Atlanta, the largest city and capital of Georgia, is a top business city and the transportation hub of the Southern United States. Located at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains near the Chattahoochee River in the northwest corner of Georgia, Atlanta boasts not only beautiful scenery, warm summers and mild winters, but loads of Southern charm.
Originally settled in the early 1830s, Atlanta was already a thriving supply center in 1864 when it was famously invaded and burned to the ground by General William T. Sherman during the American Civil War. Although Sherman spared only the city’s churches and hospitals, the city has rebuilt itself over the past 150 years, developing a flourishing economy with strong service, communications, retail trade, manufacturing, finance, and insurance industries.
The city also boasts an important convention business with several convention centers and 2.1 million square feet of flexible exhibit space. With 10,000 hotel rooms at every price point in the 8-block area of the convention corridor and more than 88,000 hotel rooms in the metropolitan area, staying in the city while traveling for business is both affordable and convenient.
EASY ACCESS
Getting to the city is also hassle free. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the world’s busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic and aircraft traffic movements as listed by the Airports Council International. The airport handled 90,039,280 passengers in 2008. By comparison, Chicago’s O’Hare and London’s Heathrow, numbers two and three respectively in passenger traffic, each handled fewer than 70 million passengers that year.
Hartsfield-Jackson is not only busy, it is also extremely accessible. 80 percent of the United States population is within a two-hour flight of Atlanta, and the airport offers non-stop service to 150 domestic and 95 international cities in 57 countries. With a new terminal in the works for 2012, it’s never been easier to fly into Atlanta.
HOME TO BIG BUSINESS
As such an accessible city, it’s no wonder that many of the biggest names in the business world call Atlanta home. Global beverage giant Coca-Cola got its start in Atlanta in 1886 when John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, decided to sell his carbonated water mixture at Jacobs’ Pharmacy down the street. Over 100 years and billion of dollars later, the company’s headquarters are still in the city.
In fact, with nine Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the city, Atlanta has the fourth largest base of Fortune 500 company headquarters in the U.S, following New York, Houston, and Dallas.
In addition to Coca-Cola (#73) and Coca-Cola Enterprises (#116), Atlanta is also home to American home improvement colossus Home Depot (#25) the United Parcel Service (#43), and one of America’s largest generators of electricity, Southern Company (#149).
Delta Air Lines (#111) is one of the city’s largest employers and operates one of the world’s largest airline hubs at Hartsfield-Jackson.
SunTrust Banks (#211), auto service and parts company Genuine Parts Company (#247), and global marketer of consumer and commercial products Newell Rubbermaid (#387) are also headquartered in Atlanta.
SOUTHERN CULTURE
No visit to the American South would be complete without sampling some delicious Southern cooking and Atlanta is no exception. The city is known for its excellent cuisine and southern hospitality.
If you’re craving some authentic homestyle cooking, the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau has several recommendations such as the award-winning Watershed or the Home Restaurant and Bar, where everything is straight from the farm.
And it doesn’t get much more Southern than the Dogwood which boasts a grits bar. As any good Southerner will tell you, grits is thick, coarsely ground corn based porridge. This Southern staple can be served hot or cold, and depending on the additives can be served for almost any meal.
If Southern dining isn’t your ideal, there’s no need to worry. The city offers more than 500 Zagat-rated restaurants, 14 AAA four- and five-Diamond restaurants and 18 DiRoNa Award Winners. Wine enthusiasts will be pleased to find that Atlanta also boasts 45 Wine Spectator award winning restaurants.
The traveling business executive can also enjoy the extensive shopping offered in the city or take in some music or theater. Atlanta is home to over 20 playhouses, Tony Award winning theater and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as well as the Atlanta Ballet, the United States’ oldest continually operating ballet.
If you prefer sports, downtown Atlanta enjoys several professional sports teams including the Braves (MLB), the Falcons (NFL), the Hawks (NBA) and the Thrashers (NHL). Other annual sporting events in the city include the PGA TOUR Championship, FedEx Cup, Chick-fil-A College Kickoff, the Chick-fil-A Bowl and SEC Football Championship. Additionally, Atlanta’s mild climate makes the city a golfer’s dream as its 57 public golf courses can be enjoyed any season of the year.
PLACES TO VISIT
Atlanta’s other unique offerings include the Martin Luther King, Jr. Historic Site, Stone Mountain Park and Atlanta History Center for those interested in the city’s rich history. Adrenaline junkies can visit Six Flags Over Georgia theme park.
Visitors to the World of Coca-Cola at Pemberton Place can taste more than 60 products and explore the complete history of the Coca-Cola Company while viewing 1,200 artefacts from around the world.
THE FACTS
TOTAL AREA: 132 m² (341 km²)
POPULATION: 537,958 (2008 est.)
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: English
CURRENCY: US Dollars
TIME ZONE: EST (GMT -5 hours)
CALLING CODE:
From US: 404 (or 678 or 770)
From UK: 001 404 (or 678 or 770)
AIRPORT: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Originally settled in the early 1830s, Atlanta was already a thriving supply center in 1864 when it was famously invaded and burned to the ground by General William T. Sherman during the American Civil War. Although Sherman spared only the city’s churches and hospitals, the city has rebuilt itself over the past 150 years, developing a flourishing economy with strong service, communications, retail trade, manufacturing, finance, and insurance industries.
The city also boasts an important convention business with several convention centers and 2.1 million square feet of flexible exhibit space. With 10,000 hotel rooms at every price point in the 8-block area of the convention corridor and more than 88,000 hotel rooms in the metropolitan area, staying in the city while traveling for business is both affordable and convenient.
EASY ACCESS
Getting to the city is also hassle free. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the world’s busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic and aircraft traffic movements as listed by the Airports Council International. The airport handled 90,039,280 passengers in 2008. By comparison, Chicago’s O’Hare and London’s Heathrow, numbers two and three respectively in passenger traffic, each handled fewer than 70 million passengers that year.
Hartsfield-Jackson is not only busy, it is also extremely accessible. 80 percent of the United States population is within a two-hour flight of Atlanta, and the airport offers non-stop service to 150 domestic and 95 international cities in 57 countries. With a new terminal in the works for 2012, it’s never been easier to fly into Atlanta.
HOME TO BIG BUSINESS
As such an accessible city, it’s no wonder that many of the biggest names in the business world call Atlanta home. Global beverage giant Coca-Cola got its start in Atlanta in 1886 when John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, decided to sell his carbonated water mixture at Jacobs’ Pharmacy down the street. Over 100 years and billion of dollars later, the company’s headquarters are still in the city.
In fact, with nine Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the city, Atlanta has the fourth largest base of Fortune 500 company headquarters in the U.S, following New York, Houston, and Dallas.
In addition to Coca-Cola (#73) and Coca-Cola Enterprises (#116), Atlanta is also home to American home improvement colossus Home Depot (#25) the United Parcel Service (#43), and one of America’s largest generators of electricity, Southern Company (#149).
Delta Air Lines (#111) is one of the city’s largest employers and operates one of the world’s largest airline hubs at Hartsfield-Jackson.
SunTrust Banks (#211), auto service and parts company Genuine Parts Company (#247), and global marketer of consumer and commercial products Newell Rubbermaid (#387) are also headquartered in Atlanta.
SOUTHERN CULTURE
No visit to the American South would be complete without sampling some delicious Southern cooking and Atlanta is no exception. The city is known for its excellent cuisine and southern hospitality.
If you’re craving some authentic homestyle cooking, the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau has several recommendations such as the award-winning Watershed or the Home Restaurant and Bar, where everything is straight from the farm.
And it doesn’t get much more Southern than the Dogwood which boasts a grits bar. As any good Southerner will tell you, grits is thick, coarsely ground corn based porridge. This Southern staple can be served hot or cold, and depending on the additives can be served for almost any meal.
If Southern dining isn’t your ideal, there’s no need to worry. The city offers more than 500 Zagat-rated restaurants, 14 AAA four- and five-Diamond restaurants and 18 DiRoNa Award Winners. Wine enthusiasts will be pleased to find that Atlanta also boasts 45 Wine Spectator award winning restaurants.
The traveling business executive can also enjoy the extensive shopping offered in the city or take in some music or theater. Atlanta is home to over 20 playhouses, Tony Award winning theater and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as well as the Atlanta Ballet, the United States’ oldest continually operating ballet.
If you prefer sports, downtown Atlanta enjoys several professional sports teams including the Braves (MLB), the Falcons (NFL), the Hawks (NBA) and the Thrashers (NHL). Other annual sporting events in the city include the PGA TOUR Championship, FedEx Cup, Chick-fil-A College Kickoff, the Chick-fil-A Bowl and SEC Football Championship. Additionally, Atlanta’s mild climate makes the city a golfer’s dream as its 57 public golf courses can be enjoyed any season of the year.
PLACES TO VISIT
Atlanta’s other unique offerings include the Martin Luther King, Jr. Historic Site, Stone Mountain Park and Atlanta History Center for those interested in the city’s rich history. Adrenaline junkies can visit Six Flags Over Georgia theme park.
Visitors to the World of Coca-Cola at Pemberton Place can taste more than 60 products and explore the complete history of the Coca-Cola Company while viewing 1,200 artefacts from around the world.
THE FACTS
TOTAL AREA: 132 m² (341 km²)
POPULATION: 537,958 (2008 est.)
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: English
CURRENCY: US Dollars
TIME ZONE: EST (GMT -5 hours)
CALLING CODE:
From US: 404 (or 678 or 770)
From UK: 001 404 (or 678 or 770)
AIRPORT: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport