Atlanta

Steve is an Atlanta native. Steve and Kevin have lived here since 1984 (except for a four-year stint in Boston.)

As of July 2006 the city of Atlanta has a population of 483,108 and a metropolitan population of 5,138,223. Atlanta is considered "the most heavily forested urban area in the country" by the U.S. Forest Service.

At about 1,050 feet above sea level, Atlanta is the third highest large city in the U.S. (well behind Denver and slightly behind Phoenix.) Atlanta sits abreast the Eastern Continental Divide. Rainwater in southeast Atlanta flows to the Atlantic Ocean while rainwater elsewhere in the city flows to the Gulf of Mexico. Atlanta has an average snowfall of 2 inches and an average rainfall of 50 inches - far above Seattle.

The Bank of America Plaza (built in 1992) is the tallest building in the U.S. outside of New York or Chicago. It is the last building in America that was one of the top ten tallest buildings in the world when built. By measure of both passenger traffic and aircraft traffic, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the busiest airport in the world.

Atlanta Parks

The Peachtree Creek watershed encompasses an area of 87 square miles in northeast Atlanta. Runoff in the watershed enters Peachtree Creek, which, in turn, flows into the Chattahoochee River a few miles to the west. As we live in northeast Atlanta, we will focus on this watershed area.

Many Atlanta-area parks are clustered along the South Fork Peachtree Creek. Here are a few of our favorites:

Herbert Taylor Park

This 26 acre nature preserve in Morningside is a great place to walk dogs, jog, or just step away from the city for a little while. The best entrance is located at Pasadena Ave and Beech Valley Rd. The South Fork Peachtree Creek and Rock Creek traverse the park.

Morningside Nature Preserve

This 31 acre old-growth forest located on the South Fork Peachtree Creek is one of the newest parks in Atlanta. There is a nice loop trail accessible from the park entrance on the east side of Wellbourne St. midway between Wildwood Rd. and Cheshire Bridge Rd. Eventually, the park will be connected to the PATH network of trails.

W.D. Thomson Park

This beautiful 29 acre DeKalb county park has several miles of trails through wooded hills. Enter the park north of Mason Mill Road on Mason Woods Drive. After entering the park, veer left and park near the tennis courts. Go through the gate entrance and descend to the basketball court. Trails are on your left.

Lullwater Estate

Theoretically, this 120+ acre park is restricted to Emory students and staff, but in reality it is open to all. Almost no free parking is available; parking options include Emory and Emory hospital lots. From the entrance on Clifton Rd north of Haygood Drive, descend into a beautiful wooded park. Several trails of about 1 mile each are available for walking/jogging. Candler Lake has plenty of geese and is fed from South Fork Peachtree Creek.