Historical Timeline

Atlanta has a rich history marked by its growth from a small railroad town to a major metropolitan city. 

• 1837 Atlanta’s location was marked as the spot where the Western & Atlantic railroad terminated, earning the nickname Terminus. 

• 1843 The town was renamed Marthasville in honor of Martha Lumpkin, the daughter of former Georgia Governor Wilson Lumpkin. 

• 1845 Marthasville’s name was changed to Atlanta, inspired by the town’s proximity to the Atlantic line. 

• 1868 Atlanta became Georgia’s state capitol, marking a pivotal moment in its transformation into a metropolitan city. 

• 1886 Dr. John Pemberton served the first glass of Coca-Cola at Jacob’s pharmacy. 

• 1889 Dr. John Pemberton sold his remaining interest in Coca-Cola to Asa Candler. 

• 1892 Asa Candler incorporated the Coca-Cola Company. 

• 1925 Mayor Walter Sims signed a lease on an abandoned racetrack and committed the City of Atlanta to develop it into an airfield. The land was renamed Candler Field after its former owner’s family, Asa Candler. 

• 1929 Candler Field became known as Atlanta Municipal Airport. As the airport grew, the name was changed to reflect its role as a major hub. 

• 1929 Atlanta University Center Consortium, the world’s largest consortia of African American private institutions of higher education, was founded. 

• 1936 Margaret Mitchell published Gone with the Wind. 

• 1960s Atlanta became the cultural catalyst for the civil rights movement, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis and several others grew the movement nationally. 

• 1970 Atlanta hosted its first pride parade, which is now one of the largest and oldest in the country. 

• 1971 Atlanta Municipal Airport was renamed to William B. Hartsfield Atlanta Airport after the city’s former mayor who played a crucial role in the development of the airport.  
  • Later this year, the airport’s name was changed again to William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, when Eastern Airlines introduced flights to Mexico and Montego Bay, the airport’s first international service. 

• 1976 Georgia World Congress Center opened. 

• 1980 CNN (Cable News Network) launched in Atlanta.
  
• 1980 Under the leadership of Mayor Maynard. H Jackson, William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport opened the world’s largest air passenger terminal complex. 

• 1990 World of Coca-Cola opened in Underground Atlanta. 

• 1992 Georgia Dome opened. 

• 1994 Atlanta hosted Super Bowl XXVIII at Georgia Dome. 

• 1996 Atlanta hosted 1996 Summer Olympic Games. 

• 2000 Atlanta hosted Super Bowl XXXIV at Georgia Dome. 

• 2003 To honor former mayors William B. Hartsfield and Maynard H. Jackson, Atlanta City Council changed the name of the airport to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. 

• 2005 Georgia Aquarium opened in Pemberton Place. 

• 2004 Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame and National Center for Civil and Human Rights opened in Pemberton Place. 

• 2007 World of Coca-Cola relocated to Pemberton Place.

• 2017 Georgia Dome was demolished and Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened. 

• 2019 Atlanta hosted Super Bowl LIII.

• 2023 Atlanta became the ninth MICHELIN Guide destination in North America.

• 2024 Signia by Hilton Atlanta, Georgia World Congress Center’s new headquarter hotel, opens.

• 2025 National Center for Civil and Human Rights completed a $57.9 million expansion while major developments, South Downtown and Centennial Yards, continue to reimagine downtown Atlanta.

Today, Atlanta is known as the epicenter of the South, serving as a hub for business, culture and transportation. The city continues to evolve while honoring its storied past.