Atlanta, Georgia

Where Atlanta is

Atlanta is the seat of Fulton County, with a small portion extending into DeKalb County, at 33.75°N, 84.39°W in the Piedmont of north-central Georgia. Downtown stands on a ridge about 1,050 ft above sea level that separates the Chattahoochee River basin, draining to the Gulf of Mexico, from streams that flow to the Atlantic. The Chattahoochee itself runs along the northwest edge of the city; there is no river through the center, which is unusual for a large American city. The southern end of the Appalachian Mountains begins about 60 miles to the north.

How it became the capital

Georgia's capital moved with its population. Savannah was the colonial capital; Augusta, Louisville and then Milledgeville followed as settlement pushed inland. Milledgeville held the legislature from 1807 to 1868. Atlanta, founded in 1837 as the terminus of the Western and Atlantic Railroad, was burned in 1864 but rebuilt fast, and the constitutional convention of 1868 moved the capital there. The choice was confirmed by referendum in 1877.

Population

The city proper had 498,715 residents in 2020, about 4.7 percent of Georgia's 10,711,908. The 29-county Atlanta metropolitan area, however, has about 6.1 million people, more than half the state, and is the eighth-largest metro area in the country. Columbus (about 206,000) and Augusta are the next largest Georgia cities, each less than half Atlanta's size.

The capitol

The Georgia State Capitol on Washington Street was completed in 1889 to a design by the Chicago firm of Edbrooke and Burnham. It is Indiana limestone outside and Georgia marble inside, with a dome 272 ft high. The dome was covered in gold leaf from Dahlonega, site of Georgia's 1829 gold rush, in 1958 and regilded in 1981. The governor's office and both legislative chambers remain in the building.

Distances to other cities

Atlanta is on Eastern Time. Hartsfield–Jackson airport, south of the city, is the busiest in the world by passenger numbers in most years.

Related maps

• Georgia map — the whole state with borders, cities and counties.
• Atlanta city map — the city page with nearby cities and distances.
• Georgia county map · blank Georgia map · printable Georgia map.
• All 50 state capitals on one map, and the state capitals quiz.
• South region · South Atlantic division · Eastern Time Zone.