1982-1996: The Phoenix and the Torch
The full impact of global recession hit Atlanta in the beginning of the 80's. Washington turned to heavy military spending and OPEC helped to generate huge deficits. But deficits in the U.S. meant that somewhere abroad there were surpluses.
As Mayor of Atlanta, Young sought to introduce Atlanta as an international city and to attract private investment from abroad.
Coca-Cola, CNN, and the new airport already created a new awareness of Atlanta, and the Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitor's Bureau welcomed a mayor with a new vision for the city. The news media, however, felt that a mayor should stay at home, collect garbage, and fill potholes.
As new investors came to town, bringing jobs and accepting the city's environmental and affirmative action standards, Atlanta's economy took off.
Seventy billion private dollars came to the metro area and the Atlanta International Phoenix began to emerge from the ashes of fear and despair.
Gradually the city began to believe in itself and Georgia State University established a School of Public Policy that would seek to understand the development of the city, state, and regions and to share its experiences with other nations of the world.
In 1988, the City was inspired by Billy Payne to host the Centennial Olympic Games. Young agreed to join the team when the group of nine young Atlanta families vowed to fund the games with private dollars and assured that the city would not incur any debt.
September 19, 1990 in Tokyo proved to be a magic day, when the International Olympic Committee gave the 1996 Olympic Games to Atlanta. Young's years of international friendships, action, and involvement led to Atlanta's successful bid and the $2.5 billion dollar Olympic budget stimulated another decade of growth for the region.
