Atlanta is the capital of the state of Georgia. It is the biggest city in the state and one of the biggest in the South. It was founded as the town of "Terminus," in 1837, four years after a settler called Hardy Ivy had built his cabin there on land that had formerly belonged to the Creek Indians.
In 1845 the city was named Atlanta. At that time north Georgia, where Atlanta is, was not nearly so important as the sea-coast, where Savannah was the important city. But Atlanta grew faster than any other city in the South.
During the Civil War it was a most important centre for the Confederate forces. It was taken by General Sherman during the decisive Atlanta Campaign of 1864, and much of the city was burned, but the progressive Atlantans rebuilt it even faster than they had built it originally. When Georgia began to recover from the war, Atlanta was the most important city. It became the capital in 1868. Atlanta today is a centre of education, industry, and business. It is the home of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), Emory and Oglethorpe Universities, Atlanta University and the Atlanta University System (for Negroes), and many others.
The Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta is known all over the world as a model institution of its kind Coca-Cola originated in Atlanta and is made there. Points of interest include the Archives Building, with its historical museum; the domed capitol, in which is the state library; the High Museum of Art; and the Cyclorama of the Battle of Atlanta. Stone Mountain (about which there is a separate article), with its gigantic carvings of Confederate heroes, is only fifteen miles from Atlanta.
