The Atlanta immortalised in Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind, the Atlanta of the Civil War and days of slavery is quite different from today's industrialized, urbanised Atlanta. Today's Atlanta is a fast growing American city, which has been boosted tremendously by the city's industrialists, bankers, politicians and media leaders. The city is home to corporate giants like Coca-Cola and CNN and a large, progressive collegiate population. Atlanta saw a moment of glory when it hosted the 1996 Olympic games, and the city spruced up its downtown areas for the occasion.

Atlanta is the capital of the southern state of Georgia, and has been dubbed the 'Capital of the New South'. It is one of the few American cities with a strong black administration. The first black mayor in USA, Maynard Jackson, was elected here in 1974. It is also the city where Martin Luther King was born and where he preached.