Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the state of Georgia. The city has an estimated population of 506,811. The city serves as the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, home to more than 6 million people and the ninth-largest metropolitan area in the nation. The city is situated among the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and has the highest elevation among major cities east of the Mississippi River. Atlanta is the major commercial and transportation hub of the southeast United States, and its international airport is one of the busiest in the world. Atlanta’s economy is considered diverse, with dominant sectors that include aerospace, transportation, logistics, professional and business services, media operations, medical services, and information technology. Atlanta has topographic features that include rolling hills and dense tree coverage, earning it the nickname of “the city in a forest.”

Atlanta is also a major educational center, with many prestigious universities and colleges, including Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Georgia State University. Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta University are important historically black colleges.