Not a river town

During the early days of America’s founding, having access to water was one of the primary prerequisites in choosing a location for a community. It’s not a difficult concept to understand. In addition to the obvious health benefits, having access to water provided a source of power for industry and, for many, water equaled mobility, a way to get from point A to point B. Which explains why so many cities in the United States developed beside bodies of water. Makes one wonder why Atlanta is the exception. Why didn’t the City of Atlanta spring up around the Chattahoochee River? The answer, as you might expect, is simple and it can be found in this week’s Stories of Atlanta.