Book excerpt: Published in 1950 at the conclusion of a major population study, The People of Atlanta provided a complete demographic analysis of the city as it was just emerging as a major city of the New South. The data and conclusions are compared with corresponding data about other urban populations, including the southern cities of Dallas, Nashville, and New Orleans. In this analysis, the number and distribution of Atlanta's population is addressed first, focusing on race, nativity, age, sex, marital status, education, occupation, and religion of inhabitants. The People of Atlanta also addresses fertility, mortality, and migration as it has affected the growth of Atlanta's population.