The above graph depicts the change in population over time for both Atlanta, Georgia as well as Savannah, Georgia. Savannah, Georgia is the oldest city in Georgia; however, as can be clearly seen in the graph, Atlanta overtook Savannah in population size in a matter of 40 years. This graph was created from a data set that was derived from the U.S. Census Bureau, and through this data, one can see the effects of historical events on Atlanta’s population.1 Atlanta was created to be a railway city, and it was not thought to grow very large; however, the Civil War brought people into the city. This can be seen by the steady and steep growth from the 1860s to 1880s.1 After this point, the population grew at a fast and steady pace, peaking in the 1970s. From the 1950s to 1960s, there is a large growth in population, numbering over 100,000 people.1 This influx of people could be due to the campaign of the city’s governor that depicted the city as a “City Too Busy to Hate.” Atlanta was seen as an example of the New South after the Civil War in terms of racial relations and civil rights. Despite this reputation of racial equality in Atlanta, Black Americans and other people of color within the city faced discrimination just like anywhere else. The cracks began to appear when a series of murders occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. The killer targeted young, Black boys, and the event brought to the surface the concerns of Black Atlantans regarding their safety.2 Atlanta thus gained the reputation as the “City Too Busy to Care,” and it gained global notoriety for its failures to make its Black citizens feel safe.3 This tragedy and loss of public favor is likely what led to the steep decline in population from the 1970s to 1990s. Though there are likely many other reasons for these fluctuations in population, the white flight to suburban areas as one example, these events could be one of many variables that affect the ebb and flow of Atlanta’s population.
- U.S. Census Bureau and Erik Steiner, Spatial History Project, Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis, Stanford University. [↩] [↩] [↩]
- Paul Mokrzycki Renfro, “‘The City Too Busy to Care’ The Atlanta Youth Murders and the Southern Past, 1979–81,” Southern Cultures 21.4 (Dec 2015): 45. [↩]
- Renfro, 58. [↩]
