Downtown Atlanta refers to the largest financial district in the city of Atlanta. Downtown Atlanta is full of historic buildings, elegant skyscrapers, sporting venues, many office buildings for various-sized corporations as well as county and state offices. Downtown is also the central tourist attraction of the city.

As defined by the Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) organization, the area measures approximately four square miles, and had 23,300 residents as of 2006. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[1] This area is bound by North Avenue to the north, Boulevard to the east, Interstate 20 to the south, and Northside Drive to the west. North Avenue in Atlanta is a major street dividing Downtown Atlanta from Midtown. This definition of Downtown Atlanta including central areas like Five Points and Fairlie-Poplar and outlying inner-city neighborhoods such as SoNo, and Castleberry Hill. Five Points is an area of Atlanta Georgia, United States, the primary reference for the downtown area The Fairlie-Poplar Historic District is part of the central business district in central Atlanta. " SoNo " (South of North Avenue) is the new name applied to the once ambiguous area between the Downtown and Midtown districts of Atlanta Castleberry Hill is a neighborhood in central Atlanta Georgia located adjacent to and southwest of the Central Business District.

The Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) organization, though, defines a much smaller downtown area measuring just one and two tenths square miles. This area is roughly bound by North Avenue to the north, Piedmont Avenue and then Downtown Connector to the east, Martin Luther King Junior Drive, Courtland Street, and Edgewood Avenue to the south, and the railroad tracks to the west. In Atlanta Georgia, the Downtown Connector or 75/85 (pronounced "seventy-five eighty-five" is the overlapped connector of This area only includes the core central business district neighborhoods of Fairlie-Poplar, Five Points, Centennial Hills, and as of May 2007, the Railroad District. The Railroad District of Atlanta is the historic south central business district of the city during its 19th century prominence as a major railroad junction

Downtown Atlanta, like other central business districts in the U. S. , is undergoing a transformation that includes building condos and lofts, uninhabited buildings being renovated and/or demolished, and the influx of people and businesses coming to the area.

History

Downtown Atlanta is the historic core of the city. The beginnings of what is currently Downtown Atlanta began in 1826 with Wilson Lumpkin and Hamilton Fulton surveying a possible railroad route between Chattanooga, Tennessee and Milledgeville, the state capitol at the time. ^[2] In 1833, Lumpkin, now governor, requests that the state legislature charter three railroad lines. By 1836, the state-financed Western and Atlantic Railroad, linking the middle Georgia to the northern U. S. , was founded by the legislature and signed by Lumpkin. As a result, the town named Terminus is founded in 1837, which is named for the end of the railroad line.

Terminus recieved a name change in 1842 when the town's 30 inhabitants voted to change the town's name to Marthasville, in honor of Governor Lumpkin's daughter, Martha. By this time, Marthasville was a growing town, with seven streets- Marietta Street, Decatur Street, Peachtree Street, Whitehall Street, Pryor Street, Alabama Street, and Loyd Street (now Central Avenue- each of these seven streets exist today in Downtown. ) Residents in 1844 turned down the town commissioners proposal to build more streets and were satisfied with the town's seven original streets.

By 1845, John Thomson, chief engineer of the Georgia Railroad, suggested that Marthasville's name be changed. The first suggestion was "Atlantica-Pacifica" but was quickly shortened to "Atlanta. " Atlanta was derived as a supposedly feminine form of "Atlantic. "^[3]The name "Atlanta" becomes popular and town's name changes. In 1847, Atlanta is incorporated with its new name, with the town limits a one mile radius away from the mile marker at the railroad depot (which was roughly located at the current intersection of Pryor and Alabama Streets. ) After the incorporation of Atlanta, a movement began to move the state capital from Milledgeville to Atlanta.

Overview

Downtown Atlanta

Centennial Olympic Park facing Downtown Atlanta

Buildings

The area of downtown contains among the tallest buildings in Atlanta. The tallest building in Atlanta, the Bank of America Plaza building, is situated between Midtown Atlanta and Downtown Atlanta. The Bank of America Plaza is a Skyscraper located in Midtown Atlanta. Midtown Atlanta is a district in Atlanta Georgia, situated between the commercial and financial district of Downtown to the south and the affluent residential Rising at 1,023 feet^[4], Bank of America Plaza is also the tallest building in any of the U. S. state capitals, and the tallest building in the U. S. outside of New York City and Chicago.

Downtown Atlanta is the heart and the largest of the three business districts of the city. This area contains striking architecture dating as far back as the 1800s. Some of the most famous and/or tallest buildings in Downtown include:

• Westin Peachtree Plaza
• Georgia-Pacific Tower
• Marriott Marquis
• Flatiron Building
• SunTrust Plaza
• 191 Peachtree Tower
• Bank of America Plaza
• Centennial Tower (or known as 101 Marietta)
• Equitable Building
• Peachtree Center
• State of Georgia Building

Downtown Atlanta contains over 22,000,000 square feet (2,000,000 m²) of office space; together with Midtown as the central business district they make up over 38 million^[5] sq ft, more than the CBDs of Dallas^[6] and Miami^[7]. The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel is a Skyscraper and Hotel in downtown Atlanta Georgia, adjacent to the Peachtree Center complex Georgia-Pacific Tower is a 697-foot (212 m tall Skyscraper in Downtown Atlanta. The Atlanta Marriott Marquis is a Marriott hotel and the 11th tallest Skyscraper in Atlanta, Georgia. The Flatiron Building in Atlanta Georgia, officially known as the English-American Building, was completed in 1897. SunTrust Plaza (originally known as One Peachtree Center) is a Skyscraper in Downtown Atlanta. 191 Peachtree Tower is the fourth tallest Skyscraper in Atlanta Georgia. The Bank of America Plaza is a Skyscraper located in Midtown Atlanta. Centennial Tower, formerly known as 101 Marietta, is a 459 ft The Equitable Building is a 35-story 453 foot (138 m tall office building in Atlanta Georgia, located at 100 Peachtree Street in the Fairlie-Poplar neighborhood Peachtree Center is a multi-block area located in the Central business district of Atlanta, Georgia. 2 Peachtree Street is a 44-story skyscraper located in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Downtown Dallas is the main business district in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city Downtown Miami is the Central business district of South Florida, Miami-Dade County and Miami, Florida.

Subdistricts

Downtown Atlanta is divided into various subdistricts. Those subdistricts are as follows:

• Castleberry Hill
• Centennial Hill
• Fairlie-Poplar
• Five Points
• Railroad District
• SoNo

Tourism and Attractions

The most important business facilities in Atlanta are located in Downtown. Castleberry Hill is a neighborhood in central Atlanta Georgia located adjacent to and southwest of the Central Business District. Centennial Hill is a relatively new neighborhood located at the northern edge of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The Fairlie-Poplar Historic District is part of the central business district in central Atlanta. Five Points is an area of Atlanta Georgia, United States, the primary reference for the downtown area The Railroad District of Atlanta is the historic south central business district of the city during its 19th century prominence as a major railroad junction " SoNo " (South of North Avenue) is the new name applied to the once ambiguous area between the Downtown and Midtown districts of Atlanta Among the sports venues, Philips Arena and the Georgia Dome are located around Centennial Olympic Park with Turner Field located a within a mile of the Georgia State Capitol. Philips Arena is an indoor arena in Atlanta Georgia. Completed in 1999 at a cost of $213 The Georgia Dome is a domed stadium located in Atlanta Georgia that is owned and operated by the State of Georgia Centennial Olympic Park is a 21 acre (85000 m² public Park located in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA that is owned and operated Turner Field is a ballpark in Atlanta Georgia, home to Major League Baseball 's Atlanta Braves since 1997 The Georgia State Capitol, in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States, is an architecturally and historically significant building The Atlanta Falcons, the city's football team, plays at the Georgia Dome, while the Atlanta Thrashers, the city's hockey team, plays at Phillips Arena and the Atlanta Braves, the city's baseball team, plays at Turner Field. The Atlanta Falcons are an American football team based in Atlanta Georgia. The Atlanta Thrashers are a professional Ice hockey team based in Atlanta Georgia. When the Summer Olympic Games came to the city in 1996, Centennial Olympic Park was constructed. Centennial Olympic Park is a 21 acre (85000 m² public Park located in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA that is owned and operated Today, it has been rebuilt to be a 21 acre public park in Downtown Atlanta. Centennial Olympic Park is bounded by Baker Street NW to the north, Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW to the east (formerly Techwood Drive NW), Marietta Street NW to the south, and Foundry Street NW and Luckie Street NW to the northwest. Woodruff Park is another public park located in the area bounded by Peachtree Street NW to the west, Edgewood Avenue SE to the south, Park Place NE to the east, and Auburn Avenue NE to the north. Woodruff Park, named for Robert W Woodruff, is located in the heart of Downtown Atlanta Georgia.

Many other attractions were established around the Downtown area. Before the park was built, a popular place in the city was Underground Atlanta. Underground Atlanta is a shopping and Entertainment district in the Five Points neighborhood of Downtown Atlanta Georgia, United This section of the city acts as a shopping and entertainment district for Atlanta citizens, built in a unique area- under the city's viaducts. The Georgia Aquarium is a newly built aquarium complex, being the largest in the world, located in the Centennial Hill section of Downtown. The Georgia Aquarium, located in Atlanta, Georgia at Pemberton Place, is billed as the "world's largest aquarium" with more than 8 Centennial Hill is a relatively new neighborhood located at the northern edge of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Not far away, the new, expanded version of the World of Coca-Cola opened in May 2007, which moved from its previous location near Underground Atlanta. The World of Coca-Cola is a permanent exhibition featuring the history of The Coca-Cola Company and its well-known advertising as well as a host of entertainment areas and attractions The CNN Center is located not too far away, across from the southern entrance of Centennial Olympic Park on the 150 block of Marietta Street NW and perpendicular Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW. The CNN Center is the world headquarters of the Cable News Network (CNN Other attractions include The Tabernacle, which is located at 152 Luckie Street, the Martin Luther King Jr. See also Tabernacle The Tabernacle is a mid-size Concert hall in in the U National Historical Site, located at 450 Auburn Avenue, NE, and the Imagine It! The Children's Museum of Atlanta, located at 275 Centennial Olympic Park NW.

The Georgia State Capitol, Atlanta City Hall, Fulton County Courthouse and the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Building are some of the many government buildings in downtown, along with other local and federal facilities. The Georgia State Capitol, in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States, is an architecturally and historically significant building The area that is south of the railroad gulch is generally where many of the local and federal facilites are located. Some exceptions to this is the State of Georgia Building, located at 2 Peachtree Street NW and the U. S. District Court of Appeals which is located in the Fairlie-Poplar District at the corner of Forsyth and Walton Streets. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, which is currently located in Midtown at 1000 Peachtree Street NE, was previously located at 104 Marietta Street NW, which is now currently occupied by the State Bar of Georgia. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is responsible for the 6th District of the Federal Reserve, which covers Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and parts The State of Georgia operates the Georgia World Congress Center, which provides the general services of a convention center for the city. The Georgia World Congress Center or GWCC is the major Convention center in Atlanta.

Tornado

On March 14, 2008, at approximately 9:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time, a category EF2 tornado hit downtown with winds up to 135 miles per hour. Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The Eastern Time Zone ( ET) of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America The Enhanced Fujita Scale, or EF Scale, is the scale for rating the strength of Tornadoes in the United States estimated via the damage they cause The 2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak was a Tornado outbreak that affected the Southeastern United States on March 14 - 15. This tornado caused damage to Philips Arena, the Georgia Dome, Centennial Olympic Park, the CNN Center and the Georgia World Congress Center. This is the first time a tornado touched ground in downtown Atlanta since weather records keeping began in the 1880s. While there were dozens on injuries, there was only one fatality. ^[8]

Gallery

Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta)	Westin Peachtree Plaza	Flatiron Building	SunTrust Plaza
AT&T Tower	Candler Building: An example of old architecture in Atlanta	Atlanta Public Library	191 Peachtree Tower
A small Downtown Plaza	An Atlanta Tourism information booth	An old Department Store	Peachtree Street
Residential High-rise Construction	Downtown MARTA Station at Peachtree Center	Georgia Power Building	Atlanta Marriott Marquis

See also

• Peachtree Street
• Midtown Atlanta (Northern financial and residential district of Atlanta)
• Buckhead (Northern-most financial and residential district of Atlanta)
• List of skyscrapers
• 2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak

References

External links

• Official Website for the City of Atlanta
• Central Atlanta Progress, Atlanta Downtown Improvement District