Business Climate

Atlanta has evolved from a regional city into a national and international center for business. The Atlanta region is still perceived to be a top place to locate headquarters, new businesses and operations, according to top business magazines, and ranks third behind New York City and Houston for the number of Fortune 500 headquarters. Today, more than 80 percent of all Fortune 1000 firms have operations in Atlanta. Coca-Cola, Cox Communications, Delta Air Lines, Equifax, Georgia-Pacific, Newell-Rubbermaid, The Home Depot, The Southern Company and United Parcel Service are among those companies headquartered in metropolitan Atlanta.

While becoming a prominent business center for the U.S., Atlanta has also emerged as a hub for international commerce. During each of the last 10 years, an average of 180 companies have expanded or relocated operations to Atlanta. Nearly a fifth of these new facilities come to Atlanta from other countries. Atlanta consistently ranks as one of the best cities in the nation in which to locate a business.

Atlanta has grown into a leading global logistics hub due to its strong cluster of headquarters that demand efficient services, vital southeast geographic location in terms of highways and rail, frequency of flights to anywhere around the globe via Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and concentration of supply-chain software and warehouse activity. The business of logistics is among the industries that Atlanta business boosters consider most promising and vital for the local economy.

The city's role as a major communications center, the growth of CNN as an international television news agency, and the parallel growth of the Turner Broadcasting System for the United States. Atlanta has long been an international telecommunications hub. Today, it is one of the top national hubs for data traffic, serving as one of the nation's top points for private Network Access Points or direct fiber connections to the Internet.

Atlanta is currently one of the largest convention centers in the United States. Over 2 million convention delegates visit Atlanta each year in 3,000 conventions, ranking Atlanta fifth in the nation for convention traffic. The 3.9 million-square-foot Georgia World Congress Center has consistently ranked as one of North America's leading meeting and exhibition facilities.