Atlanta's Most Popular Google Searches In 2017

ATLANTA, GA — When a deadly hurricane is barreling through the state, people want to know more about it. And that fact was reflected in what Atlanta area residents were searching for online in 2017.

'Hurricane Irma" was the year's most-searched term in Atlanta, according to Google's 2017 Year In Search results. The annual list showed global and national trends mixed with items of more local interest among Atlanta's most frequent searches.

In September, Hurricane Irma walloped Georgia, causing several deaths and massive damage along the state's coast while leaving more than a million Georgians, including many in Georgia, without power.

Hurricane Irma — which was also Google's No. 2017 search term nationwide — was so much on our minds in the Peach State that it also took Atlanta's No. 2 spot with the phrase "Irma path."

Here's a look at Atlanta's top 10 Google search terms for 2017:

1. Hurricane Irma: The hurricane struck the Florida coast, then rolled through much of Georgia as a tropical storm in September.
2. Irma path: See above.
3. Tom Petty: The legendary rocker from Florida died in October.
4. Super Bowl: Our own Atlanta Falcons played in Super Bowl 51, losing 34-28 to the New England Patriots.
5. Aaron Hernandez: The former NFL star, in prison for a 2013 murder, committed suicide in April.
6. Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons complied an 11-5 regular season record en route to the NFC Championship.
7. Solar Eclipse: The first total solar eclipse visible in North America in 38 years happened on Aug. 21.
8. Las Vegas shooting: The October mass shooting was called the worst in U.S. history.
9. Charlie Murphy: The comedian died in April.
10. Fidget spinner: The simple, little toys became a worldwide sensation in 2017.

In a release, Google noted that, despite a host of local elections and other issues in 2017, most of Atlanta's most popular searches were for issues of national or global interest. Atlantans were less interested that most people in NBC's firing of Matt Laurer (No. 2 in the U.S.) the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Connor McGregor (No. 6) and Hurricane Harvey (No. 8).

Google's other top 10 searches in the United States were iPhone 8, iPhone X, Meghan Markle, 13 Reasons Why, Tom Petty, Fidget Spinner, Chester Bennington and India National Cricket Team.

To take a look at Google's entire2017 Year in Search results, click here.

Photo courtesy Georgia Department of Public Safety