76 Facts About Atlanta Georgia

1.

Atlanta Georgia was originally founded as the terminus of a major state-sponsored railroad, but it soon became the convergence point among several railroads, spurring its rapid growth.

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2.

The largest was the Western and Atlantic Railroad, from which the name "Atlanta Georgia" is derived, signifying the city's growing reputation as a major hub of transportation.

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3.

The region surrounding Atlanta Georgia was the location of several major army battles, culminating with the Battle of Atlanta Georgia and a four-month-long siege of the city by the Union Army under the command of General William Tecumseh Sherman.

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4.

In 1895, Atlanta Georgia hosted the Cotton States and International Exposition, which attracted nearly 800, 000 attendees and successfully promoted the New South's development to the world.

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5.

In three decades' time, Atlanta Georgia's population tripled as the city limits expanded to include nearby streetcar suburbs.

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6.

Atlanta Georgia was sentenced to death but the governor commuted his sentence to life.

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7.

On May 21, 1917, the Great Atlanta Georgia Fire destroyed 1, 938 buildings in what is the Old Fourth Ward, resulting in one fatality and the displacement of 10, 000 people.

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8.

On December 15, 1939, Atlanta Georgia hosted the premiere of Gone with the Wind, the epic film based on the best-selling novel by Atlanta Georgia's Margaret Mitchell.

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9.

Atlanta Georgia 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.

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10.

Atlanta Georgia was selected as the site for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

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11.

From 2000 to 2010, Atlanta Georgia gained 22, 763 white residents, 5, 142 Asian residents, and 3, 095 Hispanic residents, while the city's black population decreased by 31, 678.

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12.

The city of Atlanta Georgia was the subject of a massive cyberattack which began in March 2018.

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13.

On June 16, 2022, Atlanta Georgia was selected as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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14.

At 1, 050 feet above mean sea level, Atlanta Georgia has the highest elevation among major cities east of the Mississippi River.

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15.

Atlanta Georgia developed on a ridge south of the Chattahoochee River, which is part of the ACF River Basin.

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16.

Atlanta Georgia is sometimes called "City of Trees" or "city in a forest", despite having lost approximately 560, 000 acres of trees between 1973 and 1999.

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17.

Yet architecturally, the city had never been traditionally "southern" because Atlanta Georgia originated as a railroad town, rather than a southern seaport dominated by the planter class, such as Savannah or Charleston.

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18.

Examples include the State of Atlanta Georgia Building built in 1966, and the Atlanta Georgia-Pacific Tower in 1982.

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19.

Downtown Atlanta Georgia contains the most office space in the metro area, much of it occupied by government entities.

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20.

Midtown Atlanta Georgia is the city's second-largest business district, containing the offices of many of the region's law firms.

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21.

Northwest Atlanta Georgia contains the areas of the city to west of Marietta Boulevard and to the north of Martin Luther King, Jr.

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22.

The gentrification of Atlanta Georgia has its origins in the 1970s, after many of Atlanta Georgia's neighborhoods had declined and suffered the urban decay that affected other major American cities in the mid-20th century.

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23.

Under the Koppen classification, Atlanta Georgia has a humid subtropical climate with four distinct seasons and generous precipitation year-round, typical for the Upland South; the city is situated in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8a, with the northern and western suburbs, as well as part of Midtown transitioning to 7b.

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24.

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.

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25.

Some middle and upper class African-American residents of Atlanta Georgia followed an influx of whites to newer housing and public schools in the suburbs in the early 21st century.

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26.

Since 2010, the Atlanta Georgia area has seen very notable growth with immigrants from India, China, South Korea, and Jamaica.

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27.

Atlanta Georgia's dialect has traditionally been a variation of Southern American English.

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28.

Atlanta Georgia has a thriving and diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

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29.

Metro Atlanta Georgia has numerous ethnic or national Christian congregations, including Korean and Indian churches.

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30.

Atlanta Georgia started as a railroad town, and logistics has been a major component of the city's economy to this day.

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31.

Atlanta Georgia serves as an important rail junction and contains major classification yards for Norfolk Southern and CSX.

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32.

Partly due to the airport, Atlanta Georgia has been a hub for diplomatic missions; as of 2017, the city contains 26 consulates general, the seventh-highest concentration of diplomatic missions in the US.

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33.

Atlanta Georgia 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.

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34.

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.

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35.

Atlanta Georgia has become one of the USA's best cities for street art in recent years.

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36.

Atlanta Georgia has played a major or contributing role in the development of various genres of American music at different points in the city's history.

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37.

Also in the 2000s, Atlanta Georgia was recognized by the Brooklyn-based Vice magazine for its indie rock scene, which revolves around the various live music venues found on the city's alternative eastside.

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38.

Atlanta Georgia is considered a hub for filmmakers of color and houses Tyler Perry Studios and Areu Bros.

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39.

Atlanta Georgia has more festivals than any city in the southeastern United States.

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40.

Atlanta Georgia contains a notable number of historical museums and sites, including the Martin Luther King Jr.

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41.

Visitors seeking to sample international Atlanta Georgia are directed to Buford Highway, the city's international corridor, and suburban Gwinnett County.

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42.

Atlanta Georgia is best known for its barbecue, hamburgers, Southern fried chicken, and lemon pepper chicken wings.

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43.

Atlanta Georgia Falcons have played in Atlanta Georgia since their inception in 1966.

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44.

In 2019, Atlanta Georgia briefly hosted an Alliance of American Football team, the Atlanta Georgia Legends, but the league was suspended during its first season and the team folded.

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45.

Atlanta Georgia Hawks were founded in 1946 as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, playing in Moline, Illinois.

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46.

In 1998 the Atlanta Georgia Silverbacks were formed, playing the new North American Soccer League.

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47.

In 2017, Atlanta Georgia United FC began play as Atlanta Georgia's first premier-division professional soccer club since the Chiefs.

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48.

In ice hockey, Atlanta Georgia has had two National Hockey League franchises, both of which relocated to a city in Canada after playing in Atlanta Georgia for fewer than 15 years.

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49.

The Atlanta Georgia Flames played from 1972 to 1980, and the Atlanta Georgia Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets) played from 1999 to 2011.

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50.

In Rugby union, on September 21, 2018, Major League Rugby announced that Atlanta Georgia was one of the expansion teams joining the league for the 2020 season named Rugby ATL.

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51.

Atlanta Georgia has long been known as the "capital" of college football in America.

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52.

Also, Atlanta Georgia 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, and annually hosts the SEC Championship Game.

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53.

Atlanta Georgia additionally hosted the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship.

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54.

In 2001 and 2011, Atlanta Georgia hosted the PGA Championship, one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, at the Atlanta Georgia Athletic Club.

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55.

In soccer, Atlanta Georgia has hosted numerous international friendlies and CONCACAF Gold Cup matches.

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56.

Atlanta Georgia will serve as one of the eleven US host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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57.

Atlanta Georgia offers resources and opportunities for amateur and participatory sports and recreation.

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58.

The mayor of Atlanta Georgia is Andre Dickens, a Democrat elected on a nonpartisan ballot whose first term in office began on January 3, 2022.

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59.

Atlanta Georgia serves as the regional hub for many arms of the federal bureaucracy, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Georgia and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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60.

The City of Atlanta Georgia annexed the CDC into its territory effective January 1, 2018.

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61.

Much of southern Atlanta Georgia is in the 13th district, represented by Democrat David Scott.

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62.

Atlanta Georgia Institute of Technology is a prominent public research university in Midtown.

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63.

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.

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64.

The City of Atlanta Georgia annexed Emory into its territory effective January 1, 2018.

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65.

Atlanta Georgia 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 Georgia's visual art community.

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66.

In 2018 the City of Atlanta Georgia 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.

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67.

Primary network-affiliated television stations in Atlanta Georgia are WXIA-TV 11, WANF 46 (CBS), WSB-TV 2 (ABC), and WAGA-TV 5 (Fox).

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68.

Atlanta Georgia is served by The Atlanta Georgia Journal-Constitution, its only major daily newspaper with wide distribution.

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69.

Atlanta Georgia magazine is a monthly general-interest magazine based in and covering Atlanta Georgia.

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70.

Atlanta Georgia has a network of freeways that radiate out from the city, and automobiles are the dominant means of transportation in the region.

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71.

Atlanta Georgia is mostly encircled by Interstate 285, a beltway locally known as "the Perimeter" that has come to mark the boundary between "Inside the Perimeter", the city and close-in suburbs, and "Outside the Perimeter" (OTP), the outer suburbs and exurbs.

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72.

The heavy reliance on automobiles for transportation in Atlanta Georgia has resulted in traffic, commute, and air pollution rates that rank among the worst in the country.

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73.

The City of Atlanta Georgia has a higher than average percentage of households without a car.

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74.

Crime is down across the country, but Atlanta Georgia's improvement has occurred at more than twice the national rate.

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75.

Atlanta Georgia in January 2017 declared the city was a "welcoming city" and "will remain open and welcoming to all".

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76.

Atlanta Georgia has a reputation as a "city in a forest" due to an abundance of trees that is rare among major cities.

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