Metro Atlanta

==Geography==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2023}}
{{wide image|Atlanta Skyline, May 2013.jpg|699px|align-cap=center|The topography and geography of Atlanta}}

===Topography and geology===
The area sprawls across the low [[foothills]] of the [[Appalachian Mountains]] to the north and the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]] to the south. The northern and some western suburbs tend to be higher and significantly more [[hill]]y than the southern and eastern suburbs. The average elevation is around {{convert|1000|ft|m|-1}}.

The highest point in the immediate area is [[Kennesaw Mountain]] at {{convert|1808|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, followed by [[Stone Mountain]] at {{convert|1686|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, [[Sweat Mountain]] at {{convert|1640|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, and [[Little Kennesaw Mountain]] at {{convert|1600|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}. Others include [[Blackjack Mountain (Cobb County, Georgia)|Blackjack Mountain]], [[Lost Mountain]], [[Brushy Mountain (Cobb County, Georgia)|Brushy Mountain]], [[Pine Mountain (Cobb County, Georgia)|Pine Mountain]], and [[Mount Wilkinson]] ([[Vinings Mountain]]). Many of these play prominently in the various [[battle]]s of the [[Atlanta Campaign]] during the [[American Civil War]]. If the further-north counties are included, [[Bear Mountain (Georgia)|Bear Mountain]] is highest, followed by [[Pine Log Mountain]], [[Sawnee Mountain]], and [[Hanging Mountain]], followed by the others listed above. Stone, Sweat, Bear, and Sawnee are all home to some of [[list of Atlanta broadcast stations by location#Mountains|the area's broadcast stations]].

The area's [[subsoil]] is a dense clay soil, colored [[rust]]y by the [[iron oxide]] present in it. It becomes very [[mud]]dy and sticky when wet, and hard when dry, and [[stain]]s light-colored [[carpet]]s and [[clothing]] easily. It also tends to have a low [[pH]], further aggravating gardeners. The fineness of it also means it is easily deposited into streams during heavy rains, creating [[silt]] problems where it is exposed due to construction. This transported red soil can be seen downstream on the [[Bank (geography)|riverbanks]] of south Georgia (where the native clay is white), and down to the [[Florida panhandle]] (where the native [[sand]] is also white). [[Topsoil]] is present only in natural forest areas, created by the [[decomposition]] of [[leaf litter]].

====Earthquakes and fault lines====
An extinct [[fault line]] called the Brevard Fault runs roughly parallel to the [[Chattahoochee River]], but as its last movements were apparently [[prehistoric]], it is considered extinct and not a threat to the region. Still, minor [[earthquake]]s do rattle the area (and all of Georgia) occasionally. [[2003 Alabama earthquake|One notable one was in April 2003]] (magnitude&nbsp;4.6) coming from the northwest, its [[epicenter]] just across the state line in northeastern Alabama. While many people slept through the 5<small>A.M.</small> quake, it caused a minor panic in others completely unaware of what was happening. Similar earthquakes occur in this region called the [[Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone]], often felt much more widely across the stronger [[Earth's crust|crust]] of eastern North America as compared to the west. 

Thus, the [[1886 Charleston earthquake|1886 Charleston, South Carolina earthquake]] was also felt in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast. It caused damage as far as central Alabama and West Virginia. Two small earthquakes were also felt on the southeast side near [[Eatonton, Georgia|Eatonton]] in early April 2009. The [[New Madrid Seismic Zone]] (near the Missouri-Tennessee borders) and the [[seismic zone]] producing the 1886 magnitude 7.3 earthquake are still capable of producing moderate or major earthquakes, which the entire Atlanta area will feel moderately or even strongly.

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Atlanta}}
The Atlanta metro area has a [[humid subtropical climate]] with four [[season]]s. Summer is the longest. January daily lows average from {{convert|32|-|35|°F|°C}} north to south, and highs range from {{convert|48|-|54|°F|°C}}, but often reach well above or below this average. There is an average annual snowfall of about {{convert|2.5|in|cm}}, falling mostly from December through March, though there was snow north of the city on April 3, 1987. Snow flurries are actually common during the winter months when there is an especially deep trough in the jet stream. These events usually do not amount to more than a slight dusting and therefore go unrecognized in most weather summaries. 

Summers are long and consistently hot and humid. July mornings average {{convert|71|°F|°C}} and afternoons average {{convert|89|°F|°C}}, with slight breezes, and typically a 20–40% chance of afternoon [[thunderstorm]]s. During the summer afternoon thunderstorms, temperatures may suddenly drop to 70–77 degrees with locally heavy rainfall. Average annual rainfall is about {{convert|50.2|in|mm}}. Late winter and early spring, as well as July, are the wettest. Fall, especially October, is the driest.

From 1878 to 2011, the highest recorded temperatures at Atlanta were {{convert|105|°F|°C|1}} on three days in the extraordinarily hot July 1980, followed by {{convert|104|°F|°C}} that month and in August 2007, the hottest month ever for the area. This was broken on the last day of June 2012, when the temperature reached {{convert|106|°F|°C|1}}, during a massive [[heat wave]] that hit most of the country, with another 105 the next day tying the July record. The lowest recorded temperatures were {{convert|-6|°F|°C}} and {{convert|-8|°F|°C}} on January 20 and 21 of 1985, and {{convert|-9|°F|°C}} on February 13, 1899, during severe cold snaps that went so far south they devastated the entire [[citrus]] industry in [[central Florida]].

[[Hurricane Opal]] brought sustained [[tropical storm]] conditions to the area one night in early October 1995, uprooting hundreds of [[tree]]s and causing widespread [[power outage]]s, after soaking the area with rain for two days prior. Since 1950, some metro counties have been hit more than 20 times by tornadoes. Cobb (26) and Fulton (22) are two of the highest in the state. The [[Dunwoody tornado]] in early April 1998 was the worst [[tornado]] to have struck the area. A [[2008 Atlanta tornado|tornado struck downtown Atlanta]] in March 2008, causing a half-billion dollars in damage, one of the most expensive storms ever recorded anywhere.

The area experiences a [[winter storm]] with significant [[snow]]fall about once each year. This can be extremely irregular, with several consecutive years receiving no measurable snow. A [[blizzard]] (see: [[1993 Storm of the Century]]) caught much of the Southeast off-guard in 1993, dumping {{convert|4.5|in|cm|1}} at the Atlanta airport on March 13, and much more than that in the suburbs to the north and west, as well as in the mountains. The only other recorded winter storm of comparable severity was the [[Great Blizzard of 1899]]. The heaviest snow was in January 1940, when {{convert|8.3|in|cm|1}} buried the city during its coldest month on record. The second-heaviest was in 1983, when a very late storm dumped {{convert|7.9|in|cm|1}} on March 24. [[Ice storms]] have occurred in the area. The well-remembered 1973 ice storm was brutal, as was the storm in 1982.

The Southeastern U.S. drought of 2006–2008 began with dry weather in 2006, and left area lakes very low. The drought began to abate significantly after the [[2009 Atlanta floods]], when some areas got up to {{convert|20|in|mm|-2}} of rain in a week, with half of that falling in just 24 hours near the end of the period. The [[USGS]] calculated it to be a greater-than-[[500-year flood]].

===Environment===
The area's prolific rains are drained by many different [[stream]]s and creeks. The main [[drainage basin|basin]] is that of the [[Chattahoochee River]], running northeast to southwest. The further northwestern suburbs drain into the [[Etowah River]] via the [[Little River (northern Georgia)|Little River]] and [[Lake Allatoona]]. The southern suburbs are drained by the [[Flint River (Georgia)|Flint River]], and the east-southeastern ones by the [[Oconee River]] and [[Yellow River (Georgia)|Yellow River]].

By 2005 the metro area was using {{convert|360|e6USgal|m3}} of water per day (about {{convert|80|USgal|L}} per person per day) from these rivers. This usage was reduced by more than 10% during the drought, but soared back up after watering restrictions were eased (and before the flooding ensued). The need for water is seen as a barrier to further growth in the area, but permanent measures for non-emergency [[water conservation]] have never been put in place.{{Citation needed|date=April 2016}} The state legislature has refused to pass a requirement for [[low-flow toilet]]s to be installed in homes that are sold, bowing to [[lobbying|pressure]] from the [[real estate]] [[home selling|sales]] industry.{{Citation needed|date=April 2016}}

Disputes over water are becoming increasingly common, with both [[Alabama]] and [[Florida]] filing [[lawsuit]]s and threatening [[injunction]]s to prevent Georgia from taking too much water, mostly for metro Atlanta.{{Citation needed|date=April 2016}} [[South Carolina]] also threatened when a [[pipeline transport|pipeline]] east to the [[Savannah River]] was mentioned even informally.{{Citation needed|date=April 2016}} The state has now been ordered by a judge to reduce withdrawals from the Chattahoochee south of Lanier to 1970s levels within three years (2012), something that would create an immediate emergency water shortage if it were actually enforced.{{Citation needed|date=April 2016}}

====Flora====
The native [[forest]] [[canopy (forest)|canopy]] is mainly [[oak]], redbud, [[hickory]], [[Populus|poplar]], [[tuliptree]], [[pine]], and [[Liquidambar styraciflua|sweetgum]], with [[American chestnut|chestnut]] having been common decades before in what is now considered [[oak-hickory forest]]. [[Saw palmetto]], [[Sabal palmetto]] and [[Trachycarpus fortunei]] have become common ornamentals as well. Traveling from the south, the metro area is generally the first area in which [[autumn leaf color]] can be seen, due to the different trees growing at the higher elevation and [[latitude]]. [[Understory|Underneath]], the [[flowering dogwood]] is very common, the [[black cherry]] are quite prolific, with [[mulberry]] popping up sometimes as well. [[Sourwood]] is also in its native range, and is easily identified by the fact that it turns fiery red in early October, much brighter and weeks earlier than most other trees (which usually peak in early November).

Shrubby plants include [[blackberry]], [[horsechestnut]], [[sumac]], and sometimes [[Crataegus|hawthorn]]. [[Parthenocissus quinquefolia|Virginia creeper]], [[poison-ivy (plant)|poison ivy]], and [[Smilax|briar]] are common [[vine]]s. The [[Helianthus porteri|Confederate yellow daisy]] is a [[wildflower]] native only to the area around Stone Mountain.

Common garden plants include dogwood, [[azalea]], [[hydrangea]], [[flowering cherry]], [[maple]]s, [[pin oak]], [[red-tip photinia]], [[holly]], [[juniper]], [[Eastern white pine|white pine]], [[magnolia]], [[Bradford pear]], [[forsythia]], [[liriope (plant)|liriope]] ([[mondograss]]), and [[English ivy]]. [[Lawn]]s can be either cool-season [[grass]]es like [[fescue]] and [[rye]], or warm-season like [[zoysia]] and [[bermudagrass]] which turn brown in late fall. A few [[homeowners association]]s actually prohibit green grass in the winter.

Native to the nearby mountains, maples are now one of the most common landscape trees for new homes and parking lots, giving their color in the fall instead of spring. When planted close to buildings (which provide shelter and radiate heat), they can retain some of their color into December, especially if November has been warm.

Common [[lawn]] weeds are [[Potentilla indica|mock strawberry]], [[violet (plant)|violet]], [[Allium|wild onion]], and of course the ubiquitous [[dandelion]], [[crabgrass]], and [[Plantago|plantain]].

By far the most notorious [[introduced species]] is [[kudzu]], a highly [[invasive species]] from [[Japan]] which climbs and smothers trees and shrubs. New effective herbicides as well as increased development of formerly rural areas has greatly reduced kudzu in the metro area (although still quite common elsewhere in Georgia). Wisteria planted decades ago by farmers in then-rural areas has become wild and is common in undeveloped forests. Some vines exceed 50 years of age and cover dozens of acres of forest, creating a dense, purple explosion each spring.

[[Japanese honeysuckle]] is extremely common, its fragrance an early summer delight. A common ornamental shrub, the [[Chinese privet]], has escaped to become the state's most invasive non-native plant species.

====Fauna====
Among [[mammal]]s, the [[eastern gray squirrel]] is by far the most ubiquitous, stealing [[birdseed]] from the [[bird feeder]]s which many locals maintain. [[Chipmunk]]s and small brown [[rabbit]]s are common, but it is relatively rare to hear of them doing any damage. [[Opossum]], [[raccoon]]s, [[fox]]es, [[coyote]]s and [[armadillo]]s are frequently seen. Garden and meadow snakes are common; six venomous [[pit viper]] snakes ([[Eastern diamondback rattlesnake]], [[timber rattlesnake]], [[pygmy rattlesnake]], [[coral snake]], [[Agkistrodon piscivorus|water moccasin]] and [[Agkistrodon contortrix|copperhead]]) are indigenous, but reports of bites are rare. Many types of frogs, including tree frogs and bullfrogs, are easily heard in early summer, as are [[cicada]]s in July and August. [[American black bear|Black bears]] occasionally wander down from the mountains, and [[white-tailed deer]] are abundant; overpopulated in some areas. Homeowners in the outer suburbs are prone to landscaping damage due to scavenging deer.

The most common [[bird]]s are the [[brown thrasher]] (the GA [[List of U.S. state birds|state bird]]), [[American crow]], [[common starling|European (or common) starling]], [[American robin]], [[mourning dove]], [[house sparrow]], [[northern cardinal]], [[house finch]], [[Carolina chickadee]], [[tufted titmouse]], [[bluejay]], [[white-breasted nuthatch]], eastern bluebird, mockingbird, [[brown-headed nuthatch]], and [[Carolina wren]]. Birds of prey thrive in the area, with three varieties of hawks common near open fields in even the most populated areas. Falcons roost on skyscrapers in downtown Atlanta and can be regularly seen feasting on pigeons. 

The American kestrel is sometimes seen. Late in the year, three species of owls can be heard nightly in wooded areas. Various [[woodpecker]]s can be seen in forested lots, including the [[red-bellied woodpecker]], [[northern flicker]] (also known as the "yellow-shafted flicker"), and the [[downy woodpecker]]. The red-headed woodpecker is common in open fields and on golf courses. The [[American goldfinch]] is present mostly in winter, and the [[ruby-throated hummingbird]] only in summer.

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%;"
|+ '''Presidential election results'''
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|DEM]]
! [[Republican Party (United States)|GOP]]
! Others
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2020|2020]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''57.0%''' ''1,684,934''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |41.6% ''1,229,242''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |1.4% ''39,950''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2016|2016]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''52.3%''' ''1,250,397''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |44.2% ''1,057,123''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |3.5% ''82,781''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2012|2012]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''49.4%''' ''1,108,989''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |49.0% ''1,099,845''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |1.5% ''34,208''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2008|2008]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''51.3%''' ''1,153,849''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |47.7% ''1,074,509''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |1.0% ''22,898''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2004|2004]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |44.1% ''818,067''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''55.2%''' ''1,023,670''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |0.7% ''13,661''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2000|2000]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |44.4% ''631,882''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''52.5%''' ''746,974''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |3.1% ''43,635''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1996|1996]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |46.1% ''565,241''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''47.3%''' ''579,727''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |6.6% ''81,199''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1992|1992]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |43.3% ''521,891''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''43.4%''' ''522,934''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |13.4% ''161,013''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1988|1988]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |39.5% ''358,191''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''59.8%''' ''542,979''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |0.7% ''6,516''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1984|1984]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |38.0% ''322,409''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''61.9%''' ''524,579''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |0.0% ''354''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1980|1980]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''52.5%''' ''381,253''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |43.1% ''312,920''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |4.4% ''32,160''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1976|1976]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''63.9%''' ''417,621''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |35.8% ''233,778''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |0.3% ''1,917''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1972|1972]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |27.4% ''142,069''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''72.3%''' ''374,580''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |0.3% ''1,653''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1968|1968]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |30.3% ''150,806''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''36.6%''' ''182,609''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |33.1% ''165,093''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1964|1964]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''50.2%''' ''218,167''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |49.8% ''216,221''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |0.0% ''42''
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''[[U.S. presidential election, 1960|1960]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''59.0%''' ''163,034''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |40.9% ''113,022''
| align="center" {{Party shading/None}} |0.0% ''91''
|}