Introduction

Georgia’s capital and largest city, Atlanta is a major Southern financial and cultural force and the focus of a metropolitan statistical area that covers more than 6,000 square miles and includes more than 110 municipalities. People from all over the country, joined by immigrants from other lands, have flocked to Atlanta’s mild climate, physical beauty, and job opportunities. Offering Old South graciousness blended with an ambitious zest for expansion and dominance, Atlanta has assumed an important position in national and international commerce. Ted Turner, one of the city’s well-known citizens, has declared that Atlanta has “absolutely everything going for it—climate, location, great transportation, easy air access, and a government that’s both cooperative and supportive.” This is a judgment widely shared by both residents and visitors.