Atlanta, Georgia - SuspireWiki

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The Seal of Atlanta

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Atlanta is the capital and the most populous city of the State of Georgia. It is the county seat of Fulton County, although a portion of the city extends into DeKalb County. The city sits atop a ridge south of the Chattahoochee River, from which Atlanta and many of its neighbors draw their water.

According to the July 2006 census, the city of Atlanta has a population of 483,108 and a metropolitan population of 5,138,223. Atlanta's combined statistical area is estimated to have a population of 5,478,667. Over the last decade the Atlanta metropolitan area added over 1,150,000 residents. The racial makeup of the city is 61.39% Black, 33.22% White, 1.93% Asian, 0.18% Native American. 4.49% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race, and the city has one of the largest gay populations in the nation. Atlanta is considered a poster child for cities worldwide experiencing rapid urban sprawl, economic development, and growth. Atlanta is recognized as one of the driving forces of the "New South," and has in recent years, along with Houston, Miami and Dallas, undergone a transition from a city of regional commerce to a city of international influence.

During the Civil Rights Movement, Atlanta stood apart from Southern cities that supported segregation, and became known as the "City Too Busy to Hate." The city's progressive civil rights record made it increasingly popular as a relocation destination for African-Americans, and the city's population became majority-black by 1972. African-Americans soon became the dominant political force in the city; since 1974, all of the mayors of Atlanta have been African-American, as well as the majority of other high-profile government officials. White flight occurred in the city in the 1970s and 1980s; however, with accelerating gentrification that trend has reverse, and the black majority has dropped from 69 percent in 1980 to 54 percent in 2005.

Year	City	Metro area
Atlanta population
1850	2,572
1860	9,554
1870	21,789
1880	37,409
1890	65,533
1900	89,872	419,375
1910	154,839	522,442
1920	200,616	622,283
1930	270,366	715,391
1940	302,288	820,579
1950	331,314	997,666
1960	487,455	1,312,474
1970	496,973	1,763,626
1980	425,022	2,233,324
1990	394,017	2,959,950
2000	416,474	4,112,198
2006	486,411	5,138,223

The city has a prominent skyline, punctuated with highrises and comprising buildings of modern and postmodern vintage. In spite of civic efforts such as the opening of Centennial Olympic Park in downtown in 1996, Atlanta ranks near last in acreage of park land per capita among cities of similar population density, with 8.9 acres per thousand residents in 2005. The city has a reputation, however, as a "city of trees" or a "city in a forest"; beyond the central Atlanta and Buckhead business districts, the skyline gives way to a sometimes dense canopy of woods that spreads into the suburbs.

The sprawling layout of the Atlanta region has resulted in serious traffic and air quality problems. The metro area has one of America's longest average daily commutes, and is one of the most car-dependent cities on the planet due both to suburban sprawl and underfunded mass transit systems. It also has a reputation as being one of the most dangerous for pedestrians.

While the median income for a household in the city is $51,482, and 24.4% of the population and 21.3% of families are below the poverty line. For several decades, Atlanta had been among the most violent cities in North America but in recent years the city has reduced violent crime considerably. The city has always been highly commercial, despite romantic pop-cultural images to the contrary; it is the major center of commerce in the South, and boasts an especially strong convention and trade-show business.

This information was taken from the Wikipedia article on Georgia.

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