About Atlanta

The City of Atlanta serves as a great model with its tremendously successful public-private partnerships that foster innovation and business development. The City’s reputation for competitiveness and as a logistics center, the excellence of its academic institutions, and its diplomatic relations with all nations in the Americas were taken into consideration when selected to host the Americas Competitiveness Forum.

Metro Atlanta, comprised of 28 counties, is home to more than 5.3 million people and more than 145,000 private-sector firms. There are many reasons why metro Atlanta is such an attractive location for businesses and talent:

Atlanta is an economic engine for the Southeastern United States: The Southeast is one of the fastest growing regions in the country.  Atlanta is a great location to start or relocate a business. In 2008, Forbes Magazine ranked Atlanta as the sixth best city for business and careers and in 2007, the fourth fastest growing in the nation. The quality of life in Atlanta makes it easy to attract and keep quality employees.

Diverse economy: Atlanta’s top industry sectors are trade, transportation and utilities, professional and business services and government. Businesses include 12 FORTUNE 500 headquarters, hundreds of other headquarters, over 2,100 international companies, and thousands of small businesses.

Talent: Atlanta is a top higher-education metro area with institutions including Emory University, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University and many technical colleges. Young, educated professionals are a significant sector of the workforce.

Domestic and international air service: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the world’s most-traveled airport serving over 90 million passengers annually. 80 percent of the U.S. can be reached within a two-hour flight and 90 international destinations in 55 countries can be reached nonstop.

Below average cost of living and attractive quality of life: Atlanta offers residences that are more spacious and considerably less expensive than other major metro areas. The cost of living consistently ranks below the national average. Residents have many recreational and entertainment choices including professional and collegiate sports, theatrical productions, art exhibitions, community festivals, golf, tennis, and shopping.

Moderate climate: As part of the Southeast region, the four seasons of the year are discernible yet never extreme. Snow is extremely rare, as are 100-degree summer days.

Useful Resources

City of Atlanta Online

Atlanta Travel Guide

Metro Atlanta Chamber

Georgia Department of Economic Development

Georgia Chamber of Commerce