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A large majority of Atlantans attend church regularly and the city is a major center in the Southern Baptist conventions.
A large majority of Atlantans attend church regularly and the city is a major center in the Southern Baptist conventions.
==History==
==History==
Atlanta began as a railroad town in 1837, when the Western and Atlantic Railroad selected an uninhabited site for its western terminus. Here, a small settlement, aptly named Terminus, was built; its name was changed to Marthasville in 1843 and finally to Atlanta in 1845. With the arrival of two other railroads, Atl;anta became a major crossroads and the center of a fast growing transportation network. Wholesalers and bankers located in Atlanta, making it pne of the the main inland commercial centers of the Southeast. By the eve of the Civil War, Atlanta, with a population of more than 9,000, was the fourth largest city in Georgia.
Atlanta began as a railroad town in 1837, when the Western and Atlantic Railroad selected an uninhabited site for its western terminus. Here, a small settlement, aptly named Terminus, was built; its name was changed to Marthasville in 1843 and finally to Atlanta in 1845. With the arrival of two other railroads, Atl;anta became a major crossroads and the center of a fast growing transportation network. Wholesalers and bankers located in Atlanta, making it pne of the the main inland commercial centers of the Southeast. An important founder was John James "Cousin John" Thrasher (1818-99), an entrepreneur who built railroads in Georgia. Thrasher represented Fulton County in the state legislature during 1859-63, and during the Civil War his Atlanta home was used as a headquarters by the Confederate Army. After the war, Thrasher helped the South rebuild by constructing civic buildings and railroads.
By the eve of the Civil War, Atlanta, with a population of more than 9,000, was the fourth largest city in Georgia.
===1860-1920===
===1860-1920===
The Civil War saw Atlanta as the main object of General [[William T. Sherman]]'s attacks in 1864. Confederates burned the downtown as Sherman approached, but it was quickly rebuilt.
The Civil War saw Atlanta as the main object of General [[William T. Sherman]]'s attacks in 1864. Confederates burned the downtown as Sherman approached, but it was quickly rebuilt.
===1960 to present===
===1960 to present===
Restaurant owner Lester Maddox and his wife Virginia worked tirelessly to galvanize Atlanta's white-supremacist population against integration in the early 1960s. Even though the city ultimately rejected segregation to foster rapid economic growth, Maddox gained statewide support and was eventually elected governor of Georgia.<ref> Justin Nystrom, "Segregation's Last Stand: Lester Maddox and the Transformation of Atlanta" ''Atlanta History'' 2001 45(2): 34-51. 0896-3975 </ref>
Restaurant owner Lester Maddox and his wife Virginia worked tirelessly to galvanize Atlanta's white-supremacist population against integration in the early 1960s. Even though the city ultimately rejected segregation to foster rapid economic growth, Maddox gained statewide support and was eventually elected governor of Georgia.<ref> Justin Nystrom, "Segregation's Last Stand: Lester Maddox and the Transformation of Atlanta" ''Atlanta History'' 2001 45(2): 34-51. 0896-3975 </ref>
===Emory===
[[Emory University]] made the transition from a regional Methodist college to a major national research university after 1980 thanks to a combination of external trends and circumstances and internal decisions and strategies. The growth of Atlanta's population and wealth helped end a legacy of poverty and lack of research scientists that had hindered the development of research and graduate programs in Southern universities. The Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Corporation and its owners provided endowments throughout the 20th century that provided significant financial support to the university, although a $105 million Candler bequest in 1979 got the most attention. In addition to the advantage of a key benefactor, Emory had a succession of university presidents committed to making it one of the nation's leading research facilities. Finally, a policy of moderate expansion and careful fiscal management sustained it through an uneven course from the 1950s through the 1990s - although it did not achieve national research status until the late 1980s and 1990s.<ref> Nancy Diamond, "Catching Up: The Advance of Emory University since World War II." ''History of Higher Education Annual'' (1999) 19: 149-183. 0737-2698 </ref>
==Sports in Atlanta==
==Sports in Atlanta==
Atlanta hosted the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.<ref> Gregory D. Andranovich et al. ''Olympic Dreams: The Impact of Mega-Events on Local Politics'' (2001), Chap. 5 "Atlanta and the 1996 Summer Games"; [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=105848420 online]</ref>
Atlanta hosted the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.<ref> Gregory D. Andranovich et al. ''Olympic Dreams: The Impact of Mega-Events on Local Politics'' (2001), Chap. 5 "Atlanta and the 1996 Summer Games"; [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=105848420 online]</ref>