Visit Atlanta, American South

The sprawling city of Atlanta only came into being in 1837 as a terminus of a new railway. During the Civil War the city grew as a transportation centre and, because of this accessibility, the Confederacy Army developed their munitions industry here. Consequently the city was a major target for the Union Army and it was burned in 1864 in an act immortalised in "Gone With the Wind".

Recovery, however, was quick and the city was championed by many industrial giants who based their companies here, such as Coca-Cola. Considerable immigration swelled the population of the city, particularly from black Afro-Americans, so it is no surprise that Martin Luther King Jr. was born here.

The principal sights of the city include Underground Atlanta, the World of Coca-Cola, Centennial Park, which was home to the 1996 Olympic Games, and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.