A BRIEF HISTORY OF ATLANTA

Much of the information used in the following narrative comes from the Atlanta History Center and their Atlanta History Timeline.

In 1837 the town of Terminus sprang up at the end point of a railroad line. Though the name was changed from Terminus to Marthasville to Atlanta, by 1847 Atlanta was incorporated and was quickly becoming an important regional transportation hub.

When the Civil War erupted, Atlanta was a town of less than ten thousand inhabitants, but it had already billed itself as the “Gate City of the South.” The moniker was a bit of self-promotion but was grounded in truth: the region’s major railways converged in the city.

The Union’s General William Tecumseh Sherman apparently believed the city’s promoters and unfortunately recognized the city’s strategic importance. He laid siege to Atlanta in July of 1864, and after more than a month of fighting, succeeded in capturing the city. Atlanta was later burned before Sherman and his troops began their infamous “March to the Sea.”

Today, the city’s seal includes a fiery Phoenix rising from ashes. After the Civil War, the city was indeed rebuilt from ashes, and with tireless work and promotion by its residents, the city continued to prosper and grow. It became the capital of Georgia in 1868.

Like every great city, Atlanta has always been equal parts reality and aspiration. The city’s promoters continually dreamed of ways to expand Atlanta’s influence. The city hosted the Cotton States and International Exposition in 1895, lured the regional branch of the Federal Reserve Bank to locate here in 1914, and by the 1920s began to aggressively recruit businesses and industries to relocate to the city. Emory was brought to Atlanta from Oxford, Georgia, in 1915.

By the mid-twentieth century, the city was of national importance. Few things illustrate this more than the city’s role in the Civil Rights movement. For many years, the city has had one of the nation’s most influential and well-organized African American communities. In the 1950s that community nurtured many of the civil rights movement’s leaders. Chief among them was Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1959 mayor William Hartsfield called Atlanta a “city too busy to hate,” and indeed desegregation was a relatively peaceful process for the city. Though there have been unfortunate exceptions during the South’s history, Atlanta has been and remains a progressive and welcoming community.

In 1990 Atlanta won the bid to host the 1996 Centennial Olympic games. This feat announced to the world that the city was not a regional city and not a city of mere national importance. Atlanta proclaimed itself an international city. The Olympic bid was once again a combination of reality and aspiration, but the dreamers made it happen. Today the city is truly of international importance.
Regardless of where you call home, we invite you to visit Emory and Atlanta to see why we’re so proud to call Atlanta our home.

ATLANTA STATS

4.5 million residence
9th largest metro
Largest city in S.E.
established 1837
"a city too busy to hate" —William Hartsfield