Atlanta is the capital of and the most populous city in the
U.S. state of
Georgia, with an estimated
2011 population of 432,427. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the
Atlanta metropolitan area, home to 5,457,831 people and the ninth largest metropolitan area in the
United States. Atlanta is the county seat of
Fulton County, and a small portion of the city extends eastward into
DeKalb County. Atlanta was established in 1837 at the intersection of two railroad lines, and the city rose from the ashes of the
Civil War to become a national center of commerce
. In the decades following the
Civil Rights Movement, during which the city earned a reputation as "too busy to hate" for the progressive views of its citizens and leaders, Atlanta attained international prominence. Atlanta is 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. Atlanta is considered an "alpha(-) world city," and, with a gross domestic product of
US$270 billion, Atlanta's economy ranks 15th among world cities and sixth in the nation. Although Atlanta's economy is considered diverse, dominant sectors include logistics, professional and business services, media operations, and information technology. Topographically, Atlanta is marked by rolling hills and dense tree coverage. Revitalization of Atlanta's neighborhoods, initially spurred by the
1996 Olympics, has intensified in the
21st century, altering the city's demographics, politics, and culture. Prior to the arrival of
European settlers in north Georgia,
Creek and
Cherokee Indians inhabited the area.
Standing Peachtree, a Creek village located where
Peachtree Creek flows into the
Chattahoochee River, was the closest
Indian settlement to what is now Atlanta. As part of the systematic removal of
Native Americans from northern Georgia from 1802 to 1825, the Creek ceded the area in 1821, and white settlers arrived the following year. 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 and the
Midwest. The initial route was to run southward from
Chattanooga to a terminus east of the Chattahoochee River, which would then 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
Five Points. A year later, the area around the milepost had developed into a settlement, first known as "
Terminus," and later as "
Thrasherville" after a local merchant who built homes and a general store in the area. By 1842, the town had six buildings and 30 residents, and was renamed "Marthasville" to honor the
Governor's daughter.
J. Edgar Thomson,
Chief Engineer of the
Georgia Railroad, suggested the town be renamed "Atlantica-Pacifica," which was shortened to "Atlanta." The residents approved, and the town was incorporated as Atlanta on
December 29, 1847. By
1860, Atlanta's population had grown to 9,554. During the Civil War, the nexus of multiple railroads in Atlanta made the city a hub for the distribution of military supplies. In
1864, following the capture of Chattanooga, the
Union Army moved southward and began its 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 General John Bell Hood made the decision to retreat from Atlanta, ordering all public buildings and possible assets to the Union Army destroyed. On the next day, Mayor
James Calhoun surrendered Atlanta to the Union Army, and on
September 7,
General Sherman ordered the city's civilian population to evacuate. On
November 11, 1864, in preparation of the Union Army's march to Savannah,
Sherman ordered Atlanta to be burned to the ground, sparing only the city's churches and hospitals. After the Civil War ended in 1865, Atlanta was gradually rebuilt. Due to the city's superior rail transportation network, the state capital was moved to Atlanta from Milledgeville in 1868. In the
1880 Census, Atlanta surpassed Savannah as Georgia's largest city.
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.
- published: 18 Jun 2013
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