About Atlanta

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

Atlanta is the cultural center for the state with a vast array of arts available to the public, including the High Museum of Art, the Atlanta SymphonyOrchestra and the Atlanta Ballet. Atlanta also offers many sports on both the professional and collegiate levels. Atlanta is the home to the following professional clubs: Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Thrashers and Atlanta Hawks. Collegiate level sports are available through the Georgia Institute of Technology and the hosting of the Peach Bowl during football season.

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 and the National Black Arts Festival.

Famous individuals from the city of Atlanta have included civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., golfer Bobby Jones, comedian Nipsey Russell and 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 State University, and Oglethorpe University make Atlanta their home. Also, four historically black colleges and universities are centrally located in the area Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morris Brown College and SpelmanCollege