About Atlanta

Atlanta is not only the county seat for Fulton County, but it is also theState capital. The city was named Terminus in 1842 and later changed toMarthasville, in honor of Governor Wilson Lumpkin's daughter, and then toAtlanta in 1848. Incorporated as a city December 29, 1845, Atlanta was namedthe state capital on April 20, 1868.

Atlanta is the cultural center for the state with a vast array of artsavailable to the public, including the High Museum of Art, the Atlanta SymphonyOrchestra and the Atlanta Ballet. Atlanta also offers many sports on both theprofessional and collegiate levels. Atlanta is the home to the followingprofessional clubs: Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Thrashers andAtlanta Hawks. Collegiate level sports are available through the GeorgiaInstitute of Technology and the hosting of the Peach Bowl during footballseason.

The city of Atlanta hosts a number of festivals, celebrations and parades.Some of the well-known festivals are the Georgia Renaissance Festival, BlackCollege Spring Break, Sweet Auburn Festival, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival andthe National Black Arts Festival.

Famous individuals from the city of Atlanta have included civil rightsactivist Martin Luther King, Jr., golfer Bobby Jones, comedian Nipsey Russelland author of Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell.

The City of Atlanta is home to a number of colleges, technical schools, anduniversities. Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia StateUniversity, and Oglethorpe University make Atlanta their home. Also, fourhistorically black colleges and universities are centrally located in the area:Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morris Brown College and SpelmanCollege