g This new manpower, plus the explosion of industry in the state, set the stage for tremendous growth of Georgia’s cities. h. Many of the new manufacturing jobs involved processing and packaging agricultural products.
2. Atlanta Grows Up
a. Atlanta grew into a major city after World War II.
b. By 1976, the tables had turned—60 percent of Georgians lived in or near cities.
c. Atlanta’s factories and banks expanded along with service industries like finance and insurance.
d. One reason for the city’s growth was its extensive transportation system.
3. William B. Hartsfield.
a. As a young city councilman, he helped locate Atlanta’s first airport at an abandoned racetrack in 1925.
b. It grew to be one of the country’s busiest airports and was named after him in 1971.
c. Hartsfield promoted air transportation throughout his career and directed the building of Atlanta’s expressway system.
d. Atlanta’s population grew tremendously while he was mayor from the late 1930s to the early 1960s.
4. Ivan Allen, Jr.
a. Served as mayor of Atlanta from 1962 to 1970.
b. He oversaw the building of Atlanta’s $13 million Memorial Arts cultural center and $9 million civic center.
c. Allen also brought in three of Atlanta’s professional sports franchises—Braves baseball, Falcons football, and Hawks basketball.
5. Ellis Arnall
a. Served as governor of Georgia from 1943 to 1947
b. Hailed as one of the most open-minded and effective governors in the state’s history.
c. During his administration he made a huge impact on Georgia’simage—changing it from that of a poor, rural state to one of the most progressive states in the South.
d. He upset the powerful Eugene Talmadge in the governor’s race.
e. Arnall promised a “people’s administration,” where public officials would honor the desires of the people.
f. Education was Arnall’s top priority.
g. He quickly restored accreditation to the state university system after it had been taken away during Talmadge’s administration.
h. He was responsible for other important reforms including lowering the voting age to 18, abolishing the poll tax, revising the state constitution, and paying off the state debt.
i. He also modernized the state’s prison system, getting rid of abusive practices such as whipping prisoners and putting them on chain gangs.
