors Guide
Atlanta via Yahoo Travel
Atlanta Magazine
City of Atlanta
Atlanta Journal Constitution
MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority)
Atlanta Visitor Pass