Metro Atlanta
According to the 2000 census, the 20-county Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area has a population of 4,089,215, making it the tenth largest metropolitan area in the United States. As of 2003 Estimates, the metro area has swelled to 4,437,295 living in the 20-county area.
Counties
Cities
Anchor city
Suburbs with 10,000 or more inhabitants
Suburbs with less than 10,000 inhabitants
Transportation and communication
Metro Atlanta is served by six major interstate highway routes to and from the city. I-75 is the busiest and carries a great deal of truck traffic, running south-southeast to Macon and northwest to Chattanooga (and I-575 to Canton). I-85 runs southwest to Montgomery (and I-185 to Columbus), and northeast to Greenville/Spartanburg (and I-985 to Gainesville). I-20 runs east to Augusta and Columbia, and west to Birmingham.
I-285 runs around the city in a circle, and is called the Perimeter. I-75/85 is joined through downtown Atlanta, called the Downtown Connector. I-675 joins I-75 in the south metro to the southeastern end of I-285. Georgia 400 runs north to Alpharetta, then somewhat northeast to Dahlonega in the mountains.
MARTA operates rapid transit in Fulton and Dekalb counties, while Gwinnett, Cobb, and Clayton counties operate their own buses with no current rail transit. Plans are underway for commuter rail, though this is several years away yet.
The area has three telephone area codes. 404, which originally covered all of northern Georgia until 1992, now covers only inside the Perimeter (Interstate 285). In 1995, the suburbs were put into 770, and 678 was overlaid onto both in 1998, requiring mandatory ten-digit dialing even for local calls under FCC rules. A new area code will be added by 2004, however the 470 assigned for this may be changed as it is extremely confusing with both 404 and 770, and 478 in adjoing central Georgia. Cellphones, originally only 404, may now have any local area code regardless of where they were issued in the area.
Major fiber-optic lines and oil and natural gas pipelines cross the area, running from the Gulf coast, Texas, and Louisiana to the population centers of the northeastern U.S.
See Also
