Austell is a small city in Cobb County, Georgia, about 18 miles west of downtown Atlanta and part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Its population is roughly 7,700, and it retains a small-town feel even as it sits in one of metro Atlanta's busiest counties. The city lies near the junction of I-20 and I-285, with Thornton Road running through the area and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport about 20 miles to the southeast. Austell is perhaps best known as the home of Six Flags Over Georgia, one of the largest theme parks in the Southeast. The park includes more than 40 rides and attractions, along with the Hurricane Harbor water park, drawing visitors from across the region each year. Just west of the city, Sweetwater Creek State Park preserves a wooded stretch of creek and the ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Company, a textile mill burned during the Civil War. Its trails follow the stream and climb rocky bluffs, and the park remains one of the closest large natural areas to downtown Atlanta. Public schools are provided by the Cobb County School District, Georgia's third-largest district, which serves Austell along with the rest of the county. The district's size supports a wide range of academic and athletic programs for students throughout western Cobb County. Austell combines established single-family neighborhoods with convenient access to Atlanta employment centers and the region's highways. Its position along I-20 makes it a practical base for commuters who want a quieter, small-town setting within a short drive of downtown Atlanta, the airport, and the shopping and dining of the surrounding suburbs. The mix of a historic downtown, a major theme park, and protected creek-side parkland gives Austell a character that is hard to find elsewhere in the western Atlanta suburbs.