Downtown Atlanta
Encyclopedia
Downtown Atlanta is the first and largest of the three financial districts in the city of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

. Downtown Atlanta is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters, city, county, state and federal government facilities, sporting facilities, and is the central tourist attraction of the city. The largest financial district also contains striking architecture that dates back to the 19th century while maintaining a modern look and feel. Finally, the area is also the location of the hub of MARTA
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority or MARTA is the principal rapid-transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the ninth-largest in the United States. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting...

 rail lines and where the major Interstates meet each other with two of them forming the Downtown Connector
Downtown Connector
In Atlanta, Georgia, the Downtown Connector or 75/85 is the concurrent section of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 through the core of the city. Beginning at the I-85/Langford Parkway interchange, the Downtown Connector runs generally due north, meeting the east-west Interstate 20 in the middle....

.

As defined by the Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) organization, the area measures approximately four square miles, and had 23,300 residents as of 2006. This area is bound by North Avenue
North Avenue (Atlanta)
North Avenue in Atlanta is a major avenue in Atlanta that divides Downtown Atlanta from Midtown Atlanta. North Avenue stretches continuously in Atlanta from Candler Park in the east, across Interstate 75 & Interstate 85, along the southern boundary of the Georgia Institute of Technology, to Joseph E...

 to the north, Boulevard
Boulevard (Atlanta)
Boulevard is a street in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. The street runs east of, and parallel to, Atlanta's Downtown Connector. It is bordered by Ponce de Leon Avenue to the north , and McDonough Boulevard to the south...

 to the east, Interstate 20
Interstate 20
Interstate 20 is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I‑20 runs 1,535 miles from near Kent, Texas, at Interstate 10 to Florence, South Carolina, at Interstate 95...

 to the south, and Northside Drive to the west. This definition of Downtown Atlanta includes central areas like Five Points
Five Points (Atlanta)
Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the primary reference for the downtown area. The name refers to the convergence of Marietta Street, Edgewood Avenue, Decatur Street, and two legs of Peachtree Street Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the...

, the Hotel District
Hotel District
The Hotel District is a neighborhood in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States, located north of Five Points. The district's name is derived from it being the home to many hotels, one of them being the famous Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel....

 and Fairlie-Poplar
Fairlie-Poplar
The Fairlie-Poplar Historic District is part of the central business district in downtown Atlanta. It is named for the two streets that cross at its center, northeast-only Fairlie and southeast-only Poplar. Fairlie-Poplar is immediately north of Five Points, the definitive centerpoint and...

 and outlying inner-city neighborhoods such as SoNo
SoNo (Atlanta)
SoNo is an urban sub-district of Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, part of Midtown. Much of the area originally consisted of slum areas such as Buttermilk Bottom, which were razed for urban redevelopment projects in the 1960s...

, and Castleberry Hill
Castleberry Hill
Castleberry Hill is a neighborhood in central Atlanta, Georgia located adjacent to and southwest of the Central Business District. It is a federally recognized historic district since 1985 and became a City of Atlanta Landmark District in 2006...

.

The Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) organization, though, defines a much smaller downtown area measuring just one and two tenths square miles. This area is roughly bound by North Avenue to the north, Piedmont Avenue and then Downtown Connector
Downtown Connector
In Atlanta, Georgia, the Downtown Connector or 75/85 is the concurrent section of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 through the core of the city. Beginning at the I-85/Langford Parkway interchange, the Downtown Connector runs generally due north, meeting the east-west Interstate 20 in the middle....

 to the east, Martin Luther King Junior Drive, Courtland Street, and Edgewood Avenue to the south, and the railroad tracks to the west. This area only includes the core central business district neighborhoods of Fairlie-Poplar, Five Points, the Hotel District, Centennial Hills, and as of May 2007, the Railroad District.

The Downtown area is one of the most active business districts in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. The daytime population swells to over 140,000 as of 2006. Downtown brings in more than 12 million visitors annually. Finally, Downtown boasts more than 12,000 hotel rooms, 185 restaurants/eateries and 30 bars/nightclubs.

Downtown Atlanta, like other central business districts in the U.S., is undergoing a transformation that includes building condos and lofts, uninhabited buildings being renovated and/or demolished, and the influx of people and businesses coming to the area.

History

Downtown Atlanta is the historic core of the city. The beginnings of what is currently Downtown Atlanta began in 1826 with Wilson Lumpkin and Hamilton Fulton surveying a possible railroad route between Chattanooga, Tennessee and Milledgeville, the state capital at the time. In 1833, Lumpkin, now governor, requests that the state legislature charter three railroad lines. By 1836, the state-financed Western and Atlantic Railroad, linking the middle Georgia to the northern U.S., was founded by the legislature and signed by Lumpkin. As a result, the town named Terminus is founded in 1837, which is named for the end of the railroad line.

Terminus received a name change in 1842 when the town's 30 inhabitants voted to change the town's name to Marthasville, in honor of Governor Lumpkin's daughter, Martha. By this time, Marthasville was a growing town with seven streets. Residents in 1844 turned down the town commissioners proposal to build more streets and were satisfied with the town's seven original streets.

By 1845, John Thomson, chief engineer of the Georgia Railroad, suggested that Marthasville's name be changed. The first suggestion was "Atlantica-Pacifica" but was quickly shortened to "Atlanta." Atlanta was derived as a supposedly feminine form of "Atlantic." The name "Atlanta" becomes popular and town's name changes. In 1847, Atlanta is incorporated with its new name, with the town limits a one mile (1.6 km) radius away from the mile marker at the railroad depot. (The zero milepost marker is located under the Central Avenue viaduct between Alabama Street and Wall Street.) After the incorporation of Atlanta, a movement began to move the state capital from Milledgeville to Atlanta.

Original Streets of Atlanta

Before Atlanta was incorporated with its current name, as the town of Marthasville, the city had seven original streets. In 1844, the town's commissioners attempted to levy a tax to create more streets. However, the seven streets the town had were enough for the people of Marthasville at the time. Today, each of these seven streets are critical arteries of the city, which Peachtree Street
Peachtree Street
Peachtree Street is the main street of Atlanta. The city grew up around the street, and many of its historical and municipal buildings are or were located along it...

 being the most critical of the seven (primarily due to its recognizable name, amenities on the street such as hotels and restaurants, and its location of premier office space and corporate headquarters.)

The seven original streets of Atlanta are:
  • Peachtree Street
    Peachtree Street
    Peachtree Street is the main street of Atlanta. The city grew up around the street, and many of its historical and municipal buildings are or were located along it...

  • Whitehall Street
  • Marietta Street
  • Decatur Street
    Decatur Street, Atlanta
    Decatur Street is a street in Atlanta, Georgia. It was one of the first 7 streets of the city.In 1854 the first theater in the city, the Athenaeum, opened on Decatur near Peachtree....

  • Pryor Street
  • Loyd Street (now Central Avenue)
  • Alabama Street


The southern leg of Peachtree Street south of Five Points was originally Whitehall Street. Park Place was originally Pryor Street north of Decatur Street. Four of the original streets, Peachtree Street, Marietta Street, Decatur Street and Whitehall Street (the southern leg of Peachtree Street before it was renamed) meet at Five Points, along with Edgewood Avenue.

Overview

Buildings

The area of downtown contains among the tallest buildings in Atlanta. The tallest building in Atlanta, the Bank of America Plaza
Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta)
Bank of America Plaza is a skyscraper located in the SoNo district of Atlanta, Georgia. At the tower is the 53rd-tallest building in the world. When it first opened, it was the 9th tallest building in the world, and 6th tallest building in the United States...

 building, is situated between Midtown Atlanta
Midtown Atlanta
Midtown is the second largest financial district in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, situated between the commercial and financial districts of Downtown and SoNo to the south and the affluent residential and commercial district of Buckhead to the north...

 and Downtown Atlanta. Rising at 1023 feet (311.8 m), Bank of America Plaza is also the tallest building in any of the U.S. state capitals, and the tallest building in the U.S. outside of New York City and Chicago.

Downtown Atlanta is the heart and the largest of the three business districts of the city. This area contains striking architecture dating as far back as the 19th century. Some of the most famous and/or tallest buildings in Downtown include:
  • Westin Peachtree Plaza
    Westin Peachtree Plaza
    The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta is a skyscraper hotel in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, on Peachtree Street adjacent to the Peachtree Center complex and the former Davison's/Macy's flagship store...

  • Georgia-Pacific Tower
    Georgia-Pacific Tower
    Georgia-Pacific Tower is a skyscraper in downtown Atlanta. It contains 52 stories of office space and was finished in 1982. Before the six year era of tall skyscrapers to be built in Atlanta, it was Atlanta's second tallest building from 1982 to 1987, and during that time period, the Westin...

  • Marriott Marquis
  • Flatiron Building
    Flatiron Building (Atlanta)
    The English-American Building, commonly referenced as the Flatiron Building, is a building completed in 1897 located at 84 Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, on the wedge-shaped block between Peachtree Street NE, Poplar Street NW, and Broad Street NW, also creating a one-block break...

  • SunTrust Plaza
    SunTrust Plaza
    SunTrust Plaza is a 60-story skyscraper in downtown Atlanta. Built as part of the Peachtree Center complex, construction was finished in 1992, and has been the second-tallest building in Atlanta since then. When completed, it was the 28th tallest building in the world, and 21st tallest building...

  • 191 Peachtree Tower
    191 Peachtree Tower
    One Ninety One Peachtree Tower is a 50-story skyscraper in Atlanta, Georgia. Designed by Johnson/Burgee Architects and Kendall/Heaton Associates Inc, the building was completed in 1990 and is the fourth tallest in the city, winning the BOMA Building of the Year Awards the next year, repeating in...

  • Bank of America Plaza
    Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta)
    Bank of America Plaza is a skyscraper located in the SoNo district of Atlanta, Georgia. At the tower is the 53rd-tallest building in the world. When it first opened, it was the 9th tallest building in the world, and 6th tallest building in the United States...

  • Centennial Tower (or known as 101 Marietta)
    Centennial Tower (Atlanta)
    Centennial Tower, formerly 101 Marietta, is a , 36-storey skyscraper in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The building was completed in 1975 and was subsequently renovated in 1998, resulting in a name change, new facade, and chevrons added to the building which increased its original by .The U.S...

  • Equitable Building
    Equitable Building (Atlanta)
    The Equitable Building is a 35-story, 453 foot tall office building in Atlanta, Georgia, located at 100 Peachtree Street in the Fairlie-Poplar neighborhood in downtown Atlanta...

  • Peachtree Center
    Peachtree Center
    Peachtree Center is a multi-block neighborhood located in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Most of the buildings that make up the district were designed by Atlanta architect John C. Portman, Jr.. Many of the buildings are connected by a network of enclosed pedestrian sky bridges...

  • State of Georgia Building


Downtown Atlanta contains over 26000000 square feet (2,415,479 m²) of office space; combined with Midtown as the central business district they make up over 48 million sq ft, more than the CBDs of Dallas
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...

, and Miami
Downtown Miami
Downtown Miami is an urban residential neighborhood, and the central business district of Miami, Miami-Dade County, and South Florida in the United States...

.

Subdistricts

Downtown Atlanta is divided into eight subdistricts:
  • Castleberry Hill
    Castleberry Hill
    Castleberry Hill is a neighborhood in central Atlanta, Georgia located adjacent to and southwest of the Central Business District. It is a federally recognized historic district since 1985 and became a City of Atlanta Landmark District in 2006...

  • Centennial Hill
    Centennial Hill
    Centennial Hill is an urban district located at the northern edge of Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The name was originally coined by Hines Interests and applied only to their planned development in the area. Although the development was never started and the land later sold, the name remained and...

  • Fairlie-Poplar
    Fairlie-Poplar
    The Fairlie-Poplar Historic District is part of the central business district in downtown Atlanta. It is named for the two streets that cross at its center, northeast-only Fairlie and southeast-only Poplar. Fairlie-Poplar is immediately north of Five Points, the definitive centerpoint and...

  • Five Points
    Five Points (Atlanta)
    Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the primary reference for the downtown area. The name refers to the convergence of Marietta Street, Edgewood Avenue, Decatur Street, and two legs of Peachtree Street Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the...

  • Hotel District
    Hotel District
    The Hotel District is a neighborhood in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States, located north of Five Points. The district's name is derived from it being the home to many hotels, one of them being the famous Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel....

  • Peachtree Center
    Peachtree Center
    Peachtree Center is a multi-block neighborhood located in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Most of the buildings that make up the district were designed by Atlanta architect John C. Portman, Jr.. Many of the buildings are connected by a network of enclosed pedestrian sky bridges...

  • SoNo
    SoNo (Atlanta)
    SoNo is an urban sub-district of Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, part of Midtown. Much of the area originally consisted of slum areas such as Buttermilk Bottom, which were razed for urban redevelopment projects in the 1960s...

  • South Downtown
    South Downtown
    South Downtown is an urban sub-district of Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States, north of I-20, east of Castleberry Hill, south of Five Points, and west of I-85. According to CAP/ADID, South Downtown is one of the oldest sections of Downtown Atlanta...


Government and infrastructure

The U.S. Census Bureau has its Atlanta Regional Office in the Centennial Tower
Centennial Tower (Atlanta)
Centennial Tower, formerly 101 Marietta, is a , 36-storey skyscraper in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The building was completed in 1975 and was subsequently renovated in 1998, resulting in a name change, new facade, and chevrons added to the building which increased its original by .The U.S...

 and the Atlanta Regional Census Center in Suite 1000 in the Marquis Two Tower in the Peachtree Center
Peachtree Center
Peachtree Center is a multi-block neighborhood located in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Most of the buildings that make up the district were designed by Atlanta architect John C. Portman, Jr.. Many of the buildings are connected by a network of enclosed pedestrian sky bridges...

.

The National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...

 operates the Atlanta Aviation Field Office in the Atlanta Federal Center in Downtown Atlanta.

Places of interest

Downtown Atlanta is full of places that may interest tourists. These places include government buildings, sporting venues and other miscellaneous places, such as parks and convention centers. South of the railroad gulch, which is primarily south of Marietta and Decatur Streets, is primarily city, county, state, and federal government facilities. North of the railroad gulch is a variety of facilities, corporate headquarters, and hotels.

Governmental facilities

  • The Georgia State Capitol
    Georgia State Capitol
    The Georgia State Capitol, in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States, is an architecturally and historically significant building. It has been named a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the main office building of Georgia's government...

     is the seat of the government for the State of Georgia. The capitol building is located in the area that is bounded by Mitchell Street SW to the south, Capitol Avenue SE to the east, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW to the north, and Washington Street SW to the west. The State Capitol's gold dome is visible from the Downtown Connector
    Downtown Connector
    In Atlanta, Georgia, the Downtown Connector or 75/85 is the concurrent section of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 through the core of the city. Beginning at the I-85/Langford Parkway interchange, the Downtown Connector runs generally due north, meeting the east-west Interstate 20 in the middle....

     in either direction.
  • The Fulton County Government Center is the seat of the Fulton County Government. This building is where the Fulton County Board of Commissioners meet as well as many of the county departments. This building is located at 141 Pryor Street SW.
  • The Fulton County Courthouse
    Fulton County Courthouse (Georgia)
    The Fulton County Courthouse, built between 1911 and 1914, is an historic courthouse building located at 160 Pryor Street SW in Atlanta, Georgia, the Fulton county seat. It was designed by noted Atlanta-based architect A. Ten Eyck Brown , along with the Atlanta firm of Morgan and Dillon. It is...

     is located directly across the street from the Fulton County Government Center at 136 Pryor Street SW.
  • The Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Building, located at 77 Forsyth Street SW, was built and "designed and constructed to accommodate the rapidly expanding volume of the Postal Service, which was then oriented around a single, central processing facility." This building is currently under reconstruction.
  • The Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Building, located at 61 Forsyth Street SW, is the ninth largest federal building in the United States and the largest in the southeast. The building "houses 5,000 employees for dozens of federal agencies and combines four distinct structural elements in central downtown, equaling 2000000 square feet (185,806.1 m²)."
  • Located not too far away from the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Building is the Richard B. Russell Federal Building
    Richard B. Russell Federal Building
    The Richard B. Russell Federal Building is a 26-storey International style building in Atlanta, Georgia housing U.S. government agency offices and federal courts.-External links:*...

    , at 75 Spring Street SW. The Richard B. Russell building is a 1250000 square feet (116,128.8 m²) mixed-used office building that contains the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia/Atlanta Division, and offices for several other federal agencies, including Department of Energy's Atlanta Regional Office. The building is named after U.S. Senator from Georgia, Richard B. Russell, who served from 1933 to 1971.
  • Further north in the Fairlie-Poplar
    Fairlie-Poplar
    The Fairlie-Poplar Historic District is part of the central business district in downtown Atlanta. It is named for the two streets that cross at its center, northeast-only Fairlie and southeast-only Poplar. Fairlie-Poplar is immediately north of Five Points, the definitive centerpoint and...

     District of Downtown is the U.S. Court of Appeals
    United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
    The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Middle District of Alabama...

    . The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit is located at 56 Forsyth Street NW. This court takes federal cases from the states of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. The building is officially named the Elbert P. Tuttle U.S. Court of Appeals building, named after a former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (the predecessor court to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit).
  • A few blocks away from the U.S. Court of Appeals is the State Bar of Georgia
    State Bar of Georgia
    The State Bar of Georgia is the governing body of the legal profession in Georgia, operating under the supervision of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Membership is a condition of admission to practice law in Georgia....

     building, located at 104 Marietta Street NW. This was also the former location of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
    Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
    The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is responsible for the sixth district, which covers the states of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, 74 counties in the eastern two-thirds of...

    , which moved to its Midtown location at 1000 Peachtree Street NE in 2001.

Sporting venues

  • One of the most important sporting arenas in the State of Georgia, the Georgia Dome
    Georgia Dome
    The Georgia Dome is a domed stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west. It is primarily the home stadium for the NFL Atlanta Falcons and the NCAA Division I FCS Georgia State Panthers football team. It is owned and operated by the...

     is the largest cable-supported dome stadium in the world. Sitting on 8.6 acres (34,803 m²) in Downtown, The Dome is home to the Atlanta Falcons
    Atlanta Falcons
    The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

    , the city's NFL team. The Georgia Dome hosts many other events such as the NCAA Chick-Fil-A Bowl, SEC Championship game. The Dome is capable of hosting non-sporting events such as trade shows and concerts, since it has a permanent seating capacity
    Seating capacity
    Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...

     of 71,250.
  • In the same general vicinity as the Georgia Dome, Philips Arena
    Philips Arena
    Philips Arena is an indoor arena in Atlanta, Georgia.Completed in 1999 to replace The Omni, at a cost of $213.5 million, it is home to the Atlanta Hawks, of the National Basketball Association, and the Atlanta Dream, of the Women's National Basketball Association...

     is the home of the Atlanta Hawks
    Atlanta Hawks
    The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...

    , the city's NBA team, and the Atlanta Dream
    Atlanta Dream
    The Atlanta Dream is a professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2008 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Dream Too LLC, which is composed of two Atlanta...

    , the city's WNBA team. The arena opened in September 1999 and has the following capacities: Hockey, 18,750; Basketball 18,729; Concerts 21,000. The arena is located directly across Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW from the CNN Center.
  • Just south of Interstate 20 from the Downtown area is Turner Field
    Turner Field
    Turner Field is a stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, home to Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves since 1997. Turner Field was originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium, it was completed in 1996 to serve as the centerpiece of the 1996 Summer Olympics...

    , home to the Atlanta Braves
    Atlanta Braves
    The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

    , the city's MLB team. The baseball park is capable of seating 50,096. The park is located at 755 Hank Aaron Drive SW.

Other venues and parks

  • Clustered around the Georgia Dome and the CNN Center, the Georgia World Congress Center
    Georgia World Congress Center
    The Georgia World Congress Center or GWCC is the major convention center in Atlanta. It is the fourth-largest convention center in the United States at 3.9 million ft2 and hosts more than a million visitors each year. At the time opened in 1976 the Georgia World Congress Center was the first state...

     is a state-owned convention center. Opened in 1976, it was the first state owned and operated major convention center in the United States. As the fourth largest convention center in the United States and with 1400000 sq ft (130,064.3 m²) of space, more than a million people attend conventions at the Georgia World Congress Center annually, and as many 125,000 people attend a single event. The facility is located at 285 Andrew Young International Boulevard NE.
  • As headquarters for Ted Turner's CNN network, the CNN Center
    CNN Center
    The CNN Center is the world headquarters of the Cable News Network . The main newsrooms and studios for several of CNN's news channels are located in the building...

     is located at 190 Marietta Street NW with Centennial Olympic Park, Philips Arena (connected to the CNN Center), Georgia Dome and the Georgia World Congress Center all nearby. The broadcast studios for CNN are located in this building.
  • Woodruff Park
    Woodruff Park
    Woodruff Park, named for Robert W. Woodruff, is located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The park's are north of Edgewood Ave, between Peachtree Street NE and Park Place NE...

    , named after Robert W. Woodruff
    Robert W. Woodruff
    Robert Winship Woodruff was the president of The Coca-Cola Company from 1923 until 1954. With his enormous Coke fortune, he was also a major philanthropist, and many educational and cultural landmarks in the U.S...

    , is a 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) park in Downtown located a block away from Five Points
    Five Points (Atlanta)
    Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the primary reference for the downtown area. The name refers to the convergence of Marietta Street, Edgewood Avenue, Decatur Street, and two legs of Peachtree Street Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the...

    . This park has fountains, sculptures, as well as lawn and plaza areas.
  • Home to the 1996 Olympic Games, Centennial Olympic Park
    Centennial Olympic Park
    Centennial Olympic Park is a 21 acre public park located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA that is owned and operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. The park was built by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games as part of the infrastructure improvements for the Centennial...

    , located on 21 acres (84,984.1 m²) area of Downtown, is the largest downtown park in the United States developed in the last 25 years. The most famous part of the park is the Fountain of Rings, which is the world's largest interactive fountain utilizing the Olympic symbol of five interconnecting Rings. After the Olympics, the park hosts many events, such as music concerts and the fireworks display for the Independence Day holiday.
  • Located near the MARTA Five Points Station, Underground Atlanta
    Underground Atlanta
    Underground Atlanta is a shopping and entertainment district in the Five Points neighborhood of downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States, near the intersection of the east and west MARTA rail lines. First opened in 1969, it takes advantage of the viaducts built over the city's many railroad tracks...

     is Downtown's shopping and entertainment district. During the 1920s, streets in the area were raised above the ground (and the railroad tracks) for a better flow of traffic. Under these viaducts is a district for entertainment and shopping. There are retail stores that fall into the categories of apparel, leisure, and service and retail. There are restaurants that serve a variety of different foods, such as Irish, Jamaican and Italian. In addition, there are several nightclubs in Kenny's Alley to suite a variety of different tastes.
  • Just north of Centennial Olympic Park is the Georgia Aquarium
    Georgia Aquarium
    The Georgia Aquarium, located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, at Pemberton Place, is the world's largest aquarium with more than of marine and fresh water housing more than 120,000 animals of 500 different species...

    , the world's largest aquarium with more than 8 million USgals (30,283.3 m³) of fresh and marine water. Located at 225 Baker Street NW, the Aquarium is listed as one of the '1,000 Places to See Before You Die.'
  • The World of Coca-Cola
    World of Coca-Cola
    The World of Coca-Cola is a permanent exhibition featuring the history of The Coca-Cola Company and its well-known advertising as well as a host of entertainment areas and attractions...

    , situated near the Georgia Aquarium at Pemberton Place
    Pemberton Place
    Pemberton Place, located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, just north of Centennial Olympic Park and near the Luckie Marietta district. It is home to the Georgia Aquarium and the new World of Coca-Cola, and the scheduled location for the Center for Civil & Human Rights...

    , is a permanent exhibition to the history of Coca-Cola. The exhibition sits on 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) in its new location, which opened on May 24, 2007. The old location, now closed, was near Underground Atlanta.
  • The Tabernacle
    The Tabernacle
    The Tabernacle, informally known as The Tabby, is a mid-size concert hall, in the U.S. city of Atlanta, currently managed by concert promoter Live Nation...

    , located on 152 Luckie Street NW, is a music concert hall. Built in 1910 for Tabernacle Baptist Church, it was sometimes familiarly referred to as "Broughton's Tabernacle," a reference to Dr. Leonard Gaston Broughton
    Len G. Broughton
    Leonard Gaston Broughton was a fundamentalist Baptist minister, medical doctor, founder of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia and of Tabernacle Infirmary, which later became Georgia Baptist Hospital....

     the long-time pastor. In 1996 the building was converted into a House of Blues Club for the Olympics. It was renamed "The Tabernacle" in 1998. The concert hall is four stories and can seat 2600.
  • The Mall at Peachtree Center
    Peachtree Center
    Peachtree Center is a multi-block neighborhood located in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Most of the buildings that make up the district were designed by Atlanta architect John C. Portman, Jr.. Many of the buildings are connected by a network of enclosed pedestrian sky bridges...

     located on Peachtree Street between Harris Street and Andrew Young International Boulevard is another Downtown shopping mall with many amenities. This mall boasts the upscale Peachtree Center Athletic Club that contains a 72000 square feet (6,689 m²) full service athletic facility. The mall has many 60 specialty shops, including six full-scale restaurants, as well as a regular food court, a conference center in the South Tower- all with easy access with MARTA's Peachtree Center station directly connected to the mall.


Among all of these venues, Downtown Atlanta is also home to Georgia State University
Georgia State University
Georgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...

, a 4 year public institution.

Future venues and attractions

As Downtown Atlanta is undergoing a revitalization process, the area is in the process of bringing new attractions to the area, particularly notable places such as the area clustered around the Georgia Aquarium, The World of Coca-Cola, Centennial Olympic Park and the CNN Center.
  • Coming Fall 2008, the National Museum of Patriotism
    National Museum of Patriotism
    The National Museum of Patriotism is a museum in Atlanta, Georgia.The founder of the museum is Nicholas Snider, a retired United Parcel Service executive who created a large collection of sweetheart jewelry....

     will be located in the area around the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola at 275 Baker Street NW. The visitors to this "interactive museum will experience such exhibits as: One America (a salute to the heroes of 9/11), The Symbols of America, The Immigrant Experience, The Hall of Patriots, The Founding Fathers, the Tuskegee Airmen among many others. The signature exhibit is the Hall of Patriots Exhibit featuring Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, Congressional Gold Medal recipients, Carnegie Medal recipients and Medal of Freedom recipients."

  • In June 2008, Governor Sonny Perdue announced that Atlanta has been selected for the future home of the National Health Museum. The location will be near Centennial Olympic Park where it is estimated to attract between 1.1 and 1.4 million visitors per year. One of the reasons for Atlanta being selected is due to the city being home of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Cancer Society, CARE, and the Arthritis Foundation, as well as having well-known research schools such as the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University.

Economy

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has its headquarters in Downtown Atlanta. As of August 2009 the company had 850 employees in its Downtown Atlanta offices. During that month it occupied less than 30% of its Downtown location since it had consolidated its printing operations in Gwinnett County
Gwinnett County, Georgia
, Gwinnett County had a population of 805,321. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 53.3% white , 23.6% black , 2.7% Korean, 2.6% Asian Indian, 2.0% Vietnamese, 3.3% other Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.8% some other race and 3.1% from two or more races...

 in 2008. In 2010 the newspaper plans to relocate its headquarters to leased offices in the Perimeter Mall
Perimeter Mall
Perimeter Mall is a super-regional shopping mall in Dunwoody, Georgia, just north of Atlanta, near the highway interchange of Interstate 285 and Georgia 400....

 area for financial reasons.

Diplomatic missions

The Consulate-General of Argentina
Diplomatic missions of Argentina
This is a list of diplomatic missions of Argentina, excluding honorary consulates.-Europe:** Yerevan ** Vienna ** Brussels ** Sofia ** Prague ** Copenhagen ** Helsinki...

, The Consulate-General of Germany
Diplomatic missions of Germany
This is a list of diplomatic missions of Germany. Historically, the German state of Prussia and several smaller German states, had sent emissaries abroad prior to the establishment of the North German Confederation, the precursor to the modern State of Germany.In 1874 Germany had only four...

, Consulate of Belgium
Diplomatic missions of Belgium
This is a list of diplomatic missions of Belgium, excluding honorary consulates. Belgium is unique in having three networks of representation — one for the Belgian state, another for Dutch-speaking community of Flanders and Brussels, and a third one for the French-language Community of...

, and the Consulate-General of South Korea are located in the Peachtree Center
Peachtree Center
Peachtree Center is a multi-block neighborhood located in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Most of the buildings that make up the district were designed by Atlanta architect John C. Portman, Jr.. Many of the buildings are connected by a network of enclosed pedestrian sky bridges...

. The Consulate-General of the United Kingdom is located in the Georgia-Pacific Tower
Georgia-Pacific Tower
Georgia-Pacific Tower is a skyscraper in downtown Atlanta. It contains 52 stories of office space and was finished in 1982. Before the six year era of tall skyscrapers to be built in Atlanta, it was Atlanta's second tallest building from 1982 to 1987, and during that time period, the Westin...

.

Transportation

There are many modes of transportation in Downtown Atlanta that can be used by tourists and residents. MARTA
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority or MARTA is the principal rapid-transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the ninth-largest in the United States. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting...

 has two rail lines that converge in the middle of Downtown at Five Points
Five Points (Atlanta)
Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the primary reference for the downtown area. The name refers to the convergence of Marietta Street, Edgewood Avenue, Decatur Street, and two legs of Peachtree Street Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the...

 MARTA station. This station is located at the corner of Peachtree Street SW and Alabama Street SW. The MARTA North-South Line has four stops in Downtown- the S1 Garnett, Five Points, N1 Peachtree Center, and N2 Civic Center. The MARTA East-West line has three stops in Downtown- the W1 Dome/Philips Arena/GWCC/CNN, Five Points, and E1 Georgia State.

MARTA also operates bus service in Downtown, which connects riders to other places in the city, such as Midtown, Buckhead, and other residential communities within the City of Atlanta, as well as suburban DeKalb County and suburban North Fulton and South Fulton County.

The primary way of getting around Downtown for many people is by car. Downtown Atlanta is served by the Downtown Connector
Downtown Connector
In Atlanta, Georgia, the Downtown Connector or 75/85 is the concurrent section of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 through the core of the city. Beginning at the I-85/Langford Parkway interchange, the Downtown Connector runs generally due north, meeting the east-west Interstate 20 in the middle....

 which runs north and south through the Downtown area. The Connector is the primary artery of the city. The interstate carries traffic for commuters and visitors coming to the Downtown area. Downtown is also served by Interstate 20 which creates the southern border of Downtown.

Finally, Downtown has many surface streets as alternatives to the Downtown Connector. However, many of these surface streets are one way streets that complicates travel for drivers.

Tornado

On March 14, 2008, at approximately 9:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time, a category EF2
Enhanced Fujita Scale
The Enhanced Fujita Scale rates the strength of tornadoes in the United States based on the damage they cause.Implemented in place of the Fujita scale introduced in 1971 by Ted Fujita, it began operational use on February 1, 2007. The scale has the same basic design as the original Fujita scale:...

 tornado
2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak
The 2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak was a tornado outbreak that affected the Southeastern United States on March 14–15, 2008.A tornado caused widespread damage across downtown Atlanta, including to the CNN Center and to the Georgia Dome, where the 2008 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament was postponed...

 hit downtown with winds up to 135 mi/h. This tornado caused damage to Philips Arena, the Georgia Dome, Centennial Olympic Park, The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, the CNN Center and the Georgia World Congress Center. This is the first time a tornado touched ground in downtown Atlanta since weather records keeping began in the 1880s. While there were dozens of injuries, there was only one fatality. name="ajctornado">Tornado Claims One in Polk County by Tim Eberly and Paul Shea for the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2008.

See also

  • Peachtree Street
    Peachtree Street
    Peachtree Street is the main street of Atlanta. The city grew up around the street, and many of its historical and municipal buildings are or were located along it...

  • Midtown Atlanta
    Midtown Atlanta
    Midtown is the second largest financial district in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, situated between the commercial and financial districts of Downtown and SoNo to the south and the affluent residential and commercial district of Buckhead to the north...

     (Northern financial and residential district of Atlanta)
  • Buckhead
    Buckhead (Atlanta)
    Buckhead is the uptown district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, comprising approximately the northern one-fifth of the city. Buckhead is a major commercial and financial center of the Southeast, and it is the third-largest business district in Atlanta, behind Downtown and Midtown...

     (Northern-most financial and residential district of Atlanta)
  • List of skyscrapers
  • 2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak
    2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak
    The 2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak was a tornado outbreak that affected the Southeastern United States on March 14–15, 2008.A tornado caused widespread damage across downtown Atlanta, including to the CNN Center and to the Georgia Dome, where the 2008 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament was postponed...


External links

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