About Atlanta

The City of Atlanta welcomes all delegates and friends of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists!

Atlanta is truly a city of inter- national influence as revealed through its creative innova- tions, rich traditions, and dynamic cultural mix.

Beginning in the early 1800s as a settlement called "Terminus," in honor of a railroad "last stop" or "end of the line" built to connect Georgia with Chattanooga, Tennessee and points west, the new settlement was later renamed "Marthasville," as a tribute to the daughter of the then governor, the Honorable Wilson Lumpkin.

Over the years the settlement experienced other name changes. However, when "Atlantica-Pacifica" was suggested and accepted, it was condensed to "Atlanta" by the agreement of the citizens of this burgeoning town. Historical records reveal that Atlanta was incorporated on December 29, 1847.

Atlanta has endured a turbulent yet remarkable history. During the early 1800s Native Americans who called the settlement "home" having named it "Standing Peachtree" in honor of a lone peach tree perched on a high mound of earth, found themselves forcefully removed in order that a new railroad could be built.

In 1864 during the American Civil War, as the site of many battles, the territory encountered a major invasion that resulted in its public buildings being burned to the ground.

Rebuilding efforts were slow but evident, resulting in Atlanta becoming an aggressive city tempered by fire and rough edges which have been smoothed over by time. Today this modern city is a leading financial center with world-class business and civic institutions.

Atlanta, however, is about more than business and finance. Atlanta is about skyscrapers lining major streets, railroad tracks crossing the streets to the skyscrapers, tourism, sports, entertainment and performing arts. Atlanta is about architecture, urban development, auto manufacturing, cable television programming, education, freeways, religion, and much, much more.

The city of Atlanta is also about transportation, serving as the home of one of the world's busiest airports, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and a comprehensive subway (rail and bus) system that is one of the busiest in the country.

Filled with a wealth of attractions and activities, interactive venues, and historical sites, Atlanta, the largest and undisputedly most exciting city of the "Peach State," offers something for everyone.