 | Atlanta Georgia: Encyclopedia II - Atlanta Georgia - People and culture
Atlanta Georgia - People and culture
Atlanta Georgia - Demographics
The census of 2000 states there are 416,474 people, (423,019 as of 2003 estimates), 168,147 households, and 83,232 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,221/km² (3,161/mi²). There are 186,925 housing units at an average density of 548/km² (1,419/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 61.39% Black, 33.22% White,1.93% Asian,, 0.18% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.99% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. 4.49% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. The city has one of the largest gay populations in the nation; according to Census 2000 both DeKalb and Fulton counties are among the ten most heavily gay counties in America. There are several predominantly and largely gay neighborhoods, mostly in the Midtown area of the city.
There are 168,147 households out of which 22.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 24.5% are married couples living together, 20.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 50.5% are non-families. 38.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 3.16.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 35.2% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $51,482 and the median income for a family is $55,939. Males have a median income of $36,162 compared to $30,178 for females. The per capita income for the city is $29,772, and 24.4% of the population and 21.3% of families are below the poverty line. 38.8% of those under the age of 18 and 20.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
See also: population of Atlanta
Atlanta Georgia - Crime
For several decades, Atlanta had been among the most violent cities in North America but in recent years the city has reduced violent crime considerably. While still high, the murder rate in 2004 was half that of New Orleans. In 2005, Atlanta recorded 93 homicides — the lowest total since 1963, and an almost 40% decrease from the 151 killings reported in 2002.
However, in 2005 Atlanta received embarrassing media attention for the high-profile Brian Nichols manhunt, who became internationally known as the "Courthouse Killer". In addition, broadcast media focused attention on a standoff involving a murder suspect (not an Atlanta resident) who perched himself on top of a construction crane for several days in the upscale Buckhead district.
- The latest Uniform Crime Reports can be downloaded at the Atlanta Police Department's Website.
Atlanta Georgia - Attractions events and recreation
Atlanta boasts a variety of museums on subjects ranging from history to fine arts, natural history, and beverages. Prominent among them are sites honoring Atlanta's participation in the civil rights movement. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in the city, and his boyhood home on Auburn Avenue in the Sweet Auburn district is preserved as the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. Meetings with other civil rights leaders, including Hosea Williams and current Congressman John Lewis, often happened at Paschal's, a diner and motor inn which was a favorite for "colored" people, banned from "white" restaurants in an era of racial segregation and intolerance. King's final resting place is in the tomb at the center of the reflecting pool at the King Center.
Other history museums and attractions include the Atlanta History Center; the Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum (a huge painting and diorama in-the-round, with a rotating central audience platform, that depicts the Battle of Atlanta in the Civil War); the Carter Center and Presidential Library; and the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum.
The arts are represented by several theaters and museums, including the Fox Theatre. The Woodruff Arts Center is home to the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony, High Museum of Art, and Atlanta College of Art. Museums geared specifically towards children include the Fernbank Science Center and Imagine It! Atlanta's Children's Museum. The High Museum of Art is the city's major fine/visual arts venue, with a significant permanent collection and an assortment of traveling exhibitions. The Atlanta Opera, which was founded in 1979 by members of two struggling local companies, is arguably the most important opera company in the southeastern United States and enjoys a growing audience and international reputation.
Atlanta features the world's largest aquarium, the Georgia Aquarium, which officially opened to the public on November 23, 2005. The aquarium features over 100,000 specimens in tanks holding approximately eight million gallons of water. One unique museum is the World of Coca-Cola featuring the history of the world famous soft drink brand and its well-known advertising. Adjacent is Underground Atlanta, a historic shopping and entertainment complex situated under the streets of downtown Atlanta. In additon the Atlantic Station, a huge new urban renewal project on the northwestern edge of Midtown Atlanta, offically opened in October of 2005. While not a museum per se, The Varsity is the main branch of the long-lived fast food chain, featured as the world's largest drive-in restaurant.
The heart of the city's festivals is Piedmont Park. In 1887, a group of prominent Atlantans purchased 189 acres (0.76 km²) of farmland to build a horse racing track, later developed into the site of the Cotton States International Exposition of 1895. In 1904, the city council purchased the land for $99,000, and today it is the largest park in metro Atlanta, with more than 2.5 million visitors each year. The grounds were part of the Battle of Peachtree Creek – a Confederate division occupied the northern edge on July 20, 1864 as part of the outer defense line against Sherman's approach. Next to the park is the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Zoo Atlanta, home to its own panda exhibit, is located in Grant Park.
Just east of the city, Stone Mountain is the largest piece of exposed granite in the world. On its face are giant carvings of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson. It is also the site of impressive laser shows in the summer. A few miles west of Atlanta on I-20 is the Six Flags Over Georgia Theme Park, which opened near the city in 1967, and was the second theme park in the Six Flags chain.
Popular annual cultural events include:
- Atlanta Dogwood Festival, a Spring arts and crafts festival at Piedmont Park.
- Music Midtown - Three-day music festival in early summer. (Now on hiatus)
- Atlanta Gay Pride [1]
- Atlanta Jazz Festival [2], largest free jazz festival in the USA
- Sweet Auburn SpringFest
- Inman Park Festival [3]
- Virginia-Highlands Summerfest [4]
- Georgia Renaissance Festival [5]
Atlanta Georgia - Media
The major daily newspaper in Atlanta is The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Other weekly papers include Creative Loafing and Atlanta Nation.
The Atlanta metro area is served by a wide variety of local television stations, and is the ninth largest designated market area (DMA) in the U.S. with 2,059,450 homes (1.88% of the total U.S.). The major network television affiliates are WXIA 11 (NBC), WSB 2 (ABC), WGCL 46 (CBS), WAGA 5 (FOX), WATL 36 (WB), WUPA 69 (UPN), WUVG 34 (Univision), WPXA 14 (i), and WHSG 63 (TBN). There are also two PBS stations: WGTV 8 (PBS) and WPBA 30 (PBS), and one independently operated station: WATC 57, which carries religious programming, as well as TBS's Atlanta transmitter, WTBS.
Atlanta's radio stations include AM stations WSB 750 (News/Talk), WGST 640 (News/Talk), WCNN 680 (Sports/talk "The Fan"), WQXI 790 (Sports/talk "The Zone"), and several other relgious and spanish-language stations. Atlanta's FM stations include WZGC 92.9 (AAA "Dave FM"), WSTR 94.1 (top 40 "Star 94"), WLTM 94.9 (AC "94.9 Lite FM"), WBTS 95.5 (urban top 40 "95.5 the Beat"), WKLS 96.1 (classic rock "96 Rock"), WFOX 97.1 (classic hits "97.1 the River"), WPZE 97.5 (black gospel "Praise 97.5"), WSB-FM 98.5 (AC "B98.5FM"), WNNX 99.7 (alternative rock "99X"), WWWQ 100.5 (top 40 "Q100"), WKHX 101.5 (country "Kicks 101.5"), WAMJ 102.5 (urban AC "WR&B"), WVEE 103.3 (urban "V103"), WALR-FM 104.1 (urban AC/oldies "Kiss 104.1"), WFSH 104.7 (christian "104.7 the Fish"), WBZY 105.3 (modern rock "105.3 the Buzz"), WWVA-FM 105.7 (spanish top 40 "Viva 105.7"), WYAY 106.7 (classic country "Eagle 106.7"), WJZZ 107.5 (smooth jazz), and WHTA 107.9 (urban "Hot 107.9").
Several cable television networks also operate from Atlanta, including TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, and TNT. These stations are owned by Turner Broadcasting System (now a subsidiary of Time Warner). The Weather Channel (owned by Landmark Communications) also broadcasts from the Atlanta area.
Nintendo's American Division has its distribution center based in Atlanta, the primary location from where imported games and products arrive to United States and are often inspected and shipped to stores nationwide.
See also: list of newspapers in Atlanta
Atlanta Georgia - Music
Jermaine Dupri's 2001 hip hop single "Welcome to Atlanta" declares Atlanta the "new Motown", referencing the city of Detroit, Michigan, which was known for its contributions to popular music. A significant number of Atlantans have become successful musicians, including artists such as OutKast, Jerry Reed, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Kelly Rowland, Blaque, Ludacris, T.I., Young Jeezy, Ying Yang Twins, D4L, Monica, Youngbloodz, and Lil Jon. Others, such as Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston, have moved to the city and made it their home. Of the many modern day recording artist/groups to be originated in Atlanta, TLC still by records sold, holds the crown for the biggest present day act with record sales hovering around the 50 million mark. Atlanta has also produced rock and pop music singers, such as alternative metal band Sevendust and modern rock band Collective Soul, and was a proving ground for Connecticut-born pop-rock-blues musician John Mayer.
Record Producers L.A. Reid and Babyface founded LaFace Records in Atlanta in the late-1980s; the label has eventually become the home to multi-platinum selling artists such as Toni Braxton, TLC, OutKast, Goodie Mob, Usher and Ciara, many of whom are Atlantans themselves. It is also the home of So So Def Records, a label founded by Jermaine Dupri in the mid-1990s, that signed acts such as Da Brat, Jagged Edge, Xscape, Dem Franchise Boyz, and Bow Wow. The success of LaFace and SoSo Def led to Atlanta as an established scene for record labels such as LaFace parent company Arista to set up satellite offices.
Atlanta's classical music scene includes well-renowned ensembles such as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Opera, Atlanta Ballet, period-instrument ensemble New Trinity Baroque, Atlanta Boy Choir, and many others. Classical musicians include renowned conductors such as late Robert Shaw, Atlanta Symphony's Robert Spano, New Trinity Baroque's Predrag Gosta, and others.
Despite producing numerous famous musicians, however, Atlanta's live pop music scene has suffered in recent years. Due in part to harsher new laws dictating the closing times of bars and nightclubs, many small to medium sized venues have closed down. As a result, fewer and fewer touring acts are stopping by Atlanta, putting further financial strain on the remaining clubs and venues. In the early 1980s, Atlanta was the home of a thriving new wave music scene featuring such bands as The Brains and The Producers, closely linked to the new wave scenes in Athens, Georgia and other college towns in the southeast.
Atlanta Georgia - Sports
Atlanta has a rich sports history, including the second intercollegiate football game in the South, Auburn University vs. University of Georgia in 1892. This game is often considered the Oldest Rivalry in the South. Currently it hosts college football's annual Chick-fil-A Bowl and the Peachtree Road Race, the world’s largest 10K race. Atlanta was the host city for the Centennial 1996 Summer Olympics. Centennial Olympic Park, built for 1996 Summer Olympics, sits adjacent to CNN Center and Philips Arena. It is now operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority.
The city is also host to four different major league sports. The Atlanta Braves baseball team has been the Major League Baseball franchise of Atlanta since 1966; the franchise was previously known as the Boston Braves (1912-1952), and the Milwaukee Braves (1953-1965). The team was founded in 1871 in Boston, Massachusetts as a National Association club, making it the oldest continuously operating sports franchise in North American sports. The Braves won the World Series in 1995 and have had an unprecedented run of fourteen straight divisional championships since 1991. Before the Braves moved to Atlanta, the Atlanta Crackers were Atlanta's professional baseball team from 1901 until their last season in 1965. They won 17 league championships in the minor leagues. The Atlanta Black Crackers were Atlanta's Negro League team from around 1921 until 1949.
The Atlanta Falcons American football team plays at the Georgia Dome. They have been Atlanta's National Football League franchise since 1966. They have won the division title three times, and a conference championship once, only to go on to lose to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII. Super Bowl XXVIII and XXXIV were held in the city.
The Atlanta Hawks basketball team has been the National Basketball Association franchise of Atlanta since 1969; the team was previously known as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1946-1951), Milwaukee Hawks (1951-55), St. Louis Hawks (1955-68). Their only NBA championship was in 1958, when they were the St. Louis Hawks.
From 1992 to 1996 Atlanta was home to the short-lived Atlanta Knights, an International Hockey League team. Their inaugural season was excellent for a new team, and was only bested by their sophomore season in which they won the championship Turner Cup. In 1996 they moved to Quebec City and became the Quebec Rafales.
In 1999 the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team became Atlanta's National Hockey League franchise. They replaced the Atlanta Flames which had departed for Calgary in 1980, becoming the Calgary Flames. The Thrashers have yet to make it to the playoffs. Both the Thrashers and the Hawks play in Philips Arena.
The Georgia Force has been Atlanta's team in the Arena Football League since the franchise relocated from Nashville in 2002. The 2005 National Conference champions currently play in Philips Arena.
The final event of the PGA Tour season, THE TOUR Championship, is played annually at East Lake Golf Club. This golf course is used because of its connection to the great amateur golfer Bobby Jones, an Atlanta native.
From 2001 to 2003 Atlanta hosted the Atlanta Beat soccer team of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association. They appeared in two of the three Founders Cup championships held, losing to the Bay Area CyberRays in 2001, and the Washington Freedom team in 2003. Currently, Atlanta is the home of the Atlanta Silverbacks of the United Soccer Leagues First Division (Men) and W-League (Women)
Other nearby sports facilities include Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) NASCAR race track in Hampton, Georgia.
Atlanta is home to the Chick-fil-A Bowl (formerly known as the Peach Bowl) which is played at the Georgia Dome and matches a SEC team against an ACC opponent, as well as the SEC Championship Game in football annually, as well as hosting the basketball and gymnastics championships on several occasions.
See also: U.S. cities with teams from four major sports
Atlanta Georgia - Religion
Being the unofficial capital of the 'bible belt', a geographic region considered among the most highly religious in western civilization, the Atlanta cityscape is teeming with a seemingly countless number of large denominational churches and other places of worship. A large majority of Atlantans profess to following a Protestant Christian faith, and many people point out that religion plays a reasonably important role in their weekly lives. As a result, the city could arguably have the distinction of being among the most religious major cities in the country. Furthermore, a large number of students in the Metro area's northern counties attend faith-based private schools at a rate unsurpassed by many other parts of the country. Out of 75 private schools listed in Fulton county, only 8 have no religious ties. [citation needed] Another explanation for the high rate of religious private school attendance is the poor performance of Georgia public schools[6] and the ability of churches to procure funding due to the high rate of church attendance in the state.
As the see of the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, Atlanta serves as the Provincial See for the Province of Atlanta. The city is also a major Southern Baptist center.
Other related archives1864, 1996 Summer Olympics, ABC, ACC, ACF River Basin, AM radio, Abraham Lincoln, Adult Swim, African American, African-Americans, Agnes Scott College, Alabama, All-America City Award, American Civil Rights Movement, American football, Amtrak, Ancient Olympia, Andrew Young, Archdiocese of Atlanta, Arena Football League, Arista, Asian, Athens, Georgia, Atlanta Beat, Atlanta Black Crackers, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta Crackers, Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum, Atlanta Dogwood Festival, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Flames, Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta History Center, Atlanta Knights, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Atlanta Silverbacks, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Thrashers, Atlanta University Center, Atlanta in fiction, Atlanta metropolitan area, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic Station, Auburn University, Austria, Babyface, Baltimore, Battle of Atlanta, Battle of Ezra Church, Battle of Peachtree Creek, Bay Area CyberRays, Belgium, Bell Aircraft, BellSouth, Beltline, Benin, Bernie Marcus, Bill Campbell, Birmingham, Black, Blaque, Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, Bobby Brown, Bobby Jones, Boomerang, Boston Braves, Boston, Massachusetts, Bow Wow, Brazil, Brian Nichols, Brussels, Bucharest, Buckhead, CBS, CNN, CNN Airport Network, CNN Center, CNN Headline News, CNN International, CNN en Español, CSX, Cable News Network, Calgary, Calgary Flames, Capital Beltway, Carrollton, Carter Center and Presidential Library, Cartoon Network, Casablanca, Morocco, Catholic, Centennial Olympic Park, Centennial Olympic Park bombing, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Chamblee, Charlotte, Chattahoochee River, Cherokee, Chick-fil-A Bowl, Ciara, Civil War, Clark Atlanta University, Clayton State University, Coca-Cola Company, Collective Soul, College Park, Confederate, Congressman, Cotonou, Creative Loafing, Creek, Crescent train, D4L, Da Brat, Daegu, Dahlonega, Georgia, DeKalb, DeKalb County, DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, DeVry University, Decatur, Delta Air Lines, Dem Franchise Boyz, Denver, Denver Broncos, Detroit, Michigan, Dominican Republic, Doraville, Downtown Connector, Dr. Martin Luther King, Eastern Continental Divide, Emory University, England, Eric Robert Rudolph, FOX, Fernbank Science Center, Florida, Fort McPherson, Fox Theatre, France, Freedmen's Bureau, Fukuoka, Fulton, Fulton County, General Assembly, Georgia, Georgia Aquarium, Georgia Dome, Georgia Force, Georgia General Assembly, Georgia Gwinnett College, Georgia Perimeter College, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Georgia State Capitol, Georgia State University, Georgia Tech, Georgia World Congress Center, Germany, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Gone with the Wind, Goodie Mob, Governor of Georgia, Grant Park, Great Depression, Greece, Greyhound Lines, Gulf of Mexico, Gwinnett University Center, Hampton, Georgia, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Henry W. Grady, High Museum of Art, Hispanic, Holy Spirit Preparatory School, Home Depot, I-20, I-285, I-75, I-85, I-85 Corridor, IATA, IATA airport codefor, ICAO, International Hockey League, International Olympic Committee, Interstate 285, Israel, Jagged Edge, Jamaica, James Calhoun, Japan, Jefferson Davis, Jermaine Dupri, Jerry Reed, John Bell Hood, John F. Kennedy, John Lewis, John Mayer, July 20, July 2004, July 20th, Kelly Rowland, Kennesaw, Kennesaw State University, L.A. Reid, LaFace Records, Lagos, Lagos Island, Landmark Communications, Las Vegas, Latino, Lawrenceville, Lawrenceville, GA, Leo Frank, Lil Jon, List of airports in the Atlanta area, Ludacris, MARTA, MSAs, Major League Baseball, Margaret Mitchell, Margaret Mitchell House and Museum, Marietta, Marthasville, Martin Luther King, Jr., Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, Maynard Jackson, Mercer University, Metro Atlanta, Midwest, Milwaukee, Monica, Montego Bay, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Morris Brown College, Morrow, Motown, Mount Vernon Presbyterian School, Music Midtown, NBC, Nashville, National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, National Public Radio, Native American, Negro League, New Orleans, New Trinity Baroque, New York, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Newell Rubbermaid, Nigeria, Nintendo, Norfolk Southern, November 11, Nürnberg, Oglethorpe University, OutKast, PBS, PGA Tour, Pace Academy, Pacific Islander, Peachtree Road Race, Peachtree Street, Philadelphia, Philips Arena, Phoenix, Piedmont Park, Port-of-Spain, Predrag Gosta, Quebec City, Quebec Rafales, Ra'annana, Reconstruction era, Record Producers, Reformed Theological Seminary, Rio de Janeiro, Robert E. Lee, Robert Shaw, Romania, SEC, SEC Championship Game, Salcedo, Salzburg, Sandy Springs, September 1, September 7, Sevendust, Sherman's March to the Sea, Shirley Franklin, Six Flags Over Georgia Theme Park, Six Flags chain, So So Def Records, South Korea, Southern Baptist, Southern Polytechnic State University, Spaghetti Junction, Spelman College, St. Louis, St. Pius X Catholic High School, Stone Mountain, Stonewall Jackson, Super Bowl XXXIII, T.I., TBN, TBS, THE TOUR Championship, TLC, TNT, Taipei, Taiwan, Tbilisi, Techwood Homes, Ted Turner, Terminus, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Coca-Cola Company, The Galloway School, The Lovett School, The Producers, The Varsity, The Weather Channel, The Westminster Schools, Thrasherville, Time Warner, Toni Braxton, Toulouse, Trail of Tears, Treaty of New Echota, Trinidad and Tobago, Tucker, Turner Broadcasting System, Turner South, U.S. cities with teams from four major sports, U.S. state, UPN, Underground Atlanta, United Parcel Service, United Soccer Leagues, United States, United States Census Bureau, University of Georgia, University of West Georgia, Univision, Usher, WABE-FM, WAGA, WALR-FM, WAMJ, WATC, WATL, WB, WBTS, WBZY, WCNN, WFOX, WFSH, WGCL, WGST, WGTV, WHSG, WHTA, WJZZ, WKHX, WKLS, WLTM, WNNX, WPBA, WPXA, WPZE, WQXI, WSB, WSB-FM, WSTR, WTBS, WUPA, WUVG, WVEE, WWVA-FM, WWWQ, WXIA, WYAY, WZGC, Washington, Washington Freedom, Washington, DC, Western and Atlantic Railroad, White, Whitney Houston, William B. Hartsfield, William Sherman, Women's United Soccer Association, Woodruff Arts Center, Woodward Academy, World Series, World War II, World of Coca-Cola, Xscape, Ying Yang Twins, Young Jeezy, Youngbloodz, Zoo Atlanta, agency, air pollution, aircraft traffic, annex, ante-bellum, architecture of Atlanta, automobiles, baseball, basketball, bus, cable television, census, citation needed, civil rights movement, colloquialism, county seat, diorama, four different major league sports, gay, general aviation, granite, higher education, hip hop, hockey, housing project, i, interstate highways, laser, list of Atlanta neighborhoods, list of famous Atlantans, list of major companies in Atlanta, list of mayors of Atlanta, list of newspapers in Atlanta, lynched, married couples, mayor, musicians, new wave music, other races, panda, passenger traffic, per capita income, phoenix, population, population density, population of Atlanta, poverty line, public transit, race riot, ranking of world cities, right-of-way, sewage treatment plants, sister cities, soccer, sprawl, state capital, streetcar, subway, summer, theme park, traffic, trails, urban heat island
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "People and culture", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
