The Civic League for Regional Atlanta

The metropolitan Atlanta region is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the country. Comprised of the City of Atlanta and 10 surrounding counties Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, and Rockdale the region's current estimated total population is 4,029,400 people. One million new residents have moved into the region in the last seven years alone, and more than 1.2 million new residents are anticipated to move in by 2030.

To accommodate the booming growth throughout the region, elected officials have made commendable efforts to address community, city, and county expansion. However, our elected officials must have input form citizens in order to develop proactive strategies to enhance regional economic viability and sustainability.

The region's per capita income growth increased between 2000 and 2005 by 5.1 percent, but its growth lags behind other metro areas and is well below the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a commonly used measure of inflation. This is due, in part, to a loss of high-paying jobs in the region during the early 2000s.

• While housing prices are lower than some other metro areas, the region's foreclosures are soaring, and the median wage of a single renter in most areas of the region is not high enough to afford the rent on a two-bedroom apartment.
• The number of people living in poverty throughout the region increased by 28.7 percent between 2000 and 2003.
• Each regional Atlanta commuter wasted an estimated 44 gallons of gasoline during the year, while sitting in congested conditions.
• There is no firm regional plan for reconciling regional growth with regional water supply constraints.

Housing, employment, transportation, land use, health, diversity, and air and water quality are among the core issues that continue to shape the daily activities of citizens as the region's population grows.

Citizens are eager for informed and action-oriented governance that improves their quality of life , they expect elected officials to understand and represent their interests.

The Civic League provides a forum for residents to elevate issues to policymakers' action agendas. The Civic League is the organization that provides citizens substantive opportunities to:

• Learn about regional issues that affect their communities and lives
• Participate in dialogues and research that can improve regional conditions
• Validate findings and recommendations with other citizens, elected officials, and business leaders
• Advocate for positive change with policymakers