About Atlanta

Atlanta,  Georgia

Atlanta is the capital of the U.S. state of Georgia. It played an important part in both the Civil War and the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Atlanta History Center chronicles the city's past, and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site is dedicated to the African - American leader’s life and times. Downtown, Centennial Olympic Park, built for the 1996 Olympics, encompasses the massive Georgia Aquarium. Atlanta's population represents the residents of the city proper, although the urban population is 4.5 million and the Atlanta metropolitan area is home to 7 million, making it the 9th largest in the United States. The Combined Statistical Area is even larger at 6.2 million.

The Metro Atlanta region statistically consists of nine counties: Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, Clayton, Coweta, Douglas, Fayette and Henry County.  he statistics, published by the U.S. Census Bureau, mean Atlanta saw the third highest population gain of any metro in the country, behind Dallas and Houston respectively cities with larger overall populations.

Overall, Atlanta ranks as the ninth largest metropolitan area in the country, just 200,000 residents behind Philadelphia. The only other Georgia location to make the list of fastest-growing cities in the country is Jefferson, northwest of Athens. The small city ranked second by both numeric growth and percentage growth for metropolitan areas. 

The city may be known for its sweltering summer weather (prompting tourists to call it (“Hotlanta”) and as the home to the largest and world’s busiest airport, but the best things to do in Atlanta go well beyond all that.

Georgia’s capital and its largest city boasts historic sites and attractions like Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthplace, vintage performance venues like the Fox Theater, a vibrant nightlife scene and an eclectic range of activities to tackle with the kids in tow. Don’t forget the killer eats, too: the city carries bragging rights for some of the South’s most delicious restaurants, serving out-of-this-world meat-and-three dishes. Shopaholics, art fiends, culture vultures, history buffs: we’ve got you all covered. Here is your Atlanta bucket list.

Only in Atlanta: The largest drive-in fast food restaurant in the world, The Varsity, serves more Coca-Cola by volume than anywhere else globally.