
After World War II, it also became manufacturing and technology hub. However, the city rebounded dramatically in the post-war period and quickly became a national industrial center and the unofficial capital of the " New South". The city was almost entirely burnt to the ground during General William T. During the American Civil War, it served a strategically important role for the Confederacy until it was captured in 1864. One of those railroads included the Western and Atlantic Railroad, from which the name "Atlanta" is derived, signifying the city's growing reputation as a major hub of transportation. Ītlanta was originally founded as the terminus of a major state-sponsored railroad, but it soon became the convergence point among several railroads, spurring its rapid growth. Situated among the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains at an elevation of just over 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level, it features unique topography that includes rolling hills, lush greenery, and the most dense urban tree coverage of any major city in the United States.

It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia. It is the core of the much larger Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 6,144,050 people, making it the eighth-largest metropolitan area in the United States.

With a population of 498,715 living within the city limits, it is the eighth-most populous city in the Southeast and 38th most populous city in the United States according to the 2020 U.S. Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International AirportĪtlanta ( / æ t ˈ l æ n t ə/ at- LAN-tə) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S.
