- published: 11 Nov 2014
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The Atlanta metropolitan area, officially (as designated by the US Census Bureau) known as the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area and unofficially known as metro Atlanta, is the most populous metro area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ninth-largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States. Its economic, cultural, and demographic center is Atlanta, Georgia's capital and largest city. The Atlanta metropolitan area spans up to 28 counties in north Georgia and had a total 2010 population of 5,268,860.According to the 2010 ranking of world cities undertaken by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network, Atlanta is considered an "Alpha- World City."
Atlanta's larger combined statistical area (CSA) adds the Gainesville, Georgia MSA, and the LaGrange, Georgia, Thomaston Georgia, Cedartown, Georgia, and Valley, Alabama micropolitan areas, for a total 2009 estimated population of 5,831,778. The CSA also abuts the Athens, Macon, and Columbus MSAs. The region is the central metropolis of the Southeastern United States, and is the largest metropolitan area in the emerging megalopolis known as the Piedmont Atlantic MegaRegion along the I-85 Corridor.
Atlanta ( /ətˈlæntə/, stressed /ætˈlæntə/, locally /ætˈlænə/) is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia with a 2010 population of 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest in the U.S. It is a major component of a growing southeastern megalopolis known as the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion. Atlanta is the county seat of Fulton County, and a small portion of the city extends eastward into DeKalb County.
Atlanta began as a settlement located at the terminus of a railroad line, and it was incorporated in 1845. Today, the city is a major business city and the primary transportation hub of the Southeastern United States (via highway, railroad, and air), with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being the world's busiest airport since 1998. The World Cities Study Group at Loughborough University rated Atlanta as an "alpha(-) world city." With a gross domestic product of US$270 billion, Atlanta's economy ranks 15th among world cities and sixth in the nation. The city is a center for services, finance, information technology, government, and higher education. Metro Atlanta contains the country's third largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies, and is the world headquarters of The Coca-Cola Company, Turner Broadcasting, The Home Depot, AT&T Mobility, UPS, and Delta Air Lines. As of 2010, Atlanta is the seventh most visited city in the United States, with over 35 million visitors per year.