If you live in Atlanta or are visiting and getting into local sports history, you’ll quickly learn that the city’s identity is closely tied to the Atlanta Braves. Understanding when the Braves moved to Atlanta—and why—helps explain a lot about how Atlanta became a major-league sports city.
The Braves moved to Atlanta for the 1966 season.
Their first regular-season home game in Atlanta was played on April 12, 1966, at what was then called Atlanta Stadium.
Before that, the team had been the Milwaukee Braves, and even earlier, the Boston Braves. The move to Atlanta made the Braves the first Major League Baseball franchise in the Deep South.
The Braves are one of baseball’s oldest franchises, and they’ve called three cities home:
| City | Team Name | Years in City |
|---|---|---|
| Boston | Boston Braves | 1870s–1952 |
| Milwaukee | Milwaukee Braves | 1953–1965 |
| Atlanta | Atlanta Braves | 1966–present |
By the mid-1960s, team leadership was looking for a growing, enthusiastic market with room for a modern stadium and a regional fan base. Atlanta, positioning itself as the “capital of the New South,” wanted a major-league team to match its growth and ambitions.
For someone living in or visiting Atlanta today, it’s easy to see why the city made sense:
City and civic leaders essentially built the stadium first, helping convince the team’s ownership that Atlanta was serious about baseball.
When the Braves arrived in 1966, they played at Atlanta Stadium, which later became known as Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium.
If you’re in Atlanta today, you can’t visit the original stadium, because it was demolished in the late 1990s. However:
👉 Tip for locals and visitors:
If you’re a baseball fan, stopping by this area can be a quick, meaningful detour—you can literally stand where the 1966 Atlanta Braves took the field in their first season here.
Once the Braves got to Atlanta, the city’s relationship with the team continued to evolve.
Turner Field started as the main stadium for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. After the Olympics, it was converted into a baseball park.
If you’re exploring Atlanta sports history:
While Truist Park is technically in Cobb County (in the Cumberland area, near the intersection of I-75 and I-285), it is still considered the home of the Atlanta Braves and a core part of the metro Atlanta experience.
For Atlanta residents and visitors, Truist Park is now the practical way to experience the team that moved here in 1966, with a modern stadium and year-round activity around it.
When the Braves arrived in 1966, Atlanta gained:
For locals, this move helped shape Atlanta’s reputation as a sports hub, paving the way for:
For decades, the Braves have been branded as “America’s Team” by many baseball fans, in part because of nationally televised games. But from an Atlanta standpoint, their move here in 1966 made them:
Even though the original 1966 Atlanta Stadium is gone, you still have several ways to experience the Braves’ Atlanta story firsthand.
This is a quick, low-cost outing that is especially meaningful for baseball fans who want to connect the 1966 move to physical space.
Even though Truist Park opened in 2017, it celebrates the franchise’s full history, including the 1966 move to Atlanta.
At or around Truist Park, you’ll find:
You don’t have to attend a game to walk around The Battery Atlanta and soak in the atmosphere, but game days do give the fullest sense of how central the Braves are to modern Atlanta sports culture.
If you’re planning to explore Braves-related locations in metro Atlanta:
Downtown/Old Stadium Area:
Truist Park / The Battery Atlanta:
Key facts for Atlanta residents and visitors:
Year the Braves moved to Atlanta:
First Atlanta home game:
Original Atlanta stadium name:
Subsequent home fields in Atlanta:
Why it matters locally:
For anyone trying to understand Atlanta’s sports culture, knowing that the Braves moved to Atlanta for the 1966 season is a key piece of the story. Whether you’re walking the old stadium grounds near Hank Aaron Drive or catching a game at Truist Park, you’re experiencing a legacy that began the moment the Braves made Atlanta their home.
