About Georgia

Georgia is a state in the Southern United States and 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.  The largest state in the southeast, Georgia is typical of the changing South with an ever-increasing industrial development. Georgia is one of the fastest-growing states with its population increasing from 8,186,453 in 2000 to an estimated 9,072,576 people in 2005.

Gains in higher education, population, and high-tech industry boosted Georgia’s reputation. Ted Turner’s television network made baseball’s Atlanta Braves “America’s Team.”  Coca-Cola, invented and headquartered in Atlanta, became the world’s most recognized beverage. Atlanta’s selection as the location for the 1996 Olympics also marked a change in perception of the state.

Hernando de Soto, the Spanish explorer, first traveled parts of Georgia in 1540. British claims later conflicted with those of Spain. After obtaining a royal charter, Gen. James Oglethorpe established the first permanent settlement in Georgia in 1733 as a refuge for English debtors. In 1742, Oglethorpe defeated Spanish invaders in the Battle of Bloody Marsh.

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.

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. Some of the corporations headquartered in Atlanta are: Arby’s, Chick-fil-A, The Coca-ColaCompany and Delta Air Lines. Major corporations in other parts of the state include: Aflac, Home Depot, United Parcel Service and Zaxby’s.

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 former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter to the U.S. Presidency in 1976.

The political dominance of Democrats ended in 2003, when then-Governor Roy Barnes was defeated by Sonny Perdue, a state legislator and former Democrat himself, 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 partisan elements of the state government.

The majority of Georgia is primarily a humid subtropical climate tempered somewhat by occasional polar air masses in the winter. Hot and humid summers are typical, except at the highest elevations. The entire state, including the north Georgia mountains, receives moderate to heavy precipitation, which varies from 45 inches  in central Georgia to approximately 75 inches around the Northeast part of the state.

Georgia leads the nation in the production of paper and board, tufted textile products, and processed chicken. Other major manufactured products are transportation equipment, food products, apparel, and chemicals.

Important agricultural products are corn, cotton, tobacco, soybeans, eggs, and peaches. Georgia produces twice as many peanuts as the next leading state. From its vast stands of pine come more than half of the world’s resins and turpentine and 74.4 percent of the U.S. supply. Georgia is a leader in the production of marble, kaolin, barite, and bauxite.

Georgia has produced some of the most profound visionaries and heroes in history. It’s the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Bobby Jones; Margaret Mitchell and Robert W. Woodruff. Georgia continues to cultivate character and drive in its citizens today.