Discover Atlanta Georgia
Atlanta and Its History
The city of
Atlanta was first founded in 1837 as the end of the Western and Atlantic
railroad line. It was born with its first name, Marthasville, in honor of
Governor Wilson Lumpkin’s daughter, and eventually to Atlanta in 1848. The
city was also nicknamed Terminus for its rail location, and then changed soon
to Atlanta in 1848, which means the ‘feminine’ of Atlantic – as
in the railroad.
The city of Atlanta is not only the county seat for
Fulton County, but is also the capital of the state of Georgia. It was named as
the state capital on April 20, 1868 after it is incorporated as a city on
December 29, 1845.
Atlanta, since its beginning, is a fast growing
city. Today, it remains as one of the most well-known transportation hubs, not
just in the United States but in the whole world. The Hartsfield Atlanta
International Airport is one of the country’s busiest in daily passenger
flights. In fact, several direct flights to South America, Europe and Asia have
transformed metro Atlanta easily reachable to the over 1,000 international
businesses that have been operating in the city. Those flights are even what
made the more than 50 countries that have representation in the city through
consulates, trade offices, and chambers of commerce accessible. With all these
developments, it’s no wonder that the city became a banking center and is
highly considered these days as the world headquarters for 13 Fortune 500
companies.
Two decades ago, Atlanta has undergone unprecedented
growth. That time, the population of the official city remains suspended, at
about 420,000. However, the metro population has grown in the past decade by
nearly 40 percent, from 2.9 million to 4.1 million inhabitants. As the city had
claimed, a good measure of this development is the ever changing downtown
skyline, along with skyscrapers constructed in the Midtown, Buckhead, as well
as the outer perimeter business districts.
Since the late 1970s,
dozens of incredible skyscrapers designed and developed by luminaries such as
Philip Johnson, I. M. Pel, and Marcel Breuer have reshaped the city’s
profile. Atlanta is now deemed as the Capital city of the southeast, a city of
the future with strong bonds to its past.
A myriad of great
attractions can be found in the vibrant city of Atlanta. In the first place, it
is the cultural center for the state with a wide array of arts available to the
public. Top of the lists are the High Museum of Art, the Atlanta Symphony
Orchestra and the Atlanta Ballet.
Other than arts, the city of
Atlanta also prides a number of worldly acclaimed sports on the both the
professional and collegiate levels. It is in fact the home of Atlanta Braves,
Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Thrashers, and Atlanta Hawks; all acclaimed and award
winning sports teams. The collegiate level sports are available through the
Georgia Institute of Technology, and it is here where the Peach Bowl during
football season is hosted.
Just like any other cities in the world,
the city of Atlanta hosts a number of festivals, celebrations and parades. To
mention, some of the well-known festivals are the Georgia Renaissance Festival,
Black College Spring Break, Sweet Auburn Festival, the National Black Arts
Festival, and the Atlanta Dogwood Festival.
The city of Atlanta is
also the primary to a number of great colleges, universities and technical
schools. There is the Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology,
Georgia State University, as well as the Oglethorpe University that make
Atlanta their home. Also, being a city open for all Americans, blacks or
whites, the city of Atlanta has currently four historically Black colleges and
universities that are centrally located. Included in the list are the Clark
Atlanta University, the Morehouse College, Morris Brown College and Spelman
College.
In addition to the above mentioned Atlanta schools, it is
also interesting to know that today there are two state managed technical
schools in the city of Atlanta: the Atlanta Area Technical Institute and the
Atlanta Metropolitan College. Private colleges also made Atlanta their home and
top the list is the Art Institute of Atlanta, DeVry Institute of Technology,
Beulah Heights Bible College, and Herzing College.
For more than four
decades, the city of Atlanta has been significantly associated to the civil
rights movement. It was noted the Civil Rights leaders during the early days
have moved forward, and they were the visionaries who saw a new south, which is
the new Atlanta. With a strong belief in peace, individuals such as they Martin
Luther King Jr. made monumental sacrifices for that peace, and it is them who
are responsible for Atlanta’s rise. The Martin Luther King Jr. Center was
even established in honor of his name. They have lifted the city into a
fast-pace modern city which opened its doors to the victorious and successful
1996 Olympics.
It is interesting to know that throughout the history
of the city, the die hard Southerners view the place as the heart of the Old
Confederacy. Because of this notion, Atlanta has become the best example of the
New South – a fast-paced modern community that stood proud of its
heritage.
The old in new Atlanta is now well-known throughout the
world as the soul of the city, the heritage that improves the quality of life
in a contemporary community. It is further interesting to know that during the
turbulent 60s, the city was known as “the city too busy to hate”, but
today, in the 21st century, Atlanta is “the city not too busy to
care”.
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