Georgia

Understand

The state was named after Great Britain's King George II and was the last of the 13 original U.S. colonies. Georgia's capital, Atlanta, is the ninth largest metropolitan area in the United States.

History

The first European expedition known to have charted today's Georgia was Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto. The territory was contested between the Spanish Empire and England, who founded the colony of Georgia in 1732, named for George II of Great Britain. The fertile soil of the Black Belt was great for cash crops such as cotton. Much of the immigration came through the trans-Atlantic slave trade and indentured service labour from Britain. As plantations expanded, much of the indigenous American population was forcibly evacuated; see Trail of Tears.

During the American Civil War, Georgia was hit hard by William T. Sherman's "march to the sea" and a lot of its infrastructure was destroyed. However, the state quickly rebuilt and by the turn of the twentieth century (1900), it was one of the more advanced states in the South. Beginning in the 1890s, Georgia and other Southern states passed a wide variety of Jim Crow laws that mandated racial segregation in public facilities and effectively codified the region’s tradition of white supremacy.

However, during the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Atlanta came to be known as "the city too busy to hate" because it experienced less racial violence than other Southern cities. Native Georgian Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most important US civil rights leaders. Georgia has shed the image as a largely agricultural state that it had in the 19th century and is home to the headquarters of several major corporations as well as the busiest airport in the world, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta. While most people thinking of Georgia immediately think of Atlanta, there is still a lot the rural Georgia of yore left and Southern hospitality has lost nothing of its charm and is - contrary to common prejudices - more often than not extended to people of all origins and creeds.

Although traditionally regarded as a deeply conservative state, an influx of liberal suburbanites into the Atlanta area in the 21st century has turned Georgia into a swing state, with the Democrats narrowly winning the state in the 2020 presidential election.

Climate

Georgia has colder winters than Florida, its neighbor to the south, giving it a more temperate climate, but in summer sees similar hot temperatures and high humidity. Across the state, average summer heat indices range between 73°F at night and 98°F during the day, but the state can see heat indices climb to 106°F and not go below 78°F at night on some particularly hot summer days. The best time to visit is in spring or fall.

Tourist information

• Explore Georgia website

Regions

Cities

• Albany - home of Albany State University and Flint River Center
• Atlanta — the state's capital, largest city, and home of CNN, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, UPS, and a myriad of other smaller national companies
• Athens — home of the University of Georgia's main campus
• Augusta — home of Augusta National Golf Club, site of the Masters
• Columbus - home of Columbus State University, the Chattahoochee RiverWalk, and the National Civil War Naval Museum
• Dalton — carpet capital of the world and home to the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center, which showcases the Georgia Athletic Coaches' Hall of Fame
• Macon — cherry blossom capital of Georgia and home of the Allman Brothers Band Museum.
• Savannah — Georgia's first established city, first state capital, and a heartland of colonial culture. Savannah was the host city for the sailing competitions during the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta.
• Valdosta — called the Azalea City, it is not far from Wild Adventures, the only amusement park in south Georgia

Other destinations

• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Blue Ridge — Gateway to the mountains and the Toccoa River
• Cumberland Island National Seashore
• Amicalola Falls
• Jekyll Island
• Lake Chatuge
• Oconee National Forest
• Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
• Saint Simons Island

Get in

By plane

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the world's busiest airport and the main hub for Delta Air Lines.

By car

Georgia borders Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The main interstate highways are I-20, which goes east-west and continues to South Carolina and Alabama; I-75, which goes north-south and continues to Tennessee and Florida; I-85, which goes northeast-southwest and continues to Alabama and South Carolina; I-16, an in-state route that links Macon with Savannah; and I-95, which hugs the coast and continues to South Carolina and Florida. With the exception of I-95 and I-16, all of these highways go through Atlanta.

By train

Amtrak serves Atlanta (unsurprisingly as the city was founded as a railroad terminus). Amtrak also has two lines, traveling north and south along the East Coast, that stop in Savannah and Jesup. Train travel in the USA in general has entered a decline in the 1950s and Georgia is no exception, however since about the year 2000 trains are regaining some popularity, with Amtrak ridership growing continuously and now almost fifty percent higher than at the turn of the millennium. Trains are still unbeaten in terms of legroom, views and people you can meet. While traveling by train in the US is not necessarily fast or cheap, it is still a uniquely stylish experience and a great way to get around if time is not critical. For more on schedules (often few and far between) and prices (not necessarily cheaper than flying), see Amtrak's website.

By bus

Georgia is served by Greyhound and Megabus.

Get around

• MARTA, the public transport system in Atlanta, Georgia and some of its surrounding metro-Atlanta area only.
• Georgia allows international drivers to use their own driving licenses as proof of driving capability as long as that license is in English.

Respect

Don't make jokes about Jim Crow or Sherman's March to the Sea. Whistling "Marching Through Georgia" will not win you friends (this may seem obvious, but the lyrics and origins are less well-known than the tune).

Go next

• Florida - Bordering Georgia to the south, it offers copious beaches, family-friendly theme parks in Orlando and Tampa, historic Southern cultural immersions in its north, and one of the nation's largest national parks, the Everglades, and nightlife centers in its south.
• Alabama - Georgia's western neighbor is home to the Space and Rocket Center and the Talladega Motor Speedway.
• Tennessee - northwest of Georgia, Tennessee is home to Great Smoky Mountains National Park as well as Nashville and its music-related attractions.
• North Carolina - Georgia's partly northern neighbor is home to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Grandfather Mountain.
• South Carolina - The state's eastern neighbor has historic Charleston, casual Myrtle Beach, and ritzy Hilton Head Island.