Interesting and Fascinating Facts and Trivia about the Atlanta area:
DeKalb County Facts:
- DeKalb County was named after Baron Johann de Kolb, a German native and self proclaimed baron who aided the colonists in their fight for independence.
- The City of Atlanta, in its infancy and until 1853 when Fulton County was created was entirely in DeKalb County
- The City of Decatur was incorporated as the county seat on December 10, 1823.
- DeKalb is Georgia’s third largest county with over 700,000 residents.
- DeKalb is one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the Southeast with over 64 spoken languages representing Asian, Hispanic, European and African cultures, to name a few.
- DeKalb County is home to Georgia’s number one attraction, Stone Mountain Park.
- DeKalb County is home to the following colleges and universities: Agnes Scott College, Emory University, Mercer University, Oglethorpe University, Georgia Perimeter College, DeKalb Tech, DeVry University, Columbia Theological Seminary.
- Eddie’s Attic in Decatur has been the springboard for a number of local artists who have gone on to receive national recognition like John Mayer, Sugarland, Shawn Mullins, The Civil Wars, Josh Joplin, Michelle Malone and many others.
Atlanta Facts:
- Before being named ‘Atlanta’, Atlanta was originally called Terminus and then Marthaville.
- As of the 2010 census, the Atlanta metropolitan area is the 9th largest in the country with a population of 5,268,860 people.
- Metro Atlanta is home to the world headquarters for corporations such as The Coca-Cola Company, Turner Broadcasting, The Home Depot, AT&T Mobility, UPS and Delta Air Lines.
- Coca-Cola was invented in May 1886 by Dr. John S. Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. The name “Coca-Cola” was suggested by his bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, and it was first sold at a soda fountain in Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta by Willis Venable.
- There are over 65 streets in Atlanta with the word Peachtree.
- Atlanta is the only city in North America destroyed by a fire as an act of war, when General Sherman burned the city on November 15, 1864. Today, the city’s symbol is the Phoenix, a legendary bird of Egyptian mythology that rose from its own ashes with renewed strength and beauty.
- Atlanta is one of only two cities in the world to be home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and President Jimmy Carter).
- Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the world’s busiest passenger airport.
- The Varsity Restaurant has earned the distinction of serving the highest volume of Coca-Cola anywhere in the world with nearly 3 million servings annually.
- The Capitol Dome is layered in 43 ounces of pure gold that was mined in Dahlonega, Georgia – the site of America’s first Gold Rush.
- Atlanta has more shopping center space per capita than any other city except Chicago.
- Atlanta is home to the Peachtree Road Race, one of, if not the, largest 10K race in the world with approximately 45,000 runners annually.
- Atlanta is home to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, the largest museum in the world solely dedicated to a famous civil rights leader.
Stone Mountain Park Facts:
- The historical carving on Stone Mountain is the only memorial to a trio of Southern generals AND their horses: Jefferson Davis on Blackjack, Robert E. Lee on Traveler and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson on Little Sorrel.
- One of the generals carved in Stone Mountain, Robert E. Lee, is as tall as a nine story building.
- Jefferson Davis’ thumb is the size of a sofa.
- The carving measures 90 feet tall, 190 feet wide and is 11 feet deep. It spans three acres and is larger than Mount Rushmore.
- Every three years, a worker repels down the face of the mountain to inspect and repair the carving.
- Stone Mountain Park is home to the world’s largest piece of exposed granite.
- By calculated “guestimate,” Stone Mountain weighs more than a trillion pounds.
- Granite originally mined from Stone Mountain was used in the foundation of the Georgia State Capitol building, steps of the east wing of the U.S. Capitol, dome of the Federal Gold Depository at Fort Knox, locks of the Panama Canal, and Frank Lloyd Wright used this stone to build the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Because it was constructed from Stone Mountain granite, the hotel was one of the few buildings to survive the powerful 1923 earthquake.
- Workers in the granite quarry were skilled stonecutters from places such as England, Wales, Scotland, Sweden, Norway and Italy.
- You can only see one third of the entire mountain. It is estimated that it extends up to seven miles below the earth’s surface and into parts of North Carolina.
- On a clear winter day guests can see more than 40 miles from the top of the mountain.
- The natural district, the undeveloped area of Stone Mountain Park, is home to a Covered Bridge built in 1892 and originally spanned the Oconee River in Athens, Ga.
- The natural district, the undeveloped area of the park, is also home to the Grist Mill built in 1867 and moved to Stone Mountain Park from Ellijay, Ga.
- There are 15 miles of hiking and walking trails in Stone Mountain Park.
- The Songbird Habitat and Trail in Stone Mountain Park was previously the site for the 1996 Olympics’ archery and cycling competition.
- Stone Mountain Park is a birdwatcher’s haven. You can see more than a dozen species including the American Bluebirds, Brown Thrashers, Yellow-Breasted Chats, Indigo Buntings, Goldfinches, Blue Grosbeaks and Field Sparrows.
- Dogs are welcome at Stone Mountain Park for walks, runs and hikes.
- Some of the trees on the mountain are Loblolly Pine, Red Cedar, Georgia Oak and Black Cherry.
- Shrimp live on the top of Stone Mountain Park! The depressions at the very top of Stone Mountain seasonally gather water and can then provide the necessities for life. Shrimp inhabit these pools. They leave tiny eggs behind in the soil when the pool dries up and their young are able to hatch and can be seen when the area receives adequate rains.
- Stone Mountain Park is a natural habitat for a variety of animals, insects, reptiles and fowl including White-Tail Deer, Red-Tailed Hawk, Monarch Butterflies, Cottontail Rabbits, Black Rat Snakes, Eastern Chipmunks, Painted Turtles, Box Turtles, Tiger Swallowtail, American Toad, Great Blue Herron, Grey Squirrels, Mallard Ducks, Grey Fox and Wild Turkeys.
- A variety of plants can be seen during all seasons at Stone Mountain Park. Species include Trout Lillies in the late winter, Red Moss, Sandwort, Poolsprite and Quillwort in the spring, Prickly Pear Cactus, Yucca and Dayflowers in the Summer and Yellow Daisies in the Fall.
- The Confederate Daisy is also called the “Stone Mountain Yellow Daisy” because it is only found in a 60-mile radius of Stone Mountain. It was discovered as a new species in 1946. Beginning in August the mountain is scattered with yellow from this flower, which grows on the granite outcrops in shallow soil.
- Stone Mountain Lake is a man made lake and took almost two years to fill with water. The water used to create the snow for the annual attraction Snow Mountain comes from and is returned to this lake.
- Stone Mountain Park land was farmed at one point. The primary crop was corn, primary animals were pigs and most farms had bee hives for honey, scuppernong grape arbors and several fruit trees.
- The Stone Mountain Park Antebellum Plantation houses farm animals who know how to single file march out of their barn for a fire drill.
- The Antebellum Plantation grows an organic vegetable garden for guests and employees.
- It is believed that a ghost occupies the Thornton House at the Antebellum Plantation which was built in 1784 and is the oldest restored house in the state of Georgia.
- Stone Mountain Park is home to a custom-made carillon, built as the world’s largest by the Coca-Cola Company for the New York World’s Fair in 1964.
- Stone Mountain Park’s carillon is 13 stories high and has 732 bell tones.
- Stone Mountain Park is the only place in Georgia to hear a daily electronic carillon concert. Concerts are at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sundays and at noon and 4 p.m., Monday-Saturday.
- Mabel Sharp has been the exclusive Stone Mountain Park Carillonneur for 30 years.
- Between 1942-1945 more than 20,000 amphibious military transport DUKW vehicles known as the “Ducks” were produced and built by women. Stone Mountain Park is the exclusive place to Ride the Ducks in the State of Georgia.
- On land, Ducks can reach a top speed of 45 miles per hour and in water about six miles per hour.
- Guests can travel nearly half a mile roundtrip on the Skyride.
- On July 18, 1996, at 3 a.m., the Skyride transported the Olympic torch to the top of the mountain before the torch headed downtown to Atlanta for the opening ceremonies of the Centennial Olympic Games.
- On April 26, 1962, the first Stone Mountain train, General II, pulled out of the station. The engine alone weighed 138,750 pounds.
- The Lasershow Spectacular has been a fixture at Stone Mountain Park for 27 years and is the longest running lasershow in the world.
- Stone Mountain Park is home to one of the nation’s largest family adventure ropes course, SkyHike.
- The sunken remains of the park’s first riverboat, the Robert E. Lee can be seen at the bottom of Stone Mountain Lake. It took nearly three truck loads of granite to make the Robert E. Lee sink.
- The Scarlett O’Hara Riverboat is an authentic paddlewheel riverboat built at Stone Mountain Park in 1976. It holds 150 passengers, measures 62 feet in length and weighs 62 tons. It only needs three feet of water to float.
- Stone Mountain Park is host to more than 25 festivals and special events.
- Stone Mountain Park has hosted more than 3 million people at the Fantastic Fourth Celebration during the past 41 years.
- Stone Mountain Park hosts the nation’s No. 1 arts and crafts show, cited by Sunshine Artist Magazine, called the Yellow Daisy Festival.
- Stone Mountain Park has 12 pavilions.
- Stone Mountain Park Campground is the largest campground in the State of Georgia with 422 sites.
- Stone Mountain Park Campground is only one of two in the State of Georgia to receive the highest rating of 5W by Woodall’s North American Camp Directory. Stone Mountain Park has been awarded this rating seven years in a row.
- The Evergreen Conference Center and Resort has 31,000 square feet of meeting space.
- Stone Mountain Inn has 92 spacious rooms.
- Stone Mountain Park’s Golf Course is the first Marriott property worldwide to achieve a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary which enables golf facilities to protect the environment by enhancing natural areas and wildlife habitats.
- The machines used to create snow for Snow Mountain have the capability of creating 200 tons of snow per day.
