How Big Is Atlanta? Understanding the City’s Size in Square Miles

If you’re trying to get your bearings in Atlanta, Georgia—whether you’re moving here, planning a visit, or just curious—one of the most common questions is: “How many square miles is Atlanta?”

Here’s the short answer:

• The City of Atlanta covers about 134 square miles.
• The Atlanta metropolitan area is much larger, spreading across 8,000+ square miles and multiple counties.

Understanding the difference between Atlanta the city and “Atlanta” the metro area is key to understanding how big this place really is, especially when it comes to getting here and getting around.

City of Atlanta vs. Metro Atlanta: What’s the Difference?

When locals say “Atlanta,” they often mean different things depending on the context.

City of Atlanta (Official City Limits)

• Approximate area:134 square miles
• Governed by the City of Atlanta and its departments
• Includes neighborhoods like:
  • Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead
  • Old Fourth Ward, West End, East Atlanta
  • Grant Park, Virginia-Highland, Cascade, Kirkwood, and many more

This area is what you’re dealing with when looking at:

• City services (like City of Atlanta Police, watershed management, and sanitation)
• City of Atlanta property taxes
• City zoning and permitting

Metro Atlanta (The Larger Urban Region)

• Approximate area:8,000+ square miles
• Spans multiple counties commonly seen as part of “metro Atlanta,” including:
  • Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Clayton, and others
• Includes major cities and suburbs like:
  • Sandy Springs, Marietta, Decatur, Smyrna, College Park, East Point, Roswell, Duluth, Lawrenceville, and more

When people talk about Atlanta traffic, commuting, or the greater Atlanta job market, they’re usually referring to this much larger metro region, not just the 134-square-mile city.

Quick Size Snapshot: City vs. Metro

Here’s a simple way to visualize the difference:

This size difference explains why:

• A “15-minute drive in Atlanta” could mean only a few miles in rush hour.
• Someone in Marietta or Decatur might say they’re “from Atlanta,” even though they live outside the official city limits.

How Atlanta’s Size Affects Getting Around

Atlanta’s land area isn’t enormous compared with some sprawling cities, but the way the city and metro area are laid out has a big impact on transportation and daily life.

Distances Within the City of Atlanta

Within the 134-square-mile city, many major destinations are relatively close together:

• Downtown to Midtown: about 2–3 miles
• Midtown to Buckhead: about 4–5 miles
• Downtown to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: about 10–12 miles
• Downtown to major intown neighborhoods (Grant Park, West End, Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park): often 2–5 miles

Because the official city area isn’t huge:

• Trips within the city limits can be short in distance, but
• Traffic and timing still matter a lot—especially on major roads like Peachtree Street, I-75/85, and I-20.

Distances Across Metro Atlanta

Once you zoom out to 8,000+ square miles, “Atlanta” becomes much bigger in practical terms:

• Kennesaw (Cobb County) to Downtown Atlanta: about 25+ miles
• Lawrenceville (Gwinnett County) to Downtown Atlanta: around 30+ miles
• McDonough (Henry County) to Downtown Atlanta: roughly 30+ miles
• Alpharetta (North Fulton) to Downtown Atlanta: about 25+ miles

For commuters, this metro-wide footprint means:

• Daily drives can easily be 20–40 miles each way.
• Travel times depend heavily on the interstate system (I‑285, I‑75, I‑85, I‑20, GA‑400).

How Atlanta’s Size Shapes Transportation Options

Because both the city and the metro area are spread out, how you get around depends a lot on where you’re starting and where you’re going.

Getting Around Inside the 134-Square-Mile City

Within the City of Atlanta, you have multiple options:

• 🚇 MARTA Rail and Bus

  • Serves many city neighborhoods and key destinations: Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, Airport, Decatur (just outside city limits).
  • Handy for trips that stay within the central and closer-in areas.

• 🚲 Biking and Scooters

  • Growing network of trails and lanes, including:
    • Atlanta BeltLine Eastside and Westside Trails
    • Neighborhood bike routes in places like Midtown, Old Fourth Ward, and West End
  • Distances often stay in the 2–6 mile range for many city-to-city neighborhood trips.

• 🚶 Walking

  • Very practical in dense areas like:
    • Downtown, Midtown, Inman Park, Old Fourth Ward, Atlantic Station, and near the BeltLine
  • Less practical in some outer city neighborhoods where distances and road design favor driving.

• 🚗 Driving and Rideshare

  • Common even inside city limits, especially when crossing from one side of the city to another.
  • Because 134 square miles can still be wide, a trip from Southwest Atlanta to Buckhead may take just as long as going to a nearby suburb.

Getting Around Across the Metro Area

For the broader 8,000+ square miles of metro Atlanta:

• Car travel is often the default.
• MARTA connects some outlying areas (like parts of Doraville, Sandy Springs, East Point, College Park), but many outer suburbs are car-dependent.
• Commuter patterns often involve:
  • Driving from a suburban county into the city core or major job centers like Perimeter Center, Cumberland, or Buckhead.

Why Atlanta’s Square Mileage Matters for Residents and Visitors

Knowing that Atlanta is about 134 square miles—and sits at the center of a very large metro area—helps set realistic expectations.

For Residents

Understanding the city’s size helps with:

• Choosing where to live

  • Do you want to stay mainly inside the city and rely on transit, biking, or short drives?
  • Or are you okay commuting across part of the 8,000+ square mile region by car?

• Planning commutes

  • A home in Southwest Atlanta and a job in Buckhead may mean commuting nearly across the city’s entire width.
  • A home in a county like Cobb or Gwinnett can turn a city job into a regional commute.

• Using city services

  • Services like City of Atlanta sanitation, zoning, and police apply only within the 134-square-mile city boundary, not the whole metro area.

For Visitors

If you’re visiting:

• Staying near Downtown or Midtown gives you easy access to a big slice of what’s within the city’s 134 square miles:
  • Attractions like Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, CNN Center, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, State Farm Arena, Piedmont Park, BeltLine Eastside Trail
• If you plan to explore farther suburbs—like Stone Mountain, Marietta, Roswell, or Six Flags Over Georgia—build in extra travel time because you’re crossing parts of that much larger metro footprint.

Key City Agencies for Maps, Boundaries, and Transit

If you want to see exactly where those 134 square miles begin and end—or how transit fits into that space—these local resources can help:

City of Atlanta – Department of City Planning

• Use for: Official city boundary maps, neighborhood planning information, zoning and land use within the City of Atlanta.
• Location: City Hall, 55 Trinity Ave SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
• Phone (main City Hall line): 404-330-6000 (ask to be directed to Planning or GIS/Mapping)

Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC)

• Use for: Regional maps and information about the greater Atlanta metro area, including transportation planning and multi-county data.
• Location: 229 Peachtree St NE, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30303
• Phone: 404-463-3100

MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority)

• Use for: Rail and bus maps, station locations, and how transit serves the 134-square-mile city and nearby areas.
• Headquarters: 2424 Piedmont Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324
• Customer Service: 404-848-5000

These agencies can provide up-to-date, detailed maps and planning tools if you need more precision than just “134 square miles.”

In everyday terms, Atlanta is a mid-sized city by land area (about 134 square miles) sitting at the heart of a very large metro region that spreads across more than 8,000 square miles.

For getting here and getting around, that means:

• Inside the city: many destinations are fairly close, but traffic and road design matter.
• Across the metro: distances and commute times can grow quickly as you move beyond the city limits into the wider Atlanta region.