Chattahoochee Plantation, The 10-Foot Wide City

In the early 1950s, Atlanta, the most populous city in the U.S. Georgia, was growing at an incredible rate spilling its borders into the surrounding areas. Within a short period of time, it had tripled its area by annexing vast regions to the northwest, southwest and south of the city. Not all of these regions were keen on becoming a part of Atlanta. There were concerns about the effectiveness of a government that big. Some people were also worried about the way the African-American population was growing in the city and gaining political mileage. As the 1950s gave way to the 1960s, the civil rights movement picked up steam and many white families of Atlanta sold their homes and moved across the Chattahoochee River and into Cobb County, that lies to the northwest of the city. But when it became apparent that Atlanta planned to annex this region as well, Cobb County decided to take action.