Jets from Vance Air Force Base perform a flyover above Turner Field during opening-day festivities in Atlanta on April 10, 2009
After 20 seasons of play at Turner Field, the Atlanta Braves appear poised to bid farewell to their downtown turf.
While the team had already announced plans to relocate to Atlanta’s northern suburbs by 2016, Cobb County officials on Tuesday night reportedly approved plans to build a $672 million stadium for the major-league franchise, according to a report by CBS Atlanta.
As Major League Baseball’s popularity continues to grow in suburban and rural America and wane in urban centers, the Braves have become one of the first teams in the past decade to relocate to a stadium in their respective city’s municipal hinterlands.