Marietta, the seat of then rural Cobb County, was selected for the Bell Bomber plant because it was well served by an excellent railroad network and was close to Atlanta's airport. Marietta is less than 20 miles from downtown Atlanta and was connected to Atlanta by streetcar, the Dixie Highway, and Georgia's first 4-lane highway (US 41, then under construction).
The Bell Bomber plant opened in Marietta in 1943 to supply the US Army with B-29s. The plant drew its workers from communities in north Georgia and increased the population in Cobb County greatly. At the end of WWII, the plant closed. In 1951, Lockheed reopened the plant bringing even more people to the area, making Cobb one of the most rapidly growing places in the country. The Lockheed plant is still in operation.
These stairs lead up a hill from downtown Marietta (where the majority of plant workers lived) to the plant. 
You can't really see all the buildings, just the vast seas of parking lots, but there are many buildings on the site along with a baseball field and a recreation center (both pictured below).
This suburban industrial site is a little atypical because it began as a government owned and run plant, but the government decided to locate it in the suburbs for many of the same reasons a private company would. They needed a vast expanse of land, but they wanted to be close to the amenities Atlanta offered (an airport, a very connected rail system, and proximity to highways).
Good, Stephanie.
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