The College Football Hall of Fame has announced that the attraction will relocate to Atlanta in September 2012.

The new location will be on the edge of Centennial Olympic Park in Downtown, an area that has become Atlanta’s anchor for tourism activity. In the past five years, more than $214 million in new attractions have sprung up around the park, creating a walkable ring of attractions and elevating Atlanta as a top tourism destination. The College Football Hall of Fame will neighbor the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta, the Inside CNN Studio Tour and the Center for Civil and Human Rights, projected to open in 2012. All are within steps of the Georgia World Congress Center and more than 12,000 hotel rooms in Downtown.

The new 50,000 square-foot facility anticipates 500,000 visitors annually.

“The College Football Hall of Fame will be an excellent addition to our portfolio of attractions and will enhance the Atlanta experience for all of our visitors,” said William Pate, president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.

As home to some of the most prestigious college football sporting events, Atlanta boosters hope the new attraction will draw millions of sports fans who come to Atlanta for events. Each year the Georgia Dome is home to the Chick-fil-A Bowl, the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship Football game (committed to Atlanta through 2015).  Within walking distance from the new attraction, the Dome also serves as the home stadium for the NFL Atlanta Falcons.

In addition to annual events, Atlanta was recently awarded several top college sports events. In 2009 alone, Atlanta has been named as the site for the 2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four regional play and site of the 2013 NCAA Men’s Final Four, the 75^th anniversary of the tournament. The SEC men’s basketball championship will return to Atlanta in 2014.

Established in 1913, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau is a private, nonprofit organization created to favorably impact the Atlanta economy through conventions and tourism. www.atlanta.net