Atlanta

Atlanta is the capital rift gold and largest city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Atlanta is the main trade and transportation center for the southeastern United States. The city is also an important financial center. The U.S. government has several offices in Atlanta. The city had its beginnings in 1837. That year the site was selected rift gold as the end stop on a new rail line. A settlement soon grew up around the site. In 1845 it was named Atlanta. During the American CivilWar Atlanta became a rail center for the Confederate states. In 1864 Union troops captured Atlanta and burned most of its buildings. After the war ended, Atlanta recovered quickly. The city became the capital of Georgia in 1868.

In the 1900s Atlanta was the home of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. It was also the first major Southern city to elect an African American man (in 1973) and African American woman (in 2001) as mayor. The 1996 Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta.