Metro Atlanta

==Transportation==
The U.S. Census Bureau has defined a metropolitan area for Atlanta which includes, but is not limited to, [[Roswell, Georgia]] and [[Sandy Springs, Georgia]]. According to the 2016 [[American Community Survey]], about 78% of working metropolitan residents commuted by driving alone, 9% carpooled, 3% used public transportation, and 1% walked. Less than 1% of working residents commuted by bicycle, while about 2% of commuters travelled by all other means. About 7% of residents worked at home.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Census Reporter|title=Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metro Area|access-date=May 17, 2018|url=https://censusreporter.org/profiles/31000US12060-atlantasandy-springsroswell-ga-metro-area/|archive-date=May 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518054545/https://censusreporter.org/profiles/31000US12060-atlantasandy-springsroswell-ga-metro-area/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Transit systems===
[[File:Marta plan.png|thumb|Map of the initial plan of the MARTA system from 1976]]
Atlanta has always been a rail town, and the city once had an extensive [[Streetcars in Atlanta|streetcar]] system, which also provided [[interurban]] service as far out as Marietta, {{convert|15|miles}} to the northwest.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artery.org/TrollyBarn.htm|title=Ashby Street Trolly Barn|website=Artery.org|access-date=15 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084141/http://www.artery.org/TrollyBarn.htm|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.helloatlanta.com/Articles/Attraction/981/Marietta_Trolley_Company_rolls_through_history.Cfm |title=Marietta Trolley Company rolls through history |publisher=HelloAtlanta.com |access-date=2009-09-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114124848/http://www.helloatlanta.com/Articles/Attraction/981/Marietta_Trolley_Company_rolls_through_history.Cfm |archive-date=2010-01-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The streetcars were replaced by an extensive [[Trolleybuses in Atlanta|trolleybus system]], supplemented by buses, in the 1940s and 1950–52, and then converted to all buses in the 1950s and 1960–62. However, building a modern rapid transit system proved a difficult and drawn-out process and, compared to the original plans for a regional system, has only partially been accomplished.

[[Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority|MARTA]] operates buses and a [[subway system]] in the city of Atlanta, Fulton, Clayton and Dekalb counties, while [[Cobb Community Transit|Cobb]] and [[Gwinnett County Transit|Gwinnett]] counties operate their own independent Suburban Transit Systems that feed into MARTA. This is a result of those counties' refusal to join the MARTA system (Gwinnett voted in March 2019 to reject MARTA again<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.myajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/gwinnett-upcoming-marta-referendum-comprehensive-voter-guide/CVj5YhwsvzesGoX29o0xvL/|title=Gwinnett's MARTA referendum: a comprehensive voter's guide|author=Tyler Estep|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-date=6 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206072736/https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/gwinnett-upcoming-marta-referendum-comprehensive-voter-guide/CVj5YhwsvzesGoX29o0xvL/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Estep |first1=Tyler |last2=Coyne |first2=Amanda C. |title=Gwinnett's MARTA referendum has failed |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/gwinnett-marta-referendum-has-failed/fzmvZ0KPZAOzGw7rlL9NPJ/# |access-date=2024-01-08 |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |language=English |issn=1539-7459}}</ref>), a situation which was originally closely related to [[white flight]] from the city.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DZEyEtmSKA8C&pg=PA53|title=The Atlanta Paradox – David L. Sojquist|access-date=2009-09-02|isbn=978-0-87154-808-5|last1=Sjoquist|first1=David L.|date=2000-05-25|publisher=Russell Sage Foundation |archive-date=2023-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206072740/https://books.google.com/books?id=DZEyEtmSKA8C&pg=PA53|url-status=live}}</ref> It is the only US system in which the state does not provide any funds for operation or expansion, instead relying entirely on a 1% [[sales tax]] in its three counties. Due to the passage of a 1% sales tax in Clayton County on November 4, 2014, MARTA replaced the defunct C-Tran system bringing buses and commuter rail to the county beginning March 2015, with full bus service in 2016. The [[Atlanta Streetcar]], a {{convert|2.7|mile|adj=on}} light rail loop, connects [[Centennial Olympic Park]] and MARTA heavy rail subway to the Sweet Auburn district and points in between. [[GRTA Xpress|Xpress GA]], a suburban commuter bus service operated by the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority or GRTA, has over 32 routes running from the suburbs and exurbs to downtown Atlanta in 12 metropolitan counties.

Plans are underway for commuter rail and [[bus rapid transit]] (BRT), though these are some years away. The $20&nbsp;billion [[Northwest Corridor HOV/BRT]] project appears to conflict with other plans, such as the metro-wide [[Concept 3]] approved by the [[Transit Planning Board]], and the no-[[Jersey barrier|barrier]] [[High-occupancy toll lane|HOT lanes]] on I‑85 in Gwinnett. MARTA is also considering a BRT line of its own to the east.

The first [[commuter rail]] line would run south of the city, eventually extended to [[Lovejoy, Georgia|Lovejoy]] and possibly [[Hampton, Georgia|Hampton]] near [[Atlanta Motor Speedway]]. The "[[Brain Train]]" would likely be the second route, connecting the [[University of Georgia]] in Athens to [[Emory University]] and [[Georgia Tech]] in Atlanta.

As planned, all commuter trains would arrive at the [[Atlanta Multimodal Passenger Terminal]] (MMPT), the long-delayed facility just across [[Peachtree Street]] from the [[Five Points (MARTA station)|Five Points MARTA station]], where all of its lines meet. Planning for the system and its extension as [[intercity rail]] across the state are the responsibility of the [[Georgia Rail Passenger Authority]].

Another proposed plan that has received very strong [[grassroots]] support in recent years is the [[BeltLine]], a [[Green belt|greenbelt]] and transit system that takes advantage of existing and unused rail tracks to set up a {{convert|22|mile|adj=on}} [[light rail]] or [[streetcar]] circuit around the core of Atlanta, as well as establishing more [[Open space reserve|green space]] and footpaths for pedestrians and bicyclists.

===Commercial railways===
Before Atlanta was even a city, it was a [[railroad]] [[Transport hub|hub]]. From this came the joke, popular among other [[SCulture of the Southern United States|Southerners]], that "regardless of whether one goes to [[heaven]] or [[hell]], everyone must go through Atlanta first". Many of its suburbs pre-date it as depots or [[train station]]s along the major lines in and out of town.

Many of these [[historic]] stations, including Atlanta's [[Atlanta Union Station (1930)|Union Station]] and [[Terminal Station (Atlanta)|Terminal Station]], were [[demolition|demolished]] like many county [[courthouse]]s and other historic buildings. Many have been saved however, including the [[L&N]] station in Woodstock, and the stations along the main [[W&A]] line in Marietta and Smyrna.

Through [[merger]]s, the main railroads in the area are now [[Norfolk Southern]] and [[CSX]]. The [[Georgia Northeastern Railroad]] is a [[short-line railroad|short line]] that also services part of the area. There are also several [[railyards of Atlanta]] and vicinity, as well as the [[Southeastern Railway Museum]] and the [[Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History]].

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, more commonly known as [[Amtrak]], runs the [[intercity rail]] line [[Crescent (Amtrak)|Crescent]] through metro Atlanta twice daily, with one train heading towards [[New Orleans]] and the other headed towards [[New York (city)|New York]]. All trains make a scheduled stop at [[Peachtree Station]] in northern Midtown Atlanta, but it is also possible for arrange for trains to stop in [[Gainesville, Georgia|Gainesville]], Georgia as well.

===Air===
[[Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport]] is the world's busiest airport and is the only [[international airport]] for the region (and only major international airport for the state).

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Domestic-only carriers from Atlanta:
* Alaska Airlines
* American Airlines
* Frontier Airlines
* JetBlue Airways
* Spirit Airlines
* United Airlines

Domestic and international from Atlanta:
* Delta Air Lines
* Southwest Airlines

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Foreign-based international carriers:
* Aeromexico
* Air Canada
* Air France (Joint venture with Delta Air Lines)
* British Airways
* KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Joint venture with Delta Air Lines)
* Korean Air
* Lufthansa German Airlines
* Qatar Airways
* Turkish Airlines
* Virgin Atlantic
* WestJet
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Other airports (maintained by local counties) include [[Charlie Brown Field]] (Fulton), [[McCollum Field]] (Cobb), [[Cartersville Airport]] (Bartow), [[DeKalb Peachtree Airport]] (DeKalb), [[Briscoe Field]] (Gwinnett), [[Coweta County Airport]] (Coweta), [[Cherokee County Airport (Georgia)|Cherokee County Airport]] (Cherokee), [[Clayton County Airport - Tara Field|Atlanta Speedway Airport]] (Henry), and [[Paulding County Airport]] (Paulding). Former local airports were [[Stone Mountain Airport]] and [[Parkaire Field]], among others.

[[DeKalb Peachtree Airport]] is the primary business jet airport. This is due to its proximity to Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, and the Perimeter office areas.

===Roads and freeways===
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Atlanta is served by three major interstate highways. Including tributaries, they are the following:

(Note: The cities used below are also the [[control cities]] used for the Metro Atlanta Bypass/I-285 signs entering from the suburbs.)

[[Interstate 75 in Georgia|Interstate&nbsp;75]] passes through from Macon to the south, and from [[Chattanooga]] to the north. [[Interstate&nbsp;575]] is a spur which merges with I‑75 near Kennesaw. I‑575 serves northeast portions of Cobb County and a large portion of Cherokee County. It ends in Ball Ground. [[Interstate 675 (Georgia)|Interstate 675]] is a route which connects I‑75 in Henry County to I‑285 in southern Dekalb County. Most of the corridor is within Clayton County.

[[Interstate 85 in Georgia|Interstate 85]] passes through from Montgomery on the southwest and from Greenville on the northeast. I-75 merges with I-85 to form the [[Downtown Connector]] from the Brookwood Interchange, just north of Midtown Atlanta, to just south of the [[Lakewood Freeway]] in south Atlanta. [[Interstate 185 (Georgia)|Interstate&nbsp;185]] is a spur which merges with I‑85 in LaGrange and stretches southward to Columbus. [[Interstate&nbsp;985]] is a spur which merges with I‑85 in Suwanee and serves the northern suburbs of Gwinnett and Hall Counties. It terminates just northeast of Gainesville.

[[Interstate 285 (Georgia)|Interstate 285]] is the [[beltway]] which encircles the city and its immediate eastern suburbs. It is commonly known as the Perimeter. I‑285 passes through Clayton, Cobb, Fulton, and DeKalb Counties.

[[Interstate 20 in Georgia|Interstate&nbsp;20]] passes through from Birmingham to the west and from Augusta to the east. It serves Douglasville, the major suburb west of Atlanta. It serves Lithonia and Conyers to the east.

Atlanta is also served by several other freeways, in addition to the interstate highways, including:

[[Georgia&nbsp;400]] is the main corridor serving the north-central suburbs, and was the only toll road in the metropolitan Atlanta area. As of November 23, 2013, the tolls ended and the toll plazas were demolished. It reaches into the northern portion of Fulton County and gradually turns northeast before entering Forsyth County. The controlled-access portion terminates just northeast of the city of Cumming. To the south, it terminates and merges into southbound I‑85 just south of the Buckhead [[business district]]. Cumming/[[Dahlonega]] is used on I‑285 as the northbound sign, and Atlanta/Buckhead as the southbound. From I‑85 northbound, it uses Buckhead/Cumming.

[[Stone Mountain Freeway]], or [[U.S.&nbsp;78]], is an 8‑mile corridor east of Downtown Atlanta and the neighboring suburb of Decatur. It serves northeast portions of Dekalb County, including the city of Stone Mountain. It continues east as a divided highway into south Gwinnett County, including the suburb of Snellville. U.S.&nbsp;78 also stretches east to Athens.

Lakewood Freeway, or [[Georgia State Route 166|Georgia&nbsp;166]], extends between Lakewood Park in south Atlanta and Campbellton Road, just west of I‑285.

Peachtree Industrial Blvd, or [[Georgia State Route 141|Georgia 141]], is a route north-northeast of Atlanta which begins on the north side of I‑285 and runs parallel to I‑85 for about four miles until it terminates when it splits into GA‑141 and Peachtree Industrial (continuing as a normal divided highway).

[[Georgia State Route 316]] is a four-mile-long route that branches from I‑85 and stretches eastward into Gwinnett County. It continues east as a normal divided highway through the suburb of Lawrenceville and on to Athens.

There are many historic roads across the area, named after [[historic mills of the Atlanta area|its mills]] and [[historic ferries of the Atlanta area|early ferries]], and [[historic bridges of the Atlanta area|the bridges]] later built to replace the ferries. [[Pace's Ferry]] is perhaps the best known.

Owing to the area's long history of settlement and uneven terrain, most [[arterial road]]s are not straight but meander instead, which can be confusing as much as the famed proliferation of Atlanta streets with "Peachtree" in the name. It is also often joked that half the streets are named Peachtree, while the other half have several names to make up for it.

Partly, confusion is because the region maintains the historic nomenclature of each county naming its roads for the towns they connect with in surrounding counties. Thus, from Dallas to Roswell, [[Georgia State Route 120|Georgia&nbsp;120]] is Marietta Highway to the Paulding/Cobb county line, is Dallas Highway to the city of Marietta, Whitlock Avenue to the [[town square]], South Park Square for just one [[city block]], Roswell Street to [[Cobb Parkway]] (at the [[Big Chicken]]), Roswell Road to the Cobb/Fulton county line, and finally Marietta Street to the town square in Roswell. Further confusion is from the arbitrary location of state routes by the [[Georgia Department of Transportation]] (GDOT), so that they travel an erratic path requiring several turns by drivers instead of traveling the original straight route; and the renaming of roads by state legislators to honor their friends.

There are many roads like this throughout the area, leading to duplication of names in different counties. In Fulton, "Roswell Road" refers to [[Georgia&nbsp;9]] through northern Atlanta and across Sandy Springs, in addition to the above-mentioned use in Cobb, for example. Numeric [[street address]]ing is done by county as well, with the origin usually being at one corner of the town square in the county seat. The [[U.S.&nbsp;Postal Service]] ignores these actual and logical boundaries however, overlapping [[ZIP&nbsp;code]]s and their associated place names across counties. The Cumberland/Galleria area has Cobb's numbers and an "SE"&nbsp;suffix, but is called "Atlanta" by the USPS (despite being [[Vinings, Georgia|Vinings]], which the USPS ironically calls "unacceptable"), which can confuse visitors to think it is far away in southeast Atlanta.

Where more than one town in the same county has a road to the same place, the smaller towns have their own name prefixed to it, while the [[county seat]] does not. The road need not go directly to the other place, but may connect through other roads. Examples include Due West Road west from Marietta, Kennesaw Due West Road southwest from Kennesaw, and Acworth Due West Road south from Acworth. Some are usually [[hyphen]]ated, like Peachtree-Dunwoody Road, Ashford-Dunwoody Road, Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, and Chamblee-Tucker Road.

There are also several roads named for communities which have been overwhelmed by the urban and suburban sprawl, and so are somewhat odd to newcomers. These include [[Sandy Plains, Georgia|Sandy Plains]], [[Crabapple, Georgia|Crabapple]], [[Toonigh, Georgia|Toonigh]], [[Luxomni, Georgia|Luxomni]], and [[Due West, Georgia|Due West]]. Some of these communities are in the middle of the road, while some are at or very near one end. Some areas are renamed, either over time (Sandy Plains gradually became "Sprayberry" when [[Sprayberry High School]] moved there and similarly named shopping centers popped up around it); by the USPS (Toonigh is identified as "Lebanon"), or after rapid development. In such cases, the roads usually maintain their historic names even if the neighborhoods do not.

There are also a few [[U.S.&nbsp;highway]]s that cross the area, including [[U.S. Route 19 in Georgia|19]], [[U.S. Route 23 in Georgia|23]], [[U.S. Route 29 in Georgia|29]], [[U.S. Route 41 in Georgia|41]], and [[U.S. Route 78 in Georgia|78]].

Other arterials are completely new, like much of [[Barrett Parkway]], [[Sugarloaf Parkway]] and [[South Fulton Parkway]], constructed by their counties but partly covered with a state route number. Occasionally, roads are realigned or extended to meet each other directly at a cross-road, leading to odd curves and name changes.