Features

Atlanta: Southern belle

27 Feb 2011 by AndrewGough
Home to major companies such as CNN and Coca-Cola, ambitious Atlanta intends to grow its global presence even further, says Lindsay Sutton Atlanta is coming up to a significant anniversary – but it’s one that highlights the Deep South dilemma. Next month sees the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the American Civil War, which claimed more than 600,000 lives. It was also responsible for putting the Georgian capital on the map, as it became the breakaway Confederacy’s main armaments and transport hub. That was ended by Unionist general William Tecumseh Sherman’s “Burning of Atlanta”, followed by the devastating slash-and-burn “March to the Coast”. His widespread destruction of Georgia’s economy and social fabric effectively marked the beginning of the end of the brutal four-year war, but it left a legacy of deep emotional scars in the Southern psyche. In some parts of old Georgia and neighbouring South Carolina, some of the old-style sentimentalists will at this time be defiantly remembering those Gone with the Wind days of Southern wealth and opulence, which were unfortunately based on slavery. But for the modernists, and the forward-thinking business community of thriving Atlanta – today’s energetic “Capital of the South” – the focus is very much on the future rather than on that tarnished and painful past. The south-east US region is now an integral player in the global market, with Atlanta acting as its main commercial engine. British consul general Annabelle Malins gives her perspective on the modern South from her high-rise office in the Georgia-Pacific Centre, which looks out over Downtown Atlanta. “The economy in the six Southern states I look after – Georgia, Tennessee, the two Carolinas, Mississippi and Louisiana – is on a par with that of Canada,” she says. “We’re a big and important world player. It’s not just New York, San Francisco, LA and Chicago – this is where it’s happening, and Atlanta is very much at the heart of it all.” According to Ray Gilbert, executive director of the Atlanta-based British American Business Group, there are 350 UK companies with a presence in Georgia, representing an investment of US$1.6 billion and providing 24,000 jobs. Gilbert, a Scotsman, clearly enjoys being part of a city that has come so far so fast. “I haven’t given up Britain, I’ve just gained Atlanta,” he says. And it is now determined to prove itself on the world stage, he adds. Atlanta has a metropolitan population of almost 5.5 million, the ninth largest in the US. There has been a sustained movement of industry and business from America’s old Rust Belt of north-eastern and central states to the so-called Sun Belt in the south, with Atlanta representing the buckle. It has the fourth-highest concentrations of Fortune 500 companies in the US, and more than 75 per cent of Fortune 1,000 firms have operations in Greater Atlanta. It also serves as the world HQ for a range of top companies, such as Coca-Cola (the drink was invented here in 1886 by pharmacist John Pemberton to slake Atlantans’ thirst during the city’s “frying pan summers”), the Home Depot home improvement empire, logistics company UPS, telecoms firm AT&T Mobility, Turner Broadcasting, which includes CNN, and Delta Air Lines. Little wonder that Atlanta – classified as a “Beta” world city (a ranking of world hubs based on how many multinational companies have offices there) – has a reputed gross metropolitan product of US$270 billion and accounts for about two-thirds of Georgia’s economy. The city’s Hartsfield-Jackson International airport, meanwhile, has been the world’s busiest – as measured by passenger and aircraft traffic – for more than a decade now. This accolade is under pressure from London Heathrow, Beijing and Chicago, but Atlanta has plans to expand still further, with another international terminal under way and due to open next year. All this in less than 200 years – not bad for the former “dirt pile” stolen from the Cherokee and Creek Native Americans, which went on to become a railroad centre for the Western and Atlantic Railroad. Gilbert cites three people who have acted as major catalysts of change in more recent times. The first was Atlanta son Martin Luther King, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the year of 1964 and became an international symbol of unification. That’s important in a city with 50 per cent of its population being African American. Gilbert says: “Second, Atlanta’s longest-serving mayor, William B Hartsfield, was a prime mover in developing the airport and bringing in Delta. The carrier chose Atlanta as its world hub over Birmingham, Alabama, and that was crucial. “Then there was Billy Payne, a Georgian who had the vision to bring the Olympics to Atlanta. When he said he wanted to do this in 1987, he was laughed at – but he did it. That was one of those pivotal points that put the city on the map and regenerated the place and its image. Now, Billy has become chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters – another sporting event that helps to put this state on the international map.” The hosting of the 1996 Olympics, backed hugely by private investment, was a high-profile success in marketing the city as a vibrant, go-getting place to be, despite major setbacks such as a pipe-bombing incident that killed two people, and poor transport arrangements. The legacy was huge, with no “white elephant” venues left unused. Turner Field, built for track events, is now home to the Atlanta Braves baseball team, and Georgia Tech university uses the swimming facilities. The city’s American football team also make use of the gymnastics stadium here, and the apartments for visiting athletes are now much-needed student accommodation. Much of old, decaying Downtown was raised to make way for Centennial Olympic Park, which now houses three major tourist attractions – the Georgia Aquarium (georgiaaquarium.org), which claims to be the world’s largest, the World Of Coca-Cola (worldofcoca-cola.com), with its high-tech displays, and the CNN Centre (edition.cnn.com). (Visit businesstraveller.com/city-guides for more on these sights.) According to Brandon Barnes, director of international sales at Atlanta’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, about US$3 billion-worth of investment has been pumped into the area around the park since the Games, providing “a real jump-start to the economy”. And he says that when the tourist numbers of other destinations suffered during 2008-09, Atlanta’s figures increased by 7 per cent. Building on this, a new National Centre for Civil and Human Rights and a College Football Hall of Fame are due to open in 2013. The aquarium is also expanding, with a US$110 million dolphin exhibit and show due to open this spring. Near Downtown’s Five Points intersection is Underground Atlanta. The original core site of the city, it was “buried” by the building of railway arches, leaving a warren of subterranean cobbled streets that are now a shopping, dining and entertainment complex. Other attractions celebrate the city’s two Nobel Prize winners – the Auburn area east of Midtown where Luther King was from is now a designated national historic site, and free access is granted to the house where he was brought up (nps.gov/malu). Former US president Jimmy Carter’s Presidential Library and Museum (jimmycarterlibrary.gov) is also well worth a visit. The city is strung out across three distinct areas – Downtown, with its business and convention emphasis and the big chain hotels, Midtown, a few miles north and the centre for the arts and legal industries, and glitzy Buckhead, further north still, where many of the financial institutions are located, along with classy hotels (see panel above). Getting around is relatively easy on the two main branches of the MARTA rapid transport system, which intersects in Downtown, close to Centennial Olympic Park and the Georgia World Congress Centre. The latter is the fourth largest in the US, attracting some one million convention visitors a year. Like all cities, Atlanta has lost jobs during the recession but Hans Gant, senior vice-president of economic development at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, which represents more than 4,000 member firms, is upbeat about its prospects. “In spite of the downturn, companies are choosing to locate here,” he says. “The number one reason is that for operations that are going global, Atlanta airport is second to none.” “Companies also need a cosmopolitan base with a diverse workforce and Atlanta, with 70 languages spoken, reflects the profile required. There are also 35,000 university graduates coming out of 45 colleges in metropolitan Atlanta each year, bringing talent to the workforce. Plus, a 2010 KPMG study showed that Atlanta was one of the most cost-effective cities to do business in.” He adds: “Now we are looking at two years of growth, with 40,000 new jobs this year and 80,000 after that. Moreover, of the 59 companies we attracted in 2009, 40 per cent were from abroad. In 2010, we recruited 40 companies and 35 per cent were from abroad. Now we’re looking to get back to 40 per cent again.” Gant concludes: “There’s a lot of work still to do to let the world know we’re no longer the ‘Old South’, but the new economy is connected globally, with great opportunities for talent to succeed. I think Atlanta is very comfortable with itself now and there’s an obvious desire to position the city as a global leader. “Two decades ago we were not even a big city in US terms. Now, we have 3,000 overseas firms and 60 countries with consulates or trade offices here, and we’re working with China and India. We’ve come a long way and we’re looking to go much further.”

WHERE TO STAY

Downtown

Westin Peachtree Plaza A landmark 73-floor hotel that towers above the heart of the city, the Westin has 1,608 rooms and is close to the Georgia World Congress Centre. It has a ballroom that can host 2,030 people, 52 meeting rooms, a health club, a pool on the 11th level, a Starbucks coffee shop, a café and lobby bar. Right at the top, the Sun Dial restaurant slowly rotates, giving diners a 360-degree view of the city and its surrounds. It serves “seasonally influenced” contemporary American cuisine, and also on this level is a bar and viewing deck. Omni hotel at CNN centre Southern hospitality meets cosmopolitan elegance at the 1,070-room Omni, a luxurious convention hotel connected to the World Congress Centre. Dining options include Latitudes bistro and lounge, Morsel’s coffee shop, and the Prime Meridian restaurant, which has great views over Centennial Park and offers American and Continental cuisine. It also has a gym, pool, spa and 45 meeting rooms.
  • 100 CNN Centre; tel +1 404 6590 000; omnihotels.com
  • Rooms from US$175

Midtown

Artmore Hotel An independent boutique hotel in the cultural centre of town, the Artmore is just across the road from MARTA Arts Centre station, which goes straight to the airport. The 1920s building is based on Spanish Mediterranean style and has a welcoming lobby bar and courtyard that acts as an outdoor relaxation area, complete with easy chairs and outdoor heaters. There are 102 bedrooms with iPod docks and free wifi, 167 sqm of conference space, and a club lounge. Georgia Tech hotel and conference centre At the heart of the Technology Square Complex on the Georgia Tech university campus, this business property has 252 bedrooms, 22 meeting spaces including a 675 sqm ballroom, a gym, indoor pool and 300-seat restaurant.
  • 800 Spring Street; tel +1 404 3479 440; gatechhotel.com
  • Rooms from US$207

Buckhead

Atlanta Marriott Buckhead hotel and conference centre Located close to Lenox Square Mall and a block from the Phipps Plaza and Buckhead MARTA station, the Marriott has 342 rooms and seven suites. Modern in design, its lobby has recently been renovated. It has an outdoor patio and pool, and a fitness centre. The 29 meeting rooms include three ballrooms, the largest of which holds 900. Shula’s 347 Grill is a high-end steakhouse. Ritz-Carlton Buckhead This top-class establishment combines “Southern hospitality with modern urbanism” and has 510 rooms, including 56 suites, across 22 floors. There are 25 function and meeting spaces, the Café – a five-star experience dishing up high-end regional cuisine, the luxurious Lobby lounge for afternoon tea, cocktails and live jazz, and a spa, indoor pool and gym. The hotel is also located near a host of restaurants and retail outlets.
  • 3,434 Peachtree Road; tel +1 404 2372 700; ritzcarlton.com
  • Rooms from US$359

WHERE TO EAT

If you’re looking for some top-notch cuisine while you’re in town, try the wide-ranging portfolio of eateries run by Newcastle-born chef Tom Catherall. An institution in Atlanta, he has opened more than 10 restaurants throughout the city and, in 2009, had a turnover of US$52 million. He is also one of 57 Culinary Institute of America-certified master chefs – a title that requires applicants to go through a gruelling US$10,000 ten-day testing and judging process to qualify. Catherall’s restaurants have catchy, one-word names, main courses priced between US$14 and US$30, and early-bird deals available. Several eateries are in Buckhead – Twist’s “creative cuisine with attitude” includes fish and tapas, while Prime specialises in sushi and steaks, Coast goes for Southern-inspired seafood, and Cantina dishes up Mexican fare. Catherall also has a couple of establishments in Midtown – Shout and Strip – and two others, both called Noche, in the Virginia Highlands and Vinings (another will be opening in Brookhaven this spring). My favourite, Aja, is in Buckhead and serves modern Asian cuisine in a casual setting. It also has a patio and a 50-seat private dining room. Visit h2sr.com

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