Actual Factual Georgia

Q: We often hear that Atlanta has the highest elevation of any major city east of the Mississippi River and the rain that falls on the west side of Peachtree Ridge flows to the Gulf, and the rain on the east side goes to the Atlantic. Is that true? And, what is the highest point in the city?

—Robert H. Abney, Stone Mountain

A: When it actually rains around here, the amount that falls on the west side of Peachtree Ridge — the geological feature that Atlanta is built on, not the high school in Suwanee — generally flows into either the Chattahoochee, Flint or Etowah rivers and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico. The rain on the east side of the ridge makes its way to the Altamaha River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean near Brunswick. So yes, that's true, according to the hydrologists at the U.S. Geological Survey's Georgia Water Science Center. As for the second part, Atlanta was founded on Peachtree Ridge, which is part of the Eastern Continental Divide, and is generally more than 1,000 feet above sea level. The highest areas of the city — not including the top of that pointy thing on the roof of the Bank of America building — are around the Atlanta University Center, specifically Spelman College and the Castleberry Hill Historic District (just southwest of downtown), 225 Peachtree Street, which is where Peachtree Center stands, and the High Museum of Art. Those locations are about 1,073 feet above sea level, according to the USGS. By comparison, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is at 1,026 feet, the summit of Stone Mountain is at 1,686 and Kennesaw Mountain soars to 1,808 feet. So, breathe easy folks. At least we're not a mile high.