Are you an expert on all things Atlanta? Check out these five fun trivia facts that you may not have known about our fair city!
City in a Forest
Did you know that Atlanta is the most heavily forested urban area in the United States? That is an actual designation bestowed on our city by the National Forest Service. The 100,000+ shade trees planted throughout town have left the city 47.9% covered in trees.
Fifth Time’s A Charm
Atlanta is actually the 5th city to serve as capital of Georgia. In 1776 when the state was officially founded, the capital was established at Savannah, then moved to Augusta in 1778 when the British captured Savannah. Government operations moved again in 1796, this time to Louisville, as Augusta was deemed to be too far east. After a malaria outbreak in Louisville, the capital moved to Milledgeville in 1807, and then finally to Atlanta for good in 1868.
Tallest Building
You may have noticed that the Bank of America Plaza is the tallest of Atlanta’s skyscrapers, but what you may not know is that this impressive tower is the tallest building in the United States not located in New York or Chicago, and is the 107th tallest building in the world. The 55-floor building reaches 1,023 feet into the air, and an interesting feature of the building is the lack of street-level pedestrian entrances. The common entrance and exit points are from the parking garages underneath.
The Actual Peachtree Count
You’ve heard the joke over and over – how can any non-locals find anything around here with so many streets named “Peachtree?!” The city of Atlanta is actually home to 71 variations of the street name, from the world famous Peachtree Street to smaller side roads like Peachtree Lane and New Peachtree Road. And, none of the roads were named after peaches or peach trees in the first place! The name actually evolved from “pitch tree,” as the native pines were originally called due to their sticky sap.
Would you Care for a Game of Tennis?
Atlanta has more tennis courts than anywhere else in the world, and is home to The Atlanta Lawn & Tennis Association, the world’s largest local tennis league, which claims more than 80,000 members. There are over 1,000 public tennis courts in Atlanta, and most are free, making it convenient for anyone to get started in the sport.