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It is also the only city in North America that has been destroyed by a fire as an act of war (General Sherman burned it down on November 15, 1864). Atlanta's symbol is the Phoenix, a legendary bird in Egyptian mythology that rose from its own ashes with renewed strength and beauty. Today the city hosts almost 19 million visitors every year.
Atlanta also has some of the world's best colleges and universities including Georgia Tech, Morehouse (the only all male historically black college in the U.S.) and SCAD-Atlanta (Savannah College of Art and Design). Spelman was the first college for black women in the U.S., founded in 1881, while Georgia State University is one of Southeast's largest urban universities.
Midtown is Atlanta's gay epicenter, positioned between the ultra-affluent Buckhead neighborhood and the ritzy downtown area. Midtown's tallest landmark is Bank of America Plaza, the tallest building in the U.S. outside of New York City and Chicago, and the 29th tallest building in the world at 1,029 feet high. The Capitol Dome downtown is layered in 43 ounces of pure gold mined in Dahlonega, Georgia—the site of America’s first Gold Rush.
Midtown is also home to Atlantic Station, the former site of the Atlantic Steel Mill. The polluted and dilapidated property has been redeveloped into a mixed-use urban district with living areas, shopping, restaurants, and entertainment. Also nearby is the Midtown Mile, a 14-block stretch of Peachtree Street set to rival Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive and Chicago's Magnificent Mile.
