On the heels of a great interview with Chris Milhous ’83 we are featuring Atlanta in our City Guides.
Some Background Stats:
Population: 443,775
Unemployment Rate: 10.4%
Cost of living index: 75.10/100
Major industries: Metals, machinery, transportation, equipment, food and beverages, printing, publishing, textiles, apparel, furniture, telecommunications hardware, steel, chemicals
Climate: Winter— ~39 degrees, Summer— ~78 degrees
Professional Sports: Braves, Dream, Hawks (with Bucknell Alum Mike Muscala ’13 on the team!), Falcons, Silverbacks
Closing Time: 2 AM
Best known for: The home of Coca-Cola, Ludacris, Outkast, Ciara, Usher, TLC, T.I., Keri HIlson, and Zac Brown Band
Best/iconic dishes: Octopus dogs, blue crab fritters, grits, pulled pork – or you can try a dish by Bucknell Alum Ben Portman ’07 at PorKman’s Table
Why We Chose It:
We chose Atlanta for you because of the vibrant culture, young demographic, and vast options for industries in which to enter. Atlanta has a rich diversity of museums and educational centers such as the Atlanta History Center, Buckhead Art and Galleries, Centennial Olympic Park, Center for Puppetry Arts, The Children’s Museum of Atlanta, the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, the Fox Theatre, the High Museum of Art, the Marietta Historic District, the Jimmy Carter Presedential Library and Museum, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site and Sweet Auburn District, and the Historic West End.
Another recreational place to visit would be the Red Brick Brewing Company, which teaches the history and “how-to” of craft brewing. Red Brick is Georgia’s oldest operating craft brewery and is a Southern favorite – which could be great to experience, as the majority of us from Bucknell are born and bred Northerners. If alcoholic beverages do not suit you, have no fear. The World of Coca Cola museum offers a multi-sensory 4-D theater, an 1880s soda fountain and live action bottling line, and opportunities to sample more than 60 different beverages from around the world. Another traditionally Southern pastime in which you should partake is target shooting at Stoddard’s Range and Guns. Whether you have had experience or not, you can visit the complex, which has twelve 75-foot lanes rated for pistol and rifle and a programmable touch-screen target system
Parks are also a prevalent feature in Georgia and permit you to enjoy lush lawns, stunning views, and any sort of outdoor leisure. If you are either love to canoe or are a long distance runner, the Chattahoochee River path could be the source of your weekend activities as well! Alongside the musical scene at Centennial Olympic Park and Decatur Square, there is not much that Atlanta does not offer to recent Bucknell graduates.
Why You’ll Love It:
This city allows everyone with diverse interests to experience life below the Mason-Dixon line. Regardless of whether or not you are outdoorsy, enjoy going out/shopping, are musical, are a lover of art or food – Atlanta is guaranteed to show you a good time while letting you explore your career options.
Not ready to leave Bucknell? We didn’t think so!
The Bucknell Atlanta Club has 619 alumni in the area, according their B-Link page and we found 295 students & alumni in the Atlanta area on LinkedIn. Many of the alumni work for Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory, AT&T, IBM, GE, PwC; working in Sales, Finance, Operations, Consulting, Media & Communications and many Entrepreneurs.
This post was written and researched by Bucknell Sophomore Sophie Hattery.
Our city guides were started in an effort to highlight various cities across the U.S. to help you discover and learn about a city you may not have considered but could make a great spot for your first job or internship. See past city guides