Atlanta, State capital in Georgia, United States
The city spreads across rolling terrain in the Piedmont region, encompassing roughly 135 square miles (350 square kilometers) with a metropolitan area home to over 6 million people. The urban landscape combines modern high-rise towers in the business district with tree-lined residential neighborhoods and historic quarters. The BeltLine development corridor connects 45 neighborhoods through repurposed railroad tracks serving as parks and pathways.
General William Sherman ordered the burning of the city in 1864 during the American Civil War, leaving only 400 buildings intact. Reconstruction occurred rapidly, with the population growing to over 90,000 by 1900. The 1996 Summer Olympics brought extensive infrastructure improvements and international attention to the city.
The metropolitan area houses several historically Black colleges and universities including Morehouse College and Spelman University, which have served as educational institutions for Black students for over a century. The Sweet Auburn Avenue corridor functioned as a prosperous Black business district throughout the twentieth century. The Fox Theatre, a restored movie palace from the 1920s, now operates as a performance venue for touring Broadway productions and concerts.
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority operates four rail lines and over 100 bus routes throughout the metropolitan area. Summer months from June through August bring temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) with high humidity. Spring and fall offer milder weather for exploring the city. The city maintains an extensive network of shared bike and electric scooter systems for short trips within the urban core.
The Georgia Aquarium holds over 2.5 million gallons (10 million liters) of saltwater and houses whale sharks, the largest fish in the world. The city sits on a continental divide, with rainfall flowing either toward the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean. The Weather Channel television network broadcasts its global weather forecasts from studios within the metropolitan area. Underground Atlanta, a network of subterranean streets and shops, resulted from street elevation projects in the late nineteenth century.
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