ABSTRACT
ATLANTA By demographic measures, Atlanta is among the fastest-growing American cities of the post-World War II era. Since 1950, it has edged into the top ten of American metropolitan areas in terms of both population and rate of growth. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the city has almost 425,000 residents, with over 60 percent of them identified as Black or African American. Geographically, the city has sprawled northward at an alarming rate, with few settlements in its path. Culturally, some of the most important occurrences in the development of American folklifeespecially the image of the South as a folk cultural region-have gained widespread recognition in
Atlanta’s rise to modern prominence and have helped confirm the city’s role as a hub, conduit, and transformer.
