View source for Metro Atlanta

{{Refimprove|date=July 2024}}
{{Short description|Combined Statistical Area in Georgia, United States of America}}
{{use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Metropolitan Atlanta
| official_name      = Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell, GA<br />Metropolitan Statistical Area
| native_name        = 
| nickname           = 
| settlement_type    = [[Metropolitan Statistical Area]]
| motto              = 
| image_skyline      = Midtown HDR Atlanta.jpg
| image_alt          = 
| image_size         = 300px
| image_caption      = [[Midtown Atlanta]]
| image_map          = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-height=240|zoom=7|frame-coord={{coord|33.70|-84.40}}
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| type2=shape|id2=Q488210|title2=Butts County|stroke-color2=#720000|stroke-width2=0.5|fill2=#720000|fill-opacity2=0.4
| type3=shape|id3=Q493088|title3=Carroll County|stroke-color3=#720000|stroke-width3=0.5|fill3=#720000|fill-opacity3=0.4
| type4=shape|id4=Q486150|title4=Clayton County|stroke-color4=#720000|stroke-width4=0.5|fill4=#720000|fill-opacity4=0.4
| type5=shape|id5=Q111928|title5=Coweta County|stroke-color5=#720000|stroke-width5=0.5|fill5=#720000|fill-opacity5=0.4
| type6=shape|id6=Q492032|title6=Dawson County|stroke-color6=#720000|stroke-width6=0.5|fill6=#720000|fill-opacity6=0.4
| type7=shape|id7=Q486398|title7=DeKalb County|stroke-color7=#720000|stroke-width7=0.5|fill7=#720000|fill-opacity7=0.4
| type8=shape|id8=Q486325|title8=Douglas County|stroke-color8=#720000|stroke-width8=0.5|fill8=#720000|fill-opacity8=0.4
| type9=shape|id9=Q501115|title9=Fayette County|stroke-color9=#720000|stroke-width9=0.5|fill9=#720000|fill-opacity9=0.4
| type10=shape|id10=Q493092|title10=Forsyth County|stroke-color10=#720000|stroke-width10=0.5|fill10=#720000|fill-opacity10=0.4
| type11=shape|id11=Q486633|title11=Fulton County|stroke-color11=#720000|stroke-width11=0.5|fill11=#720000|fill-opacity11=0.4
| type12=shape|id12=Q490065|title12=Gwinnett County|stroke-color12=#720000|stroke-width12=0.5|fill12=#720000|fill-opacity12=0.4
| type13=shape|id13=Q486348|title13=Heard County|stroke-color13=#720000|stroke-width13=0.5|fill13=#720000|fill-opacity13=0.4
| type14=shape|id14=Q492053|title14=Henry County|stroke-color14=#720000|stroke-width14=0.5|fill14=#720000|fill-opacity14=0.4
| type15=shape|id15=Q224910|title15=Jasper County|stroke-color15=#720000|stroke-width15=0.5|fill15=#720000|fill-opacity15=0.4
| type16=shape|id16=Q492040|title16=Lumpkin County|stroke-color16=#720000|stroke-width16=0.5|fill16=#720000|fill-opacity16=0.4
| type17=shape|id17=Q501151|title17=Meriwether County|stroke-color17=#720000|stroke-width17=0.5|fill17=#720000|fill-opacity17=0.4
| type18=shape|id18=Q493083|title18=Morgan County|stroke-color18=#720000|stroke-width18=0.5|fill18=#720000|fill-opacity18=0.4
| type19=shape|id19=Q501101|title19=Newton County|stroke-color19=#720000|stroke-width19=0.5|fill19=#720000|fill-opacity19=0.4
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| type21=shape|id21=Q491533|title21=Pike County|stroke-color21=#720000|stroke-width21=0.5|fill21=#720000|fill-opacity21=0.4
| type22=shape|id22=Q498621|title22=Rockdale County|stroke-color22=#720000|stroke-width22=0.5|fill22=#720000|fill-opacity22=0.4
| type23=shape|id23=Q503486|title23=Spalding County|stroke-color23=#720000|stroke-width23=0.5|fill23=#720000|fill-opacity23=0.4
| type24=shape|id24=Q498312|title24=Walton County|stroke-color24=#720000|stroke-width24=0.5|fill24=#720000|fill-opacity24=0.4
| type25=shape|id25=Q488181|title25=Bartow County|stroke-color25=#FF0000|stroke-width25=0.5|fill25=#FF0000|fill-opacity25=0.4
| type26=shape|id26=Q486664|title26=Cherokee County|stroke-color26=#FF0000|stroke-width26=0.5|fill26=#FF0000|fill-opacity26=0.4
| type27=shape|id27=Q484247|title27=Cobb County|stroke-color27=#FF0000|stroke-width27=0.5|fill27=#FF0000|fill-opacity27=0.4
| type28=shape|id28=Q544539|title28=Haralson County|stroke-color28=#FF0000|stroke-width28=0.5|fill28=#FF0000|fill-opacity28=0.4
| type29=shape|id29=Q501140|title29=Paulding County|stroke-color29=#FF0000|stroke-width29=0.5|fill29=#FF0000|fill-opacity29=0.4
| type30=shape|id30=Q112061|title30=Clarke County|stroke-color30=#BA0C2F|stroke-width30=0.5|fill30=#BA0C2F|fill-opacity30=0.4
| type31=shape|id31=Q156387|title31=Madison County|stroke-color31=#BA0C2F|stroke-width31=0.5|fill31=#BA0C2F|fill-opacity31=0.4
| type32=shape|id32=Q492026|title32=Oconee County|stroke-color32=#BA0C2F|stroke-width32=0.5|fill32=#BA0C2F|fill-opacity32=0.4
| type33=shape|id33=Q491525|title33=Oglethorpe County|stroke-color33=#BA0C2F|stroke-width33=0.5|fill33=#BA0C2F|fill-opacity33=0.4
| type34=shape|id34=Q200696|title34=Gordon County|stroke-color34=#FF9200|stroke-width34=0.5|fill34=#FF9200|fill-opacity34=0.4
| type35=shape|id35=Q498395|title35=Polk County|stroke-color35=#BD00C8|stroke-width35=0.5|fill35=#BD00C8|fill-opacity35=0.4
| type36=shape|id36=Q501096|title36=Habersham County|stroke-color36=#CC7910|stroke-width36=0.5|fill36=#CC7910|fill-opacity36=0.4
| type37=shape|id37=Q492012|title37=Hall County|stroke-color37=#156000|stroke-width37=0.5|fill37=#156000|fill-opacity37=0.4
| type38=shape|id38=Q486137|title38=Jackson County|stroke-color38=#00FF40|stroke-width38=0.5|fill38=#00FF40|fill-opacity38=0.4
| type39=shape|id39=Q498295|title39=Troup County|stroke-color39=#FBBF00|stroke-width39=0.5|fill39=#FFFF00|fill-opacity39=0.4
| type40=shape|id40=Q111280|title40=Chambers County, AL|stroke-color40=#FBBF00|stroke-width40=0.5|fill40=#FFFF00|fill-opacity40=0.4
| type41=shape|id41=Q486389|title41=Floyd County|stroke-color41=#0000FF|stroke-width41=0.5|fill41=#0000FF|fill-opacity41=0.4
| type42=shape|id42=Q498377|title42=Upson County|stroke-color42=#00BCE4|stroke-width42=0.5|fill42=#00BCE4|fill-opacity42=0.4
| type43=shape|id43=Q23556|title43=City of Atlanta|stroke-color43=#007272|stroke-width43=0.5|fill43=#007272|fill-opacity43=0.4
}}
| map_alt            = Map of Metro Atlanta
| map_caption        = Map of Atlanta–Athens-Clarke County–<br />Sandy Springs, GA–AL [[Combined Statistical Area|CSA]]
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
{{leftlegend|#007272|[[Atlanta, Georgia|City of Atlanta]]}}
Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell, GA [[Metropolitan Statistical Area|MSA]]
{{leftlegend|#C39290|Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell, GA}}
{{leftlegend|#FF0000|Marietta, GA [[Metropolitan Statistical Area|Metropolitan Division]]}}
Other Statistical Areas in the Atlanta CSA
{{leftlegend|#BA0C2F|Athens-Clarke County, GA [[Metropolitan Statistical Area|MSA]]}}
{{leftlegend|#1AA000|Gainesville, GA MSA}}
{{leftlegend|#FFFF00|LaGrange, GA–AL [[µSA]]}}
{{leftlegend|#0000FF|Rome, GA MSA}}
{{leftlegend|#00FF40|Jefferson, GA µSA}}
{{leftlegend|#FF9200|Calhoun, GA µSA}}
{{leftlegend|#CC7910|Cornelia, GA µSA}}
{{leftlegend|#FF00FF|Cedartown, GA µSA}}
{{leftlegend|#00BCE4|Thomaston, GA µSA}}
{{Col-end}}
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = [[File:Flag of United States.svg|border|23px]] [[United States]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[File:Flag_of_the_State_of_Georgia.svg|border|23px]] [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]<br />[[File:Flag of Alabama.svg|border|23px]] [[Alabama]]
| area_magnitude     = 
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_total_km2     = 
| area_land_km2      = 
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_total_sq_mi   = 
| area_land_sq_mi    = 
| area_water_sq_mi   = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_urban_km2     = 
| area_urban_sq_km   = 
| area_metro_km2     = 21,694
| area_metro_sq_mi   = 8,376
| area_blank1_title  = CSA
| area_blank1_sq_mi  = 10494.03
| area_blank2_title  = 
| area_blank2_sq_mi  = 
| population_as_of   = 2023 estimates
| population_footnotes = <ref name=CensusMetro>https://www.census.gov/popest/metro/CBSA-est2008-annual.html&#124 {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
| population_note    = 
| population_density_km2 = 243
| population_density_sq_mi = 624
| population_metro   = 6,307,261 ([[Metropolitan statistical area|6th]])
| population_density_metro_km2 = 
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = 
| population_metro_footnotes = <ref name="cbsa">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html#v2023|title=Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals: 2020-2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=March 14, 2024|access-date=March 15, 2024}}</ref>
| population_urban   = 5,100,112 ([[List of United States urban areas|9th]])
| population_urban_footnotes = &nbsp;(2020)<ref name="urban area">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/geo-areas/urban-rural.html|title=List of 2020 Census Urban Areas|website=census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 8, 2023}}</ref>
| population_density_urban_km22 = 
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 
| population_blank1_title = [[Combined statistical area|CSA]]
| population_blank1_footnotes = <ref name="cbsa" />
| population_blank1  = 7,221,137 ([[Table of United States Combined Statistical Areas|10th]])
| demographics_type2 = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web|title= Total Gross Domestic Product for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA (MSA)|url= https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP12060 |website= fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = Metro
| demographics2_info1 = $570.663 billion (2023)
| timezone           = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset         = −5
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = −4
| elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags-->
| elevation_m        = 185–1002
| elevation_ft       = 606–3288
| postal_code_type   = ZIP codes
| postal_code        = 300''xx'' to 303''xx''
| area_codes         = [[Area code 404|404]]/[[Area codes 678, 470, and 943|678/470/943]] inside the perimeter [[Area code 770|770]]/[[Area codes 678, 470, and 943|678/470/943]]/[[Area code 334|334]] outside the perimeter
| website            = 
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Metro Atlanta''', designated by the [[United States Office of Management and Budget]] as the '''Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area''', is the most populous [[metropolitan statistical area]] in the U.S. state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and the sixth-largest in the [[United States]], based on the July 1, 2023 metropolitan area population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Its economic, cultural, and demographic center is [[Atlanta]], and its total population was 6,307,261 in the 2023 estimate from the [[U.S. Census Bureau]].

The core 5 counties of metropolitan Atlanta are [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton]], [[Gwinnett County, Georgia|Gwinnett]], [[Cobb County, Georgia|Cobb]], [[DeKalb County, Georgia|DeKalb]], and [[Clayton County, Georgia|Clayton]], with over 60% of the metro area’s population residing in these counties. The metro area forms the core of a broader trading area, the '''Atlanta–Athens-Clarke County–Sandy Springs combined statistical area'''. The [[combined statistical area]] spans up to 39 counties in [[North Georgia]]. The CSA recorded in the [[2020 U.S. census]] a population of 6,930,423.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing|access-date=2020-04-12|archive-date=2014-10-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141003185009/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- only use official U.S. Census or U.S. Census Bureau estimates --> Atlanta is the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Census Bureau's [[Southeastern United States|Southeast]] region. It surpassed the [[Miami metropolitan area|Greater Miami]] area in total population in 2021, and both the  [[Washington metropolitan area]], and the [[Delaware Valley|Philadelphia metropolitan area]] in 2023 (the latter of which is in the [[Northeastern United States|Northeast region]]).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2021/metro/totals/ | title=Index of /Programs-surveys/Popest/Datasets/2020-2021/Metro/Totals | access-date=2022-03-24 | archive-date=2022-05-26 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526142207/https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2021/metro/totals/ | url-status=live }}</ref> About one in ten (10.6%) of residents served by the [[Atlanta Regional Commission]] (including the core 5 counties of the metropolitan area) live within Atlanta city limits.<!--Subtracting the central city's population (499,868) from the total population of the 10 counties in the regional commission (4,216,363) based on the 2020 census shows that around 11 percent of the population lives within the central city limits-->

==Definitions==
By [[U.S.&nbsp;Census Bureau]] standards, the population of the Atlanta region spreads across a metropolitan area of {{convert|8376|sqmi|km2|0}},<ref name="MACOC-growth">{{cite web|title=Atlanta MSA Growth Statistics |publisher=[[Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce]] |date=May 2006 |url=http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/macoc/business/img/MSAGrowthStatsReport2006.pdf |access-date=2007-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927062537/http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/macoc/business/img/MSAGrowthStatsReport2006.pdf |archive-date=2007-09-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref> comparable to the size of [[Israel]]. Because Georgia contains more counties than any other state except [[Texas]] (explained in part by the now-defunct [[county-unit system]] of weighing votes in [[Partisan primary|primary election]]s),<ref>{{cite web|title=States, Counties, and Statistically Equivalent Entities |work=Geographic Areas Reference Manual |publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce |date=November 1994 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/GARM/Ch4GARM.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030506132933/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/GARM/Ch4GARM.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2003-05-06 |access-date=2007-09-28 }}</ref> area residents live under a heavily decentralized collection of governments. As of the 2000 census, fewer than one in ten residents of the metropolitan area lived inside Atlanta [[city limit]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Atlanta in Focus: A Profile from Census 2000 |publisher=The Brookings Institution |date=November 2003 |url=http://www.brookings.edu/es/urban/livingcities/atlanta.htm |access-date=2007-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927003211/http://www.brookings.edu/es/urban/livingcities/atlanta.htm|archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref>

A 2006 survey by the [[Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce]] counted 140&nbsp;cities and towns in the 28‑county Metropolitan Statistical Area in mid-2005.<ref name="MACOC-growth" /> Eleven cities – [[Johns Creek, Georgia|Johns Creek]] (2006), [[Milton, Georgia|Milton]] (2006), [[Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia|Chattahoochee Hills]] (2007), [[Dunwoody, Georgia|Dunwoody]] (2008), [[Peachtree Corners, Georgia|Peachtree Corners]] (2012), [[Brookhaven, Georgia|Brookhaven]] (2012), [[Tucker, Georgia|Tucker]] (2016), [[Stonecrest, Georgia|Stonecrest]] (2016), [[South Fulton, Georgia|South Fulton]] (2017), [[Mableton, Georgia|Mableton]] (2022) and [[Mulberry, Georgia|Mulberry]] (2024) – have incorporated since then, following the lead of [[Sandy Springs]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |last=Segal |first=Geoffrey |title=The Real Sandy Springs Effect |work=Reason |date=2005-12-02 |url=http://www.reason.org/commentaries/segal_20051202.shtml |access-date=2007-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930190414/http://www.reason.org/commentaries/segal_20051202.shtml |archive-date=2007-09-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2005_06/search/hb1470.htm |title=HB 1470 – Milton, City of; provide charter |date=2006-10-11 |publisher=Georgia General Assembly |access-date=2007-06-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201013031/http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2005_06/search/hb1470.htm |archive-date=2007-12-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2005_06/sum/hb1321.htm |title=HB 1321 – Johns Creek, City of; incorporate |date=2006-10-11 |publisher=Georgia General Assembly |access-date=2007-06-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120044348/http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2005_06/sum/hb1321.htm |archive-date=2007-11-20}}</ref>

The Atlanta metropolitan area was first defined in 1950 as [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton]], [[DeKalb County, Georgia|DeKalb]], [[Gwinnett County, Georgia|Gwinnett]], [[Cobb County, Georgia|Cobb]] and [[Clayton County, Georgia|Clayton]] counties. [[Walton County, Georgia|Walton]], [[Newton County, Georgia|Newton]], [[Douglas County, Georgia|Douglas]], [[Fayette County, Georgia|Fayette]], [[Forsyth County, Georgia|Forsyth]], [[Henry County, Georgia|Henry]], [[Cherokee County, Georgia|Cherokee]], [[Rockdale County, Georgia|Rockdale]], and [[Butts County, Georgia|Butts]] counties were added after the 1970 census, with Barrow and Coweta counties joining in 1980 and Bartow, Carroll, Paulding, Pickens and Spalding counties in 1990.

Atlanta's larger [[combined statistical area]] adds the [[Gainesville metropolitan area, Georgia|Gainesville]] and [[Athens – Clarke County metropolitan area|Athens]] metropolitan areas plus [[LaGrange, Georgia|LaGrange]], [[Thomaston, Georgia|Thomaston]], [[Jefferson, Georgia|Jefferson]], [[Calhoun, Georgia|Calhoun]], and [[Cedartown, Georgia|Cedartown]] micropolitan areas, for a total 2012 population of 6,162,195. The CSA also abuts the [[Macon, Georgia metropolitan area|Macon]] and [[Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area|Columbus]] MSAs. The region is one of the metropolises of the Southeastern United States, and is part of the emerging [[megalopolis (city type)|megalopolis]] known as [[Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion]] along the [[I-85 Corridor]].

==Metropolitan statistical area==
The counties listed below are included in the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area.<ref name=OMB_23-01>{{cite web|url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OMB-Bulletin-23-01.pdf|title=OMB Bulletin No. 23-01, Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of Delineations of These Areas|publisher=[[United States]] [[Office of Management and Budget]]|date=July 21, 2023|access-date=July 25, 2023}}</ref> In 2023, the [[Office of Management and Budget]] split the Metropolitan statistical area into two [[Conurbation|conurbated]] metropolitan divisions.

The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metropolitan division consists of the following 24 counties:

{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
* [[Barrow County, Georgia|Barrow]]
* [[Butts County, Georgia|Butts]]
* [[Carroll County, Georgia|Carroll]]
* [[Clayton County, Georgia|Clayton]]
* [[Coweta County, Georgia|Coweta]]
* [[Dawson County, Georgia|Dawson]]
* [[DeKalb County, Georgia|DeKalb]]
* [[Douglas County, Georgia|Douglas]]
* [[Fayette County, Georgia|Fayette]]
* [[Forsyth County, Georgia|Forsyth]]
* [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton]]
* [[Gwinnett County, Georgia|Gwinnett]]
* [[Heard County, Georgia|Heard]]
* [[Henry County, Georgia|Henry]]
* [[Jasper County, Georgia|Jasper]]
* [[Lumpkin County, Georgia|Lumpkin]]
* [[Meriwether County, Georgia|Meriwether]]
* [[Morgan County, Georgia|Morgan]]
* [[Newton County, Georgia|Newton]]
* [[Pickens County, Georgia|Pickens]]
* [[Pike County, Georgia|Pike]]
* [[Rockdale County, Georgia|Rockdale]]
* [[Spalding County, Georgia|Spalding]]
* [[Walton County, Georgia|Walton]]
}}

The Marietta metropolitan division consists of the following five counties.

{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
* [[Bartow County, Georgia|Bartow]]
* [[Cherokee County, Georgia|Cherokee]]
* [[Cobb County, Georgia|Cobb]]
* [[Haralson County, Georgia|Haralson]]
* [[Paulding County, Georgia|Paulding]]
}}

Some entities define a much smaller metropolitan area by including only the counties which have the densest suburban development. Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, and Clayton were the five original counties when the Atlanta metropolitan area was first defined in 1950, and continue to be the core of the metro area. These five counties along with six more (Cherokee, Douglas, Fayette, Henry, Rockdale, and Forsyth) are members of the [[Atlanta Regional Commission]], a weak [[metropolitan government]] organization which also is a [[regional planning]] agency. The eleven ARC counties, '''bolded''', and four more (Bartow, Coweta, Hall, Paulding), with an asterisk (*), form part of the [[Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District]], created in 2001.

===Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell MSA===

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!County
!Seat
!2020 census
!2010 census
!Change
!Area
!Density
|-
|'''[[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton *]]'''
|[[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]]
| {{change|invert=on|1066710|920581}}
|{{convert|534|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|1066710|534|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|'''[[Gwinnett County, Georgia|Gwinnett *]]'''
|[[Lawrenceville, Georgia|Lawrenceville]]
|{{change|invert=on|957062|805321}}
|{{convert|437|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|957062|437|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|'''[[Cobb County, Georgia|Cobb *]]'''
|[[Marietta, Georgia|Marietta]]
| {{change|invert=on|766149|688078}}
|{{convert|345|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|766149|345|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|'''[[DeKalb County, Georgia|DeKalb *]]'''
|[[Decatur, Georgia|Decatur]]
| {{change|invert=on|764382|691893}}
|{{convert|271|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|764382|271|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|'''[[Clayton County, Georgia|Clayton *]]'''
|[[Jonesboro, Georgia|Jonesboro]]
| {{change|invert=on|297595|259424}}
|{{convert|144|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|297595|144|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|'''[[Cherokee County, Georgia|Cherokee *]]'''
|[[Canton, Georgia|Canton]]
| {{change|invert=on|266620|214346}}
|{{convert|434|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|266620|434|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|'''[[Forsyth County, Georgia|Forsyth *]]'''
|[[Cumming, Georgia|Cumming]]
| {{change|invert=on|251283|175511}}
|{{convert|224|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|251283|224|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|'''[[Henry County, Georgia|Henry *]]'''
|[[McDonough, Georgia|McDonough]]
| {{change|invert=on|240712|203922}}
|{{convert|327|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|240712|327|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Paulding County, Georgia|Paulding *]]
|[[Dallas, Georgia|Dallas]]
| {{change|invert=on|168661|142324}}
|{{convert|314|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|168661|314|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Coweta County, Georgia|Coweta *]]
|[[Newnan, Georgia|Newnan]]
| {{change|invert=on|146158|127317}}
|{{convert|446|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|146158|446|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|'''[[Douglas County, Georgia|Douglas *]]'''
|[[Douglasville, Georgia|Douglasville]]
| {{change|invert=on|144237|132403}}
|{{convert|201|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|144237|201|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|'''[[Fayette County, Georgia|Fayette *]]'''
|[[Fayetteville, Georgia|Fayetteville]]
| {{change|invert=on|119194|106567}}
|{{convert|199|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|119194|199|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Carroll County, Georgia|Carroll]]
|[[Carrollton, Georgia|Carrollton]]
| {{change|invert=on|119148|110527}}
|{{convert|504|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|119148|504|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Newton County, Georgia|Newton]]
|[[Covington, Georgia|Covington]]
| {{change|invert=on|112483|99958}}
|{{convert|279|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|112483|279|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Bartow County, Georgia|Bartow *]]
|[[Cartersville, Georgia|Cartersville]]
| {{change|invert=on|108901|100157}}
|{{convert|470|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|108901|470|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Walton County, Georgia|Walton]]
|[[Monroe, Georgia|Monroe]]
| {{change|invert=on|96673|83768}}
|{{convert|330|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|96673|330|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|'''[[Rockdale County, Georgia|Rockdale *]]'''
|[[Conyers, Georgia|Conyers]]
| {{change|invert=on|93570|85215}}
|{{convert|132|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|93570|132|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Barrow County, Georgia|Barrow]]
|[[Winder, Georgia|Winder]]
| {{change|invert=on|83505|69367}}
|{{convert|163|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|83505|163|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Spalding County, Georgia|Spalding]]
|[[Griffin, Georgia|Griffin]]
| {{change|invert=on|67306|64073}}
|{{convert|200|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|67306|200|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Lumpkin County, Georgia|Lumpkin]]
|[[Dahlonega, Georgia|Dahlonega]]
| {{change|invert=on|33488|29966}}
|{{convert|284|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|33488|284|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Pickens County, Georgia|Pickens]]
|[[Jasper, Georgia|Jasper]]
| {{change|invert=on|33216|29431}}
|{{convert|233|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|33216|233|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Haralson County, Georgia|Haralson]]
|[[Buchanan, Georgia|Buchanan]]
| {{change|invert=on|29919|28780}}
|{{convert|283|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|29919|283|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Dawson County, Georgia|Dawson]]
|[[Dawsonville, Georgia|Dawsonville]]
| {{change|invert=on|26798|22330}}
|{{convert|214|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|26798|214|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Butts County, Georgia|Butts]]
|[[Jackson, Georgia|Jackson]]
| {{change|invert=on|25434|23655}}
|{{convert|188|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|25434|188|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Meriwether County, Georgia|Meriwether]]
|[[Greenville, Georgia|Greenville]]
| {{change|invert=on|20613|21992}}
|{{convert|505|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|20613|505|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Morgan County, Georgia|Morgan]]
|[[Madison, Georgia|Madison]]
| {{change|invert=on|20097|17868}}
|{{convert|361|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|20097|361|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Pike County, Georgia|Pike]]
|[[Zebulon, Georgia|Zebulon]]
| {{change|invert=on|18889|17869}}
|{{convert|219|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|18889|219|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Jasper County, Georgia|Jasper]]
|[[Monticello, Georgia|Monticello]]
| {{change|invert=on|14588|13900}}
|{{convert|373|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|14588|373|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Heard County, Georgia|Heard]]
|[[Franklin, Georgia|Franklin]]
| {{change|invert=on|11412|11834}}
|{{convert|301|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|11412|301|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}

|- class=sortbottom style="background:#fbfbbb"
|'''Total'''
|
| {{change|invert=on|6104803|5298377|bgcolour=#fbfbbb}}
|{{convert|8474|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|6104803|8474|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|}

The 10 counties listed above with under 60,000 residents are usually not included in any other metropolitan definition except the OMB/Census Bureau's MSA and CSA.

[[Hall County, Georgia|Hall County]] forms the [[Gainesville, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area|Gainesville MSA]], but with astronomical growth to over 200,000 residents, is now also part of the Atlanta CSA.

The official tourism website of the State of Georgia features an [http://www.exploregeorgia.org/AtlantaMetro "Atlanta Metro" tourism region] that includes only eight counties: Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, Clayton, Douglas, Fayette, and Henry.

==Combined statistical area==

===Atlanta GA-AL CSA===

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Statistical area
!2020 census
!2010 census
!Change
!Area
!Density
|-
|Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell, GA MSA
|{{change|invert=on|6089815|5286728}}
|{{convert|8376|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|6089815|8376|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Athens–Clarke County metropolitan area|Athens–Clarke County, GA MSA]]
| {{change|invert=on|215415|192541}}
|{{convert|1035|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|215415|1035|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Gainesville, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area|Gainesville, GA MSA]]
| {{change|invert=on|203136|179684}}
|{{convert|429|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|203136|429|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[LaGrange, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area|LaGrange, GA-AL Micropolitan Statistical Area]]
| {{change|invert=on|104198|101259}}
|{{convert|446|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|104198|446|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Rome, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area|Rome, GA MSA]]
| {{change|invert=on|98584|96317}}
|{{convert|518|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|98584|518|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Jefferson, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area]]
| {{change|invert=on|75907|60485}}
|{{convert|343|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|75907|343|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Cornelia, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area]]
| {{change|invert=on|46031|43041}}
|{{convert|279|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|46031|279|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Cedartown, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area]]
| {{change|invert=on|42853|41475}}
|{{convert|312|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|42853|312|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Thomaston, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area]]
| {{change|invert=on|27700|27153}}
|{{convert|328|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|27700|328|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|-
|[[Toccoa, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area]]
| {{change|invert=on|26784|26175}}
|{{convert|184|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|26784|184|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}

|- class=sortbottom style="background:#fbfbbb"
|'''Total'''
| {{change|invert=on|6930423|6020643|bgcolour=#fbfbbb}}
|{{convert|12250|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|{{Pop density|6930423|12250|sqmi|km2|prec=0}}
|}

==Municipalities==

{{wide image| Atlanta cityscape 032008.jpg|1000px|align-cap=center| The [[skyline]]s of [[Downtown Atlanta|Downtown]], [[Midtown Atlanta|Midtown]], [[Buckhead]] (all within the city of Atlanta), and [[Perimeter Center]] viewed from the southwest near [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]]}}

[[File:Atlanta-suburbs.png|right|thumb|360px|Atlanta suburbs and surrounding cities map. Note that the newly incorporated cities of [[Brookhaven, Georgia|Brookhaven]], [[Peachtree Corners, Georgia|Peachtree Corners]], [[Tucker, Georgia|Tucker]], [[Stonecrest, Georgia|Stonecrest]], [[South Fulton, Georgia|South Fulton]], [[Mableton, Georgia|Mableton]] and [[Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia|Chattahoochee Hills]] are not yet shown as incorporated (gray) on the map.]]

=== Edge cities ===
* [[Cumberland (Atlanta)|Cumberland]]
* [[Perimeter Center]]
* [[Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Hartsfield-Jackson]] area
* [[Gwinnett Place Mall|Gwinnett Place]]/[[Sugarloaf Mills|Sugarloaf]] area
More than one half of metro Atlanta's population is in unincorporated areas or areas considered a [[Census-designated place|census-designated-place]] (CDP) by the census bureau. One notable example is [[East Cobb, Georgia|East Cobb]], an unincorporated area (though not a CDP) adjacent to [[Marietta, Georgia|Marietta]] and [[Roswell, Georgia|Roswell]] in Cobb County. With an estimated population of approximately 164,055 as of 2020, it would be the second largest city in the metro besides Atlanta if incorporated.<ref>{{Cite web|title=East Cobb population Archives|url=http://eastcobbnews.com/tag/east-cobb-population/|access-date=2020-10-04|website=East Cobb News|date=29 August 2019 |language=en-US|archive-date=2022-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407041135/http://eastcobbnews.com/tag/east-cobb-population/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Metro Atlanta includes the following incorporated and unincorporated suburbs (both inside and outside Atlanta), exurbs, and surrounding cities, sorted by population according to 2020 census data (or later data if the city was incorporated after 2020 and census data is unavailable):<ref>{{cite web
 | title = 2009 Incorporated place and minor civil division population dataset
 | publisher = United States Government
 | url = https://www.census.gov/popest/cities/files/SUB-EST2008-ALL.csv
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090710210834/http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/files/SUB-EST2008-ALL.csv
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 2009-07-10
 | access-date = 2010-01-03}}</ref>

=== Cities and suburbs ===
'''Principal Cities'''
* [[Atlanta]] pop. 498,044
* [[Athens, Georgia|Athens]] (included in CSA) pop. 127,315

'''Places with 100,000 to 399,999 inhabitants'''
* [[East Cobb, Georgia|East Cobb]] (unincorporated) pop. 164,055
* [[Sandy Springs, Georgia|Sandy Springs]] pop. 108,080
* [[South Fulton, Georgia|South Fulton]] pop. 107,436

'''Places with 75,000 to 99,999 inhabitants'''
* [[Roswell, Georgia|Roswell]] pop. 92,833
* [[Vickery Creek|Big Creek]] (unincorporated) pop. 83,277
* [[Johns Creek, Georgia|Johns Creek]] pop. 82,453
* [[Mableton, Georgia|Mableton]] (incorporated 2022) pop. 78,000

'''Places with 50,000 to 74,999 inhabitants'''
* [[Lost Mountain, Georgia|Lost Mountain]] (unincorporated) pop. 73,312
* [[Alpharetta, Georgia|Alpharetta]] pop. 65,818
* [[Marietta, Georgia|Marietta]] pop. 60,972
* [[Stonecrest, Georgia|Stonecrest]] pop. 59,194
* [[Smyrna, Georgia|Smyrna]] pop. 55,663
* [[Brookhaven, Georgia|Brookhaven]] pop. 55,161
* [[Dunwoody, Georgia|Dunwoody]] pop. 51,683

'''Places with 25,000 to 49,999 inhabitants'''
{{Div col|colwidth=23em}}

* [[Ellenwood, Georgia|Ellenwood]] (unincorporated) pop. 46,967
* [[Bill Arp, Georgia|Bill Arp]] (unincorporated) pop. 44,518
* [[Peachtree Corners, Georgia|Peachtree Corners]] pop. 43,905
* [[Newnan, Georgia|Newnan]] pop. 42,549
* [[Gainesville, Georgia|Gainesville]] (included in CSA) pop. 42,296
* [[Milton, Georgia|Milton]] pop. 41,296
* [[East Point, Georgia|East Point]] pop. 38,358
* [[Tucker, Georgia|Tucker]] pop. 35,322
* [[Woodstock, Georgia|Woodstock]] pop. 35,065
* [[Douglasville, Georgia|Douglasville]] pop. 34,650
* [[Peachtree City, Georgia|Peachtree City]] pop. 34,364
* [[Kennesaw, Georgia|Kennesaw]] pop. 33,036
* [[Canton, Georgia|Canton]] pop. 32,973
* [[Chamblee, Georgia|Chamblee]] pop. 32,251
* [[Duluth, Georgia|Duluth]] pop. 31,873
* [[Redan, Georgia|Redan]] (CDP) pop. 31,749
* [[Lawrenceville, Georgia|Lawrenceville]] pop. 30,629
* [[Silver City, Georgia|Silver City]] (unincorporated) pop. 29,495
* [[McDonough, Georgia|McDonough]] pop. 29,051
* [[Stockbridge, Georgia|Stockbridge]] pop. 28,973
* [[Union City, Georgia|Union City]] pop. 26,830
* [[Carrollton, Georgia|Carrollton]] pop. 26,738
* [[Sugar Hill, Georgia|Sugar Hill]] pop. 25,076
{{div col end}}

'''Places with 24,999 or fewer inhabitants'''

{{div col|colwidth=21em}}
* [[Decatur, Georgia|Decatur]] pop. 24,928
* [[Griffin, Georgia|Griffin]] pop. 23,478
*[[Clarkdale, Georgia|Clarkdale]] (unincorporated) pop. 23,401
* [[Cartersville, Georgia|Cartersville]] pop. 23,187
* [[Candler-McAfee, Georgia|Candler-McAfee]] (CDP) pop. 22,468
* [[Acworth, Georgia|Acworth]] pop. 22,440
* Lathemtown pop. 21,110
* [[Suwanee, Georgia|Suwanee]] pop. 20,786
* [[Snellville, Georgia|Snellville]] pop. 20,573
* [[North Druid Hills, Georgia|North Druid Hills]] (CDP) pop. 20,385
* [[Forest Park, Georgia|Forest Park]] pop. 19,932
* [[Fayetteville, Georgia|Fayetteville]] pop. 18,957
* [[Winder, Georgia|Winder]] pop. 18,338
* [[North Decatur, Georgia|North Decatur]] (CDP) pop. 18,511
* [[Conyers, Georgia|Conyers]] pop. 17,305
* [[Norcross, Georgia|Norcross]] pop. 17,209
* [[Buford, Georgia|Buford]] pop. 17,144
* [[Villa Rica, Georgia|Villa Rica]] pop. 16,970
* [[Powder Springs, Georgia|Powder Springs]] pop. 16,887
* [[Lithia Springs, Georgia|Lithia Springs]] (CDP) pop. 16,644
*[[Rex, Georgia|Rex]] (unincorporated) pop. 16,580
* [[Fairburn, Georgia|Fairburn]] pop. 16,483
* [[Riverdale, Georgia|Riverdale]] pop. 15,129
* [[Belvedere Park, Georgia|Belvedere Park]] (CDP) pop. 15,113
* [[Monroe, Georgia|Monroe]] pop. 14,928
* [[Clarkston, Georgia|Clarkston]] pop. 14,756
* [[Druid Hills, Georgia|Druid Hills]] (CDP) pop. 14,568
* [[Lilburn, Georgia|Lilburn]] pop. 14,502
* [[Covington, Georgia|Covington]] pop. 14,192
* [[Loganville, Georgia|Loganville]] pop. 14,127
* [[Dallas, Georgia|Dallas]] pop. 14,092
* [[College Park, Georgia|College Park]] pop. 13,930
* [[Braselton, Georgia|Braselton]] pop. 13,403
* [[Mountain Park, Gwinnett County, Georgia|Mountain Park (Gwinnett)]] (CDP) pop. 13,089
* [[Vinings, Georgia|Vinings]] (CDP) pop. 12,581
* [[Panthersville, Georgia|Panthersville]] (CDP) pop. 11,237
* [[Doraville, Georgia|Doraville]] pop. 10,623
* [[Thomaston, Georgia|Thomaston]] pop. 9,816
* [[Irondale, Georgia|Irondale]] (CDP) pop. 8,704
* [[Tyrone, Georgia|Tyrone]] pop. 7,658
* [[Hampton, Georgia|Hampton]] pop. 6,987
* [[Auburn, Georgia|Auburn]] (CDP) pop. 6,887
* [[Barnesville, Georgia|Barnesville]] pop. 6,775
* [[Austell, Georgia|Austell]] pop. 6,581
* [[Morrow, Georgia|Morrow]] pop. 6,445
* [[Lovejoy, Georgia|Lovejoy]] pop. 6,422
* [[Hapeville, Georgia|Hapeville]] pop. 6,373
* [[Conley, Georgia|Conley]] (CDP) pop. 6,228
* [[Stone Mountain, Georgia|Stone Mountain]] pop. 5,802
* [[Flowery Branch, Georgia|Flowery Branch]] pop. 5,679
* [[Cumming, Georgia|Cumming]] pop. 5,430
* [[Locust Grove, Georgia|Locust Grove]] pop. 5,402
* [[Jonesboro, Georgia|Jonesboro]] pop. 4,724
* [[Palmetto, Georgia|Palmetto]] pop. 4,448
* [[Dacula, Georgia|Dacula]] pop. 4,442
* [[Bonanza, Georgia|Bonanza]] (CDP) pop. 3,135
* [[Avondale Estates, Georgia|Avondale Estates]] pop. 2,960
* [[Lakeview Estates]] (CDP) pop. 2,695
* [[Grayson, Georgia|Grayson]] pop. 2,666
* [[Lake City, Georgia|Lake City]] pop. 2,612
* [[Chattahoochee Hills]] pop. 2,378
* [[Lithonia, Georgia|Lithonia]] pop. 1,924
* [[Berkeley Lake, Georgia|Berkeley Lake]] pop. 1,574
{{div col end}}

==Geography==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2023}}
{{wide image|Atlanta Skyline, May 2013.jpg|699px|align-cap=center|The topography and geography of Atlanta}}

Northern Suburbs: Sandy Springs, Roswell, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Dunwoody, Peachtree Corners, Milton, Woodstock, Canton, Duluth, Sugar Hill, Suwanee, Norcross, Buford, Mulberry, Holly Springs, Mountain Park, Cumming, Ball Ground, Berkeley Lake, Nelson, Waleska

Eastern Suburbs: Stonecrest, Brookhaven, Tucker, Redan, Lawrenceville, Chamblee, Decatur, Candler-McAfee, Snellville, North Druid Hills, Conyers, North Decatur, Belvedere Park, Clarkston, Lilburn, Scottdale, Doraville, Panthersville, Gresham Park, Druid Hills, Dacula, Stone Mountain, Grayson, Avondale Estates, Lithonia, Lakeview Estates, Pine Lake

Southern Suburbs: East Point, Peachtree City, McDonough, Stockbridge, Union City, Forest Park, Fayetteville, Fairburn, Riverdale, College Park, Lovejoy, Locust Grove, Hampton, Irondale, Tyrone, Morrow, Conley, Hapeville, Palmetto, Jonesboro, Bonanza, Heron Bay, Chattahoochee Hills, Lake City, Brooks, Woolsey

Western Suburbs: Marietta, Smyrna, Mableton, Douglasville, Kennesaw, Acworth, Lithia Springs, Powder Springs, Vinings, Fair Oaks, Austell, Fairplay

===Topography and geology===
{{unrefsec|date=August 2024}}
The area sprawls across the low [[foothills]] of the [[Appalachian Mountains]] to the north and the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]] to the south. The northern and some western suburbs tend to be higher and significantly more [[hill]]y than the southern and eastern suburbs. The average elevation is around {{convert|1000|ft|m|-1}}.

The highest point in the immediate area is [[Kennesaw Mountain]] at {{convert|1808|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, followed by [[Stone Mountain]] at {{convert|1686|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, [[Sweat Mountain]] at {{convert|1640|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, and [[Little Kennesaw Mountain]] at {{convert|1600|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}. Others include [[Blackjack Mountain (Carroll County, Georgia)|Blackjack Mountain]], [[Lost Mountain]], Brushy Mountain, [[Pine Mountain (Cobb County, Georgia)|Pine Mountain]], and [[Mount Wilkinson]] ([[Vinings Mountain]]). Many of these play prominently in the various [[battle]]s of the [[Atlanta Campaign]] during the [[American Civil War]]. If the further-north counties are included, [[Bear Mountain (Georgia)|Bear Mountain]] is highest, followed by [[Pine Log Mountain]], [[Sawnee Mountain]], and Hanging Mountain, followed by the others listed above. Stone, Sweat, Bear, and Sawnee are all home to some of [[list of Atlanta broadcast stations by location#Mountains|the area's broadcast stations]].

The area's [[subsoil]] is a dense clay soil, colored [[rust]]y by the [[iron oxide]] present in it. It becomes very [[mud]]dy and sticky when wet, and hard when dry, and [[stain]]s light-colored [[carpet]]s and [[clothing]] easily. It also tends to have a low [[pH]], further aggravating gardeners. The fineness of it also means it is easily deposited into streams during heavy rains, creating [[silt]] problems where it is exposed due to construction. This transported red soil can be seen downstream on the [[Bank (geography)|riverbanks]] of south Georgia (where the native clay is white), and down to the [[Florida panhandle]] (where the native [[sand]] is also white). [[Topsoil]] is present only in natural forest areas, created by the [[decomposition]] of [[leaf litter]].

====Earthquakes and fault lines====
An extinct [[fault line]] called the Brevard Fault runs roughly parallel to the [[Chattahoochee River]], but as its last movements were apparently [[prehistoric]], it is considered extinct and not a threat to the region. Still, minor [[earthquake]]s do rattle the area (and all of Georgia) occasionally. [[2003 Alabama earthquake|One notable one was in April 2003]] (magnitude&nbsp;4.6) coming from the northwest, its [[epicenter]] just across the state line in northeastern Alabama. While many people slept through the 5<small>A.M.</small> quake, it caused a minor panic in others completely unaware of what was happening. Similar earthquakes occur in this region called the [[Eastern Tennessee seismic zone]], often felt much more widely across the stronger [[Earth's crust|crust]] of eastern North America as compared to the west. 

Thus, the [[1886 Charleston earthquake|1886 Charleston, South Carolina earthquake]] was also felt in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast. It caused damage as far as central Alabama and West Virginia. Two small earthquakes were also felt on the southeast side near [[Eatonton, Georgia|Eatonton]] in early April 2009. The [[New Madrid seismic zone]] (near the Missouri-Tennessee borders) and the [[seismic zone]] producing the 1886 magnitude 7.3 earthquake are still capable of producing moderate or major earthquakes, which the entire Atlanta area will feel moderately or even strongly.

===Climate===
{{unrefsec|date=August 2024}}
{{Main|Climate of Atlanta}}
The Atlanta metro area has a [[humid subtropical climate]] with four [[season]]s. Summer is the longest. January daily lows average from {{convert|32|-|35|°F|°C}} north to south, and highs range from {{convert|48|-|54|°F|°C}}, but often reach well above or below this average. There is an average annual snowfall of about {{convert|2.5|in|cm}}, falling mostly from December through March, though there was snow north of the city on April 3, 1987. Snow flurries are actually common during the winter months when there is an especially deep trough in the jet stream. These events usually do not amount to more than a slight dusting and therefore go unrecognized in most weather summaries. 

Summers are long and consistently hot and humid. July mornings average {{convert|71|°F|°C}} and afternoons average {{convert|89|°F|°C}}, with slight breezes, and typically a 20–40% chance of afternoon [[thunderstorm]]s. During the summer afternoon thunderstorms, temperatures may suddenly drop to 70–77 degrees with locally heavy rainfall. Average annual rainfall is about {{convert|50.2|in|mm}}. Late winter and early spring, as well as July, are the wettest. Fall, especially October, is the driest.

From 1878 to 2011, the highest recorded temperatures at Atlanta were {{convert|105|°F|°C|1}} on three days in the extraordinarily hot July 1980, followed by {{convert|104|°F|°C}} that month and in August 2007, the hottest month ever for the area. This was broken on the last day of June 2012, when the temperature reached {{convert|106|°F|°C|1}}, during a massive [[heat wave]] that hit most of the country, with another 105 the next day tying the July record. The lowest recorded temperatures were {{convert|-6|°F|°C}} and {{convert|-8|°F|°C}} on January 20 and 21 of 1985, and {{convert|-9|°F|°C}} on February 13, 1899, during severe cold snaps that went so far south they devastated the entire [[citrus]] industry in [[central Florida]].

[[Hurricane Opal]] brought sustained [[tropical storm]] conditions to the area one night in early October 1995, uprooting hundreds of [[tree]]s and causing widespread [[power outage]]s, after soaking the area with rain for two days prior. Since 1950, some metro counties have been hit more than 20 times by tornadoes. Cobb (26) and Fulton (22) are two of the highest in the state. The [[Dunwoody tornado]] in early April 1998 was the worst [[tornado]] to have struck the area. A [[2008 Atlanta tornado|tornado struck downtown Atlanta]] in March 2008, causing a half-billion dollars in damage.

The area experiences a [[winter storm]] with significant [[snow]]fall about once each year. This can be extremely irregular, with several consecutive years receiving no measurable snow. A [[blizzard]] (see: [[1993 Storm of the Century]]) caught much of the Southeast off-guard in 1993, dumping {{convert|4.5|in|cm|1}} at the Atlanta airport on March 13, and much more than that in the suburbs to the north and west, as well as in the mountains. The only other recorded winter storm of comparable severity was the [[Great Blizzard of 1899]]. The heaviest snow was in January 1940, when {{convert|8.3|in|cm|1}} buried the city during its coldest month on record. The second-heaviest was in 1983, when a very late storm dumped {{convert|7.9|in|cm|1}} on March 24. [[Ice storms]] have occurred in the area. The well-remembered 1973 ice storm was brutal, as was the storm in 1982.

The Southeastern U.S. drought of 2006–2008 began with dry weather in 2006, and left area lakes very low. The drought began to abate significantly after the [[2009 Atlanta floods]], when some areas got up to {{convert|20|in|mm|-2}} of rain in a week, with half of that falling in just 24 hours near the end of the period. The [[USGS]] calculated it to be a greater-than-[[500-year flood]].

===Environment===
{{unrefsec|date=August 2024}}
The area's prolific rains are drained by many different [[stream]]s and creeks. The main [[drainage basin|basin]] is that of the [[Chattahoochee River]], running northeast to southwest. The further northwestern suburbs drain into the [[Etowah River]] via the [[Little River (northern Georgia)|Little River]] and [[Lake Allatoona]]. The southern suburbs are drained by the [[Flint River (Georgia)|Flint River]], and the east-southeastern ones by the [[Oconee River]] and [[Yellow River (Georgia)|Yellow River]].

By 2005 the metro area was using {{convert|360|e6USgal|m3}} of water per day (about {{convert|80|USgal|L}} per person per day) from these rivers. This usage was reduced by more than 10% during the drought, but soared back up after watering restrictions were eased (and before the flooding ensued). The need for water is seen as a barrier to further growth in the area, but permanent measures for non-emergency [[water conservation]] have never been put in place.{{Citation needed|date=April 2016}} The state legislature has refused to pass a requirement for [[low-flow toilet]]s to be installed in homes that are sold, bowing to [[lobbying|pressure]] from the [[real estate]] [[home selling|sales]] industry.{{Citation needed|date=April 2016}}

Disputes over water are becoming increasingly common, with both [[Alabama]] and [[Florida]] filing [[lawsuit]]s and threatening [[injunction]]s to prevent Georgia from taking too much water, mostly for metro Atlanta.{{Citation needed|date=April 2016}} [[South Carolina]] also threatened when a [[pipeline transport|pipeline]] east to the [[Savannah River]] was mentioned even informally.{{Citation needed|date=April 2016}} The state has now been ordered by a judge to reduce withdrawals from the Chattahoochee south of Lanier to 1970s levels within three years (2012), something that would create an immediate emergency water shortage if it were actually enforced.{{Citation needed|date=April 2016}}

====Flora====
The native [[forest]] [[canopy (forest)|canopy]] is mainly [[oak]], redbud, [[hickory]], [[Populus|poplar]], [[tuliptree]], [[pine]], and [[Liquidambar styraciflua|sweetgum]], with [[American chestnut|chestnut]] having been common decades before in what is now considered [[oak-hickory forest]]. [[Saw palmetto]], [[Sabal palmetto]] and [[Trachycarpus fortunei]] have become common ornamentals as well. Traveling from the south, the metro area is generally the first area in which [[autumn leaf color]] can be seen, due to the different trees growing at the higher elevation and [[latitude]]. [[Understory|Underneath]], the [[flowering dogwood]] is very common, the [[black cherry]] are quite prolific, with [[mulberry]] popping up sometimes as well. [[Sourwood]] is also in its native range, and is easily identified by the fact that it turns fiery red in early October, much brighter and weeks earlier than most other trees (which usually peak in early November).

Shrubby plants include [[blackberry]], [[horsechestnut]], [[sumac]], and sometimes [[Crataegus|hawthorn]]. [[Parthenocissus quinquefolia|Virginia creeper]], [[poison-ivy (plant)|poison ivy]], and [[Smilax|briar]] are common [[vine]]s. The [[Helianthus porteri|Confederate yellow daisy]] is a [[wildflower]] native only to the area around Stone Mountain.

Common garden plants include dogwood, [[azalea]], [[hydrangea]], [[flowering cherry]], [[maple]]s, [[pin oak]], [[red-tip photinia]], [[holly]], [[juniper]], [[Eastern white pine|white pine]], [[magnolia]], [[Bradford pear]], [[forsythia]], [[liriope (plant)|liriope]] ([[mondograss]]), and [[English ivy]]. [[Lawn]]s can be either cool-season [[grass]]es like [[fescue]] and [[rye]], or warm-season like [[zoysia]] and [[bermudagrass]] which turn brown in late fall. A few [[homeowners association]]s actually prohibit green grass in the winter.

Native to the nearby mountains, maples are now one of the most common landscape trees for new homes and parking lots, giving their color in the fall instead of spring. When planted close to buildings (which provide shelter and radiate heat), they can retain some of their color into December, especially if November has been warm.

Common [[lawn]] weeds are [[Potentilla indica|mock strawberry]], [[violet (plant)|violet]], [[Allium|wild onion]], and of course the ubiquitous [[dandelion]], [[crabgrass]], and [[Plantago|plantain]].

By far the most notorious [[introduced species]] is [[kudzu]], a highly [[invasive species]] from [[Japan]] which climbs and smothers trees and shrubs. New effective herbicides as well as increased development of formerly rural areas has greatly reduced kudzu in the metro area (although still quite common elsewhere in Georgia). Wisteria planted decades ago by farmers in then-rural areas has become wild and is common in undeveloped forests. Some vines exceed 50 years of age and cover dozens of acres of forest, creating a dense, purple explosion each spring.

[[Japanese honeysuckle]] is extremely common, its fragrance an early summer delight. A common ornamental shrub, the [[Chinese privet]], has escaped to become the state's most invasive non-native plant species.

====Fauna====
Among [[mammal]]s, the [[eastern gray squirrel]] is by far the most ubiquitous, stealing [[birdseed]] from the [[bird feeder]]s which many locals maintain. [[Chipmunk]]s and small brown [[rabbit]]s are common, but it is relatively rare to hear of them doing any damage. [[Opossum]], [[raccoon]]s, [[fox]]es, [[coyote]]s and [[armadillo]]s are frequently seen. Garden and meadow snakes are common; six venomous [[pit viper]] snakes ([[Eastern diamondback rattlesnake]], [[timber rattlesnake]], [[pygmy rattlesnake]], [[coral snake]], [[Agkistrodon piscivorus|water moccasin]] and [[Agkistrodon contortrix|copperhead]]) are indigenous, but reports of bites are rare. Many types of frogs, including tree frogs and bullfrogs, are easily heard in early summer, as are [[cicada]]s in July and August. [[American black bear|Black bears]] occasionally wander down from the mountains, and [[white-tailed deer]] are abundant; overpopulated in some areas. Homeowners in the outer suburbs are prone to landscaping damage due to scavenging deer.

The most common [[bird]]s are the [[brown thrasher]] (the GA [[List of U.S. state birds|state bird]]), [[American crow]], [[common starling|European (or common) starling]], [[American robin]], [[mourning dove]], [[house sparrow]], [[northern cardinal]], [[house finch]], [[Carolina chickadee]], [[tufted titmouse]], [[bluejay]], [[white-breasted nuthatch]], eastern bluebird, mockingbird, [[brown-headed nuthatch]], and [[Carolina wren]]. Birds of prey thrive in the area, with three varieties of hawks common near open fields in even the most populated areas. Falcons roost on skyscrapers in downtown Atlanta and can be regularly seen feasting on pigeons. 

The American kestrel is sometimes seen. Late in the year, three species of owls can be heard nightly in wooded areas. Various [[woodpecker]]s can be seen in forested lots, including the [[red-bellied woodpecker]], [[northern flicker]] (also known as the "yellow-shafted flicker"), and the [[downy woodpecker]]. The red-headed woodpecker is common in open fields and on golf courses. The [[American goldfinch]] is present mostly in winter, and the [[ruby-throated hummingbird]] only in summer.

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%;"
|+ '''Presidential election results'''
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|DEM]]
! [[Republican Party (United States)|GOP]]
! Others
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[2024 United States presidential election|2024]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''56.5%''' ''1,741,454''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |42.6% ''1,312,157''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |1.4% ''28,161''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2020|2020]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''57.0%''' ''1,684,934''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |41.6% ''1,229,242''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |1.4% ''39,950''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2016|2016]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''52.3%''' ''1,250,397''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |44.2% ''1,057,123''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |3.5% ''82,781''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2012|2012]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''49.4%''' ''1,108,989''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |49.0% ''1,099,845''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |1.5% ''34,208''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2008|2008]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''51.3%''' ''1,153,849''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |47.7% ''1,074,509''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |1.0% ''22,898''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2004|2004]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |44.1% ''818,067''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''55.2%''' ''1,023,670''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |0.7% ''13,661''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2000|2000]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |44.4% ''631,882''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''52.5%''' ''746,974''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |3.1% ''43,635''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1996|1996]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |46.1% ''565,241''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''47.3%''' ''579,727''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |6.6% ''81,199''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1992|1992]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |43.3% ''521,891''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''43.4%''' ''522,934''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |13.4% ''161,013''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1988|1988]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |39.5% ''358,191''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''59.8%''' ''542,979''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |0.7% ''6,516''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1984|1984]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |38.0% ''322,409''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''61.9%''' ''524,579''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |0.0% ''354''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1980|1980]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''52.5%''' ''381,253''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |43.1% ''312,920''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |4.4% ''32,160''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1976|1976]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''63.9%''' ''417,621''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |35.8% ''233,778''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |0.3% ''1,917''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1972|1972]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |27.4% ''142,069''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''72.3%''' ''374,580''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |0.3% ''1,653''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1968|1968]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |30.3% ''150,806''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''36.6%''' ''182,609''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |33.1% ''165,093''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1964|1964]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''50.2%''' ''218,167''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |49.8% ''216,221''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |0.0% ''42''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1960|1960]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''59.0%''' ''163,034''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |40.9% ''113,022''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |0.0% ''91''
|}

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Atlanta#Metro Atlanta|l1 = Demographics of Metro Atlanta}}

{{USCensusPop
| 1900 = 419375
| 1910 = 522442
| 1920 = 622283
| 1930 = 715391
| 1940 = 820579
| 1950 = 997666
| 1960 = 1312474
| 1970 = 1763626
| 1980 = 2233324
| 1990 = 2959950
| 2000 = 4112198
| 2010 = 5286728
| 2020 = 6089815
| estimate = 6307261
| estyear = 2023
| footnote = [https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html U.S. Decennial Census]
}}
Numerically, Metro Atlanta is the third fastest growing metropolitan area in the U.S.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2024/03/florida-and-fast-growing-metros.html|title=Sunshine State Home to Metro Areas Among Top 10 U.S. Population Gainers From 2022 to 2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|website=Census.gov}}</ref> The 2020 census counted 6,089,815 people in the 28-county metro area. This was an increase of 803,087 from its 2010 population, representing growth of 15.2%. This was, however, a slower rate than the 28.6% increase recorded between 2000 and 2010.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Race, ethnicity, or<br />foreign-born status!! Pop. 2010 !! % of total 2010 !! Pop. 2000{{ref label|scope|A|A}} !! % of total 2000 !! absolute<br />change 2000–2010{{ref label|relation|B|B}} !! % change 2000–2010{{ref label|relation|B|B}}
|-
| '''Total'''|| 5,268,860 || || 4,112,198|| || ||
|-
| || || || || || ||
|-
| || || || || || ||
|-
| [[White American|White]] only || 2,920,480|| 55.4%||2,589,888 || 63.0%|| 330,592|| 12.8%
|-
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''Non-Hispanic white only'' || 2,671,757||50.7% ||2,447,856 ||59.5% || 223,901||9.1%
|-
| || || || || || ||
|-
| [[African American|Black]] only || 1,707,913 ||32.4% || 1,189,179|| 28.9%||518,734 || 43.6%
|-
| || || || || || ||
|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]] only and Pacific Islander only&nbsp;&nbsp;|| 256,956|| 4.9% || 137,640||3.3% || 119,316|| 86.7%
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''[[Indian American|Asian Indian]]'' || 108,980|| 1.5%|| 37,162|| 0.9%||41,818 ||112.5%
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''[[Korean Americans|Korean]]'' ||93,870 ||1.2% || 22,317||0.5% || 21,553||96.6%
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''[[Vietnamese Americans|Vietnamese]]''||63,096 ||0.7% || 23,564|| 0.6%||15,096 ||66.9%
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''[[Chinese Americans|Chinese]]''||50,554 ||0.7% ||22,097||0.5% ||12,558 ||52.3%
|-
| || || || || || ||
|-
| || || || || || ||
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] of any race || 747,400|| 10.4% || 268,851||6.5% || 278,549|| 103.6%
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''[[Mexican Americans|Mexican]]'' || 354,351|| 6.0%||165,109 || 4.0%|| 149,242||90.4%
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''[[Puerto Ricans in the United States|Puerto Rican]]'' ||43,337 || 0.8%||19,358 || 0.5%|| 23,979||123.9%
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''[[Cuban Americans|Cuban]]''|| 17,648||0.3% || 9,206||0.2% ||8,442 ||91.7%
|-
| || || || || || ||
|-
| || || || || || ||
|-
| Foreign-born|| 916,434 || 13.6%|| 424,519||10.3% ||291,915 ||68.8%
|}
<small>{{note label|scope|A|A}} Atlanta MSA in 2000 did not include Butts, Dawson, Haralson, Heard, Jasper, Lamar, Meriwether, and Pike counties, whose population totalled in 2000: 135,783; in 2010: 156,368 (2.96% of total new 28-county metro)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/metro/files/lists/historical/99mfips.txt|title=METROPOLITAN AREAS AND COMPONENTS, 1999, WITH FIPS CODES|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=15 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115173726/http://www.census.gov/population/metro/files/lists/historical/99mfips.txt|archive-date=2016-01-15|url-status=dead}}</ref><br />{{note label|relation|B|B}} Compares the larger 28-county Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta MSA 2010 with a smaller 20‑county Atlanta MSA 2000; however the 8 new counties represent less than 3% of the larger 28‑county metro.<br />Source: for race and Hispanic population, U.S.&nbsp;Census Bureau 2010 and 2000 census; for foreign-born population: US Census Bureau 2010 and 2000 American Community Surveys; [https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120904134939/http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/files/rc/papers/2011/1013_immigration_wilson_singer/1013_immigration_wilson_singer.pdf ''Immigrants in 2010 Metropolitan America'', Brookings Institution]</small>

===Race and ethnicity===
[[White American]]s made up 55.4% of metro Atlanta's population in 2010, a relative decrease from 63.0% ten years earlier, but in absolute numbers their population increased by over 330,000. Non-Hispanic whites proportionally dropped from 59.5% to 50.7% of the metro's population, while increasing by about 224,000.

[[Black American]]s are the largest racial minority with 32.4% of the population in 2010. Metro Atlanta has the second largest African American population behind the [[New York metropolitan area]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/fact-sheet/facts-about-the-us-black-population/#:~:text=Among%20metropolitan%20areas%2C%20the%20New,with%201.8%20million%20Black%20residents | title=Facts About the U.S. Black Population | date=18 January 2024 }}</ref> From 2000 to 2010, the geographic distribution of blacks in Metro Atlanta changed radically. Long concentrated in the city of Atlanta and DeKalb County, the black population there dropped as more than half a million African Americans settled across other parts of the metro area, including approximately 112,000 in Gwinnett County, 71,000 in Fulton outside Atlanta, 58,000 in Cobb, 50,000 in Clayton, 34,000 in Douglas, and 27,000 each in Newton and Rockdale counties.<ref>U.S. Census 2010 vs. 2000 population estimates by race.</ref> 

Due to its availability of jobs, Atlanta has been a destination for young college-educated blacks in the [[New Great Migration|Reverse Great Migration]] of African Americans from the North since the turn of the 21st century, with many settling quickly into suburban locations. The Atlanta metropolitan area has the second highest total African American population of any metropolitan area, with only the New York City metro area having more.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year!! Black pop. in<br />City of Atlanta!! Black pop. in<br />DeKalb County!! Total black pop.<br />Atlanta + DeKalb !! Total black pop.<br />Metro Atlanta!! Proportion of black pop.<br />in Atlanta + DeKalb
|-
| 2000|| 255,689|| 361,111|| 616,800||1,189,179 || 51.9%
|-
| 2010||226,894 || 375,697||602,591 ||1,707,913|| 35.2%
|-
| 2020||246,906 || 407,451||641,923 ||2,186,815|| 29.4%
|}

[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic Americans]] are the fastest growing ethnic group in Metro Atlanta. At 10.4% of the metro's population in 2010, versus only 6.5% in 2000, the metro's Hispanic population increased an astounding 109.6%, or 298,459 people, in ten years. Major Hispanic groups include 354,351 [[Mexican American|Mexicans]], 43,337 [[Puerto Rican American|Puerto Ricans]] and 17,648 [[Cuban American|Cubans]]. All of those groups' populations increased by over 90% in the ten-year period. Of the metro's 299,000-person increase in the Hispanic population from 2000 to 2010, 98,000 were in Gwinnett County, 57,000 in Cobb, 55,000 in Fulton (all but 3,000 outside the city of Atlanta), 20,000 in Hall, and 15,000 in DeKalb County.<ref>[https://www.census.gov/census2000/xls/ga_tab_5.xls U.S. Census 2000] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170726233430/https://www.census.gov/census2000/xls/ga_tab_5.xls |date=2017-07-26 }} and 2010 data</ref>

The [[Asian American|Asian-American]] population also increased rapidly from 2000 to 2010. There were 296,956 Asian-Americans in the metro area in 2010, making up 5.9% of the population. This represented an 87% increase over 2000. The largest Asian groups are 108,980 [[Indian American|Indian-Americans]], 93,870 [[Korean American|Korean-American]]s, 67,660 [[Chinese Americans|Chinese-Americans]], and 66,554 [[Vietnamese Americans|Vietnamese-Americans]].

Atlanta also has Georgia's largest [[Bosnian American|Bosnian-American]] population, with approximately 10,000 in the metro area, mainly in Gwinnett County.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cair.com/press-center/cair-in-the-news/7834-ga-cultural-center-follows-bosnians.html|title=CAIR in the News|first=IP|last=Admins|website=cair.com|access-date=15 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105114657/https://cair.com/press-center/cair-in-the-news/7834-ga-cultural-center-follows-bosnians.html|archive-date=2014-11-05|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Metro Atlanta has an increasingly international population, with 716,434 foreign-born residents in 2010, a 69% increase since 2000, with suburban Gwinnett County being one of the most diverse counties in the Southeastern United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.curbed.com/2019/11/13/20952131/gwinnett-county-duluth-atlanta-suburbs-demographics|title = Duluth's 'demographic destiny train'|date = 13 November 2019|access-date = 30 November 2019|archive-date = 13 November 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191113205538/https://www.curbed.com/2019/11/13/20952131/gwinnett-county-duluth-atlanta-suburbs-demographics|url-status = live}}</ref> This was the fourth largest rate of growth among the nation's top 100 metros, after [[Baltimore]], [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] and [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]]. The foreign-born proportion of the population went up from 10.3% to 13.6%, and Atlanta moved up from 14th to 12th in ranking of U.S.&nbsp;metro areas with the largest immigrant population by sheer numbers. Still, its 13.6% proportion of immigrants is only the 29th&nbsp;highest of the nation's top 100 metros.<ref name="brookings2011">{{cite web|url=http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/1013_immigration_wilson_singer/1013_immigration_wilson_singer.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016214709/http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/1013_immigration_wilson_singer/1013_immigration_wilson_singer.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 October 2011|title=[ARCHIVED CONTENT] Internet Memory – NLI Web Archive|first=Internet Memory|last=Foundation|access-date=15 October 2017}}</ref>

Metro Atlanta's immigrants are more suburban than those of most cities. Out of the top 100 U.S.&nbsp;metros, Atlanta has the 11th&nbsp;highest ratio of the foreign-born living in the suburbs and not in the core city.<ref name="brookings2011" /> Atlanta has a few [[ethnic enclave]]s such as a [[Koreatown]], and areas such as the [[Buford Highway Corridor]] in DeKalb County and parts of [[Gwinnett County]] are commercial centers for multiple ethnic communities.

In 1990, greater Atlanta had the largest Japanese population in the Southeast United States. The [[Consulate General of Japan in Atlanta]] estimated that, during that year, 7,500 to 10,000 Japanese lived in greater Atlanta. Of the metropolitan areas in the Southeast United States, as of 1990 greater Atlanta had the most extensive education network for Japanese nationals.<ref name="Lively">Lively, Kit. "[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/orlandosentinel/access/90334349.html?dids=90334349:90334349&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+24%2C+1990&author=Kit+Lively+Of+The+Sentinel+Staff&pub=Orlando+Sentinel&desc=EDUCATION+IS+MADE+IN+JAPAN%2C+EXPORTED+TO+ATLANTA&pqatl=google Education is made in Japan, exported to Atlanta] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107185848/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/orlandosentinel/access/90334349.html?dids=90334349:90334349&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+24%2C+1990&author=Kit+Lively+Of+The+Sentinel+Staff&pub=Orlando+Sentinel&desc=EDUCATION+IS+MADE+IN+JAPAN%2C+EXPORTED+TO+ATLANTA&pqatl=google |date=2012-11-07 }}." ''[[Orlando Sentinel]]''. December 24, 1990. A1. Retrieved on January 11, 2012.</ref>

===Language===
In 2008, approximately 83.3% of the population five years and older spoke only [[English language|English]] at home, which is roughly 4,125,000 people. Over 436,000 people (8.8%) spoke [[Spanish language|Spanish]] at home, giving Metro Atlanta the [[List of U.S. cities by Spanish-speaking population|15th highest number of Spanish speakers]] among American metropolitan areas (MSAs). Over 193,000 people (3.9%) spoke other [[Indo-European languages]] at home. People who speak an [[Languages of Asia|Asian language]] at home numbered over 137,000 and made up 2.8% of the population.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?ds_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_&qr_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_DP5&geo_id=31000US12060&_lang=en|title=American FactFinder – Results|publisher=United States Census Bureau|website=factfinder.census.gov|access-date=15 October 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200210214259/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?ds_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_&qr_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_DP5&geo_id=31000US12060&_lang=en|archive-date=10 February 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=31000US12060&-qr_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_DP2&-context=adp&-ds_name=&-tree_id=3308&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-format=|title=American FactFinder – Results|publisher=United States Census Bureau|website=factfinder.census.gov|access-date=15 October 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200211183251/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=31000US12060&-qr_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_DP2&-context=adp&-ds_name=&-tree_id=3308&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-format=|archive-date=11 February 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Further|Economy of Atlanta|l1=Economy of Metro Atlanta}}

The Atlanta area is home to 31 [[Fortune 1000]] headquarters. 2022 rankings:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!ATL<br />rank
!Company
!City
!Sector
!Fortune<br />rank
|-
|1
|[[Home Depot|The Home Depot]]
|Atlanta
|Retail
|17
|-
|2
|[[United Parcel Service]]
|Sandy Springs
|Package delivery
|34
|-
|3
|[[The Coca-Cola Company|Coca Cola Company]]
|Atlanta
|Beverage
|93
|-
|4
|[[Delta Air Lines]]
|Atlanta
|Airline
|113
|-
|5
|[[Southern Company]]
|Atlanta
|Energy
|153
|-
|6
|[[Genuine Parts]] / [[National Automotive Parts Association|NAPA]]
|Atlanta
|Automotive parts
|191
|-
|7
|[[WestRock]]
|Sandy Springs
|Packaging
|192
|-
|8
|[[PulteGroup]]
|Atlanta
|Home building
|267
|-
|9
|[[Norfolk Southern Railway|Norfolk Southern]]
|Atlanta
|Railroad
|332
|-
|10
|[[AGCO]]
|Duluth
|Farm equipment
|334
|-
|11
|[[Newell Brands]]
|Sandy Springs
|Consumer goods
|348
|-
|12
|[[Asbury Automotive Group]]
|Duluth
|Automotive retail
|360
|-
|13
|[[Intercontinental Exchange]]
|Sandy Springs
|Information
|459
|-
|14
|[[Global Payments]]
|Atlanta
|Financial
|407
|-
|15
|[[Graphic Packaging]]
|Sandy Springs
|Packaging
|466
|-
|16
|[[NCR Corporation|NCR]]
|Atlanta
|Technology
|466
|-
|17
|[[Veritiv]]
|Sandy Springs
|Packaging / logistics
|477
|-
|18
|[[Equifax]]
|Atlanta
|Information
|617
|-
|19
|[[BlueLinx]]
|Marietta
|Building products
|665
|-
|20
|[[Carter's]]
|Atlanta
|Clothing
|689
|-
|21
|SiteOne Landscape Supply
|Roswell
|Landscape
|756
|-
|22
|[[Acuity Brands]]
|Atlanta
|Lighting
|759
|-
|23
|[[Floor & Decor]]
|Smyrna
|Flooring products
|764
|-
|24
|GMS
|Tucker
|Building products
|786
|-
|25
|[[FleetCor Technologies]]
|Atlanta
|Financial
|868
|-
|26
|Americold Realty Trust
|Sandy Springs
|Cold storage
|893
|-
|27
|[[Primerica]]
|Duluth
|Financial services
|895
|-
|28
|[[Orkin|Rollins]]
|Atlanta
|Home services
|930
|-
|29
|[[Gray Television]]
|Atlanta
|Broadcasting
|935
|-
|30
|[[Saia]]
|Johns Creek
|Transportation
|961
|-
|31
|[[Beazer Homes USA]]
|Sandy Springs
|Home building
|992

|}

The [[Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta]] is the sixth district of the 12 [[Federal Reserve Banks]] of the United States and is headquartered in [[Midtown Atlanta|midtown]] [[Atlanta]]. The Atlanta Fed covers the U.S. states of [[Alabama]], [[Florida]], and [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], the eastern two-thirds of [[Tennessee]], the southern portion of [[Louisiana]], and southern [[Mississippi]] as part of the [[Federal Reserve System]].

===Utilities===
The area is the world's largest toll-free calling zone spanning {{convert|7162|sqmi|km2|0}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/macoc/business/img/alookatatlanta.pdf |title=A Look at Atlanta |date=May 2006 |publisher=Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce |pages=11 |access-date=2008-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625032708/http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/macoc/business/img/alookatatlanta.pdf |archive-date=2008-06-25 |url-status=live }}</ref> has four active [[telephone]] [[telephone numbering plan|area codes]], and local calling extending into portions of two others. [[area code 404|404]], which originally covered all of northern [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] until 1992, now covers mostly the area inside the [[Perimeter (Atlanta)|Perimeter]] (Interstate&nbsp;285). In 1995 the [[suburb]]s were put into [[area code 770|770]], requiring mandatory ten‑digit dialing even for local calls under [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]&nbsp;rules. This made Atlanta one of the US's first cities to employ [[ten-digit dialing]],<ref>{{cite web | publisher=[[North American Numbering Plan Administration]] | title=NPA Code Search for 770 | url=http://www.nanpa.com/nas/public/npa_query_step2.do;nanpaid=LhVJJmBMGz9hJz3jJyjBmsbVLqFQsqDRJ27GzchXgl0nyFPhMzGp!-30491381?method=displayNpa | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604123547/http://www.nanpa.com/nas/public/npa_query_step2.do;nanpaid=LhVJJmBMGz9hJz3jJyjBmsbVLqFQsqDRJ27GzchXgl0nyFPhMzGp!-30491381?method=displayNpa | url-status=dead | archive-date=2011-06-04 | access-date=2009-04-15 }}</ref> which was begun by [[BellSouth]] the year before the Centennial [[1996 Olympic Games]]. 

In 1998, [[area code 678|678]] was overlaid onto both of the existing 404 and 770 area codes. [[Mobile phone]]s, originally only assigned to 404, may now have any local area code regardless of where in the region they were issued. [[Area code 470]], the newest area code, was overlaid with 404 and 770 in the same fashion as 678. The local calling area also includes portions of [[area code 706|706/762]] and a small area of [[area code 256|256]] in [[Alabama]] on the Georgia border.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.localcallingguide.com/lprefix.php?exch=032460&dir=1|title=Local prefixes|publisher=Localcallingguide.com|access-date=2008-07-05|archive-date=2011-07-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721085651/http://www.localcallingguide.com/lprefix.php?exch=032460&dir=1|url-status=live}}</ref>

The city of Atlanta is the most wired city in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/14733398|title=Atlanta is most wired city in the U.S.|date=8 September 2006|website=NBC News|access-date=15 October 2017|archive-date=16 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016015256/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/14733398/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Many residents access the internet on a high-speed broadband and/or WiFi connection. It is home to one of the world's largest [[fiber-optic]] bundles.

Major [[petroleum]] and [[natural gas]] [[pipeline transport|pipelines]] cross the area, running from the [[Gulf of Mexico|Gulf]] [[coast]], [[Texas]], and [[Louisiana]] to the population centers of the [[Northeastern United States|Northeastern U.S.]] This includes [[Colonial Pipeline]] and [[Plantation Pipeline]], both based in Alpharetta.

Metro Atlanta primarily uses [[natural gas]] for [[central heating]] and [[water heating|water heaters]], with the major exception of [[heat pump]]s in [[apartment]]s built during and since the 1980s. This is because winters are mild, and large apartment buildings usually require little energy to heat. Backup heat (also used during defrosting) is usually supplied by electric [[resistance heating]], though some homes have [[hybrid heat]]ing units which use gas backup when it is cold. Exurban homes may also use all-electric instead of gas, if [[gas main]]s have not been extended to an area.

[[Cooktop]]s and [[oven]]s are a mix of gas and electric, while gas [[clothes dryer]]s are rather rare. {{cns|date=February 2018|text=Nearly all homes have a [[fireplace]]}} with a manual-[[valve]] gas starter, and some are now equipped with permanent gas logs with [[electric fireplace|electric switch start]]. Some homes also have natural gas [[grill (cooking)|barbecue grills]], formerly sold at [[utility company]] stores.

[[Georgia Power]] is the main [[electric power]] company across the state and the metro area, beginning in 1902 as [[Georgia Railway and Power Company]], Atlanta's [[streetcar]] ([[tram|trolley]]) company’s. Several [[electric membership corporation]]s also serve the suburbs. These include the second-largest EMC in the nation<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livingjackson.com/content/20061112/20061112business.shtml|title=Operation Round-Up|publisher=Living Jackson Magazine|access-date=2009-10-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106134936/http://www.livingjackson.com/content/20061112/20061112business.shtml|archive-date=2009-01-06|url-status=dead}}</ref> in [[Jackson Electric Membership Corporation|Jackson EMC]], [[Cobb EMC]], Walton EMC, and [[Sawnee EMC]]. The city of Marietta operates its own electric utility, Marietta Power, under the Board of Lights & Water. It is also a member of the Municipal Electric Association of Georgia.

[[Atlanta Gas Light]] is the [[natural gas]] utility for the region, and has been so for over a [[century]] and a half, since it installed [[gas lamp]]s in Atlanta in 1856. It operated as a [[regulated monopoly]] until November 1998, the after the state legislature voted in early 1997 to [[deregulate]] natural gas [[marketing]], and make customers choose among nearly 20 different marketers still selling the same AGL-[[wholesale]]d gas, such as Gas South, Infinite Energy, [[SCANA]] and [[Georgia Natural Gas]]. Most of the gas comes via [[pipeline transport|pipeline]] from [[Louisiana]].

Water is provided by various county and a few city systems. Several of these systems actually serve parts of neighboring counties and cities as well. The Cobb-Marietta Water Authority serves not only Cobb, but also parts of neighboring Paulding and Cherokee counties, for example. During [[drought]] or other [[emergency]], cities and counties can enact [[outdoor water-use restriction]]s, however some cross-[[jurisdiction]] [[water system]]s have also acted to put bans in place. In late September 2007, the state Environmental Protection Division of the [[Georgia Department of Natural Resources]], stepped-in with its first-ever ban, covering most of the northern half of the state. While [[surface water]] is by far the primary source of water for the region, the drought had many systems (and a few wealthy homeowners) drilling new [[water well|wells]] for [[ground water]], though the local [[water table]] is around {{convert|400|ft|m|-1}} deep, on [[average]].

[[sanitary sewer|Sewerage]] is also handled by the water utilities, but the various water and sewer networks may not conform to the same boundaries, resulting in [[interbasin water transfer]]s. This is for practical reasons, because the area is hilly and divided by several [[drainage divide|watersheds]], because the area has developed irregularly and erratically, and because [[water treatment]] plants are usually not near [[sewage treatment plant]]s. [[Septic tank]]s are still used in the older homes of some exurbs.

===Housing===
Low-density [[residential subdivision]] development dominates the metro Atlanta suburbs.

Changes in [[house price index|house prices]] for the metro area are publicly tracked on a regular basis using the [[Case–Shiller index]]; the statistic is published by [[Standard & Poor's]] and is also a component of S&P's 20‑city [[composite (finance)|composite index]] of the value of the U.S.&nbsp;residential real estate market.

=== Community improvement districts ===
All of Georgia's [[community improvement district]]s are located in metro Atlanta.
* Buckhead Community Improvement District, covering [[Buckhead (Atlanta)|Buckhead]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buckheadcid.com/|title=Home|date=7 April 2012|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-date=22 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022004706/http://www.buckheadcid.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Perimeter Center Community Improvement Districts, covering the [[Perimeter Center]] area of Sandy Springs and Dunwoody<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perimetercid.org/|title=Perimeter Community Improvement Districts – Creating the Southeast's Premier Livable Center in Atlanta Georgia|website=www.perimetercid.org|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-date=26 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126012540/http://perimetercid.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>/
* [[Cumberland Community Improvement District]], around [[Cumberland Mall (Georgia)|Cumberland Mall]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cumberlandcid.org/|title=CCID – Cumberland Community Improvement District – Helping Make the Cumberland Area a Better Place|website=www.cumberlandcid.org|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-date=20 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120104843/http://www.cumberlandcid.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Town Center Area Community Improvement District]], around [[Town Center at Cobb]] mall<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cobbrides.com/cidpg.html|title=cobbrides.com|website=www.cobbrides.com|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091209031140/http://www.cobbrides.com/cidpg.html|archive-date=2009-12-09|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District, around [[Gwinnett Place Mall]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gwinnettplacecid.com/|title=Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District – Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District|website=www.gwinnettplacecid.com|access-date=2009-12-12|archive-date=2009-02-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207080755/http://gwinnettplacecid.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[https://www.gateway85.com/ Gateway85 Community Improvement District], covering area southeast of [[Norcross, Georgia|Norcross]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gwinnettvillage.com/|title=Home – Gateway 85|website=Gateway 85|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-date=16 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016140120/http://www.gwinnettvillage.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Evermore Community Improvement District, or Highway 78 Community Improvement District, covering part of the [[U.S. Route 78 in Georgia|Route 78]] corridor in Gwinnett near [[Snellville]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.evermorecid.org/|title=Evermore HWY 78 – Community Improvement District|website=www.evermorecid.org|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-date=9 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709103544/http://www.evermorecid.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Lilburn Community Improvement District, established early 2010 in [[Lilburn, Georgia|Lilburn]]
*Aerotropolis Atlanta CIDs<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aerocids.com/|title=Aerotropolis Atlanta CIDs – airport south|website=aerocids.com|access-date=15 October 2017|archive-date=15 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015203452/http://aerocids.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*Boulevard CID (industrial district), created 2010<ref>Lindsay Kuhn, Sarah Larson, and Carolyn Bourdeaux, [http://cslf.gsu.edu/files/2016/06/Georgias-Community-Improvement-Districts_June-2016.pdf?wpdmdl=7612 Georgia's Community Improvement Districts (CIDs)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009120916/http://cslf.gsu.edu/files/2016/06/Georgias-Community-Improvement-Districts_June-2016.pdf?wpdmdl=7612 |date=2016-10-09 }}, Georgia State University, Andrew Young School, The Center for State and Local Finance, June 24, 2016, refer to Appendix C, pages 94–95 for active CIDs in Georgia, Retrieved October 6, 2016.</ref>

In May 2016, the City of Atlanta launched Atlanta City Studio, the city's first "pop-up urban design laboratory focused on shaping the future of city neighborhoods."<ref>[http://www.atlantaga.gov/index.aspx?recordid=4475&page=672 City of Atlanta, Ga: Press Release.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010041217/http://www.atlantaga.gov/index.aspx?recordid=4475&page=672 |date=2016-10-10 }} May 23, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.</ref> The studio hosts "lectures, open forums, urban art presentations and other neighborhood and design components."<ref>Muriel Vega and Kristyn Back, [http://hypepotamus.com/news/atlanta-city-studio/ "Atlanta's First Pop-Up Design Studio Draws Talent to Enhance Urbanism"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009125318/http://hypepotamus.com/news/atlanta-city-studio/ |date=2016-10-09 }}''Hypepotamus''. June 8, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.</ref>
Atlanta City Studio will relocate twice per year in order for residents to interact with staff and share their ideas about improving city design. The studio is located on the second floor of [[Ponce City Market]] and in January 2017 will relocate "to a retail location on the Westside, possibly on MLK Jr. Drive or Cascade Road."<ref>Clare S. Richie, [https://roughdraftatlanta.com/2016/10/04/city-design-pop-studio-encourages-community-discuss-growth/ "City Design: Studio encourages community to discuss growth"] ''Atlanta InTown.'' October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.</ref>

==Education==
===Colleges and universities===

{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Agnes Scott College]] – [[Decatur, Georgia|Decatur]]
* [[Atlanta Metropolitan State College]] – [[Atlanta]]
* [[Atlanta Technical College]] – Atlanta
* [[Atlanta University Center]] – Atlanta
** [[Clark Atlanta University]]
** [[Morehouse College]]
** [[Morehouse School of Medicine]]
** [[Spelman College]]
* [[Brenau University]] – [[Gainesville, Georgia|Gainesville]]
* [[Chattahoochee Technical College]] – [[Acworth, Georgia|Acworth]] and [[Marietta, Georgia|Marietta]]
* [[Clayton State University]] – [[Morrow, Georgia|Morrow]]
* [[Columbia Theological Seminary]] – Decatur
* [[Emory University]] – Atlanta
* [[Georgia College & State University]] – [[Milledgeville, Georgia|Milledgeville]]
* [[Georgia Gwinnett College]] – [[Lawrenceville, Georgia|Lawrenceville]]
* [[Georgia Institute of Technology]] – Atlanta
* [[Georgia Piedmont Technical College]] – [[Clarkston, Georgia|Clarkston]]
* [[Georgia State University]] – Atlanta 
** [[Georgia Perimeter College|Perimeter College]] – [[Alpharetta, Georgia|Alpharetta]], [[Clarkston, Georgia|Clarkston]], [[Covington, Georgia|Covington]], Decatur and [[Dunwoody, Georgia|Dunwoody]]
* [[Gwinnett Technical College]] – Lawrenceville
* [[Interdenominational Theological Center]] – Atlanta
* [[Atlanta's John Marshall Law School|John Marshall Law School]] – Atlanta
* [[Kennesaw State University]] – [[Kennesaw, Georgia|Kennesaw]] and Marietta
* [[Lanier Technical College]] – Gainesville, [[Cumming, Georgia|Cumming]], [[Winder, Georgia|Winder]], [[Dawsonville, Georgia|Dawsonville]] and [[Commerce, Georgia|Commerce]]
* [[Life University]] – Marietta
* [[Mercer University]] – Atlanta
* [[Morris Brown College]] – Atlanta
* [[Oglethorpe University]] – [[Brookhaven, Georgia|Brookhaven]]
* [[Oxford College of Emory University|Oxford College]] – [[Oxford, Georgia|Oxford]]
* [[Reinhardt University]] – [[Waleska, Georgia|Waleska]]
* [[Savannah College of Art and Design]] – Atlanta
* [[Southern Crescent Technical College]] – [[Griffin, Georgia|Griffin]]
* [[University of North Georgia]] – Gainesville
* [[University of West Georgia]] – [[Carrollton, Georgia|Carrollton]] and [[Newnan, Georgia|Newnan]]
* [[West Georgia Technical College]] – Carrollton, [[Douglasville, Georgia|Douglasville]], Newnan and [[Waco, Georgia|Waco]]
{{div col end}}

===School districts===
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Atlanta Public Schools]]
*[[Barrow County Schools]]
*[[Bartow County School District]]
* [[Buford City School District]]
*[[Butts County School District]]
*[[Carroll County School District (Georgia)|Carroll County School District]]
*[[Carrollton City School District]] 
*[[Cartersville City School District]]
*[[Cherokee County School District (Georgia)|Cherokee County School District]]
*[[Clayton County Public Schools]]
*[[Cobb County Public Schools]]
*[[Coweta County School System]]
*[[Dawson County School District]]
*[[Decatur City School District]]
*[[DeKalb County School System]]
*[[Douglas County School District]]
*[[Fayette County School System (Georgia)|Fayette County School System]]
*[[Forsyth County Schools]]
*
* [[Fulton County Public Schools]]
*[[Gainesville City School District]]
*[[Griffin-Spalding County School District]]
* [[Gwinnett County Public Schools]]
*[[Hall County School District]]
*[[Haralson County School District]]
*[[Heard County School District]]
*[[Henry County School District]]
*[[Jasper County School District]]
*[[Lamar County School District (Georgia)|Lamar County School District]]
*[[Marietta City Schools (Georgia)|Marietta City School District]]
*[[Meriwether County School District]]
*[[Morgan County School District]]
*[[Newton County School System|Newton County School District]]
*[[Paulding County School District]]
*[[Pickens County School District (Georgia)|Pickens County School District]]
*[[Pike County School District]]
*[[Rockdale County School District]]
*[[Social Circle City School District]]
*[[Walton County School District (Georgia)|Walton County School District]]
{{div col end}}
==Government and politics==
[[File:MariettaGeorgia.jpg|right|thumbnail|200px|Downtown Marietta's historic [[town square]]]]
In geographic terms, Georgia has the smallest average county size of any state.{{cn|date=December 2022}} This focuses government more locally but allows greater conflict between multiple jurisdictions, each with its own agenda.

The first significant [[intergovernmental agency]] in metro Atlanta was the [[Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority]], which runs the MARTA [[public transportation]] system. Alongside other factors such as [[racism|race]] and [[socioeconomic class|class]], as well as a lack of planning and perceived lack of need, problems associated with the [[inner city]] of Atlanta ([[crime]], [[poverty]], and poor [[public school (government funded)|public school]] performance) influenced Cobb, Gwinnett, and Clayton county voters to refuse to allow construction of MARTA into their respective counties during the 1970s. These decisions resulted in permanent effects on [[land development]] in the region, making use of private [[automobile]]s even more of a necessity.{{Citation needed|date=January 2014}}

The [[Atlanta Regional Commission]] is so far the closest that the area has come to a [[metropolitan government]]. It approves only those projects deemed to have a positive effect beyond the immediate area in which they are to be constructed. The [[Georgia Regional Transportation Authority]] is somewhat of a cross between ARC and MARTA, working to improve mobility, air quality, and land use practices in the region. GRTA also operates [[Georgia Regional Transportation Authority#''''Xpress'''' service|Xpress buses]] from 11 counties, and could operate [[commuter rail]] service in the future. Currently, plans for commuter rail and eventual [[intercity rail]] (including the long-proposed but still unfunded [[Atlanta Multimodal Passenger Terminal]]) are the responsibility of the [[Georgia Rail Passenger Authority]], which receives almost no funding.

Since 2007 proposals have been floated to allow new multi-county [[sales tax]]es, in addition to existing county sales taxes for roads, to pay for regional transportation initiatives.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/legis07/stories/2007/01/05/transportation.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222144029/http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/legis07/stories/2007/01/05/transportation.html |archive-date=2007-02-22 |title=Recent transportation stories}}</ref>

'''Politics'''

Due to demographic shifts and population increases in the region, Metro Atlanta has trended toward the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], so much so that Democrats have been able to win statewide due to turnout from this area. In 2020, [[Joe Biden]] won the area by 15.4 points, enough to narrowly capture the state's 16 electoral votes.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

In [[2020–21 United States Senate election in Georgia|2020]] and [[2022 United States Senate election in Georgia|2022]], Democrats [[Jon Ossoff]] and [[Raphael Warnock]] successfully won full terms to represent the state in the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]], mainly due to winning by large margins in Metro Atlanta.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

==Healthcare==
The area is served by a network of healthcare facilities including private practice, urgent care, hospital systems, and specialty care facilities. There are approximately 37 hospitals serving the metro. There are both private for profit systems and community not-for-profit systems.

===Hospitals with # beds===

''Trauma Centers - Level I * ; Level II **''

{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
[[Children's Healthcare of Atlanta]] 
*[[Children's Healthcare of Atlanta|Arthur M Blank  Hospital]] - Brookhaven - 446 *
*[[Children's Healthcare of Atlanta|Hughes Spalding Hospital]] - Atlanta - 82
*[[Children's Healthcare of Atlanta|Scottish Rite Hospital]] - Sandy Springs - 319

[[Emory Healthcare]]
*[[Emory University Hospital]] - Atlanta - 733
*[[Emory University Hospital-Midtown]] - Atlanta - 511
*Emory University Hospital-Wesley Woods - Atlanta - 71
*Emory University Orthopedic and Spine Hospital - Tucker - 75
*Emory Decatur Hospital - Decatur - 422
*Emory Hillandale Hospital - Lithonia - 90
*Emory Johns Creek Hospital - Johns Creek - 118
*[[Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital]] - Sandy Springs - 410

[[Grady Memorial Hospital]] - Atlanta - 974 *

Northeast Georgia Medical Center - Gainesville - 872 **

[[Northside Hospital System]]
*[[Northside Hospital|Northside Hospital Atlanta]] - Sandy Springs - 621
*Northside Hospital Cherokee - Canton - 126
*Northside Hospital Duluth - Duluth - 81
*Northside Hospital Forsyth - Cumming - 304
*[[Gwinnett Medical Center|Northside Hospital Gwinnett]] - Lawrenceville - 353 **

[[Piedmont]] Healthcare
*[[Piedmont Hospital|Piedmont Atlanta Hospital]] - Atlanta - 512
*Piedmont Eastside Hospital - Snellville - 287
*Piedmont Fayette Hospital - Fayetteville - 290
*Piedmont Henry Hospital - Stockbridge - 341
*Piedmont Mountainside Hospital - Jasper - 52
*Piedmont Newnan Hospital - Newnan - 154
*Piedmont Newton Hospital - Covington - 94
*Piedmont Rockdale Hospital - Conyers - 138
*Piedmont Walton Hospital - Monroe - 77

[[Shepherd Center]] - Atlanta - 152

[[WellStar Health System|Wellstar Health System]]
*Wellstar Cobb Hospital - Austell - 387
*[[WellStar Douglas Hospital|Wellstar Douglas Hospital]] - Douglasville - 102
*[[WellStar Kennestone Hospital|Wellstar Kennestone Hospital]] - Marietta - 662 *
*Wellstar North Fulton Hospital - Roswell - 202 **
*Wellstar Paulding Hospital - Hiram - 294
*Wellstar Spalding Regional Hospital - Griffin - 160

[[Veterans Administration Medical Center|Veterans Administration Health Care]]
*[[Veterans Administration Medical Center]] - Decatur

{{div col end}}

==Media==

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===Radio===
* Q99.7, 99.7
* Star 94, 94.1
* The River, 97.1
* V-103, 103.3
* El Patron 105.3
* Radio 105.7
* Kiss 104.1
* 96.1 The Beat
* praise 102.5
* Bull 94.9
* 99X 100.5
* hot 107.9
* 104.7 Air1
* 106.7 K-Love
* 92.9 The Game [[WZGC]]
* WSB Radio 95.5FM and 750AM
* WREK 91.1 - Georgia Tech's Student Radio
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===TV - Broadcast===
*[[WSB-TV]]  2  ABC
*[[WAGA-TV]]  5  Fox
*[[WGTV-TV]]  8  GPB
*[[WXIA-TV]]  11  NBC
*[[WPCH-TV]]  17  The CW
*[[WUVG-TV]]  34  Univision
*[[WATL-TV]]  36  MyNetworkTV
*[[WANF-TV]]  46  CBS

===TV - Cable===
* [[CNN]]
* [[Turner Broadcasting]]
* [[The Weather Channel]]
* [[Georgia Public Broadcasting]] (PBS), 9 stations
* [[Adult Swim]]

===Print===
* ''[[Atlanta Business Chronicle]]''
* ''[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]''
* ''[[Atlanta (magazine)|Atlanta Magazine]]''
* ''Atlanta Parent''
* ''The Atlantan''
* ''[[Gwinnett Daily Post]]''
* ''Jezebel''
* ''[[Marietta Daily Journal]]''
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==Culture and attractions==

===Professional sports teams===
{{see also|Sports in Atlanta}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" 
|-
!Club
!Sport
!League
!Venue
!City
!Since
!Titles
|-
|[[Atlanta Braves]]
|[[Baseball]]
|[[Major League Baseball]] 
|[[Truist Park]] 
|[[Cumberland, Georgia|Cumberland]]
| 1966
|2 ([[1995 World Series|1995]], [[2021 World Series|2021]])
|-
|[[Gwinnett Stripers]]
|[[Baseball]]
| [[International League]] [[Triple-A (baseball)|(AAA)]] 
|[[Coolray Field]]
| Lawrenceville
| 2009
|
|-
|[[Atlanta Falcons]]
|[[American football]]
|[[National Football League]] 
|[[Mercedes-Benz Stadium]] 
| Atlanta
| 1966
| 
|-
|[[Atlanta Gladiators]]
|[[Ice hockey]]
|[[ECHL]]
|[[Gas South Arena]] 
| Duluth
| 2003
|
|-
|[[Atlanta Hawks]]
|[[Basketball]]
|[[National Basketball Association]] 
|[[State Farm Arena (Atlanta)|State Farm Arena]] 
| Atlanta
| 1968
|
|-
|[[Atlanta Dream]]
|[[Basketball]]
|[[Women's National Basketball Association]] 
|[[Gateway Center Arena]] 
| College Park
| 2008
| 
|-
|[[College Park Skyhawks]]
|[[Basketball]]
|[[NBA G League]]
|[[Gateway Center Arena]]
|[[College Park, Georgia|College Park]]
| 2019
|
|-
|[[Atlanta United FC]]
|[[Association football|Soccer]]
|[[Major League Soccer]]
|[[Mercedes-Benz Stadium]]
| Atlanta 
| 2017
|1 ([[MLS Cup 2018|2018]])
|-
|-
|[[Atlanta United 2]]
|[[Association football|Soccer]]
|[[MLS Next Pro]]
|[[Fifth Third Bank Stadium]]
| Kennesaw 
| 2017
|
|-
|}

Former teams include the [[Atlanta Flames]] (now [[Calgary Flames]]) and [[Atlanta Thrashers]] (now [[Winnipeg Jets]]), both of the [[National Hockey League]].

Atlanta also plays host to two [[NASCAR Cup Series]] races each year at [[Atlanta Motor Speedway]].

The Atlanta metropolitan area is also home to three [[Division I (NCAA)|NCAA Division I]] programs, with the [[Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets]] and [[Georgia State Panthers]] in Atlanta proper and the [[Kennesaw State Owls]] in [[Kennesaw, Georgia|Kennesaw]]. Both Georgia Tech and Georgia State are members of the [[NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision|Football Bowl Subdivision]] in the [[Atlantic Coast Conference]] and [[Sun Belt Conference]], respectively, while Kennesaw State is a member of the [[ASUN Conference]] in the [[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|Football Championship Subdivision]]; however, Kennesaw State accepted an invitation to move up to the FBS level from [[Conference USA]] starting in 2024. 

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===Performing arts venues===

* [[Atlanta Symphony Hall]]
* [[Alliance Theatre|Alliance Theater]]
* [[Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre|Cobb Energy Centre]]
* [[Fox Theatre (Atlanta)|Fox Theatre]]
* [[Infinite Energy Arena]]
* [[Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center]]
* [[Spivey Hall]]

===Museums===
{{see also|List of museums in Atlanta}}

* [[Center for Puppetry Arts]]
* [[Children's Museum of Atlanta]]
* [[Delta Flight Museum]]
* [[Fernbank Museum of Natural History]]
* [[Fernbank Science Center]]
* [[High Museum of Art]]
* [[Jimmy Carter Library and Museum]]

===Amusement===

* [[College Football Hall of Fame]]
* [[Georgia Aquarium]]
* [[Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament]]
* [[National Center for Civil and Human Rights]]
* [[Six Flags Over Georgia]]
* [[Six Flags White Water]]
* [[World of Coca-Cola]]
* [[Zoo Atlanta]]
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===Parks===

* [[Atlanta Botanical Garden]]
* The [[BeltLine|Beltline]]
* [[Centennial Olympic Park]]
* [[Chastain Park]]
* [[Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area]]
* [[Clayton County International Park/The Beach]]
* [[Freedom Parkway|Freedom Park]]
* [[Grant Park, Atlanta|Grant Park]]
* [[Historic Fourth Ward Park]]
* [[Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park]]
* [[Piedmont Park]]
* [[Stone Mountain]]
* [[Woodruff Park]]

===Festivals===
{{see|Kanye}}
*[[Music Midtown]]

===Other===

* [[CNN Center]]
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==Military presence==
* [[Dobbins Air Reserve Base]]
* [[Fort Gillem]], closed
* [[Fort McPherson]], closed

==Transportation==
The U.S. Census Bureau has defined a metropolitan area for Atlanta which includes, but is not limited to, [[Roswell, Georgia]] and [[Sandy Springs, Georgia]]. According to the 2016 [[American Community Survey]], about 78% of working metropolitan residents commuted by driving alone, 9% carpooled, 3% used public transportation, and 1% walked. Less than 1% of working residents commuted by bicycle, while about 2% of commuters traveled by all other means. About 7% of residents worked at home.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Census Reporter|title=Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metro Area|access-date=May 17, 2018|url=https://censusreporter.org/profiles/31000US12060-atlantasandy-springsroswell-ga-metro-area/|archive-date=May 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518054545/https://censusreporter.org/profiles/31000US12060-atlantasandy-springsroswell-ga-metro-area/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Transit systems===
[[File:Marta plan.png|thumb|Map of the initial plan of the MARTA system from 1976]]
Atlanta has always been a rail town, and the city once had an extensive [[Streetcars in Atlanta|streetcar]] system, which also provided [[interurban]] service as far out as Marietta, {{convert|15|miles}} to the northwest.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artery.org/TrollyBarn.htm|title=Ashby Street Trolly Barn|website=Artery.org|access-date=15 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084141/http://www.artery.org/TrollyBarn.htm|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.helloatlanta.com/Articles/Attraction/981/Marietta_Trolley_Company_rolls_through_history.Cfm |title=Marietta Trolley Company rolls through history |publisher=HelloAtlanta.com |access-date=2009-09-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114124848/http://www.helloatlanta.com/Articles/Attraction/981/Marietta_Trolley_Company_rolls_through_history.Cfm |archive-date=2010-01-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The streetcars were replaced by an extensive [[Trolleybuses in Atlanta|trolleybus system]], supplemented by buses, in the 1940s and 1950–52, and then converted to all buses in the 1950s and 1960–62. However, building a modern rapid transit system proved a difficult and drawn-out process and, compared to the original plans for a regional system, has only partially been accomplished.

[[Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority|MARTA]] operates buses and a [[subway system]] in the city of Atlanta, Fulton, Clayton and Dekalb counties, while [[Cobb Community Transit|Cobb]] and [[Gwinnett County Transit|Gwinnett]] counties operate their own independent Suburban Transit Systems that feed into MARTA. This is a result of those counties' refusal to join the MARTA system (Gwinnett voted in March 2019 to reject MARTA again<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.myajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/gwinnett-upcoming-marta-referendum-comprehensive-voter-guide/CVj5YhwsvzesGoX29o0xvL/|title=Gwinnett's MARTA referendum: a comprehensive voter's guide|author=Tyler Estep|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-date=6 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206072736/https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/gwinnett-upcoming-marta-referendum-comprehensive-voter-guide/CVj5YhwsvzesGoX29o0xvL/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Estep |first1=Tyler |last2=Coyne |first2=Amanda C. |title=Gwinnett's MARTA referendum has failed |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/gwinnett-marta-referendum-has-failed/fzmvZ0KPZAOzGw7rlL9NPJ/# |access-date=2024-01-08 |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |language=English |issn=1539-7459}}</ref>), a situation which was originally closely related to [[white flight]] from the city.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DZEyEtmSKA8C&pg=PA53|title=The Atlanta Paradox – David L. Sojquist|access-date=2009-09-02|isbn=978-0-87154-808-5|last1=Sjoquist|first1=David L.|date=2000-05-25|publisher=Russell Sage Foundation |archive-date=2023-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206072740/https://books.google.com/books?id=DZEyEtmSKA8C&pg=PA53|url-status=live}}</ref> It is the only US system in which the state does not provide any funds for operation or expansion, instead relying entirely on a 1% [[sales tax]] in its three counties. Due to the passage of a 1% sales tax in Clayton County on November 4, 2014, MARTA replaced the defunct C-Tran system bringing buses and commuter rail to the county beginning March 2015, with full bus service in 2016. The [[Atlanta Streetcar]], a {{convert|2.7|mile|adj=on}} light rail loop, connects [[Centennial Olympic Park]] and MARTA heavy rail subway to the Sweet Auburn district and points in between. [[GRTA Xpress|Xpress GA]], a suburban commuter bus service operated by the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority or GRTA, has over 32 routes running from the suburbs and exurbs to downtown Atlanta in 12 metropolitan counties.

Plans are underway for commuter rail and [[bus rapid transit]], though these are some years away. The $20&nbsp;billion [[Northwest Corridor HOV/BRT]] project appears to conflict with other plans, such as the metro-wide Concept 3 approved by the [[Transit Planning Board]], and the no-[[Jersey barrier|barrier]] [[High-occupancy toll lane|HOT lanes]] on I‑85 in Gwinnett. MARTA is also considering a BRT line of its own to the east.

The first [[commuter rail]] line would run south of the city, eventually extended to [[Lovejoy, Georgia|Lovejoy]] and possibly [[Hampton, Georgia|Hampton]] near [[Atlanta Motor Speedway]]. The "[[Brain Train]]" would likely be the second route, connecting the [[University of Georgia]] in Athens to [[Emory University]] and [[Georgia Tech]] in Atlanta.

As planned, all commuter trains would arrive at the [[Atlanta Multimodal Passenger Terminal]] (MMPT), the long-delayed facility just across [[Peachtree Street]] from the [[Five Points (MARTA station)|Five Points MARTA station]], where all of its lines meet. Planning for the system and its extension as [[intercity rail]] across the state are the responsibility of the [[Georgia Rail Passenger Authority]].

Another proposed plan that has received very strong [[grassroots]] support in recent years is the [[BeltLine]], a [[Green belt|greenbelt]] and transit system that takes advantage of existing and unused rail tracks to set up a {{convert|22|mile|adj=on}} [[light rail]] or [[streetcar]] circuit around the core of Atlanta, as well as establishing more [[Open space reserve|green space]] and footpaths for pedestrians and bicyclists.

===Commercial railways===
Before Atlanta was even a city, it was a [[railroad]] [[Transport hub|hub]]. From this came the joke, popular among other [[Culture of the Southern United States|Southerners]], that "regardless of whether one goes to [[heaven]] or [[hell]], everyone must go through Atlanta first". Many of its suburbs pre-date it as depots or [[train station]]s along the major lines in and out of town.

Many of these [[historic]] stations, including Atlanta's [[Atlanta Union Station (1930)|Union Station]] and [[Terminal Station (Atlanta)|Terminal Station]], were [[demolition|demolished]] like many county [[courthouse]]s and other historic buildings. Many have been saved however, including the [[L&N]] station in Woodstock, and the stations along the main [[Western and Atlantic Railroad|W&A]] line in Marietta and Smyrna.

Through [[merger]]s, the main railroads in the area are now [[Norfolk Southern Railway|Norfolk Southern]] and [[CSX]]. The [[Georgia Northeastern Railroad]] is a [[short-line railroad|short line]] that also services part of the area. There are also several railyards of Atlanta and vicinity, as well as the [[Southeastern Railway Museum]] and the [[Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History]].

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, more commonly known as [[Amtrak]], runs the [[intercity rail]] line [[Crescent (Amtrak)|Crescent]] through Metro Atlanta twice daily, with one train heading towards [[New Orleans]] and the other headed towards [[New York City|New York]]. All trains make a scheduled stop at [[Peachtree Station]] in northern Midtown Atlanta, but it is also possible for arrange for trains to stop in [[Gainesville, Georgia|Gainesville]], Georgia as well.

===Air===
[[Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport]] is the world's busiest airport and is the only [[international airport]] for the region (and only major international airport for the state).

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Domestic-only carriers from Atlanta:
* Alaska Airlines
* American Airlines
* Avelo Airlines
* JetBlue Airways
* Spirit Airlines
* Southern Airways Express
* Sun Country Airlines
* United Airlines

Domestic and international from Atlanta:
* Delta Air Lines
* Frontier Airlines
* Southwest Airlines

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Foreign-based international carriers:
* Aeromexico (Joint venture with Delta Air Lines)
* Air Canada
* Air France (Joint venture with Delta Air Lines)
* British Airways
* Copa Airlines
* Ethiopian Airlines
* KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Joint venture with Delta Air Lines)
* Korean Air (Joint venture with Delta Air Lines)
* Lufthansa German Airlines
* LATAM Airlines (Joint venture with Delta Air Lines)
* Qatar Airways
* Scandinavian Airlines
* Turkish Airlines
* Virgin Atlantic (Joint venture with Delta Air Lines)
* WestJet (Joint venture with Delta Air Lines){{col-end}}

Other airports (maintained by local counties) include [[Charlie Brown Field]] (Fulton), [[McCollum Field]] (Cobb), [[Cartersville Airport]] (Bartow), [[DeKalb Peachtree Airport]] (DeKalb), [[Briscoe Field]] (Gwinnett), [[Coweta County Airport]] (Coweta), [[Cherokee County Airport (Georgia)|Cherokee County Airport]] (Cherokee), [[Clayton County Airport - Tara Field|Atlanta Speedway Airport]] (Henry), and [[Paulding County Airport]] (Paulding). Former local airports were [[Stone Mountain Airport]] and Parkaire Field, among others.

[[DeKalb Peachtree Airport]] is the primary business jet airport. This is due to its proximity to Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, and the Perimeter office areas.

===Roads and freeways===
{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2018}}

Atlanta is served by three major interstate highways. Including tributaries, they are the following:

(Note: The cities used below are also the [[control cities]] used for the Metro Atlanta Bypass/I-285 signs entering from the suburbs.)

[[Interstate 75 in Georgia|I-75]] passes through from Macon to the south, and from [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]] to the north. [[Interstate&nbsp;575|I-575]] is a spur which merges with I‑75 near Kennesaw. I‑575 serves northeast portions of Cobb County and a large portion of Cherokee County. It ends in Ball Ground. [[Interstate 675 (Georgia)|I-675]] is a route which connects I‑75 in Henry County to I‑285 in southern Dekalb County. Most of the corridor is within Clayton County.

[[Interstate 85 in Georgia|I-85]] passes through from Montgomery on the southwest and from Greenville on the northeast. I-75 merges with I-85 to form the [[Downtown Connector]] from the Brookwood Interchange, just north of Midtown Atlanta, to just south of the [[Georgia State Route 166|Lakewood Freeway]] in South Atlanta. [[Interstate 185 (Georgia)|I-185]] is a spur which merges with I‑85 in LaGrange and stretches southward to Columbus. [[Interstate&nbsp;985|I-985]] is a spur which merges with I‑85 in Suwanee and serves the northern suburbs of Gwinnett and Hall counties. It terminates just northeast of Gainesville.

[[Interstate 285 (Georgia)|I-285]] is the [[Ring road|beltway]] which encircles the city and its immediate eastern suburbs. It is commonly known as the Perimeter. I‑285 passes through Clayton, Cobb, Fulton, and DeKalb counties.

[[Interstate 20 in Georgia|I-20]] passes through from Birmingham to the west and from Augusta to the east. It serves Douglasville, the major suburb west of Atlanta. It serves Lithonia and Conyers to the east.

Atlanta is also served by several other freeways, in addition to the interstate highways, including:

[[Georgia State Route 400|Route&nbsp;400]] is the main corridor serving the north-central suburbs, and was the only toll road in the metropolitan Atlanta area. As of November 23, 2013, the tolls ended and the toll plazas were demolished. It reaches into the northern portion of Fulton County and gradually turns northeast before entering Forsyth County. The controlled-access portion terminates just northeast of the city of Cumming. To the south, it terminates and merges into southbound I‑85 just south of the Buckhead [[business district]]. Cumming/[[Dahlonega, Georgia|Dahlonega]] is used on I‑285 as the northbound sign, and Atlanta/Buckhead as the southbound. From I‑85 northbound, it uses Buckhead/Cumming.

[[Stone Mountain Freeway]], or [[U.S. Route 78 in Georgia|Route&nbsp;78]], is an 8‑mile corridor east of Downtown Atlanta and the neighboring suburb of Decatur. It serves northeast portions of Dekalb County, including the city of Stone Mountain. It continues east as a divided highway into southern part of Gwinnett County, including the suburbs of Lilburn, Snellville and Loganville. Route&nbsp;78 also stretches east to Athens.

Lakewood Freeway, or [[Georgia State Route 166|Route&nbsp;166]], extends between Lakewood Park in south Atlanta and Campbellton Road, just west of I‑285.

Peachtree Industrial Blvd, or [[Georgia State Route 141|Route 141]], is a route north-northeast of Atlanta which begins on the north side of I‑285 and runs parallel to I‑85 for about four miles until it terminates when it splits into Route 141 and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard (continuing as a normal divided highway).

[[Georgia State Route 316|Route 316]] is a four-mile-long route that branches from I‑85 and stretches eastward into Gwinnett County. It continues east as a normal divided highway through the suburb of Lawrenceville and on to Athens.

There are many historic roads across the area, named after [[historic mills of the Atlanta area|its mills]] and [[historic ferries of the Atlanta area|early ferries]], and [[historic bridges of the Atlanta area|the bridges]] later built to replace the ferries. [[Pace's Ferry]] is perhaps the best known.

Owing to the area's long history of settlement and uneven terrain, most [[arterial road]]s are not straight but meander instead, which can be confusing as much as the famed proliferation of Atlanta streets with "Peachtree" in the name. It is also often joked that half the streets are named Peachtree, while the other half have several names to make up for it.

Partly, confusion is because the region maintains the historic nomenclature of each county naming its roads for the towns they connect with in surrounding counties. Thus, from Dallas to Roswell, [[Georgia State Route 120|Route&nbsp;120]] is Marietta Highway to the Paulding/Cobb county line, is Dallas Highway to the city of Marietta, Whitlock Avenue to the [[town square]], South Park Square for just one [[city block]], Roswell Street to [[Cobb Parkway]] (at the [[Big Chicken]]), Roswell Road to the Cobb/Fulton county line, and finally Marietta Street to the town square in Roswell. Further confusion is from the arbitrary location of state routes by the [[Georgia Department of Transportation]], so that they travel an erratic path requiring several turns by drivers instead of traveling the original straight route; and the renaming of roads by state legislators to honor their friends.

There are many roads like this throughout the area, leading to duplication of names in different counties. In Fulton, "Roswell Road" refers to [[Georgia&nbsp;9]] through northern Atlanta and across Sandy Springs, in addition to the above-mentioned use in Cobb, for example. Numeric [[street address]]ing is done by county as well, with the origin usually being at one corner of the town square in the county seat. The [[United States Postal Service|U.S.&nbsp;Postal Service]] ignores these actual and logical boundaries however, overlapping [[ZIP&nbsp;code]]s and their associated place names across counties. The Cumberland/Galleria area has Cobb's numbers and an "SE"&nbsp;suffix, but is called "Atlanta" by the USPS (despite being [[Vinings, Georgia|Vinings]], which the USPS ironically calls "unacceptable"), which can confuse visitors to think it is far away in southeast Atlanta.

Where more than one town in the same county has a road to the same place, the smaller towns have their own name prefixed to it, while the [[county seat]] does not. The road need not go directly to the other place, but may connect through other roads. Examples include Due West Road west from Marietta, Kennesaw Due West Road southwest from Kennesaw, and Acworth Due West Road south from Acworth. Some are usually [[hyphen]]ated, like Peachtree-Dunwoody Road, Ashford-Dunwoody Road, Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, and Chamblee-Tucker Road.

There are also several roads named for communities which have been overwhelmed by the urban and suburban sprawl, and so are somewhat odd to newcomers. These include Sandy Plains, [[Crabapple, Georgia|Crabapple]], [[Toonigh, Georgia|Toonigh]], [[Luxomni, Georgia|Luxomni]], and Due West. Some of these communities are in the middle of the road, while some are at or very near one end. Some areas are renamed, either over time (Sandy Plains gradually became "Sprayberry" when [[Sprayberry High School]] moved there and similarly named shopping centers popped up around it); by the USPS (Toonigh is identified as "Lebanon"), or after rapid development. In such cases, the roads usually maintain their historic names even if the neighborhoods do not.

There are also a few [[U.S.&nbsp;highway]]s that cross the area, including [[U.S. Route 19 in Georgia|19]], [[U.S. Route 23 in Georgia|23]], [[U.S. Route 29 in Georgia|29]], [[U.S. Route 41 in Georgia|41]], and [[U.S. Route 78 in Georgia|78]].

Other arterials are completely new, like much of [[Barrett Parkway]], [[Sugarloaf Parkway]] and [[South Fulton Parkway]], constructed by their counties but partly covered with a state route number. Occasionally, roads are realigned or extended to meet each other directly at a cross-road, leading to odd curves and name changes.

== See also ==
* [[North Georgia]]
{{Subject bar|portal2=Georgia (U.S. state)|portal3=United States}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{commons category-inline|Atlanta metropolitan area}}
* {{wikivoyage-inline|Metro Atlanta}}

{{Atlanta Metro}}
{{Atlanta, Georgia}}
{{Georgia (U.S. state)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlanta Metropolitan Area}}
[[Category:Atlanta metropolitan area| ]]
[[Category:Regions of Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Metropolitan areas of Georgia (U.S. state)]]