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States Edition
2015
Georgia
The Peach State
Established 1788
4th State
Georgia was named for King George II of England.
Georgia is often called the Empire State of the South because of its large size and industrial strength.
The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta is the largest aquarium in the world. It holds more than 10 million gallons (30
million liters) of water and over 100,000 marine animals.
Early Native American ceremonial and burial mounds can be found in Georgia. The largest is 63 feet (19 m) tall.
Coca-Cola went on sale for the first time in Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta on 8 May 1886.
Juliette Low founded the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. in Savannah in 1912.
The Georgia State Capitol has a gold dome. The gold for the dome came from Dahlonega, Georgia, the site of
one of the first gold rushes in North America.
Manatees, an endangered species, live off the Georgia coast and usually weigh about 2,500–3,000 pounds
(1,124–1,361 kg).
The images of three Confederate Civil War leaders—Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and “Stonewall”
Jackson—are carved into Stone Mountain, 400 feet (122 m) above the ground.
Georgia’s Atlantic coastline is only 100 miles (161 km) long from border to border, but if you count all the bays and
islands it totals a huge 2,344 miles (3,772 km).
The state song is the popular hit “Georgia on My Mind.”
Climate
Georgians enjoy warm, pleasant weather most of the year. Winters are short and mild.
Snow falls only in the north and is usually rare. However, the same tropical air currents
that keep Georgia so warm can sometimes bring terrible storms. Hurricanes and
tropical storms develop over the Atlantic Ocean and can strike Georgia with their high
winds and heavy rain. Even more common are destructive tornadoes and flooding.
Despite these challenges, Georgians feel that their warm climate makes their state a
great place to live.
Average Seasonal High and Low Temperatures
Spring: 75/51°F
Summer: 90/69°F
Fall: 76/54°F
Winter: 58/36°F
Geography
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If you travel from northern Georgia to the Atlantic coast, you will see a range of
beautiful landscapes. The Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the Appalachian Mountains,
reach down across Georgia’s northern border. Covered with pine trees, some of these
mountains are more than 4,500 feet (1,370 m) above sea level. South of the mountains
are the rolling hills of the Piedmont region. This is the most densely populated section
of the state, with large cities like Atlanta and Athens. The Coastal Plains make up the
southern two-thirds of Georgia. The rich soils of this region produce some of the state’s
most important crops. A unique subtropical swamp called the Okefenokee lies on the
southern border. The swamp has moss-covered trees, water lilies, and animals like
flying squirrels and alligators. Georgia is the 24th largest state.
Resources and Economy
About 150 years ago, the cotton industry dominated Georgia’s economy. Although
cotton is still grown there today, Georgia has added many other sources of income to
its economy. Factories throughout Georgia manufacture products like cars and
airplanes. Textile plants make rugs and carpets, and mills turn trees into paper. Atlanta
has become the financial and trading capital of the southeast. Large corporations like
the Coca-Cola company base their headquarters there. Poultry is the most important
agricultural product. The state also grows delicious watermelons, peanuts, pecans, and
the famous Georgia peaches.
Time Line
AD 1500
AD 1540
Hernando de Soto arrives in what is now Georgia
1700
1732
The Trustees for Establishing Georgia, led by James Oglethorpe,
receive a charter from King George II
1733
The colony of Georgia is founded with Savannah as the first settlement
1742
The colonists defeat Spanish soldiers at the Battle of Bloody Marsh
1752
The Trustees give up Georgia, and the colony becomes directly ruled
by the king
1778
British troops take Savannah during the Revolutionary War
1788
Georgia enters the Union as the fourth state
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Georgia
Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin (a machine that removes seeds from
the middle of cotton fibers)
1800
1833
Georgia’s first railroad company is founded
1838
The Cherokee are removed on the Trail of Tears
1861
Georgia secedes (withdraws) from the Union
1864
After the Union wins the Battle of Atlanta, General Sherman begins his
destructive march to the sea
1865
Georgia’s slaves become free when the Civil War ends
1868
Atlanta becomes Georgia’s capital
1870s–80s
The textile industry, making cotton into cloth, grows in Georgia
1900
1912
Woodrow Wilson, who grew up in Georgia, becomes president of the
United States
1920s
The boll weevil (a type of insect) plague devastates Georgia’s cotton
1925
The Atlanta Airport, now known as Hartsfield–Jackson, is founded
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1930s
Georgia is hit by the worldwide economic slump known as the Great
Depression
1934
The Masters Golf Tournament is founded in Augusta
1942–1945
Many military bases are established in Georgia during World War II
1964
Martin Luther King Jr., an Atlanta native, is awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize for his peaceful efforts to bring civil rights to the South
1976
Georgian Jimmy Carter is elected U.S. president
1996
Atlanta hosts the Olympic Games
2000
2001
Georgia removes the controversial Confederate battle flag from its
state flag
2002
Jimmy Carter is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in
promoting human rights and finding peaceful solutions to international
conflicts
2007
A series of tornadoes tears through southwest Georgia, killing nine
people and causing damage to many homes and businesses
2008
On the verge of bankruptcy, Atlanta-based Delta Airlines joins with
Northwest Airlines to form the largest airline in the world
PRESENT
Exploration
The first major European exploration of Georgia was in 1540, when Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, with hundreds
of soldiers, crossed through what is now Georgia in search of gold. They met with many groups of Indians, most of
them speakers of one of the varieties of the Muskogee language. Later these groups would become the Creek
confederation. There were also Iroquoian speakers, later called the Cherokee. As with other Indian groups, many
became sick and often died from diseases that the Europeans brought, especially viruses like smallpox and measles.
The Colonial Years
Almost two hundred years later, James Edward Oglethorpe arrived with a group of British settlers. They founded the
city of Savannah in 1733. The colony was named after the British king George II. Oglethorpe was a member of a
charity that wanted to give poor people a fresh start by giving them small farms and the tools they needed to grow
crops. The king wanted Georgia to protect the other colonies from the Spanish who lived in Florida. The settlers ended
the threat of the Spanish in the area by defeating the Spanish soldiers. In 1752, the Trustees gave the colony back to
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Two decades later, Georgia became one of the 13 colonies to fight for independence from the British government. In
Georgia, some citizens were for the revolution and some were loyal to the king. Much of the fighting in Georgia was
between these two groups. In December of 1778, the British army took over Savannah. They were able to keep it in
1779, when the Americans and their French allies tried to take Savannah back. But the British were not able to control
other parts of Georgia. The Americans won the war, and Georgia and the other colonies formed the new nation—the
United States of America.
King Cotton
In the middle 1700s, Africans were brought to Georgia to work as slaves on rice
plantations along Georgia's coast. Then in 1793, Eli Whitney invented a machine called
the cotton gin, which removed seeds from the middle of cotton fibers and made that
crop more profitable. Cotton production suddenly exploded. Georgia became a major
producer of cotton in the interior of the state, while rice was still produced along the
coast.
The Trail of Tears
Although the Creek had already lost their lands in Georgia by the late 1820s, the
Cherokee tribe still maintained a successful society in northern Georgia. However, the
whites’ desire for more land, especially after the 1829 discovery of gold in Georgia’s
mountains, led the U.S. government to force the Cherokee from their homes. The
majority of the Cherokee did not want to leave, but a minority of Cherokee signed the
Treaty of New Echota, and as a result, soldiers made them march to Indian Territory
(now Oklahoma) across the Mississippi River. Thousands of Cherokee died along the
way, so the tragic event was named the Trail of Tears.
Sherman’s March to the Sea
When the Civil War broke out between the Northern and Southern states, Georgia
voted to join the South’s Confederacy. The Civil War was devastating for the state, and
thousands of Georgians died. Because several railroads met in Atlanta, many of the
Confederacy’s supplies were sent there. After a long fight, the Union’s troops captured
the city in 1864. Much of the city burned. Some of the fires were set by the
Confederates to keep Union troops from getting their supplies. Then Northern general
William Tecumseh Sherman marched his troops across the state from Atlanta to
Savannah. Much was destroyed along a 50-mile (80 km) path. A few months later, the
Confederacy surrendered. Slaves in Georgia became free, but by the 1880s and 1890s,
segregation (separation) of people based on the color of their skin was becoming the
law.
Boll Weevil Blues
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Georgia recovered slowly from the devastation of the Civil War. People once again
grew cotton, although without slaves, but they stopped growing rice on the coast. Many
farmers did not own their own land but farmed other people’s land in return for giving
them a share of the crop. Some Georgians wanted to go in a new direction and began
to build factories, especially factories that would make cotton into cloth. Both cotton
farms and factories were hurt when a little insect called the boll weevil arrived in
Georgia in the 1920s and began eating up the cotton crop. Georgians tried to fight the
boll weevil but were not successful. Some people left the state. Many African
Americans had already begun to leave during World War I because there were so many
war jobs in the North.
Many Georgians were already having money problems before the 1930s, when the
entire country sank into an economic depression. World War II brought military bases to
Georgia, many of which are still there. This meant jobs for people, which helped
Georgia get out of the economic depression. After the war, Georgia turned even more
to factories, and some important industries came, such as the carpet industry.
The Civil Rights Movement
In the 1950s and 1960s, Atlanta native Martin Luther King Jr. led a campaign to end
racial segregation (separation). He spoke and planned marches and other events in
Georgia and many other parts of the nation. Because of the efforts of King and many
others, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. People of different races no
longer had to go to different schools and restaurants or sit in separate places on buses,
on trains, or at public events.
Population
Many Georgians speak with what is called a southern drawl. That means that they speak a little bit slower and
emphasize their vowels. They often greet people by saying "Hey!" or "How y’all doing?" In fact, there are around 10
different dialects (ways of speaking or pronouncing) in Georgia. More than two-thirds of the state’s population lives in
cities, and almost half lives in the area around Atlanta. Before the Civil War, half of all Georgians were African
Americans. Many moved to other states in the decades after the war, but today African Americans make up more than
a third of Georgia’s population.
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Government
Capital: Atlanta
State Abbreviation: GA
Governor: Nathan Deal (Republican)
U.S. Senators: 2
David Perdue (Republican)
Johnny Isakson (Republican)
U.S. Representatives: 14
Republicans: 10
Democrats: 4
State Senators: 56
State Representatives: 180
Counties: 159
Georgia has used 10 state constitutions since the first was adopted in 1777. The
current constitution was adopted in 1982.
Georgia’s legislative (lawmaking) body has 56 state senators and 180
representatives.
Famous People
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter — Georgia governor and 39th U.S. president
Ray Charles — Singer
Ty Cobb — Baseball legend known as the Georgia Peach
Dakota Fanning — Actress
Nancy Morgan Hart — Revolutionary War heroine
Martin Luther King Jr. — Civil rights leader
Margaret Mitchell — Author of Gone with the Wind
Flannery O’Connor — Novelist and short story writer
Otis Redding — Singer
Julia Roberts — Academy Award–winning actress
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Jackie Robinson — Baseball player
Michael Stipe — Lead singer of R.E.M.
Clarence Thomas — Supreme Court justice
Ted Turner — Broadcasting executive
Alice Walker — Author of The Color Purple
Andrew Young — Civil rights activist and politician
Dakota Fanning
Martin Luther King Jr.
Julia Roberts
Native America
Georgia was home to a culture that produced some of the oldest pottery in North
America. It is named the Stallings Island culture because many remnants of the culture
from over 3,500 years ago were found on Stallings Island in the Savannah River. By
1000 BC, natives sometimes called Mound Builders lived in what is now Georgia. The
Etowah Mounds, including the temple mound, are very large. Some natives left large
mounds as they built burial monuments for fallen warriors or chiefs as a sign of respect.
Some of the mounds were built in the shape of animals, including Rock Hawk and Rock
Eagle.
When the Europeans first arrived, the Muskogee were the largest group. By the 1700s,
they formed the Creek confederation. The other large group consisted of the Cherokee.
Both groups lived in villages, farmed crops such as pumpkins and squash, and hunted
animals through the forests and along the waterways. When Spanish conquistador
(explorer) Hernando de Soto arrived, the Creek were friendly to the newcomers,
offering to trade goods with them. After the Spanish settled Florida in the 1560s, they
established settlements with missionaries along the coast and on the islands of
Georgia, where they tried to teach the Indians about their religion and culture. They
called Georgia Guale, the name of an Indian leader they met.
When James Oglethorpe and the Georgia settlers arrived, they met a small band called
the Yamacraw, whose leader was Tomochichi. He agreed to let the English settle
Savannah and some of the area along the coast. Both the Creek and Cherokee traded
with the English for skins and furs in the colonial period. Some traders married Indian
women and had children. The trade with the English changed the culture of the Indians
in many ways, including the use of European goods. But over the years, treaties were
made in which the Indians agreed to give up more and more of their lands. The last Indians in Georgia were the Cherokee in North Georgia. They had adopted
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some of the culture of Georgians. By the 1820s, the Cherokee founded a capital city at
New Echota, in northwest Georgia. A member of their tribe named Sequoyah designed
an alphabet for the Cherokee language so they could write. They adopted a written
constitution, had a newspaper called the Cherokee Phoenix, and even owned slaves.
When they were forced out in the 1830s, some Cherokee hid in the mountains and
stayed behind.
Gone with the Wind
Margaret Mitchell grew up in Atlanta, listening to relatives tell her about their Civil War
experiences. In 1926, Mitchell began writing a novel based on these stories. Titled
Gone with the Wind, the book describes the war from a Southern woman’s perspective.
Its heroine, Scarlett O’Hara, struggles with the war’s tragedies in Georgia. To Mitchell’s
surprise, the novel was hugely successful when it was published. It sold millions of
copies—one of the most popular books ever printed. It was then made into one of
America’s most popular movies, starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.
The Liverpool of the South
Athens, Georgia, is often referred to as the Liverpool of the South because of its vibrant
music scene. The sleepy southern town has been the birthplace of numerous bands
that went on to become internationally famous. These include R.E.M., the B-52’s, the
Indigo Girls, and Widespread Panic. Many of these bands were formed by college
students attending the University of Georgia campus in Athens. Their success
prompted record companies and recording studios to set up shop in Athens, cementing
the town’s reputation as a center of indie (independent) music. There are numerous
performance venues in the town, including the famous 40 Watt Club, where many
now-famous bands played their first shows. Today, the Athens music scene spans
everything from rock to punk to country to hip-hop to rap.
State Symbols
State Bird
Brown thrasher—The male brown thrasher sings more songs than any other bird on the
continent.
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State Tree
Live oak—This tree is common along Georgia’s coast and islands.
State Flower
Cherokee rose—This flower was chosen in 1916 to honor the Cherokee tribe, forced
out of the state in the 1830s.
State Marine Mammal
Right whale—This endangered species is found in Georgia’s coastal waters. The whale
usually grows to be about 50 feet (15 m) long.
Other Symbols
Butterfly: Tiger swallowtail
Crop: Peanut
Folk Dance: Square dance
Fish: Largemouth bass
Wild Flower: Azalea
Fossil: Shark tooth
Fruit: Peach
Gemstone: Quartz
Insect: Honeybee
Mineral: Staurolite
Prepared Foods: Grits
Reptile: Gopher tortoise
Shell: Knobbed whelk
Song: “Georgia on My Mind”
Vegetable: Vidalia sweet onion
State Motto
Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation—This motto is found on the front of the state seal. The three ideals are associated
with Georgia's government.
Pro Sports Teams
• Atlanta Braves (MLB)
• Atlanta Falcons (NFL)
• Atlanta Hawks (NBA)
• Atlanta Dream (WNBA)
For More Information
See www.georgia.gov or contact Georgia Department of Economic Development, 75 Fifth Street, NW, Suite 1200,
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Atlanta, GA 30308; phone (800) VISIT-GA; web site www.exploregeorgia.org.
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