The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The franchise was formed in 1946 as the Buffalo Bisons and played at the Buffalo_Memorial_Auditorium. The team was then moved to Moline, then became the Tri-Cities Blackhawks in the Mississippi River area. After relocating to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1951, the franchise was renamed to Milwaukee Hawks. Before the 1955–56 season, the Hawks moved to St. Louis, Missouri and spent thirteen seasons there. As of late, their final relocation took place in 1968, when the Hawks moved to Atlanta, Georgia. (*)