History:
Atlanta was originally named Terminus in the 1830's. The city was originally built around a railway junction on the Western and Atlantic Railroad. The intention of the railroad was to connect cotton farming in the south to the eastern markets and ports. The city was briefly called Marthasville, but was renamed Atlanta in 1847. Due to the huge popularity of the railways in the US in the early nineteenth century Atlanta became the commercial centre of the south. However the Civil War in the US nearly destroyed Atlanta. In January 1861 Georgia seceded from the Union and Atlanta became the prime target for General William Shermans Union Army. The Union Army ladi sige on the city for four months and when the Confederate army surrendered, Sherman ordered for the city to be evacuated and burned to the ground on November 11 1864. The Hollywood film "Gone with the Wind" was inspired by the ruination of Atlanta to mere ashes. After the war, the city was gradually rebuilt. It regained it pre war status as a commercial centre for trade and became known as the "Capital of the New South".
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