What kind of city elects a saloon owner as its first mayor?
In this episode of Stories of Atlanta, part of our Iron and Ambition series, we travel back to 1848—the year Atlanta held its very first city election.
Fueled by fistfights, whiskey, and political passions, this raucous vote set the tone for the kind of city Atlanta would become. With just 215 votes, cast in Thomas Kile’s store, located at what is now Five Points in downtown Atlanta, the city’s future was shaped
The winner? The popular owner of a Decatur Street saloon. And as we will see in future episodes, that was only the beginning.
👉 Watch now to discover how this wild first election planted the seeds of Atlanta’s identity.
