Atlanta: From Depot to Metropolis
from WorldWeb.com Travel Guide

	Atlanta, Georgia

Rising skyscrapers, dense traffic, lucrative commerce, major league sports teams - Atlanta, has all the components of a fast paced, continuously-growing big city. But within the urban sprawl is a sophisticated and historical community, whose southern charm extends to tree-lined streets, appealing green spaces, and residents who still hold the doors open for others and willingly give directions. From its beginnings as a tiny railroad junction named Terminus, Atlanta has risen, despite being fired to the ground during the Civil War, to become a magnet to business headquarters and people of various backgrounds. The diversity of its citizens has created a city with a plethora of flavors. Entertainment, dining, sports, sightseeing - anyone will be able to nourish their roaming spirit in this dazzling metropolis.

HISTORY AND ECONOMY

Established as a railroad junction in the early 1800s, this city went through several name changes before it became incorporated as Atlanta (short for Atlantica-Pacifica, the suggestion of Georgia Railroad engineer John Thomson) in 1847. The name symbolized the city’s rail connection to the ocean. The town was beginning to thrive, as stores, two colleges, a courthouse and even a newspaper existed.

1860s: Atanta became a Confederate Base

In the 1860s as the nation prepared for the Civil War, Atlanta became a Confederate base, and a large producer of war supplies such as railroad cars, revolvers, and tents. For this reason, General William Sherman of the Union Army besieged the town, later burning down almost 90% of the evacuated buildings to prevent the enemy from using it again.

After the war, when residents returned to the ashes, the prospects for the town were grim. The newly elected Mayor Calhoun found the miserly sum of $1.64 in the city treasury. At this time the population of Atlanta was almost equal in the ratio of African-Americans and those of European extraction and reformations to civil rights were slowly progressing. Railroads were rebuilt, schools emerged, and businesses established (one being a law office for Woodrow Wilson, later to become the 28^th President of the United States). Entrepreneurs emerged into Atlanta’s business sector, including pharmacist John Pemberton who invented Coca Cola, which was sold in a pharmacy soda fountain. Asa Candler later purchased the company for $2,300, reselling it 28 years later for a staggering $25 million dollars. The company acknowledged its Atlanta roots by later helping the city during the economically disadvantaged times after the Depression, backing the city’s payroll and assisting with the deficit.

Other individuals prospered, such as Alonzo Herndon, who formed the Atlanta Life Insurance Company in 1905 and was Atlanta’s first black millionaire. Margaret Mitchell brought Georgia to the world on film by her fictional work ‘Gone with the Wind’, which won a Pulitzer Prize. Civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his first speech in Ebenezer Baptist Church in 1960 to impel integration. In 1966, Atlanta received sports fame by being the first city to receive both a professional baseball and professional football team in the same year. In 1972, Ted Turner started broadcasting the Braves games, later purchasing the team and developing a 24-hour Cable News Network better known as CNN. In 1996 the world turned its heads to Atlanta to watch the Olympic Games. Today, Atlanta continues to forge ahead, with one of the busiest airports in the world and many corporate headquarters.

CLIMATE

	Flowers in Bloom

The best time to visit Atlanta is the spring and fall, although winter and summer are still often favorable. Summers in Atlanta often have people sweltering in the humidity - while average highs only reach the mid-eighties (approximately 29 degrees Celsius) - the humidity often makes it seem much hotter. Fortunately air-conditioning is everywhere, and many credit the humidity with giving the city an almost tropical and laid-back ambience. Temperatures in winter can slip below the freezing level (usually at night). On occasion there is snowfall but this usually only consists of a light dusting that is gone in a few hours. It is not unheard of to sit in the outdoor area of a restaurant in January or February (averages in the 50 degree Fahrenheit range, or 10 degrees Celsius during the day). Spring and fall temperatures lie in the 70s range (early 20s Celsius). Rain falls during all seasons, with the winter months and July being considered the wettest. On average, precipitation is lowest in the fall.

TRANSPORTATION

Atlanta is quite spread out; thus public transportation is a necessity between its various neighborhoods. The MARTA, or Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, is an economical and practical means to venture around the city. Even if you have access to an automobile, a ride on the MARTA system may help you to untangle the city, as well as save you the stress of driving. If you are driving, a map is essential, and it is advisable to memorize or learn the location of the major freeways and streets. Because Atlanta is continually expanding, construction and temporary road closures are daily challenges. Motorists should check which changes may hinder their travels ahead of time, and by all means, ask the local residents for suggestions.

The Hartsfield International Airport (approximately 13 miles from downtown) serves the city. This airport is a regional as well as an international hub, and is one of the largest in the nation, and some claim the busiest. One can ride the rails with Amtrak, which offers a daily service to Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York City. Connections to other parts of the country are also featured. Greyhound provides bus service to many major destinations.

FEATURED ATTRACTIONS

The problem is not finding things to do in Atlanta, but narrowing down the possibilities. For families, history buffs, lovers of the arts, food connoisseurs in every price range, or sports enthusiasts, there is something available for everyone to enjoy.

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stressed love, equality and peace. This site, which encircles facilities on several blocks in the district of Sweet Auburn, honors the life and works of this reformer of social change. Learn of his dream for the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s at the Visitors Center. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc. houses some personal items as well as his Noble Peace Prize: in the back is the tomb where Dr. King rests. View the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he worshiped and served as a minister alongside his father, his birth home (by tour only), and Fire Station No. 6, an information center about the desegregation of the Atlanta Fire Department.

World of Coca Cola Atlanta

Coca Cola: Invented in Atlanta

This museum will reiterate to visitors why ‘Coke is it.’ The beverage was first intended as a headache remedy by pharmacist John Pemberton, and later introduced in a pharmacy soda fountain. Follow a century of Coca-Cola, the soda pop of choice to many and available in over 200 countries. After mastering Coke trivia and exploring the interesting architecture of the three-story museum, guests may sample products from around the world.

Sports Venues

	Baseball - Sport of the Atlanta Braves

Enjoy a day at the ballpark at Turner Field, home to the Atlanta Braves. The state of the art facility is impressive, and enlivens the sentiments of the old ball game. The park-like area known as Monument Grove is home to the statues of such legends as Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb, and Phil Niekro. The Atlanta Falcons play

Professional football at the Georgia Dome, the location of several sporting events including a few Super Bowls and competitions from the 1996 Olympic Games. The location is currently the holder of the title ‘world’s largest cable supported dome’. Philips Arena is home for the Atlanta Thrashers National Hockey League team, as well as a National Basketball Leagues team, the Atlanta Hawks. The arena is an eruption of Philips technology with TV monitors situated everywhere. Visitors here may also visit the Philips Experience, a 10,000 square foot area with interactive games and experiences such as the ‘Digital Dream Set’ where one can play TV celebrity using Philips screens and technology and later e-mail the clip to others.

Although designed as a gathering place for a colossal sporting event, Centennial Olympic Park is now an event locus as well as reposeful park area. Situated in downtown, the 21-acre legacy from the 1996 Summer Olympics features one of the world’s largest Olympic ring water fountains, the Fountain of Rings. Also on the site are several statues, the Quilt Plaza and Water Gardens, and a children’s play area. An interesting note is that granite from each of the five continents involved in the games is incorporated in the park.

CNN Center

The brainchild of Ted Turner, this center is the global headquarters of Turner Broadcasting System and home to CNN’s international news networks. Over a billion people around the globe tune into broadcasts coming from this impressive building. Tours of the high tech facilities as well as learn how past events were covered

Underground Atlanta

When the moment comes for shopping or dining, walk to Underground Atlanta, a short distance from many attractions. A wide selection of eateries, shops, street cart merchants, and entertainment venues vitalize this downtown Atlanta spot. The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau is housed in the Underground.

Culinary and Carousing Activities

Atlanta is known for its diverse food and eclectic nightlife. Home to over 8,000 restaurants, the choices range from diners to haute cuisine establishments. Southern food, or soul food, is outstanding here: find comfort in a bowl of grits (cooked, coarsely ground grain), fried okra or chicken. Blues music is alive and well in Atlanta, and can be found in many fine venues in the city. For those that wish to eat, hear music, or wander from bar to bar, the neighborhood of Buckhead is a prime choice.

Zoo Atlanta

Observe the Gorillas at Zoo Atlanta

Known as the home to Lun Lun and Yang Yang, the Giant Pandas borrowed from China, the zoo has labored to provide the almost 1,000 specimens from around the world a home akin to their natural settings. Foremost of these is the premium gorilla exhibit, the Ford African Rain Forest, where approximately 22 gorillas roam the four outdoor environments situated on 1.5 acres. Scheduled feedings of the gorillas and orangutans will educate and delight spectators.

OUTSIDE OF ATLANTA

	Fishing at the Park

One of the most popular attractions in the country lays a mere 16 miles east of downtown Atlanta. Stone Mountain Park has over 3,200 acres of captivating scenery, which includes lakes, forestland, flora, and an abundance of nature trails.

Many flock to the area to participate in such recreational activities as golf, fishing, camping, and hiking. Visitors can gaze upon the world’s largest relief that has been carved into a massive slab of exposed granite, or take a ride on the ‘Scarlett O’Hara’, a genuine paddlewheel riverboat. Yet another attraction within the park is the Antebellum Plantation: a collection of original buildings dating from 1790 to 1845 that were moved to the park. The restoration of this pre-Civil War Georgia plantation allows visitors to stroll through a representation of the lifestyle of Georgians.