Where is East Point, Georgia? Most people can't locate this town of 40,000 on a map despite more than 286,000 visitors passing by its doors every day. The newly created East Point Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB) wants to change that by harnessing the power of tourism to remember the town's past and shape its future. The village of East Point, founded in 1870, draws its name from its position as the eastern terminus of the Atlanta and West Point Rail Road.
Only 16 families lived there at first, but the railroad brought a boom of growth and industry. In 1925, the Mayor of Atlanta signed a deal to transform an abandoned race track into an airport. Over the years, that airport, now called Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, became the busiest airport in the world.
East Point certainly benefits from its location next to the Atlanta Airport, especially after the decline of rail travel. Despite that decline, the old tracks still benefit the town today. Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) tracks connect the city to the airport and downtown Atlanta, only seven miles away.
However, the rail system and airport names are a harbinger of East Point's accomplishments fading into its more prominent and famous neighboring city. East Point is in an ideal location for film and TV production in the middle of an area known as the “Film Triangle” of Tyler Perry Studios, EUE/Screen Gems, and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The town often serves as a .