As the South’s most dynamic business center, Atlanta is home to a sprawling cityscape of
towering buildings made of glass and steel. But there’s a
lot more to the city than high-rises and com-
merce. Dotted with expansive green spaces
and often referred to as the “City in the Forest,”
this urban oasis is a multicultural haven for res-
idents and visitors alike, with individuals from
all walks of life adding to the city’s charm and
personality.
Most of your time at MODEX will be spent
at the Georgia World Congress Center, the
third-largest convention center in the United
States with 1. 4 million square feet of exhib-
it space. However, to really experience the
breadth of what Atlanta has to offer, you need
to step outside the convention center and
explore.
The recently refreshed Centennial Olympic
Park is downtown Atlanta’s centerpiece and
is anchored by the Fountain of Rings, an ever-
lasting reminder of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Next
door, attractions such as the Georgia Aquarium, World of
Coca-Cola, and Center for Civil and Human Rights surround
Pemberton Place. Atlanta Streetcar is the city’s modern-day
trolley, carrying passengers from the convention and enter-
tainment district to the Eastside section of the city.
Atlanta’s rich history comes to life in Sweet Auburn Historic
Beyond the city’s core, Atlanta’s in-town
neighborhoods are packed with personality.
Midtown mixes elegance with culture. The
Westside has become a magnet for foodies,
design enthusiasts, and shoppers. Buckhead
blends boutiques and galleries with fabulous
dining, while Little Five Points keeps it funky
through bohemian grunge paired with eclectic
shops and music spots.
In Atlanta, chef-run restaurants dish up mod-
ern American cuisine in strikingly beautiful
spaces. Among the cutting-edge eateries are
cozy diners, cafés, and bistros. The ethnic mom-and-pop
restaurants along Buford Highway offer menus with little
English and lots of flavor. Locally owned craft breweries are
sprinkled across the city, creating an unofficial “ale trail” for
Atlan;a:
CITY IN THE FOREST
©2012, Katie Snyder, ©2013, James Duckworth, Courtesy of ACVB & AtlantaPhotos.com
10 FUN FACTS ABOUT ATLANTA
1. Atlanta was originally named Terminus and
Marthasville (the latter for Governor Wilson Lumpkin’s
daughter).
2. The city’s current name originated with railroad engi-
neer J. Edgar Thompson. It’s thought to be a shortened
version of “Atlantica-Pacifica.”
3. Atlanta, burned to the ground by Gen. Sherman
during the Civil War, is the only city in North America to
have been destroyed by an act of war.
4. The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is
as big as 45 football fields.
5. It was once illegal to put an ice cream cone in your
back pocket in Atlanta. If that isn’t strange enough, the city
also outlawed tying a giraffe to a telephone pole.
6. Stone Mountain outside Atlanta is one of the largest
blocks of exposed granite in the world.
7. Atlanta resident Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone with the
Wind because an ankle injury kept her from walking, and
she was bored.
8. The Continental Divide out West gets all the love, but
Atlanta is home to the Eastern Continental Divide, which
separates water draining into the Gulf of Mexico and the
Atlantic Ocean.
9. The fastest baseball game in history happened in
Atlanta when the Mobile (Alabama) Sea Gulls beat the
Atlanta Crackers 2–1 in just 32 minutes.
10. One of the largest Hindu temples outside of India is
located in the Atlanta metro area.
Source: “ 25 Things You Might Not Know About Atlanta,” Mental Floss, http://
mentalfloss.com/article/54883/25-things-you-might-not-know-about-atlanta
