Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, is the capital city of the state of Georgia, and was inhabited by half a million people before the outbreak. The Metro-Atlanta area's population was over 5.5 million people before the outbreak occurred.

As the undead rose, the government and army advised people to seek the larger cities for protection, yet were unable to handle the dire situation. The army failed to hold the infected back, resulting in the majority of its population becoming undead. Military checkpoints were overrun, and vehicles were burned or abandoned. People tried to flee the city using the freeways and highways, however they became gridlocked; leaving the vehicle occupants vulnerable to the 'Walking Dead'. The Center for Disease Control building is also based in Atlanta and was trying to find a cure for the outbreak. When the cities became overrun and the military turned infected, the army had no choice but to begin bombarding the city with napalm bombs to destroy the infected. However, most of the city remains intact, just the streets of infected were targeted (which explains why when Rick Grimes entered the city, he saw several burned vehicles). With the cities overrun with the undead, it left the outskirts relatively safe until slowly the walkers began heading out to more rural areas.

Highway

 * For full article, please see Interstate 85

One of the main highways leading to and from the city of Atlanta was Interstate 85, people trying to flee the city jammed the outbound lanes of the highway, with the highway blocked, people became more easily infected. Rick Grimes uses this stretch of highway (the inbound side) to enter the city by horse. Other survivors seem to use this highway a lot, Glenn was seen driving a stolen car down this highway to be a distraction to the walkers while Rick went to save all the other survivors at the department store. The highway was also seen in What Lies Ahead in season 2 where all the survivors leave Atlanta by driving down this highway.

Main Street
Upon navigating the lifeless streets, he encounters a crowd of zombies, forcing him to flee. Unfortunately, he is knocked off his horse and he seeks refuge in a tank as his horse is eaten alive by dozens of zombies. (Days Gone Bye) While avoiding the walkers, Rick drops his Bag of guns on the street in order to survive, later Glenn is seen sneaking on this street to get Rick's hat and the bag of guns back.

Department Store
Rick is contacted by Glenn via radio, who gives him instructions on how to escape his position stuck inside the army tank. Rick makes it to the location Glenn tells him to go to and the pair flee from the zombies up a ladder to the rooftops. From there, they make their way to a department store where other survivors are holed up. T-Dog and Morales emerge from the store to clear nearby zombies so Rick and Glenn can enter. Inside are the other survivors, Jacqui and Andrea, while Merle Dixon is on the store roof, keeping guard. Due to the shooting by Rick and Merle's carelessness of shooting walkers for fun, the walkers have begun surrounding the store, trapping the survivors. The survivors ultimately make their escape from Atlanta as Rick drives a truck to the loading dock while Glenn distracts the walkers with a car that is blaring its alarm. The group exit the city while Dixon is left behind, having been handcuffed to a pipe on the roof for turning against his fellow members, with the handcuff key lost. (Guts)

Nursing Home

 * For full article, please see the Atlanta Nursing Home

When Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, and Daryl Dixon go back to Atlanta to release Merle from the handcuffed roof and get the bag of guns left on the street, they come across other survivors that use a nursing home as a refuge base. The nursing home is filled with several dozen seniors was abandoned by its caring staff, except for two people. Those two workers, members of the Vatos gang, recruit fellow gang members to help care for the seniors of the home, turning the home into a well defended complex. The men are armed with various weapons and watch over the home, including a warehouse/garage that connects to the home, where cars are being worked upon. Other survivors included some women, caring for the senior citizens. (Vatos)

Center for Disease Control

 * For the full article, please see the CDC

Its main building is within Atlanta that the survivors try to reach in episode 5, Wildfire, in an attempt to find help and aid from the government.

Deaths
The following characters died or were killed at this location:
 * Rick's Horse
 * Wayne Dunlap
 * Millions of people

Trivia

 * Scott Wilson who plays Hershel Greene is from Atlanta, Georgia
 * James Allen McCune who plays Jimmy is from Atlanta, Georgia
 * Locations for Rick's house, Morgan's house and the park where the "Bicycle Girl" is first spotted and later killed are all within a quarter mile of each other in Atlanta's historic Grant Park neighborhood. In fact, Rick's house is directly across the street from Zoo Atlanta. One of its buildings can be seen as Rick leaves his house.
 * A helicopter is seen flying through the Atlanta skies in both the episodes, Days Gone Bye and Beside the Dying Fire however, it is unknown who or what organization is flying it.