Читать книгу Afoot & Afield: Atlanta. 108 Spectacular Outings in North-Central Georgia онлайн

12 страница из 110

Despite these hardships, the state of Georgia and the City of Atlanta have seen some victories in their efforts to create green space for recreation. In 2008, Atlanta introduced the Beltline, a 22-mile greenway where old railroad corridors were transformed into parks and multiuse trails. In 2014, more than 1 million people walked, hiked, and biked on the Beltline trails, and the Beltline project has generated $2.4 billion in private investment in areas adjacent to the trails. While the Beltline has rehabilitated parts of the city and improved the lives of its residents, the greenway has also relieved some pressure from one of Atlanta’s most popular destinations, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (NRA).

Each year, about 3.5 million people visit the Chattahoochee River NRA’s 13 park units that include 4,500 acres along the Chattahoochee River. It includes 50 miles of trails that run through pine and hardwood forest and follow the banks of a 48-mile stretch of the river. A major destination for hikers, birders, anglers, kayakers, and folks out for a midday walk, the river corridor supports a wide range of wildlife, such as foxes and deer, and you have a good chance of seeing a great blue heron soaring over the Chattahoochee.