You asked, we answered: 34 things you probably don’t know about Atlanta

Not long ago we asked readers to send us questions they’ve always had about this vexing place we call home. Some were impossible to answer: “What’s up with our sports fans?” Some we weren’t equipped to answer: “Can we have a day or hour of prayer over our city at least one day every month?” For others the answer was simply self-evident: “Will Atlanta ever prioritize pedestrians over cars?” (Um, no?) But there were dozens of questions we could answer. And for those we couldn’t, we haven’t forgotten. Stay tuned, guy who wrote “I’d like to know why we do construction at 9:37 p.m. on a goddamn Saturday.”
Edited by Thomas Wheatley
Contributions by Heather Buckner, Steve Fennessy, Josh Green, Scott Henry, Joe Reisigl, Betsy Riley, Mara Shalhoup, Myrydd Wells, and Thomas Wheatley
This article appears in our November 2019 issue.
- Is Atlanta even enforcing electric scooter laws?
- Why are there so many damn potholes on DeKalb Avenue?
- Why is Underground Atlanta underground?
- What’s the most expensive meal in Atlanta?
- What does Atlanta do with my garbage and recycling?
- Did Clermont Lounge’s Blondie really publish a book of poetry?
- Why is there only one Bojangles’ ITP and a million immediately outside it?
- How many different cities has Hollywood turned Fairlie-Poplar into?
- Where did “Hotlanta” come from and why does it refuse to die?
- Why can’t Decatur get a Trader Joe’s?
- What animals have gotten loose on Atlanta highways?
- How many cold cases does the Atlanta Police Department have on file?
- Whatever happened to Baby Doe’s?
- How did each Kroger get its nickname?
- What goes into protecting the Coca-Cola formula?
- Why does it seem like there are suddenly more homeless people downtown?
- How much longer can Atlanta be a City in the Forest?
- Who’s the more successful movie producer: Will Packer or Tyler Perry?
- Why can private businesses hire cops to direct traffic on busy streets?
- Why does downtown Atlanta have overhead gerbil tunnels between buildings?
- Why do street names change at Ponce?
- How long could Atlanta survive in a disaster?
- When was Atlanta’s worst snowstorm?
- What happened to the giant ants at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport?
- Who the hell is Sloppy Floyd?
- What’s the fastest speed ever recorded on Ga. 400?
- I was in an accident on a highway with cameras. Why can’t I get footage?
- Who owns that tower with the torch next to the Connector?
- Who killed Ryan Gravel’s hopes and dreams for the BeltLine?
- How much can an Atlanta stripper make on a great night?
- Where are the best places in Atlanta to spot celebrities?
- Does anyone actually like the Varsity?
- Could commuter rail ever be installed on the train tracks that already run through Cobb County?
- Why is it so hard to buy a starter home in the city?