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Researching Urban Atlanta

A guide to locating current information about the Atlanta urban area.

General Information:State & Local

 

Digital Library of Georgia is a gateway to Georgia's history and culture found in digitized books, manuscripts, photographs, government documents, newspapers, maps, audio, video, and other resources. Included is the New Georgia Encyclopedia, an authoritative source of information about people, places, events, institutions, and many other topics relating to the state

Global Atlanta has a quick page for links to local governments and other info.

SOURCES FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT INFORMATION

Links to state and local agencies, organizations related to state/local government and issues. Some organizations produce research reports which may be available online.

  • Lexis-Nexis State Capitol
    Excellent resource that holds information on state bills, statutes, regulation, issues, etc. Allows you to search across state papers, National Council of State Legislatures briefs, reports, and magazines. Also provides links to the state agencies and governments.
  • State Blue Books A compilation of Blue Books that were once published in print but are now primarily published online.  They provide key informationon the organization of the state's government, sometimes including contact information, statistics, and state and local history.  Not all states publish these books; some have ceased publication altogether (description borrowed fromKris Kasianovitz, Documents to the People,, Winter 2007) . The Georgia Blue Book,  Georgia Official and Statistical Register ceased in 1990. Print copies are also available (JK4330 .A3).

Note that the information in many blue books is now available online, but most information pre-1997 is still only available in print.

  • Council of State Governments
    Coordinating group that analyzes and investigates state issues and policies.
  • University of Michigan State Governments and Politics Mega-site of sorts that lists and organizes numerous websites dedicated to state government and politics. Note that there are many links on the site that may be outdated or unavailable.
  • Stateline.org: Politics and Policy News, State by State
    A "non-partisan, non-profit online news publication that reports each weekday on state government." Contains original articles, and links to local state newspaper stories and editorial cartoons. Browsable by state, and issue (including elections, crime, and energy). Also features comparative statistical data on education, the environment, health care, politics, and other topics for all 50 states. Includes archive of Stateline.org stories and "the full text of the governor's state of the state addresses." Searchable.
  • National Association on Counties (NACo)
    This site offers news, data, and statistics about counties. From the section called U.S. Counties , retrieve "information on counties, such as county officials, courthouse addresses, county seats, cities in a county." Find economic and demographic data, county ordinances, policies, Model County programs, and more. Browsable by state, and searchable.
  • United States Conference of Mayors

This is the "official nonpartisan organization of the nation's ... cities with populations of 30,000 or more." The site provides news, and describes key programs and provides publications in areas such as sustainable development, working families, and homelessness and hunger. Also includes a best practices database and links to websites of member cities.

  • Brookings Institute is another think tank that has produced reports on urban issues and Atlanta.

Tip: Locate other think tanks at Harvard Kennedy School's Think Tank Search

 

 

The following website from the N.Y. Times  is not specific to local urban issues but contains many useful links.

Racial Issues and Identities: A Guide to Resources on the Web

 

 

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