US Postage Stamps // Philatelic Project // The Federal States

Capitals of the Federal States

#4285 // September 2, 2008
(self-adhesive coil definitive)
Flags of Our Nation Series

Atlanta State Flag,
typical appearance of
streets in Old Savannah 		Seal of the City of Atlanta,
capital of the State of Georgia

Presumably the city was named for
Martha Atalanta Lumpkin, the daughter of
Georgia's 35th Governor Wilson Lumpkin
(* 1783, † 1870, in office 1831 - 1835).

City, Elevation, Coordinates County, US Region Waters
Atlanta, GA
738 to 1,050 ft [225 to 320 m]
33° 45' 18" N  84° 23' 24" W 		Fulton and DeKalb Counties
South 		Chattahoochee River
Land Area
rounded mi2 [km2] 		Population
(census 2010) 		Population Density
per mi2 [km2] of land area
132 [342] 443,775 3,362 [1.298]

History Timeline
The area was originally inhabited by the Creek and Cherokee Indian tribes.
---- Creek Indian village "Standing Peachtree".
1837 The "zero mile post" of the Western and Atlantic Railroad had developed into a settlement, nicknamed as "Terminus" (present-day Five points in downtown Atlanta). However, Terminus was never an official name and between 1837 and 1842 the area was also called Deanville (for Lemuel Dean) and Thrasherville (for John Thrasher), two important local merchants and homebuilders.
1843 The settlement was named Marthasville in honor of Martha Atalanta Lumpkin, daughter of Georgia's Governor Wilson Lumpkin (* 1783, † 1870, in office 1831 - 1835).
1845 Finally named Atlanta by J. Edgar Thompson (* 1808, † 1874), chief engineer of the W&A Railroad. Some accounts state that the town continued to be named after Gov. Lumpkin's daughter since Martha's middle name was Atalanta, a Greek mythological name. However some stories say that Thompson recommended the feminine form of "Atlantic" to highlight the Western and Atlantic Railroad.
1847 Atlanta was incorporated as a city on December 29.
1864 On November 11, during the American Civil War (1861-1865), Union General William T. Sherman (* 1820, † 1891) burned Atlanta to the ground on his infamous "March to the Sea". The Phoenix in Atlanta's city seal recalls the war crime.
1868 Atlanta served as the fifth state capital after Milledgeville, Louisville, Augusta, and Savannah.
1877 Atlanta became Georgia's permanent capital.
1892 Entrepreneur Asa Griggs Candler (* 1851, † 1921) founded the Coca-Cola Company.
1939 The world premiere of the movie "Gone With the Wind" took place at the Loew's Grand Theatre in Atlanta on December 15.
1996 From July 20 to August 4, the XXVI. Olymic Summer Games were held in Atlanta.

Star