Located in the northern half of Georgia known as the Piedmont, Atlanta’s landscape is one of undulating hills wedged between rugged mountains and a flat coastal plain. Its unique geographical position has made it the transportation core of the South since the 19th century. Railroads, highways and its airport (the world’s busiest in 2006) have made it accessible to the rest of the country and attractive to the convention trade. Atlanta was and is a crossroads town.
By the time the Civil War began in 1861, Atlanta was a major railroad hub, manufacturing centre and supply depot. General William Sherman, during his infamous March to the Sea in 1864, burned all of the railroad facilities, most businesses and more than two thirds of the residences in an attempt to cripple supply lines.
Atlanta did not lie in ruins for long. Within four years of Sherman’s attack, the Georgia capital was moved from nearby Milledgeville to Atlanta, and the city launched its first campaign to attract new business.
In 1886, a local drugstore, Jacob’s Pharmacy, began selling a new headache and hangover tonic called Coca-Cola. Entrepreneur Asa Candler paid US$2,300 to acquire the rights in 1891, and the following year the Coca-Cola Company was founded.
This ‘brave and beautiful city,’ so called by newspaper editor Henry Grady, started heading in a new direction. In 1895, the city hosted 800,000 visitors for the Cotton States and International Exposition in Piedmont Park. Atlanta would be the site of the 1996 Olympics 101 years later.
The city is the birthplace of the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr, the leader of the Civil Rights Movement. Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr also played a significant role in the movement. In 1963, he was the only Southern mayor to testify before Congress in support of the pending Civil Rights Bill.
Today, Metropolitan Atlanta sprawls over 20 counties and approximately 100 cities and towns. Almost 5 million people live and work in the area. Atlanta proper is a city of 352 sq km (136 sq miles) and 429,500 residents. Within the confines of the Perimeter, a transportation band that encircles the city, there is a diverse range of neighbourhoods, each with its own personality, and over 52 different streets named Peachtree.
Besides being the economic and cultural centre of the southern United States, Atlanta offers traditional charm with a modern flair. Filled with attractions and activities, including the brand new Georgia Aquarium, the world’s biggest indoor aquarium, Atlanta Cyclorama, CNN Studio Tours, the Martin Luther King Jr Historic District and Six Flags Over Georgia, metropolitan Atlanta has something for almost every visitor.
Spring and autumn are the ideal times to visit the city. In the spring, Atlanta is a beautiful Southern Belle. The city blazes with blossoms of Bradford pear, white dogwood and pink azaleas. Autumn is equally mild tempered and colourful. Winter is unpredictable. Summer is hot, humid and languid. Whilst air conditioning will counteract the worst of the heat, visitors should be prepared for the city to move at a very leisurely pace.