Our Going Global series has been taking ‘shallow dives’ into some of the more exotic, far-flung, or lesser-known locations that make up the 80+ countries where Orchid’s Sage Add-ons have taken root. Previous episodes have inlcuded such places as Eswatini, Aruba, Saint Lucia, American Samoa, Papua New Guinea, and Mauritius.
Atlanta may not fit that description - it's certainly not a country - but it can still lay claim to being exotic in its own way!
It is also "top of mind" at the moment, with the just-completed Sage FUTURE event having placed it at the very centre of the Sage universe over the past few days..
Ten (or so) things you may not know about…Atlanta
These points may be well known to Atlantans, but most of them were new to me. I hope audiences from more far-flung Orchid outposts find them interesting too!
- It’s known as “The City in a Forest”: Atlanta has over 48% tree coverage, making it one of the most heavily forested urban areas in the US, and the most forested of any major American city.
- It’s had five different names: The area was known as Standing Peachtree (a Creek Indian village), Terminus (as in railroad terminus), Thrasherville, and Marthasville, before settling upon Atlanta in 1847.
- There's no peach in Peachtree: Despite having over 70 streets with “Peachtree” in the name, there are no actual peach trees native to the area. (The name likely comes from a Creek Indian word “Pitch Tree,” referring to pine trees.)
- It’s home to the world’s busiest airport: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has held the title of world’s busiest airport by passenger numbers for decades, perhaps because 80% of the US population lives within a two-hour flight.
- It's the birthplace of Coca-Cola: The beverage was first served in 1886 at Jacobs’ Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta. The city is still the home of The Coca-Cola Company, and there's even a museum dedicated to it: World of Coca-Cola.
- Atlanta burned itself down — twice!: The city was famously burned during General Sherman’s Civil War march in 1864, but less known is that it burned again in 1917 in a massive fire that destroyed nearly 2,000 buildings.
- MLK’s light shines brightly in Atlanta: Martin Luther King Jr (MLK) was born, raised, and buried in Atlanta. The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park features an eternal flame near his tomb, symbolizing his undying legacy.
- It’s a movie-making mecca: Known as the “Hollywood of the South,” Atlanta is a major film production hub. Many Marvel movies, The Walking Dead, and Stranger Things were filmed in and around the city.
- Underground Atlanta was once…above ground: After post-Civil War reconstruction, the city built over the original street level to elevate roads and railroad crossings. The result is a now-below-ground historic district that was once the bustling downtown.
Orchid EFT's Global Footprint
Today, Orchid’s EFT Processing supports 800+ bank formats in 80+ countries.
From Atlanta to Aruba, Mauritius to Mozambique, we may already have the format you need. If not, just let us know and we can set it up!
