Atlanta, GA

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.

Several attractions are located in Atlanta, including Underground Atlanta, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, the World of Coca-Cola Museum and Zoo Atlanta. Most recently, Atlanta gained worldwide predominance by hosting the world in the centennial Olympic Games.

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 Symphony Orchestra 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, Black College 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, and universities. 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 Spelman College.

In addition, there are also two state managed technical schools in the city, Atlanta Area Technical Institute and Atlanta Metropolitan College. The other private colleges include the Art Institute of Atlanta, DeVry Institute of Technology, Beulah Heights Bible College and Herzing College.

Population (year 2000): 416,474. Estimated population in July 2005: 470,688 (+13.0% change)
Males: 206,725 (49.6%), Females: 209,749 (50.4%)

Fulton County

Zip codes: 30303, 30305, 30306, 30307, 30308, 30309, 30310, 30311, 30312, 30313, 30314, 30315, 30316, 30317, 30318, 30319, 30322, 30324, 30326, 30327, 30328, 30329, 30331, 30336, 30337, 30338, 30339, 30340, 30341, 30342, 30344, 30345, 30346, 30349, 30350, 30354, 30360.

Median resident age: 31.9 years
Median household income: $34,770 (year 2000)
Median house value: $130,600 (year 2000)

Races in Atlanta:

Ancestries: English (5.9%), German (4.5%), Irish (4.5%), United States (3.0%), Subsaharan African (1.8%), Scottish (1.6%).

Elevation: 1050 feet

Land area: 131.7 square miles

For population 25 years and over in Atlanta

• High school or higher: 76.9%
• Bachelor's degree or higher: 34.6%
• Graduate or professional degree: 13.8%
• Unemployed: 14.0%
• Mean travel time to work: 28.3 minutes

For population 15 years and over in Atlanta city

• Never married: 45.5%
• Now married: 31.4%
• Separated: 4.1%
• Widowed: 7.7%
• Divorced: 11.3%

6.6% Foreign born (3.3% Latin America, 1.4% Asia, 0.9% Europe, 0.7% Africa).

Population change in the 1990s: +22,299 (+5.7%).

Demographic - Economy - Finance