With a population of , estimate living within the city limits, Atlanta is the eighth most populous city in the Southeast and 38th most populous city in the United States according to the U. Metro Atlanta is home to more than 6. Atlanta was originally founded as the terminus of a major state-sponsored railroad , but it soon became the convergence point among several railroads, spurring its rapid growth.
The largest was the Western and Atlantic Railroad , from which the name "Atlanta" is derived, signifying the city's growing reputation as a major hub of transportation. The city was almost entirely burned to the ground during General William T. Sherman 's March to the Sea. However, the city rebounded dramatically in the post-war period and quickly became a national industrial center and the unofficial capital of the " New South ".
After World War II , it also became a manufacturing and technology hub. Atlanta established itself on the world stage when it won and hosted the Summer Olympics. The Games impacted Atlanta's development growth into the 21st century, and significantly sparked investment in the city's universities, parks, and tourism industry.
This has altered its demographics , politics , aesthetics , and culture. For thousands of years prior to the arrival of European settlers in North Georgia , the indigenous Creek people and their ancestors inhabited the area. In , the Georgia General Assembly voted to build the Western and Atlantic Railroad in order to provide a link between the port of Savannah and the Midwest.
After engineers surveyed various possible locations for the terminus, the "zero milepost" was driven into the ground in what is now Foundry Street, Five Points.
