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'''Atlanta''' is a city and metropolitan area in Georgia; the city is the state capital of Georgia and has a population of 477,000 inside the city limits in 2008; adding in the suburbs, the Atlanta metropolitian area had a population of 5,376,000 in 2008, up from 2.9 million in 1990, making it the 9th largest in the United States. <ref>see [http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/013426.html Census Press release March 19, 2009]</ref>
'''Atlanta''' is a city and metropolitan area in Georgia; the city is the state capital of Georgia and has a population of 477,000 inside the city limits in 2008; adding in the suburbs, the Atlanta metropolitan area had a population of 5,376,000 in 2008, up from 2.9 million in 1990, making it the 9th largest in the United States. <ref>see [http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/013426.html Census Press release March 19, 2009]</ref>.
Atlanta has been growing rapidly, but has been hit hard by the national [[Recession of 2008]], ranking behind only Phoenix in the number of job losses among the 13 largest metro areas in 2008.
Atlanta has been growing rapidly, but has been hit hard by the national [[Recession of 2008]], ranking behind only Phoenix in the number of job losses among the 13 largest metro areas in 2008.
Atlanta is home to the busiest airport in the world (both by number of people that fly though and by number of takeoffs and landings) the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.<ref>[http://www.atlanta-airport.com/Default.asp?url=sublevels/airport_info/gmpage.htm] Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport - About us</ref>
Atlanta is home to the busiest airport in the world (both by number of people that fly though and by number of takeoffs and landings) the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport<ref>[http://www.atlanta-airport.com/Default.asp?url=sublevels/airport_info/gmpage.htm] Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport - About us</ref>
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. 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.
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, Atlanta 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.
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.
====Progressive Era====
In early-20th-century Atlanta, police often arrested or detained young working-class women who frequented cheap theaters and other places of amusement. The stated object was to protect women from becoming victims of prostitution and other vices, but it seems to have been more a Progressive Era technique to control male vice. It was easier and less controversial to control women's activities than to attempt to control the entertainment businesses. The coming of World War I in 1917 and the presence of a large Army facility at nearby Camp Gordon intensified the enforcement efforts and prompted the hiring of full-fledged policewomen, an Atlanta "first," to more effectively patrol the streets and inspect commercial establishments where prostitution was suspected.<ref>Georgina Hickey, "Waging War on 'Loose Living Hotels' and 'Cheap Soda Water Joints': The Criminalization of Working-Class Women in Atlanta's Public Space." ''Georgia Historical Quarterly'' 1998 82(4): 775-800. 0016-8297 </Ref>
Leo Frank, Jewish co-owner of an Atlanta pencil factory, was convicted in 1913 of murdering Mary Phagan, a 13-year-old white Catholic employee, but after his sentence was commuted by the governor of Georgia in 1915, he was taken by a mob from a Milledgeville, Georgia, prison and lynched. Many historians believe he was innocent in the first place and was the victim of anti-Semitism,
====Black Atlanta====
====Black Atlanta====
Few blacks had lived in Atlanta before the war but by 1867 almost 9,000 African Americans and 10,000 whites migrated to the city. By 1870 blacks numbered over 12,000 and made up almost one half of the city's population.
Few blacks had lived in Atlanta before the war but by 1867 almost 9,000 African Americans and 10,000 whites migrated to the city. By 1870 blacks numbered over 12,000 and made up almost one half of the city's population.
The segregation did not prevent racial violence, most notably the Atlanta Race Riot of 1906. Racial tensions were intensified by a long and bitter campaign for governor in which both white candidates called for the complete exclusion of blacks from the political process. Following a series of wild rumoors of wanton black attacks on white women, a race riot erupted in the city in which whites attacked blacks on the street. Spurred on by lurid newspaper accounts of black rapists and rumors of black insurrection, roving gangs of white males attacked African Americans wherever they could find them in the downtown area and in nearby black neighborhoods. After the riot geographical segregation intensified.<ref> See Mark Bauerlein, ''Negrophobia: A Race Riot in Atlanta, 1906.'' (2001) [http://www.questia.com/library/book/negrophobia-a-race-riot-in-atlanta-1906-by-mark-bauerlein.jsp online]. </ref>
The segregation did not prevent racial violence, most notably the Atlanta Race Riot of 1906. Racial tensions were intensified by a long and bitter campaign for governor in which both white candidates called for the complete exclusion of blacks from the political process. Following a series of wild rumoors of wanton black attacks on white women, a race riot erupted in the city in which whites attacked blacks on the street. Spurred on by lurid newspaper accounts of black rapists and rumors of black insurrection, roving gangs of white males attacked African Americans wherever they could find them in the downtown area and in nearby black neighborhoods. After the riot geographical segregation intensified.<ref> See Mark Bauerlein, ''Negrophobia: A Race Riot in Atlanta, 1906.'' (2001) [http://www.questia.com/library/book/negrophobia-a-race-riot-in-atlanta-1906-by-mark-bauerlein.jsp online]. </ref>
By the 1920s, Auburn Avenue was already home to a wide range of black-owned and black-operated businesses, such as insurance companies, banks, a newspaper, barber and beauty shops, restaurants, grocery stores, photo studios, and funeral homes that provided African Americans the services denied them in the larger urban community. Freed from competition with white businessmen and assured the patronage of Atlanta's black community, many black entrepreneurs and their businesses prospered under Jim Crow.
===1920-1960===
===1920-1960===
The December 1939 premier of David O. Selznick's film version of Margaret Mitchell's novel ''Gone With The Wind'' was an unprecedented and unconventional success, marking both a new watermark in film promotion and a milestone in Atlanta's efforts to remake itself as the capital of the New South. It was a segregated event. The best-selling novel and the top-selling film ever gave Atlanta a heroic image worldwide.<ref> Matthew Bernstein, "Selznick's March: The Atlanta Premiere of Gone With The Wind." ''Atlanta History'' 1999 43(2): 7-33. 0896-3975 </ref>
===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>
====Maddox and die-hard segregationists====
Atlanta adjusted smoothly to the end of segregation in 1965 with one major exception. 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====
[[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>
[[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>
====Upsaling housing====
====Upscaling housing====
Gentrification transformed inner city neighborhoods after 1980 as upscale white and Asian families became attracted to the locational advantages of in-town living. Neighborhoods such as Inman Park, Virginia Highlands, East Lake, and Oakhurst witnessed dramatic increases in property values in a short period of time.<ref> Dona J. Stewart, "Hot 'Lanta's Urban Expansion and Cultural Landscape Change." ''Geographical Review'' 1999 89(1): 132-140. 0016-7428 </ref>
Gentrification transformed inner city neighborhoods after 1980 as upscale white and Asian families became attracted to the locational advantages of in-town living. Neighborhoods such as Inman Park, Virginia Highlands, East Lake, and Oakhurst witnessed dramatic increases in property values in a short period of time.<ref> Dona J. Stewart, "Hot 'Lanta's Urban Expansion and Cultural Landscape Change." ''Geographical Review'' 1999 89(1): 132-140. 0016-7428 </ref>
Techwood Homes was a federally funded public housing project in Atlanta, originally conceived as a slum clearance project by private developers in 1932. It became a New Deal PWA (Public Works Administration) project that replaced impoverished slumdwellers with working-class residents. In the 1980s the rehabilitation of the buildings became a political issue, accelerating in controversy as Atlanta was named the site for the 1996 Olympics. The Atlanta Housing Authority and private developers successfully circumvented Housing and Urban Development rules to displace Techwood residents. Despite the integrity of the building structures and estimates that they would last for another sixty years, the buildings were demolished in 1995. Techwood was replaced by upscale housing, and two thirds of the former residents were given replacement public housing. <ref> Keating, Larry and Carol A. Flores, "Sixty and out: Techwood Homes Transformed by Enemies and Friends" ''Journal of Urban History'' 2000 26(3): 275-311. 0096-1442 </ref>
Techwood Homes was a federally funded public housing project in Atlanta, originally conceived as a slum clearance project by private developers in 1932. It became a New Deal PWA (Public Works Administration) project that replaced impoverished slumdwellers with white working-class residents. In the 1980s the rehabilitation of the buildings became a political issue, accelerating in controversy as Atlanta was named the site for the 1996 Olympics. The Atlanta Housing Authority and private developers successfully circumvented Housing and Urban Development rules to displace Techwood residents. Despite the integrity of the building structures and estimates that they would last for another sixty years, the buildings were demolished in 1995. Techwood was replaced by upscale housing, and two thirds of the former residents were given replacement public housing. <ref> Keating, Larry and Carol A. Flores, "Sixty and out: Techwood Homes Transformed by Enemies and Friends" ''Journal of Urban History'' 2000 26(3): 275-311. 0096-1442 </ref>
====Air transport====
====Air transport====
The relationship between cities and their airports has increased in significance since the widespread introduction of commercial jet passenger aviation in the 1960s. Atlanta was a model for other cities such as Dallas and Denver because of the active roles of its major airline, Delta, and the close ties between airline, city, and airport authorities. Delta and therefore Atlanta came to dominate air travel in the entire Southeast. Delta's pioneering hub-and-spoke system formed a blueprint for other airlines in the United States following deregulation in 1978, while the contribution Atlanta's airport made to the local economy aroused the interest of other growth oriented cities. <ref> Drew Whitelegg, Keeping Their Eyes on the Skies: Jet Aviation, Delta Air Lines and the Growth of Atlanta. Journal of Transport History 2000 21(1): 73-91. 0022-5266 </ref>
The relationship between cities and their airports has increased in significance since the widespread introduction of commercial jet passenger aviation in the 1960s. Atlanta was a model for other cities such as Dallas and Denver because of the active roles of its major airline, Delta, and the close ties between airline, city, and airport authorities. Delta and therefore Atlanta came to dominate air travel in the entire Southeast. Delta's pioneering hub-and-spoke system formed a blueprint for other airlines in the United States following deregulation in 1978, while the contribution Atlanta's airport made to the local economy aroused the interest of other growth oriented cities. <ref> Drew Whitelegg, Keeping Their Eyes on the Skies: Jet Aviation, Delta Air Lines and the Growth of Atlanta. Journal of Transport History 2000 21(1): 73-91. 0022-5266 </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> The Olympics stimulated the local economy in the years leading up to the games; they also were quite successful in promoting tourism and attracting business to the region. The city acquired a new stadium and other sports facilities. The games also were an incentive to make a number of improvements in urban design and infrastructure. However, inner-city neighborhoods were never redeveloped as originally anticipated. Reliance on private funding and a fragmented organizational structure were key factors that limited Atlanta's ability to use the Olympics as a vehicle for redevelopment.<ref> Steven P. French, and Mike E. Disher, "Atlanta and the Olympics: A One-Year Retrospective." ''Journal of the American Planning Association 1997 63(3): 379-392. 0194-4363 </ref>
*[[Atlanta Falcons]] ([[NFL]] [[Football]])
*[[Atlanta Falcons]] ([[NFL]] [[Football]])