We will be having our next Class Reunion in Atlanta, GA. We know many of you live in other states, some of you in other countries.  You will see there is a lot of information on this page to help you get aquainted with this great city. We have reserved a block of rooms for this reunion (click on Accomodations) and mentioned some Things To Do in Atlanta, GA. Click around for restaurants and more.

Although it will forever be known as the city that Sherman burned during his infamous march to the sea, Atlanta refuses to be defined by its long-ago misfortune. More than a century after that transforming event, the city stands as one of the nation's foremost metropolitan areas, a regional powerhouse that proudly bears the moniker, "Capital of the New South."

Atlanta's prominence would have been hard to envision in the early 19th century, when the settlement known as Terminus was little more than a railroad stop. Still, steady growth – and an especial drive to rebuild – following the Civil War gave rise to Atlanta's ever-increasing stature and its current position as a city of commerce, history, culture, and advancement.

Beyond being home to Margaret Mitchell – whose tale of loss and resiliency amid moss-draped oaks and plantation houses colors any mention of the South – Atlanta is the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr. Raised in the city's Sweet Auburn neighborhood, King still has a presence in latter-day Atlanta, and visitors make frequent pilgrimages to the home, church, and grave of this pre-eminent civil rights leader. An affiliated museum and center for social change also lie in the vicinity.

Business prospers in Atlanta too, thanks to multinational corporations, global banks, and mom-and-pop operations alike. CNN, the brainchild of Ted Turner, maintains its headquarters here, along with Coca-Cola, a hometown success story begun in pharmacist John Pemberton's backyard. The soft drink's history, in fact, is charted in a popular attraction called World of Coca-Cola, which details soda production, Coke products around the globe, and the company's most well-known advertising campaigns.

With its increasing worldwide connections, Atlanta has necessarily tempered some of its traditional Southern character. Half the city's population now has origins from outside the South, although hospitality and graciousness remain strong suits. Plus, the influx of other cultural influences has only added to the regional dining scene. Great restaurants flourish throughout the metro area, serving everything from biscuits and gravy to empanadas, sushi, and even churrasco. And without fail, sweet tea flows by the gallon, an addiction cultivated in native sons and daughters since birth.

Leisure hours offer plenty. Atlanta's nightlife scene promises cutting-edge clubs, hip lounges, and laid-back bars that help smooth out the roughness of a day gone by. Fabulous shopping easily attests to the city's cosmopolitan flair and to its disposable income. For proof, just look to Lenox Square Mall and Phipps Plaza. Plus, culture thrives in theater, dance, art, and such enviable institutions as the High Museum and the Fabulous Fox Theatre, an historic venue with Moorish styling that's a throwback to 1920s opulence.

Sports events also draw spectators galore. The Georgia Dome, home to the NFL Falcons, hosts not only home games but huge events like the Super Bowl and Final Four. And Philips Arena, which sits alongside the CNN Center, serves as home to the Hawks and the Thrashers and welcomes big-name concerts and big-ticket events as well.

The "City of Trees" also invites folks outdoors, and thanks to a perpetually mild climate, nature is a constant guest in Atlanta. Ever-popular Piedmont Park and the quieter Grant Park call to athletes and loungers throughout the week, and Centennial Olympic Park remembers the coup scored when the city hosted the 1996 Olympic Games. It offers a picturesque, relaxed oasis in the midst of the city.

And if all that's not enough, Atlanta maintains a wealth of additional charm for residents and visitors alike. Lovely neighborhoods, intriguing architecture, and a passionate regard for the Braves add character to the city and its suburbs, which shelter more than four million residents. It's of little surprise, then, that with such unabated growth and eminently appealing quality of life, Atlanta – rather than proving itself the terminus its original name indicated – has developed into a city of expansion and forward movement – lately international, perpetually American, proudly Southern.