PROFILE OF METRO ATLANTA Metro Atlanta is here, now and next. A region of visionaries who do what others never imagined. Inventing. Connecting. Inspiring. Thriving. We nurture and welcome the brightest talent – global leaders who disrupt the status quo and crusade to change the world. We are dreamers who galvanized the Civil Rights Movement, creatives who are redefining digital entertainment and innovators who are paving an inclusive way to urban development. We are lively main streets, lakes nestled in lush greenspaces and bustling nightlife in the city – the options are endless. In metro Atlanta, we share one ambition: To never stop rising. photos: Georgia Department of Economic Development 1837 As the site for 1847 Atlanta was 1864 Atlanta, a 1886 Atlanta 1914 The Federal 1925 Mayor Walter A. Sims the southern terminus of incorporated as a city. strategic transportation pharmacist Dr. John S. Reserve Bank established signed a lease on an abandoned the state-owned Western center during the Civil Pemberton created the a branch in Atlanta. auto racetrack and committed the & Atlantic Railroad, War, was reduced to ashes beverage that became city to developing it into an airfield named Candler Field. Four years Atlanta began as a town after General Sherman’s “Coca-Cola.” later, it became Atlanta Municipal called “Terminus.” victory in the Battle of Airport. Atlanta. DEMOGRAPHICS The Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is the business capital of the south- eastern U.S. and a global business hub. Metro Atlanta is one of the fastest growing metros in the U.S. and has the 10th largest metro economy in the U.S. as measured by Gross Metro Product (GMP). The area is home to 5.9 million people and more than 150,000 business establishments. The Southeast’s population is 83.7 million, and its economy is the largest of all U.S. regions. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the Southeast measured $4.1 trillion in 2017. Atlanta MSA City of (29 Counties) Atlanta Population (2017) 5,884,736 486,290 Median Age (2017) 36.4 33.3 % of population 25 and over with a 37.9% 49.2% Bachelor’s degree or higher (2017) % of population foreign-born (2017) 14.1% 7.5% SNAPSHOT Labor Force (2017) 3,034,633 250,758 Median Household Income (2017) $65,381 $57,597 METROPOLITAN AREA > 8,723 square miles > 22,592 square kilometers North Carolina > 29 counties: Tennessee Barrow Haralson South Carolina Bartow Heard ATLANTA Butts Henry Alabama Carroll Jasper Georgia Port of Savannah Cherokee Lamar Clayton Meriwether ATLANTIC OCEAN Cobb Morgan Florida Coweta Newton Dawson Paulding DeKalb Pickens Douglas Pike Fayette Rockdale Forsyth Spalding Fulton Walton Gwinnett 1936 “Gone With 1941 Delta Air Lines 1946 The 1955 The 1964 Dr. Martin 1971 The airport’s name The Wind” by Margaret relocated its headquarters Communicable Disease first Wae House Luther King, Jr., a native changed to William B. Mitchell was published. from Monroe, La., Center (CDC) was opened (Avondale Atlantan, won the Nobel Hartsfield Atlanta The Pulitzer Prize- to Atlanta. established in Atlanta. Estates). Peace Prize. International Airport. winning novel became It is now known as the the movie three years Centers for Disease later. Control and Prevention. METRO ATLANTA HAS THE LOWEST RELATIVE COST OF DOING BUSINESS AMONG THE NATION’S 10 LARGEST METRO AREAS. (KPMG, Competitive Alternatives: Guide to International Business Location Costs, 2016) photos: Georgia Department of Economic Development 1974 Atlanta Brave 1975 R.E. “Ted” Turner’s 1978 The Home 1982 Georgia-Pacific 1991 United Parcel 1996 Atlanta hosted the Hank Aaron broke Babe Turner Broadcasting System Depot, another home- moved its headquarters Service (UPS) relocated Centennial Olympic Games, Ruth’s home run record (TBS) went on the air. Today, grown success story, to Atlanta from Portland, its headquarters from the first time the Summer with his 715th home run. the award-winning cable was founded in Atlanta. Ore. Greenwich, Conn. to Games were held in the stations CNN, TNT and The metro Atlanta. eastern U.S. Cartoon Network are based in Atlanta. GOVERNMENT > Atlanta is the capital city of Georgia. The Capitol Dome brightens Atlanta’s skyline and is layered in 43 ounces of pure gold mined in Dahlonega, Georgia, the site of America’s first “Gold Rush.” > The City of Atlanta is governed by a mayor and a 15-member city council that is managed by the council president. > The 29 counties that make up metro Atlanta are individually governed by boards of commissioners, city councils and mayors. > Atlanta’s symbol is the Phoenix, the legendary bird of Egyptian mythology, which represents Atlanta’s rise from the ashes of the Civil War. The seal of the city bears the Phoenix and the Latin term, “Resurgens,” which means “rising again.” TAXES > Georgia’s corporate income tax rate is 5.75 percent (single factor sales tax apportionment). In the metro Atlanta region of 29 counties, the total (state and local) sales tax rate ranges from six percent (Cherokee, Cobb and Gwinnett counties) to 8.9 percent (City of Atlanta in Fulton and DeKalb counties). > Georgia’s individual income tax rate is a graduated tax based on an individual’s federal adjusted gross income. The tax rate ranges from one to 5.75 percent based on six income brackets. > Property tax rates (millage rates) are set locally by each county and city. Real and personal property are assessed at 40 percent of fair market value. QUALITY OF LIFE Metro Atlanta provides exceptional quality of life while maintaining a¨ordability. Residents enjoy access to arts, culture, sports and nightlife. Metro Atlanta experiences all four seasons with cool winters, warm summers and adequate rainfall. Cost of Living Index: Select U.S. Metros 240 238.6226.0 220 200 192.9 180 174.7 160 148.4 146.0 155.7 148.2 140 120 119.0 109.4 123.6 114.6 100 102.1 U.S. average: 100 98.5 99.998.0 80 Atlanta, GA Dallas, TX Miami, FL Chicago, IL Boston, MA Washington, D.C. San Francisco, CA New York , NY* Source: C2ER Cost of Living Index, 2017 Annual Averages *New York values are for Manhattan 2000s Metro 2003 The airport’s 2009 NCR and First 2013 PulteGroup 2015 Hartsfield-Jack- 2018 Fifteen metro Atlanta’s population name changed to Data relocated their announced relocating son Atlanta International Atlanta-based companies increased more than Hartsfield-Jackson headquarters to metro its headquarters from Airport became the first ranked in the FORTUNE 500. one million people from Atlanta International Atlanta, increasing the Michigan to Atlanta. airport in the world to 2000-2010. Airport. area’s FORTUNE 500 serve 100 million pas- headquarters. sengers in a year. GEORGIA RANKS AS THE #1 STATE FOR LEADING FORLEADING THE#1STATE GEORGIA RANKSAS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. DEVELOPMENT WORKFORCE (Area Development,2018) photo: O«cial White House Photo by Pete Souza photo: Georgia Department of photo: Georgia Department of Economic Development photo: By John Williams via Wikimedia Commons Economic Development EDUCATION PREK THRU 12 More than one million students are served through metro Atlanta’s 37 public school systems that include 1,100 elementary, middle and high schools. Metro Atlanta is also home to approximately 350 private schools. > Metro Atlanta has several international schools that teach in languages other than English, including: German, Arabic, Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese. > English-as-a-Second Language courses are available in every public school district. > Several schools provide programming in International Baccalaureate (IB) and Advanced Placement (AP). > Georgia o¨ers free Pre-K classes for four-year-old children throughout the state. HIGHER EDUCATION With more than 290,000 students enrolled in the 64 two- and four-year colleges and universities in the Atlanta and Athens area, businesses benefit from talent, discovery and innovation. Popular fields of study include business and economics, computer science, communications, mathematics & statistics, engineering and physics. > More than 52,000 associate, bachelor, master and doctorate degrees awarded in the Atlanta/Athens area annually. > Over 25 percent of Georgia State University’s enrollment is first-generation college students, and it is the #1 public university in the U.S. to confer bachelor’s degrees to African Americans. > The Georgia Institute of Technology leads the nation in the number of engineering bachelor’s degrees awarded (excluding computer science). The school awards more engineering bachelor’s degrees to African Americans and women than any other school in the country. > The region’s strength in engineering continues to grow: since 2012, bachelor’s degrees in engineering awarded in metro Atlanta increased by nearly 70 percent. > Metro Atlanta higher education institutions expended more for research and development in Computer & Information Sciences than all institutions in Boston, Seattle or New York. > The largest public universities within metro Atlanta are Georgia State University (GSU), Kennesaw State University (KSU) and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Private universities in metro Atlanta include Emory University and Mercer University, among others. > Metro Atlanta is home to the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Consortium, the world’s oldest and largest association of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The AUC is comprised of four member institutions: Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Spelman College. > Metro Atlanta/Athens is home to the main campuses of seven technical colleges, which enroll more than 42,000 students a year. They are a vital workforce training and retooling resource for the local business communities. > Atlanta Technical College is among the top community colleges in the nation. > Georgia’s program for financial aid (scholarships and grants) is HOPE: Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally. 2018 FORTUNE 500 Headquarters (15) 2018 FORTUNE 1000 Headquarters (11) Source: FORTUNE magazine, May 21, 2018 BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY Metro Atlanta is recognized as an international gateway and the economic engine of the Southeast.