LOCATION 

Situated at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and just south of the Chattahoochee River, Atlanta is Georgia's largest city. Capital of Georgia and seat of Fulton County, Atlanta also lies partly in DeKalb County. Intersected by Interstates I-20, I-75 and I-85, and ringed by the I-285, a perimeter highway that circles the metropolitan area, Atlanta is highly accessible. I-20 runs west to Birmingham, Alabama and Dallas, Texas; east to Augusta and Columbia in South Carolina. Interstate I-75 passes through Atlanta on its way north from Florida to Michigan; I-85 heads southwest to Montgomery, Alabama and northeast to Charlotte, North Carolina and Virginia.  

TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORTS  

Rental cars are available from the Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport (ATL), but traffic can often be congested in the Atlanta city centre. The best alternative to driving in Atlanta is the excellent MARTA bus and rail system. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport is just 10 miles south of downtown Atlanta, and with around 75 million domestic and 5 million international passengers annually, is the busiest in the world. 

BRIEF HISTORY 

In 1821 the state of Georgia took the land which is now Atlanta from the Creek Indians. The future city was founded in 1837 as the settlement "Terminus" at the end of the Western & Atlantic railroad line. In 1842, the first couple moved there to open a general store. In 1843, the settlement was renamed Marthasville, and two years later it became Atlanta. By 1847, Atlanta was a thriving railway town, incorporated and boasting over 30 businesses. Atlanta became a key turning point in the Civil War, when, in 1864, Sherman scored a decisive victory there for the Union, heralding the eventual end to black slavery. Razed to the ground, Atlanta rebuilt itself to play a vital role as a transport hub between the north and south. The city is now an important national and international crossroad with a booming manufacturing center; corporate giants, such as Coca-Cola and AT&T, have made the city their home. Birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr. and focal point for much of the Civil rights struggles of the 1950s and '60s, Atlanta has evolved into the exciting multi-cultural city, which opened its doors to the 1996 Olympics. 

POPULATION  

In the past two decades Atlanta has experienced unprecedented growth. The official city population remains steady, at about 420,000, but the metro population has grown in the past decade by nearly 40%, from 2.9 million to 4.1 million people. Atlanta is ethnically and culturally diverse and has the seventh highest African-American population of cities in the U.S.  

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS  

Atlanta is rich in history and culture. From the Atlanta History Center to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site; the Opera to the Braves; the Oakland Cemetery to Stone Mountain; vibrant Atlanta has enough to satisfy any interest. The entire Southeast comes to the capitol to shop, and Atlanta's restaurants win rave reviews from all over the world. Distinct neighborhoods give residents a sense of community and belonging in the midst of the city's thriving economy and rapid growth.  

HEALTHCARE  

The full range of holistic, alternative and traditional healthcare is available in Atlanta, with many hospitals recognized worldwide for quality healthcare and leading-edge medical technology. The Emory Heart Center is consistently considered one of the top ten in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report, while the Emory Transplant Center is globally famous for its innovations in the field. The Atlanta Medical Center was one of the first hospitals in the US to offer endoscopic and laser procedures. Their nationally renowned cardiac rehabilitation program is one of the nation's top few. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is one of the country's largest pediatric healthcare systems, and is recognized for excellence in many pediatric fields. The healthcare sector is one of Atlanta's large employers. Children's Healthcare ranked number one on the list of Atlanta's A+ Employers and is considered to be the best place to work in Atlanta. 

EDUCATION 

The Atlanta Public system consists of 63 elementary (K-5); 16 middle (6-8); and 10 high (9-12) schools. The school system also supports two alternative schools for middle and/or high school students, two community schools, and an adult learning center. A comprehensive reform program to improve academic performance, increase college enrollments and prevent dropouts, has achieved results that outpace the rest of the state, and the program is being touted nationally as a model for other school systems. Higher education is found at the nationally regarded Emory University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia State University. Alongside their regular programs, these institutions offer an abundance of resources in education, research, and service that can assist Georgia's burgeoning bioscience industry.

Special needs schools include The Atlanta Area School for the Deaf, The Ben Franklin Academy for learning disabilities, and The Fraiser Center for developmental delay and multi-disability.  

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