About Atlanta, Georgia:
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city of the state of Georgia and is the cultural, economic, and transportation hub of the Southeast. Atlanta sits in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains (Blue Ridge foothills/Piedmont Plateau) in north-central Georgia, at an elevation of roughly 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level. It features rolling hills, dense urban tree cover (often called the “City of Trees”), and a humid subtropical climate. The city proper covers about 135 square miles, while the much larger metropolitan area spans dozens of counties.
Founded in 1837 as the southern terminus of a railroad (initially called Terminus, then Marthasville), it was renamed Atlanta in 1845 after the Western and Atlantic Railroad. It played a key strategic role for the Confederacy during the Civil War and was largely burned during Union General William T. Sherman’s 1864 Atlanta Campaign and “March to the Sea”. The city rebuilt rapidly afterward, becoming a symbol of the “New South,” and adopted the phoenix as its emblem. It became Georgia’s capital in 1868.
Atlanta was a major center of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s–1960s (home to Martin Luther King Jr. and related sites). It hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics and continues as a global transportation and business hub.
Recent population estimates are roughly 505,000–534,000 for the city proper (varying by source and year; e.g., around 520,000–529,000 in mid-2020s figures), with the metro area exceeding 6.4 million (often ranking among the top 6–8 largest U.S. metros). Atlanta has a large, diverse economy. The metro area’s GDP has been reported in the hundreds of billions (e.g., around $570 billion in some recent figures), ranking it among the top U.S. metro economies. Key sectors include transportation/logistics, aerospace, healthcare, media, film/TV production, information technology, finance, professional services, and biomedical research.
Local attractions include Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, The Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Centennial Olympic Park, CNN Center, high-end shopping and dining in neighborhoods like Buckhead, Midtown, and Downtown.
It is home to the Atlanta Braves (MLB), Atlanta Falcons (NFL), Atlanta Hawks (NBA), and Atlanta United FC (MLS). Mercedes-Benz Stadium has hosted major events, including matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The city continues to be a major growth engine in the Southeast, with ongoing development, corporate activity, and events.
A brief history of the Catholic Church in Atlanta:
Catholic presence in the area dates to the late 18th century, when settlers from Maryland established a community at Locust Grove (near present-day Sharon, Georgia) and built a log church dedicated to the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (around the 1790s; records begin earlier in some accounts). At the time, the region fell under the Diocese of Baltimore.
In 1820 the Diocese of Charleston was created (covering Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina). The Diocese of Savannah was established in 1850 with jurisdiction over Georgia (and parts of Florida). Atlanta’s first parish, the Church (later Shrine) of the Immaculate Conception, was founded in the 1840s (dedicated around 1848); its building later served as a hospital during the Civil War.
Recognizing Atlanta’s growth, Pope Pius XI renamed the diocese the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta in 1937. On July 2, 1956, Pope Pius XII created the Diocese of Atlanta by dividing the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta. The new diocese received the northern half of Georgia (initially 71 counties; later adjusted to 69). At establishment it had roughly 23,000–25,000 Catholics in about 23 parishes and 12 missions.
Catholic places of interest in Atlanta, Georgia:
Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Traveling to Atlanta, Georgia:
By air: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is served by many airlines..both domestic and international. It is the primary hub for Delta Airlines and is consistently one of the world’s busiest by passenger traffic.
By train: Amtrak’s Crescent Route trains stop in Atlanta each day on the way to either New Orleans or New York City.