|
|
| Home - City Guide - Atlanta - City Overview | ||
|
||
|
City Overview The city of Atlanta lies in the foothills of the forested Appalachian hills, with undulating, well-wooded suburbs to the north and most commercial development around Hartsfield Airport in the south. From an aircraft window, the bald dome of nearby Stone Mountain is a stunning local landmark. In April, when the dogwoods are in flower, Atlanta is at its most attractive. However, all year round, landscaped lawns and tree-lined avenues, combined with a moderate climate, give the city a pleasant feel. The southern terminus of the Western and Atlantic Railroad, Atlanta was built in 1837, on former Creek Indian tribal land and incorporated as Marthasville (after Governor Wilson Lumpkins' daughter) in 1843. Incorporated as a city in 1845, it was renamed Atlanta in 1848. During the Civil War, the city was defended by still extant Confederate trenches and guns, but fell to General Sherman on 2 September 1866 and was burnt by Union troops in an attempt to disrupt southern communication. Rapidly rebuilt, along segregated lines, it became the capital of Georgia in 1868, and first a rail, then road and air transport hub between north and south. Atlanta was the birthplace of anti-segregationist leader Pastor Dr Martin Luther King Junior and, through him, made a significant contribution to the Civil Rights movement in the USA. He inspired a continuing succession of black leaders, including Andrew Young, who became ambassador to the United Nations. America's first black mayor was elected for Atlanta in 1973, when the city was undergoing the tensions of transition from cotton-pickin' south to technology-driven metropolis. From the 1980s, redevelopment near the centre razed the suburbs and merged some segregated districts. Today, even though the transition is complete, a fashionable majority of well-educated young white professionals, working and playing hard, scarcely intermix with the small African-American core or the few fossilised rural rednecks. The traditional deep-south African-American identity is centred in the district of Sweet Auburn and other areas south of Interstate 20. White and wealthy development has spread the city north as far as the plush villages of Marietta and Roswell. Plushest of all is Buckhead, where modern architectural recreations of period mansions are ranged around an antique railway station and the soaring cathedral of Christ the King. Nearer the centre, Little Five Points is the hub of modern bohemian nightlife, as well as the location of Underground Atlanta, an offbeat shopping arcade built under the old railway arches. The gilt-domed State Capitol, together with the National Historic business district of Fairlee and the architectural gems of the various churches throughout the city, reminds the visitor of Atlanta's short but stormy history. They are almost lost among the dazzling contemporary skyscrapers, however. The blue glass King and Queen Buildings are so magnificent that they have earned the nickname of 'Empire State of the South'. In 1996, Atlanta played host to the Olympic Games amid a blaze of publicity showcasing the city and its achievements. Despite the fact that the commercial aspects of the games were afterwards widely criticised, this two-billion-Dollar investment has left the city with impressive accommodation, leisure, sport, conference and transport facilities, as well as an increased sense of competitiveness. It is the right environment for the traditional Atlantan aptitude for working and playing hard - and so, today, business is booming. Atlanta is the high-tech home to over 400 Fortune 500 companies and the headquarters of giants like Coca-Cola, CNN, BellSouth, United Parcel Service and Delta Airlines. Even at the weekend, Atlantans work hard - at cheering for their home teams, or jogging and mountain-biking themselves into shape through the trails around the Chatahoochee River and Peachtree Creek. |
||
