Since voting in the nation's first black mayor, Maynard Jackson, in 1974, it has remained the most conspicuously black-run city in the US, and an estimated 200,000 black fami lies streamed in from states further north in the 1980s alone. The Olympics may not have been the triumph Atlanta so eagerly anticipated - even before the Centennial Park bombing tarnished the event itself, years of disruption and grandiose construction projects had left many Atlantans wondering whether the city had lost more than it gained - but with its ever-increasing international profile, cosmopolitan blend of cultures and hip local neighborhoods, the spirit and dynamism of modern Atlanta is a far cry indeed from its much-mythologized Deep South roots
The City
Atlanta's layout is confusing, following old Native American trails rather than a logical grid system, with no fewer than 32 streets named "Peachtree"; take care to note whether you're looking for Avenue, Road, Boulevard and so forth. The most important is Peachtree Street , which cuts a long north-south swath through the city. Sights are scattered, but relatively easy to reach on public transportation. Once you're there, the downtown area, the Martin Luther King Jr Historic District ranged along Auburn Avenue , and the trendy neighborhoods of Little Five Points and Virginia-Highland are all easy to explore on foot.
