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Georgia is a southern state of the United States. Georgia was one of the Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. It was the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established as a colony. It became the fourth state after ratifying the United States Constitution on January 2, 1788. Georgia's population in 2000 was 8,186,453 (U.S. Census); it is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, with an estimated 8,829,383 people in 2004. Georgia is also known as the Peach State or Empire State of the South .
Geography
Georgia is bordered on the south by Florida; on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and South Carolina; on the west by Alabama; and on the north by Tennessee and North Carolina. The northern part of the state is in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a mountain range in the mountain system of the Appalachians. The central piedmont extends from the foothills to the fall line, where the rivers cascade down in elevation to the continental coastal plain of the southern part of the state. The highest point in Georgia is Brasstown Bald, 4,784 feet (1,458 m); the lowest point is sea level.
The capital is Atlanta, in the north central part of Georgia, and the peach is a symbol of the state. The state is an important producer of pecans, cotton, tobacco, and forest products, notably the so-called "naval stores" such as turpentine and rosin from the pine forests.
Georgia is also the largest state, in land area, east of the Mississippi River, since West Virginia seceded from Virginia during the Civil War. Michigan (96,810 square miles), Florida (65,768 square miles), and Wisconsin (65,603 square miles) are all larger than Georgia (59,441 square miles) when accounting for both land and water area.
Areas under the control of the National Park Service include:
- Andersonville National Historic Site in Andersonville
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail
- Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area near Atlanta
- Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park at Fort Oglethorpe
- Cumberland Island National Seashore near Saint Marys
- Fort Frederica National Monument on St. Simons Island
- Fort Pulaski National Monument in Savannah
- Jimmy Carter National Historic Site near Plains
- Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park near Kennesaw
- Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site in Atlanta
- Ocmulgee National Monument at Macon
- Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
History
The local moundbuilder culture, described by Hernando de Soto in 1540, completely disappeared by 1560. Early on, in the course of European exploration of the area, a number of Spanish explorers visited the inland region of Georgia.
The conflict between Spain and Britain over control of Georgia began in earnest in about 1670, when the British, moving south from their Carolina colony in present-day South Carolina, met the Spanish moving north from their base in Florida. In 1724, it was first suggested the British colony there be called Province of Georgia in honor of King George II.
British interest in establishing a colony below South Carolina came from varied sources. Spanish Florida was a threat to South Carolina and a haven for runaway slaves. The French in the 1720s established a fort near present-day Montgomery, Alabama, also a threat to British interests in the region. Traders from Charleston, South Carolina, had established trading posts as far west as the Ocmulgee River, near present-day Macon, Georgia. The British trading network kept the Creek Indians allied with them; the French move threatened to wrest these Indians' trade away from the British. These strategic interests made the British government interested in establishing a new colony that would reinforce the British influence in the border country that had been open to Spanish and French penetration.
Meanwhile, many members of the British Parliament had become concerned about the plight of England's debtors. A parliamentary committee investigated and reported on conditions in Britain's debtor prisons. A group of philanthropists organized themselves to establish a colony where the "worthy poor" of England could reestablish themselves as productive citizens. This goal was seen as both philanthropic, helping these distressed people, and patriotric, simultaneously relieving Britain of the burden of the imprisoned debtors and augmenting Britain's vital mercantile empire by planting new, industrious subjects to strengthen her trade.
In 1732, a group of these philanthropists were granted a royal charter as the Trustees of the Province of Georgia. They carefully selected the first group of colonists to send to the new colony. On February 12, 1733, 113 settlers landed in the HMS Anne at what was to become the city of Savannah. This day is now known as Georgia Day, which is not a public holiday but is mainly observed in schools and by some local civic groups. James Edward Oglethorpe, one of the trustees of the colony, traveled with the first group of colonists, laid out the design of the town of Savannah, and acted as governor of the colony, although technically under the trustees there was no "governor." Oglethorpe acted as the only trustee present in the colony. When he returned to Britain, a series of disputes ended his tenure governing the colony; Georgia was then led by a series of presidents named by the trustees. In 1752, after the government failed to renew subsidies that had helped support the colony, the Trustees turned over control to the crown. Georgia became a royal colony, with a governor appointed by the British king.*
Georgia was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution by signing the 1776 Declaration of Independence, despite a large population of people loyal to the crown. Following the war, it became the fourth state of the United States of America after ratifying the United States Constitution on January 2, 1788. Georgia established its first state constitution in 1777. The state established new constitutions in 1788, 1799, 1861, 1865, 1868, 1877, 1945, 1976, and 1983, for a total of 10 — more constitutions than any other state.
On January 18, 1861 Georgia joined the Confederacy and became a major theater of the American Civil War. In December 1864, a large swath of the state from Atlanta to Savannah was destroyed during General William Tecumseh Sherman's March to the Sea. This event served as the historical background for the 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and the 1939 film of the same name. On July 15, 1870, following Reconstruction, Georgia became the last former Confederate state to be readmitted to the Union.
Georgia has had five official state capitals: colonial Savannah, which later alternated with Augusta; then for a decade at Louisville (pronounced Lewis-ville), and from 1806 through the American Civil War, at Milledgeville. In 1868, Atlanta became the fifth capital of the state. The state's legislature also met at other temporary sites, including Macon, especially during the Civil War.
Demographics
| Historical populations | |
|---|---|
| Census year | Population |
| 1790 | 82,548 |
| 1800 | 162,686 |
| 1810 | 251,407 |
| 1820 | 340,989 |
| 1830 | 516,823 |
| 1840 | 691,392 |
| 1850 | 906,185 |
| 1860 | 1,057,286 |
| 1870 | 1,184,109 |
| 1880 | 1,542,180 |
| 1890 | 1,837,353 |
| 1900 | 2,216,331 |
| 1910 | 2,609,121 |
| 1920 | 2,895,832 |
| 1930 | 2,908,506 |
| 1940 | 3,123,723 |
| 1950 | 3,444,578 |
| 1960 | 3,943,116 |
| 1970 | 4,589,575 |
| 1980 | 5,463,105 |
| 1990 | 6,478,216 |
| 2000 | 8,186,453 |
As of 2005, Georgia has an estimated population of 9,072,576, which is an increase of 154,447, or 1.7%, from the prior year and an increase of 885,760, or 10.8%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 376,105 people (that is 718,764 births minus 342,659 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 425,510 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 192,844 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 232,666 people.
Georgia is the 9th most populous state. Its population has grown 36% (2.35 million) from its 1990 levels, making it one of the fastest-growing states in the country. More than half of the state's population lives in the Atlanta metro area.
Historically, about half of Georgia's population was comprised of African-Americans (who, prior to the Civil War, were almost exclusively enslaved). The Great Migration of blacks from the rural South to the industrial North from 1914-1970, as well as migration of other races into Georgia after 1970, reduced the black proportion of the population. Today, African-Americans remain the most populous race in many rural counties in middle, east-central, southwestern, and low-country Georgia, as well as in the city of Atlanta and its core southern suburbs.
White Georgians, like other Southerners, usually describe their ancestry on the census questionnaire as "American", "United States", or simply "Southern". Whites of American ancestry are prominent in the northern mountains and upper Piedmont as well as in certain sandy and swampy areas of the southeast. Georgians of British ancestry dominate the northern suburbs of Atlanta. The early settlement of very large numbers of Scots-Irish Americans during colonial days and in subsequent years has strongly influenced the state's culture.
Religion
Like most other Southern states, Georgia is largely Protestant Christian. The religious affiliations of the people of Georgia are as follows:- Christian – 85%
- Protestant – 76%
- Baptist – 39%
- Methodist – 12%
- Presbyterian – 3%
- Pentecostal – 3%
- Other Protestant – 19%
- Roman Catholic – 8%
- Other Christian – 1%
- Protestant – 76%
- Other Religions – 2%
- Non-Religious – 13%
Georgia shares its Protestant heritage with much of the Southeastern United States. However, the number of Roman Catholics is growing in the state due to the influx of Northeasterners resettling in the Atlanta metro area and also due to large Hispanic immigration into the state.
Georgia's Jewish community dates to the settlement of 42 mostly Sephardic Portuguese Jews in Savannah in 1733. Atlanta also has a large, old, and established Jewish community.
Economy
Georgia's 2004 total gross state product was $343 billion*. Its per capita personal income for 2003 put it 31st in the nation at $29,000.
Georgia's agricultural outputs are poultry and eggs, pecans, peanuts, rye, cattle, hogs, dairy products, turfgrass,and vegetables. Its industrial outputs are textiles and apparel, transportation equipment, food processing, paper products, chemical products, electric equipment. Tourism also makes an important contribution to the economy. Georgia is home to the Granite Capital of the World (Elberton). Atlanta has been the site of enormous growth in real estate, service, and communications industries.
Atlanta has a very large effect on the state of Georgia and the Southeastern United States. The city is an ever growing addition to communications, industry, transportation, tourism, and government.
Industry in Georgia is now quite diverse. Major products in the mineral and timber industry include a variety of pines, clays, stones, and sands. Textile industry is located around the cities of Rome, Columbus, Augusta, and Macon. Atlanta is a leading center of tourism, transportation, communications, government, and industry. Some industries there include automobile and aircraft manufacturing, food and chemical processing, printing, publishing, and large corporations.
Numerous United States Naval and Air Force bases are located in Georgia. These include Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Airfield, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Fort Benning, Moody Air Force Base, Robins Air Force Base, Naval Air Station Atlanta, Fort McPherson, Fort Gillem, Fort Gordon, and Dobbins Air Reserve Base.
Georgia's personal income tax ranges from 1 percent to 6 percent within 6 tax brackets. There is a 4% state sales tax, which is not applied to prescription drugs, certain medical devices and groceries. Each county may add up to a 2% SPLOST. Counties participating in MARTA have another 1%; MARTA is one of the few metropolitan transit authorities not to receive state funding. The city of Atlanta (in three counties, Fulton, Dekalb, and Clayton) has the only city sales tax (1.25%, total 8.25%) for fixing its aging sewers among other things. Local taxes are almost always charged on groceries but never prescriptions. Up to 1% of a SPLOST can go to homestead exemptions. All taxes are collected by the state and then properly distributed according to any agreements that each county has with its cities.
Transportation
Atlanta is still a major railroad hub for CSX and Norfolk Southern, in addition to being a major airport hub now as well. Several highways and short line railroads also traverse the state.
Interstate highways
- Interstate 16, Interstate 516
- Interstate 20, Interstate 520
- Interstate 59, Interstate 24
- Interstate 75, Interstate 475, Interstate 575
- Interstate 85, Interstate 185, Interstate 985
- Interstate 95
- Interstate 285 (the perimeter around Atlanta)
- Interstate 3 (proposed)
- Interstate 14 (proposed)
United States highways
| North-south routes | East-west routes |
Law and Government
State government
As with all other U.S. States and the federal government, Georgia's government is based on the separation of legislative, executive and judicial power. Executive authority in the state rests with the governor, currently Sonny Perdue (Republican). Both the governor and lieutenant governor are elected on separate ballots to four-year terms of office. Unlike the federal government, but like many other U.S. States, most of the executive officials who comprise the governor's cabinet are elected by the citizens of Georgia rather than appointed by the governor.
Legislative authority resides in the General Assembly, composed of the Senate and House of Representatives. The Lieutenant Governor presides over the Senate, while the House of Representatives selects their own Speaker. The Georgia Constitution mandates a maximum of 56 senators, elected from single-member districts, and a minimum of 180 representatives, apportioned among representative districts (which sometimes results in more than one representative per district); there are currently 56 senators and 180 representatives. The term of office for senators and representatives is two years.
State judicial authority rests with the state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, which have statewide authority. In addition, there are smaller courts which have more limited geographical jurisdiction, including State Courts, Superior Courts, Magistrate Courts and Probate Courts. Justices of the Supreme Court and judges of the Court of Appeals are elected statewide by the citizens in non-partisan elections to six-year terms. Judges for the smaller courts are elected by the state's citizens who live within that court's jurisdiction to four-year terms.
See also: list of Georgia governors and Georgia elected officials
Local government
Georgia has 159 counties, the most of any state except Texas (with 254). Before 1932, there were 161, with Milton and Campbell being merged into Fulton at the end of 1931. Counties have been named for prominent figures in both American and Georgia history. Counties in Georgia have their own elected legislative branch, usually called the Board of Commissioners, which usually also has executive authority in the county. Georgia's Constitution provides all counties and cities with "home rule" authority, and so the county commissions have considerable power to pass legislation within their county as a municipality would.(See: list of Georgia counties.)
Besides the counties, Georgia only defines cities as local units of government. Every incorporated town, no matter how small, is legally a city. Georgia does not provide for townships or independent cities but does allow consolidated city-county governments by local referendum. So far, only Columbus, Augusta, Athens, and Cusseta have done this.
There is no true metropolitan government in Georgia, though the Atlanta Regional Commission and Georgia Regional Transportation Authority do provide some regional services, and the ARC must approve all major land development projects in metro Atlanta.
Politics
Until recently, Georgia's state government had the longest unbroken record of single-party dominance of any state in the Union. For over 130 years, from 1872 to 2003, Georgians only elected Democratic governors, and Democrats held the majority of seats in the General Assembly. Most of the Democrats elected throughout these years were Southern Democrats or Dixiecrats who were very conservative throughout the 60s segregationist period.During the 1960s and 1970s Georgia made significant changes in civil rights, governance, and economic growth focused on Atlanta and was a bedrock of the emerging "New South". This characterization was solidified with the election of Georgian Jimmy Carter to the U.S. Presidency in 1976.
The political dominance of Democrats ended in 2003, when former governor Roy Barnes was defeated by Sonny Perdue in what was regarded as a stunning upset. While Democrats retained control of the State House, they lost their majority in the Senate when four Democrats switched parties. They relinquished their hold on the House in the 2004 election; currently, Republicans control all three primary branches of government. Many conservative Democrats, including former U.S. Senator and governor Zell Miller, have decided to support Republicans in recent years; George W. Bush won the state in the 2004 election, and conservative initiatives such as restrictions on abortion have won broad support.
As of the 2001 reapportionment, the state has 13 congressmen and women in the U.S. House of Representatives.
''See also : United States presidential election, 2004, in Georgia
Important cities and towns
Education
Colleges and universities
Professional sports teams
See also Tour de Georgia, The Masters Tournament
Miscellaneous topics
Georgia is the home state to Coca Cola, Delta Air Lines, Home Depot and United Parcel Service (UPS).
Georgia's nicknames include Peach State and Empire State of the South .
The state song, "Georgia on My Mind" by Hoagy Carmichael was originally written about a woman of that name, but after Georgia native Ray Charles sang it, the state legislature voted it the state song. Ray Charles sang it on the legislative floor when the bill was passed. This act was significant in that it symbolized to many the move away from segregation and racism.
The state tree is the Southern live oak (Quercus virginiana), the state bird is the brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum), and the state flower is the Cherokee rose (Rosa laevigata). The state game bird is the Bobwhite quail. The state wildflower is the Azalea. The state fruit is the peach. The state fish is the Largemouth bass. The state marine mammal is the Right whale. The state reptile is the Gopher tortoise. The state possum is the Pogo possum. The state insect is the Honeybee. The state butterfly is the Tiger swallowtail. The state mineral is Staurolite. The state seashell is the Knobbed whelk. The state gem is quartz. The state crop is the peanut. The state vegetable is the vidalia sweet onion. The state fossil is the shark tooth. The state commemorative quarter was released on July 19,1999.
The first houses in Georgia to be designated historic state landmarks are the Owens Thomas House and the Sorrel Weed House, in the Savannah historic district.
Radio and television
Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) operates nine major educational television stations across the state as Georgia Public Broadcasting Television. See also List of television stations in Georgia. It also operates, in whole or in part, several radio stations as Georgia Public Radio (GPR). See also List of radio stations in Georgia (U.S. state).Georgia is home to Ted Turner, who founded TBS, TNT, and CNN, among others. The CNN Center headquarters is located in Atlanta, GA.
The Weather Channel's headquarters is located in the Vinings area of metropolitan Atlanta in Cobb County, GA.
See also
- List of people from Georgia
- Politics of Georgia (U.S. state)
- Georgia Political Science Association
- George Washington Carver
- Georgia State Parks
- Places to Visit in Georgia
- Georgia National Parks
Further reading
- New Georgia Encyclopedia (2005).
- Bartley, Numan V. The Creation of Modern Georgia (1990). Covers 1865-1990 period. ISBN 0820311839.
- Coleman, Kenneth. ed. A History of Georgia (1991). ISBN 082031269X.
- London, Bonta Bullard. (1999) Georgia: The History of an American State Montgomery, Alabama: Clairmont Press ISBN 1-56733-994-8. A middle school textbook.
- Peirce, Neal R. The Deep South States of America: People, Politics, and Power in the Seven Deep South States (1974). Information on politics and economics 1960-72. ISBN 0393054969.
External links
- Georgia state government website
- Georgia Constitution Web Page, Carl Vinson Institute of Government at The University of Georgia (includes historical Constitutions of Georgia)
- Summary of duties, powers and responsibilities of the branches of Georgia State government (Georgia Secretary of State website)
- U.S. Census Bureau
- Georgia State Facts
- Georgia Info from UGA
- The New Georgia Encyclopedia
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"Georgia (U.S. state)"