ATLANTA, Ga., city, capital of the State, and county-seat of Fulton County, 290 miles northwest of Savannah, with railway facilities including 15 radiating lines, five of which be long to the Southern Railway, and three con trolled by the Louisville & Nashville system. Belt lines complete the terminal system, which centres in a fine union depot completed at a cost of $1,000,000. Local transportation is unified in a system of well-equipped street rail ways covering 235 miles of track, 200 within the city, the rest extending eight miles out. At lanta is locally called the ((manufacturing and industrial metropolis of the southeast." The area of the city is 26 square miles, and the boundary is nearly a circle of 31/2 miles diame ter, extended in two suburbs. Situated at the foot of the Appalachian chain of mountains on the ridge dividing the watershed of the Atlantic Ocean from that of the Gulf of Mexico, the altitude of 1,050 feet at the lowest point and 1,100 feet at the highest makes the climate cooler than the latitude, 33° 44' 58.8", would indicate, and the air has a bracing and invigor ating effect conducive to mental and physical vigor which makes Atlanta a desirable place of residence. The mean summer temperature is 77°; winter, This commanding site was developed by the building of railroads in the first half of the 19th century. The village of Marthasville was first a terminus of the line from Savannah and Macon. As one road after another centred there the place grew rapidly and became known as its destiny as a business centre was foreseen, and the name changed to Atlanta. Here eastern and western traffic meet. After the vicissitudes of the Civil War, the legislature removed from Milledgeville and Atlanta became the capital of the State during the reconstruction era. It was made the permanent capital by vote of the people in 1887, and the capitol building was completed in 1889 at a cost of $1,000,000. At lanta became the business centre of the South eastern States and shared the general growth, developing rapidly after the Cotton Exposition of 1881, projected by citizens of Atlanta, be came a rallying point fot Southern industry. A second exposition held in 1895 greatly stimu lated the growth of business; in 1914 the national government selected Atlanta as a site for the regional bank to serve the Southeastern States of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Missis sippi, North and South Carolina and Tennes see; and in 1915 the annual fair became a per manent fixture. Bank clearings increased from $56,000,000 in 1894 to $739,294,232 in 1915. In the same period bank deposits grew from less than $4,000,000 to $36,216,566. Business in creased four times as fast as population, al though that has grown at the rate of 4 per cent a year. The wholesale and retail trade of one year is now estimated at $200,000,000. The mule market is now the second most important in the country. Sales for any recent year are estimated at 65,000 head, valued at more than 11,000,000. Total trade and manufactures, ,000,000. As a manufacturing centre, At anta's output is varied. A recent census re ported 898 establishments with $62,614,590 of capital, 21,482 wage earners, $14,284,923 total wages, and $55,011,690 of products. The most important products are cotton goods, fertilizers, gins, engines, car-wheels, machinery, lumber, sheet-metal work, terra-cotta, brick, wagons, carriages and buggies, furniture, confectionery, crackers, cigars, coffins, chemicals, printing, lithographing, electrotyping, engraving, paper bags, flour and meal, paints, varnish, cotton seed oil and cake, ice, harness, belting, hosiery, suspenders, underwear, neckwear, woolen goods, clothing, trunks and condiments.
The factories of the city use 45,000 horse power furnished by steam and electricity. A massive masonry dam has been constructed at Bull Sluice Shoals on the Chattahoochee, and a plant costing $2,000,000, completed near the middle of 1904, delivers 11,000 horse-power of electric current in the city. This gave a new impetus to manufacturing, much of the addi tional power having been taken in advance of completion. Atlanta's central position has made it southern headquarters for large business concerns. It is the fourth insurance centre of the United States, with premium collections estimated at $11,000,000 per annum, and is head quarters for the railways, telegraphs, tele phones and the large industrial corporations doing business in the Southern or Southeastern States. The concentration of these interests
has created such a demand for quarters that Atlanta has more fireproof office buildings than any other Southern city. A fireproof hotel with over 300 rooms was recently com pleted. With other excellent hotels, Atlanta has been famous for many years as *A Convention City* and has an auditorium seating 8,000 peo ple. Atlanta is the most important centre of publication for newspapers and periodicals in the Southern States. The postal receipts for second-class matter reach $100,000 in a single fiscal year, thus exceeding those of Brooklyn, Baltimore, Buffalo, Washington city, Omaha, New Orleans, Louisville or Indianapolis, while the increase of general postal receipts since the exposition has been remarkable and now ex ceed $1,466,000 for a single year. Congress appropriated $200,000 for an entire block of ground upon which a very handsome post-office and custom house has been erected at a cost of $1,000,000. This and the State capitol, al ready mentioned, with its exterior of oolitic limestone and the interior ornamented with Georgia marble, are the chief among the fine buildings of the city. Street improvements have cost more than $10,000.000, including 292 miles of sewers, 230 of paved streets, 487 of side walks. Fifteen miles of streets are paved with asphalt, the remainder with granite blocks, macadam and vitrified brick. The city water works takes its supply from the Chattahoochee River above Peachtree Creek, in a sparsely pop ulated district. By settling and filtration water is purified. Two engines of 15,000,000 gallons daily capacity each pump it into the city. The consumption is nearly 20,000,000 gallons a day. For domestic use water is supplied at 10 cents per thousand gallons. At this rate, with some reduction to manufacturers, the city makes a profit. Fire, police, sanitary and other city de partments are well equipped and efficient. The city government is administered by a mayor and general council. Appropriation bills are voted separately by two legislative branches, and the mayor has a veto. Bonded debt is limited by State Constitution to 7 per cent of the taxable wealth. The charter requires a sinking fund to retire all bonds in 30 years from date of issue. Atlanta is one of 10 cities designated by the Secretary of the Treasury whose bonds might be used as security for Federal deposits. The tax rate is per cent and the assessment aver ages 60 per cent of actual value. The city as sessment for 1915 showed $185,825,693 of tax able wealth. The streets of the residential sec tions are particularly attractive with grassy lawns and shade trees. Grant Park, Piedmont Park, Lakewood, East Lake, Ponce De Leon Spring and the Chattahoochee River are outing resorts. A bill has been introduced in Congress to make a national military park on the battle ground north of the city. Public spirit is strong in Atlanta. The Chamber of Commerce, Clearing House Association, Credit Men's Association, Manufacturers' Association and Freight Bureau are organs for concerted action among business men. The Greater Georgia Association, projected by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, unites the efforts of Georgia towns, cities and counties to develop the resources of the State. Fraternal and social organizations are numerous and active. Re ligious denominations are well organized. The public school system comprises grammar schools and high schools, with over 26,000 pupils, three business colleges 1,500 students, medical and dental colleges have 1,500. Two male colleges, a female seminary and sev eral select schools for boys have an attendance of 2,500. The Georgia Institute of Technology with 900 students is the most important institu tion for higher education. It has textile, me chanical engineering and electrical engineering schools and machine-shop practice in addition to literary and scientific courses. The total number of students in the city in higher in stitutions for white youths and girls is about 7,000. A site has been donated and funds are partially raised for the Oglethorpe (Presby terian) University the total investment of which is estimated at Emory (Methodist) University is also being established with funds already acquired, onounting to $3,000,000.