I know I'm biased, but Georgia is a pretty awesome place to live.

We've got cool cities, cute small towns, and Atlanta, our capital, is a global metropolis.

But guess what?

Back in the early '90s, not many people around the world knew about Atlanta, Georgia.

That is until something major happened that put us on the map, the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

This event transformed Atlanta, but it also majorly affected the state.

So how did hosting the Olympics impact Georgia's short-term and long-term economic and population growth?

Let's find out.

It's tough to imagine now, but Atlanta looked a lot different before it hosted the Olympics.

Like many major cities in the 1980s and 1990s, Atlanta was experiencing urban decay.

There were empty lots and abandoned buildings in the downtown area.

But despite these struggles, some people thought Atlanta would be the perfect place to host the games.

In 1987, Atlanta attorney and former football player Billy Payne teamed up with Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young to pitch Atlanta as the host for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

It seemed like a long shot, but Payne and Young were confident they could convince the International Olympic Committee to choose Georgia's state capital.

To make their case, Payne and Young developed two volumes of plans for Atlanta, highlighting its southern hospitality, warm summer weather, and rich history, including its role as a major player in the civil rights movement and the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr.

These were pretty good selling points, but Atlanta was up against a lot.

After all, a number of cities wanted to host this particular Olympics because 1996 would mark the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympics.

But before we dig into its history, what do you know about the Olympic Games?

The Olympic Games are a global sports competition where athletes compete in hundreds of different events.

Every four years, a new city hosts the Summer Olympics and enjoys the opportunity of bringing people together from different countries to celebrate competition and unity.

The original Olympic Games were held in ancient Olympia, Greece, to honor the Greek god Zeus.

Athletes from different city-states would come together every four years to compete in events like boxing and chariot racing.

The concept was later brought back to life in Athens, Greece, in 1896 as an international competition and has continued ever since.

So, the 1996 Games would be the Centennial Olympic Games.

Several cities wanted to host this historic event, including Atlanta, Toronto, Manchester, Belgrade, Melbourne, and even the birthplace of the modern Olympic Games, Athens.

When the announcement was made in 1990, to the surprise of many, Atlanta was awarded host of the Centennial Olympic Games.

This would be the first time since the International Cotton Exposition during Reconstruction that Atlanta hosted a major event.

So the city immediately went to work.

For six years, committees planned, prepped, and organized everything Atlanta would need for the Olympics.

Venues like what is formerly known as Turner Field were built.

Old buildings were converted into lofts.

Low-income neighborhoods were demolished to make way for mixed-income housing and accommodations for athletes.

And hotels and other new places for visitors were developed.

At the same time, roads, sidewalks, and other infrastructure were upgraded.

The city even constructed Centennial Olympic Park, a 22-acre park in the heart of downtown Atlanta.

And then came the final touches.

Trees were planted, streetlights were installed, and art was displayed to make Atlanta more enjoyable and accessible for residents and the influx of tourists.

All of these efforts to prepare for the Centennial Olympic Games helped reverse years of urban decay and hundreds of millions of dollars were spent getting it done.

By the summer of '96, it was game on!

From July 19th August 4th, 1996, more than 10,000 athletes competed across 271 events and 26 different sports.

An estimated 3.5 billion people from around the world watched the Games on TV, and over two million people visited Atlanta for the Olympics.

And if all of that isn't impressive enough, it's estimated that the Centennial Olympic Games had a direct economic impact of at least $5 billion, and Atlanta was now globally recognized as a world-class place to do business.

The Olympics demonstrated that the city was capable of hosting other major events.

Now outfitted with tens of thousands of hotel rooms, a robust public transportation system, dozens of venues and special event spaces, a wealth of restaurants and attractions, and proximity to one of the world's busiest airports, Atlanta can handle just about any event or convention.

But it wasn't just businesses that flocked to Atlanta after 1996.

All this attention attracted a lot of new residents.

As a direct result of hosting the games, Georgia's population grew significantly.

In just 15 years, two million people moved to the metro Atlanta area, and more and more young professionals moved from the suburbs to the revitalized city limits.

Hosting the Summer Olympics in 1996 had a lasting impact on Atlanta, and by extension, the state of Georgia.

The city gained international recognition, its population boomed, tourism increased, and business opportunities exploded.

It's pretty cool to think about all the ways a single event transformed an entire state.

What event do you think Georgia should host next, and in what city?

How would you make your pitch?

Consider the improvements you would make to your chosen city to ensure the event is successful.

You never know what lies ahead for the Peach State.