An Introduction to Atlanta... The city of Atlanta covers an area of 339 sq km (131 sq miles) in the northwest of Georgia, just south of the Appalachian Mountains. Peachtree Street, the main thoroughfare, runs north/south through the city centre. The Martin Luther King Historic District lies to the east, and Midtown to the north, of the central downtown area. Atlanta was founded in 1837 as the southern terminus of the Western and Atlantic Railroad and was given the name Atlanta in 1845. During the Civil War, the city was burnt to the ground by Union troops in an attempt to disrupt communication and transportation between the Confederate States. Since its reconstruction, the city has played a vital role as a transport hub between north and south and is now an important national and international crossroads.

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