When did Atlanta become a city?
Atlanta became an officially incorporated city in 1847 and its original rail terminus is now the vibrant Five Points district. Three rail lines passed through the city by 1847 and the community's population increased dramatically from just 30 people in 1842, to over 6,000 residents by 1855.
What was the first hotel in Atlanta Georgia?
The first Georgia Railroad freight and passenger trains from Augusta (to the east of Atlanta), arrived in September 1845 and in that year the first hotel, the Atlanta Hotel, was opened. The railroad was the chief stimulus to the town's growth, with several lines being added. In 1846,...
Why is Atlanta called the Phoenix of Atlanta?
The city emerged from the ashes – hence the city's symbol, the phoenix – and was gradually rebuilt, as its population increased rapidly after the war. Atlanta received migrants from surrounding counties and states: from 1860 to 1870 Fulton County more than doubled in population, from 14,427 to 33,446.
What was the black population of Atlanta in 1870?
This small population would grow, and by 1870, the black population of Atlanta comprised 46 percent of 21,700 residents, a proportion roughly maintained to the end of the 19th century. The Civil War: The early history of African Americans in Atlanta was forever altered by the Civil War.
Why is Atlanta named after the Atlantic Ocean?
If you live in our luxury Atlanta apartments, then you may not be too surprised to learn that your city is named after the Atlantic Ocean! Or, more specifically, it was named after the last stop in the Western-Atlantic railroad. In 1837, what is now the city of Atlanta used to be nothing more than empty land.
How many cities are named Atlanta?
You may be surprised to know that there isn’t just one Atlanta in the world. Heck, there are over 21 cities, towns and communities named Atlanta in the United States alone! The biggest Atlanta in the U.S., no doubt, is Atlanta, Georgia.
What is Marthasville's middle name?
Remember Martha, the governor’s daughter after whom the settlement Marthasville was named? Well, her middle name was Atalanta, which is the name of a powerful huntress in Greek mythology. Some say that the city of Atlanta was named after her middle name, but there isn’t any solid proof of that being true.
Where is Winship Machine Company buried?
at its intersection with the Western & Atlantic Railroad, near today's Georgia World Congress Center, ca. 1890. John Winship, who founded the company, and his family are buried at @oaklandcemetery. #makehistory.
When did Atlanta join the Confederacy?
Douglas and John Bell. But when Georgia seceded in January 1861, Atlanta joined with the Confederacy and rapidly became a strategically important city for the Southern cause.
What were the two major developments that led to the development of Atlanta?
Atlanta owes its origins to two important developments in the 1830s: the forcible removal of Native Americans (principally Creeks and Cherokees) from northwest Georgia and the extension of railroad lines into the state’s interior. Both of these actions sparked increased settlement and development in the upper Piedmont section of the state and led to Atlanta’s founding.
How did the railroads affect Atlanta?
The impact of the railroads was felt all over the city. Railroads lay at the heart of the local economy, swelled the city's numbers, connected Atlanta to distant markets, shaped its physical layout, and supported Atlanta's grandiose claims to being the "Gate City" to the region and the "Chicago of the South.".
How many people live in Atlanta?
According to the 2010 U.S. census, the population of Atlanta is 420,003, although the metropolitan area (comprising twenty-eight counties and more than 6,000 square miles) has a population of more than 5.2 million. It is also one of the most important commercial, financial, and transportation centers of the southeastern United States. Located in the northern portion of the state, Atlanta enjoys a high mean elevation—1,050 feet (320m) above sea level—which distinguishes it from most other southern (and eastern) cities and contributes to a more temperate climate than is found in areas farther south.
What are the three forces that affect Atlanta?
The three dominant forces affecting Atlanta's history and development have been transportation, race relations, and the "Atlanta spirit." At each stage in the city's development, these three elements have come into play. Transportation innovations and their connections to Atlanta helped establish the city as a state and regional center of commerce and finance. Issues of race and race relations, dating back to the years before the Civil War (1861-65), have affected the layout of the city and its political structure, municipal services, educational institutions, and sometimes conflicting images as a segregated southern city and a "Black mecca." And the Atlanta spirit—part civic boosterism, part vision, with a healthy dose of business interests and priorities—has provided the city with an ever-changing set of goals and definitions of what Atlanta is and what it can become.
What were the major developments in the 1830s?
important developments in the 1830s: the forcible removal of Native Americans (principally Creeks and Cherokees) from northwest Georgia and the extension of railroad lines into the state's interior. Both of these actions sparked increased settlement and development in the upper Piedmont section of the state and led to Atlanta's founding.
Why was Marthasville named Marthasville?
In 1843 the name of the town was changed to Marthasville, in honor of the daughter of former governor Wilson Lumpkin, who had played a key role in bringing the railroad to the area. Two years later the city adopted a new name—Atlanta. Supposedly a feminine version of the word Atlantic, the name was first used by John Edgar Thomson, chief engineer of the Georgia Railroad, to designate his railroad’s local depot. Governor Lumpkin, on the other hand, is said to have maintained that the city’s new name was yet another tribute to his daughter, whose middle name was Atalanta, although this story appears to be apocryphal.
When did Atlanta start?
Atlanta began in 1837 at the end of the Western and Atlantic Railroad. The terminus, which means 'the end of the line', is still marked by the zero mile post.
Why was Atlanta renamed Atlanta?
Two years later the city was renamed Atlanta, as a nod to the Western and Atlantic Railroad.
Did Atlanta recover from Sherman's campaign?
Though much of the city burned to the ground during Sherman's campaign, Atlanta experienced a quick recovery.
Is Atlanta a city?
Today, Atlanta is one of the largest cities in the South.
How many tourists visit Atlanta each year?
After the recent Georgia Aquarium, Centennial Olympic Games Museum and World of Coca-Cola theme park openings, Atlanta has become America's seventh-most visited city, greeting more than 35 million tourists each year.
Why did Atlanta adopt the Phoenix as its symbol?
After the Civil War, Atlanta adopted the phoenix as its symbol, to represent how the city successfully rebuilt itself from ashes. The city experienced another dramatic population increase during the post Civil War reconstruction era, when freed slaves and impoverished farmers arrived in droves.
When was Coca Cola invented?
In 1886, Jacob's Pharmacy sold the world's first Coca-Cola bottles as headache tonics, and the Coca-Cola Company was officially founded five years later. By 1919, the Coca-Cola Company was worth millions and it is now among the city's top tourist attractions, with regular guided tours offered.
Who was the first African American mayor of Atlanta?
Only five years after King's death, however, the city elected its first African American mayor, Maynard Jackson. In 2001, Atlanta once again made history when Shirley Franklin became the city's new mayor. Franklin was the first African American female mayor of any city in southeast United States.
What is the old in new Atlanta?
The old in new Atlanta is the soul of the city, the heritage that enhances the quality of life in a contemporary city. In the turbulent 60s, Atlanta was "the city too busy to hate.". And today, in the 21st century, Atlanta is the "city not too busy to care.”. Historical Markers. Atlanta Student Movement.
When was Atlanta founded?
Atlanta was founded in 1837 as the end of the Western & Atlantic railroad line (it was first named Marthasville in honor of the then-governor's daughter, nicknamed Terminus for its rail location, and then changed soon after to Atlanta, the feminine of Atlantic -- as in the railroad).
Is Atlanta a fast-paced city?
And because of them, Atlanta became a fast-paced modern city which opened its doors to the 1996 Olympics. Die-hard southerners view Atlanta as the heart of the Old Confederacy. Atlanta has become the best example of the New South, a fast-paced modern city proud of its heritage. Growth & Population.
Is Atlanta a banking center?
The city has emerged as a banking center and boasts the third largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the country. Atlanta is the capital city of the Southeast, a city of the future with strong ties to its past.
What battle took place during the Atlanta Campaign?
A Battle of Pace's Ferry took place during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War .
When was the ferry crossing in Atlanta?
Union Army soldiers used the ferry crossing in 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the Civil War . The exact location of the ferry is now the northeasternmost crossing of Interstate 285 over the river; and it is the Fulton-Cobb county line (now the Sandy Springs city limit).
Where is the Paces Ferry in Atlanta?
Paces Ferry Rd. connects historic Vinings in the west, on the Chattahoochee River in Cobb County, to the western edge of Atlanta 's Buckhead area in the east. From this end, West Paces Ferry Road, one of Atlanta's best-known streets, passes east through some of the oldest and wealthiest Buckhead neighborhoods. The Georgia Governor's Mansion is on this street. Continuing east, West Paces Ferry Road becomes East Paces Ferry Road after intersecting Peachtree Road in Buckhead's entertainment and nightlife district. East Paces Ferry Road runs as far east as Lenox Square mall, after being severed by SR 400 .
Why did the city of Atlanta build bridges?
They provided much needed service when there were no bridges, and many rivers ran too high to be forded. After the Civil War, the state and cities began to build bridges to replace the ferries. Some of these are counted among the historic bridges of the Atlanta area .
When did the Cherokee settle in Georgia?
Most of the ferries date to the early years of European-American settlement in the 1820s and 1830s, when Cherokee and other Native Americans still occupied part of what became Georgia. An assortment of privately owned and operated ferries carried travelers and loads across the Chattahoochee River and several other smaller rivers.
Who built the Vann's Ferry?
Vann's Ferry was the first ferry across the Chattahoochee River, starting in 1804. It was operated by Cherokee leader James Vann (builder of the Vann House ). It crossed the river between what are now Hall and Forsyth counties. This crossing area was flooded by the creation of Lake Lanier in the 1950s.
What is the southern end of Bells Ferry Road called?
Within the city of Marietta, street name signs use the proper "Bell's" rather than "Bells". The southernmost end of the road is called Church Street Extension , although it is a turn off Church Street, and a straight continuation of Bells Ferry Road.
History
Population Patterns
- The city of Atlanta itself is relatively small, with a land area of just over 131 square miles. The city’s population, which peaked in 1970 at 496,973, shrank by some 71,951 people as that decade progressed and by another 31,262 in the 1980s. This trend of declining numbers now appears to have halted; in 2000 the total central-city population was 416,474 and in 2010 it rose to 420,003, …
Economy
- Atlanta’s dramatic population growth in the last few decades has been matched by equally impressive economic growth. The city is, by most measures, the business capital of the Southeast. It is also the headquarters for some of the nation’s (and the world’s) best-known companies, including Coca-Cola, CNN, UPS, Georgia-Pacific, the Home Depot, and Delta Air Line…
The Arts
- Atlanta is home to a thriving arts community, with dozens of art museums, a professional ballet company, a puppetry arts center, and many performance spaces for theater, music, and dance. The Atlanta Ballet is the oldest professional dance company in America, as well as the largest self-supported arts organization in Georgia. The Atlanta Ballet performs at the Fox Theatreand t…
Sports and Recreation
- Atlanta claims a number of major-league sports teams: the Braves baseball team; the Falcons football team; the Hawks basketball team; and Atlanta United FC, a soccer club. The Atlanta Motor Speedwayhosts NASCARevents. The PATH Foundation has created more than 60 miles (with up to 200 to be created eventually) of multi-use greenway trails that wind through Atlanta’…
Sections of The City and Points of Interest
- Downtown
Atlanta is sometimes described as a “horizontal city.” With few natural barriers to contain or restrict its growth, and greatly influenced by the arrival of the automobile and the increased mobility that it brought, the city has developed in a sprawling, dispersed fashion. Population den… - North
To the north of downtown is Midtown Atlanta, which features another grouping of tall office and hotel buildings, residential communities, restaurants, and bars. Also found in this section of the city are Ansley Park (an early-twentieth-century residential community), the Atlanta Botanical Ga…