Atlanta is the transportation hub of the Southeastern U.S. via highway, railroad, and air, with Hartsfield–Jackson Airport being the world’s busiest airport since 1998.
With a gross domestic product of about $270 billion, Atlanta ranks 16th in the worlds’ largest cities and eighth in the nation. Atlanta’s economy is considered diverse, including logistics, business services, media operations, government, and higher education. With the establishment of German car production facilities in the South, Atlanta has become the center of the so called “German Triangle” between South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama.
Atlanta rose from the ashes after being burned to the ground by William T. Sherman’s Union Army at the end of the Civil War in 1864. Even though more than 70% of Atlanta was destroyed by fire, the city became one of the most important cities in the world.