Georgia (U.S. state) Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! {{Short description|U.S. state}} {{Redirect|State of Georgia|the country|Georgia (country)|other uses}} {{pp-move}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}} {{Use American English|date=November 2022}} {{Infobox U.S. state | name = Georgia | official_name = State of Georgia | image_flag = Flag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg | flag_link = Flag of Georgia (U.S. state) | image_seal = Seal of Georgia.svg | seal_link = Seal of Georgia (U.S. state) | image_map = Georgia in United States.svg | nickname = Peach State; Empire State of the South | motto = "Wisdom, Justice & Moderation"<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.libs.uga.edu/capitolmuseum/gainfo/symbols.html | title=Georgia State Symbols :: Capitol Museum, Atlanta :: University of Georgia | access-date=January 8, 2023 | archive-date=January 8, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108192110/https://www.libs.uga.edu/capitolmuseum/gainfo/symbols.html | url-status=live }}</ref> | anthem = "[[Georgia on My Mind]]" | Former = Province of Georgia | seat = [[Atlanta]] | LargestCity = capital<!-- Set this to "capital" if the capital and the largest city are the same. --> | LargestCounty = [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton]] | LargestMetro = [[Atlanta metropolitan area|Atlanta]] | Governor = {{nowrap|[[Brian Kemp]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])}} | Lieutenant Governor = {{nowrap|[[Burt Jones]] (R)}} | Legislature = [[Georgia General Assembly]] | Upperhouse = [[Georgia State Senate|Senate]] | Lowerhouse = [[Georgia House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] | Judiciary = [[Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state)|Supreme Court of Georgia]] | Senators = {{ublist|{{nowrap|[[Jon Ossoff]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])}}| {{nowrap|[[Raphael Warnock]] (D)}}}} | Representative = 9 Republicans<br />5 Democrats | area_total_km2 = 153,909 | area_total_sq_mi = 59,425 | area_land_km2 = 149,976 | area_land_sq_mi = 57,906 | area_water_km2 = 3,933 | area_water_sq_mi = 1,519 | area_water_percent = 2.6 | area_rank = 24th | width_mi = 230 | width_km = 370 | length_mi = 298 | length_km = 480 | elevation_m = 180 | elevation_ft = 600 | elevation_max_m = 1,458 | elevation_max_ft = 4,784 | elevation_max_point = [[Brasstown Bald]]<ref name=USGS>{{cite web|url=http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html|title=Elevations and Distances in the United States|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|year=2001|access-date=October 21, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722022527/http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html|archive-date=July 22, 2012}}</ref>{{efn|Elevation adjusted to [[North American Vertical Datum of 1988]].}} | elevation_min_point = Atlantic Ocean<ref name=USGS /> | elevation_min_ft = 0 | elevation_min_m = 0 | population_demonym = Georgian | population_rank = 8th | OfficialLang = English | Languages = English <br />Spanish (7.42%) <br />Other (2.82%) | population_as_of = 2023 |2010Pop = 11,029,227<ref name="PopHousingEst">{{cite web |title=US Census Quickfacts, Population Estimates, July 1 2023 |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/geo/chart/ID/PST045222 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426202412/https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/apportionment/population-change-data-table.pdf |archive-date=April 26, 2021 |access-date=December 21, 2023 |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> | population_density_rank = 18th | 2000DensityUS = 185.2 | 2000Density = 71.5 | MedianHouseholdIncome = ${{round|61224|-2}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/GA/INC110220|work=[[United States Census Bureau]]|title=US Census Bureau QuickFacts|access-date=April 30, 2022|archive-date=May 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517235335/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/GA/INC110220|url-status=live}}</ref> | IncomeRank = [[List of U.S. states and territories by income#States and territories ranked by median household income|29th]] | AdmittanceOrder = 4th | AdmittanceDate = {{start date and age|1788|01|02|mf=y}} | timezone1 = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]] | utc_offset1 = – 05:00 | timezone1_DST = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]] | utc_offset1_DST = – 04:00 | Latitude = 30.356–34.985° N | Longitude = 80.840–85.605° W | iso_code = US-GA | postal_code = GA | TradAbbreviation = Ga. | website = https://georgia.gov | Capital = Atlanta | Representatives = }} '''Georgia''' is a [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[Southeastern United States|Southeastern]] region of the [[United States]]. It borders [[Tennessee]] to the northwest, [[North Carolina]] to the north, [[South Carolina]] to the northeast, [[Florida]] to the south, and [[Alabama]] to the west. Of the [[List of states and territories of the United States|50 United States]], Georgia is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|24th-largest by area]] and [[List of U.S. states by population|8th most populous]]. According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], its 2023 estimated population was 11,029,227.<ref name="PopHousingEst">{{cite web |title=US Census Quickfacts, Population Estimates, July 1 2023 |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/geo/chart/ID/PST045222 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426202412/https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/apportionment/population-change-data-table.pdf |archive-date=April 26, 2021 |access-date=December 21, 2023 |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> [[Atlanta]], a [[global city]], is both the state's [[List of capitals in the United States|capital]] and its largest city. The [[Atlanta metropolitan area]], with a population of more than 6.3 million people in 2023, is the [[List of metropolitan statistical areas|6th most populous metropolitan area]] in the United States and contains about 57% of Georgia's entire population. Other major metropolitan areas in the state include [[Augusta metropolitan area|Augusta]], [[Savannah metropolitan area|Savannah]], [[Columbus metropolitan area, Georgia|Columbus]], and [[Macon metropolitan area, Georgia|Macon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2010-2019/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2019-ANNRNK.xlsx|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places of 50,000 or More, Ranked by July 1, 2019 Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|access-date=May 21, 2020|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417170622/https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2010-2019/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2019-ANNRNK.xlsx|url-status=live}}</ref> Georgia has {{convert|100|mi|km}} of [[List of U.S. states and territories by coastline|coastline]] along the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. The [[Province of Georgia]] was created in 1732 and first settled in 1733 with the founding of [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]]. Georgia became a British [[royal colony]] in 1752. It was the last and southernmost of the original [[Thirteen Colonies]] to be established.<ref name="GAHistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.history.com/topics/georgia|title=Georgia - Atlanta, Sherman's March & Martin Luther King Jr.|publisher=[[History (U.S. TV channel)|The History Channel]] |access-date=|archive-date=June 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604111023/https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/georgia|url-status=live|date = December 21, 2022}}</ref> Named after King [[George II of Great Britain]], the Georgia Colony covered the area from South Carolina south to [[Spanish Florida]] and west to [[Louisiana (New France)|French Louisiana]] at the [[Mississippi River]]. On January 2, 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to [[Ratification|ratify]] the [[Constitution of the United States|United States Constitution]].<ref name= "newgaencyclopedia">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.newgeorgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/HistoryArchaeology/RevolutionaryEra&id=h-3729|title=New Georgia Encyclopaedia |encyclopedia= [[The New Georgia Encyclopedia]]|access-date=February 20, 2012|archive-date=May 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513144539/http://www.newgeorgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=%2FHistoryArchaeology%2FRevolutionaryEra&id=h-3729 |url-status=dead}}</ref> From 1802 to 1804, western Georgia was split to form the [[Mississippi Territory]], which later was admitted as the U.S. states of [[Alabama]] and [[Mississippi]]. Georgia declared its [[Secession in the United States|secession]] from the Union on January 19, 1861, and was one of the original seven [[Confederate States of America|Confederate States]].<ref name="newgaencyclopedia" /> Following the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], it was the last state to be restored to the Union, on July 15, 1870.<ref name="newgaencyclopedia" /> In the post-[[Reconstruction era|Reconstruction]] era of the late 19th century, Georgia's economy was transformed as a group of prominent politicians, businessmen, and journalists, led by [[Henry W. Grady]], espoused the "[[New South]]" philosophy of sectional reconciliation and [[Industrialization in the United States|industrialization]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/henry-w-grady-1850-1889|title=Henry W. Grady (1850–1889)|last=Grem|first=Darren|date=January 20, 2004 |website= New Georgia Encyclopedia|access-date=September 27, 2019|archive-date=September 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903210709/https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/henry-w-grady-1850-1889|url-status=live}}</ref> During the mid-20th century, several people from Georgia, most notably [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], were prominent leaders during the [[civil rights movement]].<ref name="newgaencyclopedia" /> Atlanta was selected as host of the [[1996 Summer Olympics]], which marked the 100th anniversary of the modern [[Olympic Games]]. Since 1945, Georgia has seen substantial population and economic growth as part of the broader [[Sun Belt]] phenomenon. From 2007 to 2008, 14 of [[List of counties in Georgia|Georgia's counties]] ranked among the nation's 100 fastest-growing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.times-herald.com/Local/Coweta-is-the-41st-fastest-growing-county-in-United-States-690912|title=Coweta is the 41st fastest growing county in United States|publisher=The Times-Herald|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213185542/http://www.times-herald.com/Local/Coweta-is-the-41st-fastest-growing-county-in-United-States-690912|archive-date=December 13, 2009|url-status=dead|access-date=May 22, 2010}}</ref> Georgia is defined by a diversity of landscapes, flora, and fauna. The state's northernmost regions include the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]], part of the larger [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian Mountain]] system. The [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]] plateau extends from the [[foothills]] of the Blue Ridge south to the [[Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line|Fall Line]], an [[escarpment]] to the [[Atlantic coastal plain|Coastal Plain]] defining the state's southern region. Georgia's highest point is [[Brasstown Bald]] at {{convert|4,784|ft|m}} above sea level; the lowest is the Atlantic Ocean. With the exception of some high-altitude areas in the Blue Ridge, the entirety of the state has a [[humid subtropical climate]]. Of the states entirely east of the Mississippi River, Georgia is the largest in [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|land area]].<!-- Per the cited source, Florida is larger in total area, which includes water, but smaller in land area only. --><ref name=2010census>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019110435/http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-1.pdf |archive-date=October 19, 2012 |url-status=live|title=United States Summary: 2010, Population and Housing Unit Counts, 2010 Census of Population and Housing|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|pages=V–2, 1 & 41 (Tables 1 & 18)|date=September 2012|access-date=February 7, 2014}}</ref> ==History== {{Main|History of Georgia (U.S. state)}} Before settlement by Europeans, Georgia was inhabited by the [[Mound Builders|mound building]] cultures. The Province of Georgia was founded by General [[James Oglethorpe]] at Savannah on February 12, 1733, a year after its creation as a new British colony.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://georgia.gov/georgia-facts-and-symbols|title=Georgia Facts and Symbols—Georgia.gov|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140524123552/http://georgia.gov/georgia-facts-and-symbols|archive-date=May 24, 2014}}</ref> It was administered by the [[Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America]] under a charter issued by (and named for) [[George II of Great Britain|King George II]]. The Trustees implemented an elaborate plan for the colony's settlement, known as the [[Oglethorpe Plan]], which envisioned an agrarian society of [[Yeoman|yeoman farmers]] and prohibited slavery. The colony was [[Invasion of Georgia (1742)|invaded by the Spanish]] in 1742, during the [[War of Jenkins' Ear]]. In 1752, after the government failed to renew subsidies that had helped support the colony, the Trustees turned over control to the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|crown]]. Georgia became a [[Crown colony#History|crown colony]], with a governor appointed by the king.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-816 |title=Trustee Georgia, 1732–1752 |publisher=Georgiaencyclopedia.org |date=July 27, 2009 |access-date=October 24, 2010 |archive-date=August 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831065402/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-816 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Province of Georgia]] was one of the [[Thirteen Colonies]] that revolted against [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] rule in the [[American Revolution]] by signing the 1776 [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]. The State of Georgia's first constitution was ratified in February 1777. Georgia was the 10th state to ratify the Articles of Confederation on July 24, 1778,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/articles.html |title=The Articles of Confederation: Primary Documents of American History (Virtual Programs & Services, Library of Congress) |publisher=Loc.gov |date=July 10, 2014 |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-date=February 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226111738/http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/articles.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and was the 4th state to ratify the [[United States Constitution]] on January 2, 1788.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Georgia Constitution |url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/government-politics/georgia-constitution/ |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=New Georgia Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref> [[File:Family of slaves in Georgia, circa 1850.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Slaves with the cotton they had picked. Georgia, c. 1850]] After the [[Creek War|Creek War (1813–1814)]], General [[Andrew Jackson]] forced the [[Muscogee Nation|Muscogee (Creek) tribes]] to surrender land to the state of Georgia, including in the [[Treaty of Fort Jackson|Treaty of Fort Jackson (1814)]], surrendering 21 million acres in what is now southern Georgia and central Alabama, and the [[Treaty of Indian Springs (1825)]].<ref name="Remini">{{cite book|last=Remini|first=Robert|title=Andrew Jackson: The Course of American Empire, 1767–1821. Vol. 1|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|year=1998|isbn=0801859115|chapter=The Creek War: Victory|orig-year=1977}}</ref> In 1829, gold was discovered in the [[North Georgia mountains]] leading to the [[Georgia Gold Rush]] and establishment of a [[United States Mint|federal mint]] in [[Dahlonega, Georgia|Dahlonega]], which continued in operation until 1861. The resulting influx of white settlers put pressure on the government to take land from the [[Cherokee Nation (1794–1907)|Cherokee Nation]]. In 1830, President [[Andrew Jackson]] signed the [[Indian Removal Act]], sending many eastern Native American nations to [[Indian reservation|reservations]] in present-day Oklahoma, including all of Georgia's tribes. Despite the Supreme Court's ruling in ''[[Worcester v. Georgia]]'' (1832) that U.S. states were not permitted to redraw Indian boundaries, President Jackson and the state of Georgia ignored the ruling. In 1838, his successor, [[Martin Van Buren]], dispatched federal troops to gather the tribes and deport them west of the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]]. This forced relocation, known as the [[Trail of Tears]], led to the death of more than four thousand Cherokees. [[File:Battle of Kenesaw Mountian.png|thumb|left|The [[Battle of Kennesaw Mountain]], 1864]] In early 1861, Georgia joined the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] (with secessionists having a slight majority of delegates)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/government-politics/georgia-secession-convention-1861|title=Georgia Secession Convention of 1861|website=New Georgia Encyclopedia|publisher=Georgia Humanities |first1= George |last1=Justice |date=2006 |orig-date=June 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190127205831/https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/government-politics/georgia-secession-convention-1861|archive-date=January 27, 2019|access-date=January 27, 2019}}</ref> and became a major [[Theater (warfare)|theater]] of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. Major battles took place at [[Battle of Chickamauga|Chickamauga]], [[Battle of Kennesaw Mountain|Kennesaw Mountain]], and [[Atlanta]]. In December 1864, a large swath of the state from Atlanta to [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]] was destroyed during General [[William Tecumseh Sherman]]'s [[Sherman's March to the Sea|March to the Sea]]. 18,253 Georgian soldiers died in service, roughly one of every five who served.<ref>{{cite web |url-status=unfit |url=http://www1.legis.ga.gov/legis/2011_12/versions/hr989_LC_94_5133_a_2.htm |title=A Resolution |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030065659/http://www1.legis.ga.gov/legis/2011_12/versions/hr989_LC_94_5133_a_2.htm |archive-date=October 30, 2012 |author=Georgia General Assembly |access-date=June 26, 2012 |id=11 LC 94 5133, House Resolution 989 }}</ref> In 1870, following the [[Reconstruction era]], Georgia became the last Confederate state to be restored to the [[United States|Union]]. [[File:Sign at bus terminal in Rome, Georgia.jpg|thumb|upright|"Colored" waiting room sign in 1943 for a bus terminal in [[Rome, Georgia]], where [[Jim Crow laws]] created "de jure" legally required [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregation]]]] With white Democrats having regained power in the state legislature, they passed a [[Poll tax (United States)|poll tax]] in 1877, which [[Disfranchisement after Reconstruction era|disenfranchised]] many poor black (and some white) people, preventing them from registering.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atlantahighered.org/civilrights/essay_detail.asp?phase=1 |title="Atlanta in the Civil Rights Movement", Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education |publisher=Atlantahighered.org |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009111816/http://www.atlantahighered.org/civilrights/essay_detail.asp?phase=1 |archive-date=October 9, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1908, the state established a [[white primary]]; with the only competitive contests within the Democratic Party, it was another way to exclude black people from politics.<ref name="auto">{{cite journal|jstor=2716218|title=Racial Violence and Social Reform-Origins of the Atlanta Riot of 1906|first=Charles|last=Crowe|date=January 1, 1968|journal=The Journal of Negro History|volume=53|issue=3|pages=234–256|doi=10.2307/2716218|s2cid=150050901}}</ref> They constituted 46.7% of the state's population in 1900, but the proportion of Georgia's population that was African American dropped thereafter to 28%, primarily due to tens of thousands leaving the state during the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]].<ref name="pop/perc">[http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/php/state.php Historical Census Browser, 1900 Federal Census, University of Virginia] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823030234/http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/php/state.php |date=August 23, 2007}}, accessed March 15, 2008</ref> According to the [[Equal Justice Initiative]]'s 2015 report on lynching in the United States (1877–1950), Georgia had 531 deaths, the second-highest total of these extralegal executions of any state in the South. The overwhelming number of victims were black and male.<ref name="appendix">{{Cite web|url=https://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-second-edition-supplement-by-county.pdf|title=''Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror'', "Supplement: Lynching by County" 2nd edition, Montgomery, Alabama: Equal Justice Initiative, 2015|website=Eji.org|access-date=April 17, 2021|archive-date=June 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627005306/https://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-second-edition-supplement-by-county.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Political disfranchisement persisted through the mid-1960s, until after Congress passed the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]]. [[File:MLK Memorial in Atlanta, Georgia by George Paul Puvvada..jpg|thumb|left|[[Martin Luther King Jr.]]'s tomb, on the grounds of Atlanta's urban [[Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park]]]] An Atlanta-born [[Baptists|Baptist minister]] who was part of the educated middle class that had developed in Atlanta's African-American community, [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], emerged as a national leader in the [[civil rights movement]]. King joined with others to form the [[Southern Christian Leadership Conference]] (SCLC) in Atlanta in 1957 to provide political leadership for the Civil Rights Movement across the South. The civil rights riots of the [[1956 Sugar Bowl]] would also take place in [[Atlanta]] after a clash between [[Georgia Tech]]'s president [[Blake R. Van Leer]] and Governor [[Marvin Griffin]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fromtherumbleseat.com/2019/11/14/20914927/rearview-revisited-segregation-and-the-sugar-bowl-georgia-tech-pittsburgh-bobby-grier-1955-1956-game|publisher=Georgia Tech|title=Rearview Revisited: Segregation and the Sugar Bowl|first=Jake|last=Grantl|date=November 14, 2019|access-date=November 14, 2019|archive-date=November 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114161717/https://www.fromtherumbleseat.com/2019/11/14/20914927/rearview-revisited-segregation-and-the-sugar-bowl-georgia-tech-pittsburgh-bobby-grier-1955-1956-game|url-status=live}}</ref> On February 5, 1958, during a training mission flown by a [[Boeing B-47 Stratojet|B-47]], a [[Mark 15 nuclear bomb]], also known as the [[Tybee Bomb]], was lost off the coast of [[Tybee Island, Georgia|Tybee Island]] near Savannah. The bomb was thought by the Department of Energy to lie buried in silt at the bottom of [[Wassaw Sound]].<ref>{{cite news |title=For 50 Years, Nuclear Bomb Lost in Watery Grave |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18587608&t=1566568815867 |work=NPR |date=February 3, 2008 |access-date=August 23, 2019 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510145909/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18587608&t=1566568815867 |url-status=live }}</ref> By the 1960s, the proportion of African Americans in Georgia had declined to 28% of the state's population, after waves of migration to the North and some immigration by whites.<ref name="pop/perc" /> With their voting power diminished, it took some years for African Americans to win a state-wide office. [[Julian Bond]], a noted civil rights leader, was elected to the state House in 1965, and served multiple terms there and in the state senate. Atlanta Mayor [[Ivan Allen Jr.]] testified before Congress in support of the Civil Rights Act, and Governor [[Carl Sanders]] worked with the [[John F. Kennedy|Kennedy]] administration to ensure the state's compliance. [[Ralph McGill]], editor and syndicated columnist at the ''[[Atlanta Constitution]]'', earned admiration by writing in support of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1970, newly elected Governor [[Jimmy Carter]] declared in his inaugural address that the era of racial segregation had ended. In 1972, Georgians elected [[Andrew Young]] to Congress as the first African American Congressman since the [[Reconstruction era]]. In 1980, construction was completed on an expansion of what is now named [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]] (ATL). The busiest and most efficient airport in the world, it accommodates more than a hundred million passengers annually.<ref name=HJAA>{{cite web |title=Atlanta's Hartsfield–Jackson International: Facts About The World's Busiest Airport |url=http://amaconferencecentersspeak.com/atlantas-hartsfield-jackson-international-facts-about-the-worlds-busiest-airport/ |website=amaconferencecentersspeak.com |publisher=American Management Association |access-date=January 27, 2019 |date=March 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190128044530/http://amaconferencecentersspeak.com/atlantas-hartsfield-jackson-international-facts-about-the-worlds-busiest-airport/ |archive-date=January 28, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Employing more than 60,000 people, the airport became a major engine for economic growth.<ref name=HJAA/> With the advantages of cheap real estate, low taxes, [[right-to-work law]]s and a regulatory environment limiting government interference, the Atlanta metropolitan area became a national center of finance, insurance, technology, manufacturing, real estate, logistics, and transportation companies, as well as the film, convention, and trade show businesses. As a testament to the city's growing international profile, in 1990 the [[International Olympic Committee]] selected [[Atlanta]] as the site of the [[1996 Summer Olympics]]. Taking advantage of Atlanta's status as a transportation hub, in 1991 [[United Parcel Service|UPS]] established its headquarters in the suburb of [[Sandy Springs]]. In 1992, construction finished on [[Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta)|Bank of America Plaza]], the tallest building in the U.S. outside of New York or Chicago. ==Geography== {{Main|Geography of Georgia (U.S. state)}} [[File:Road to Brasstown Summit.jpg|thumb|Road to [[Brasstown Bald]]]] [[File:Jekyll Island.jpg|thumb|[[Jekyll Island]]]] [[File:Taxodium ascendens Okefenokee 5.jpg|thumb|[[Okefenokee Swamp]]]] ===Boundaries=== Beginning from the Atlantic Ocean, the state's eastern border with South Carolina runs up the [[Savannah River]], northwest to its origin at the [[confluence]] of the [[Tugaloo River|Tugaloo]] and [[Seneca River (South Carolina)|Seneca Rivers]]. It then continues up the Tugaloo (originally Tugalo) and into the [[Chattooga River]], its most significant [[tributary]]. These bounds were decided in the 1797 [[Treaty of Beaufort]], and tested in the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] in the two ''[[Georgia v. South Carolina]]'' cases in 1923 and 1989.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} The border then takes a sharp turn around the tip of [[Rabun County, Georgia|Rabun County]], at [[35th parallel north|latitude 35°N]], though from this point it diverges slightly south (due to inaccuracies in the original survey, conducted in 1818).<ref name=saporta/> This northern border was originally the Georgia and North Carolina border all the way to the [[Mississippi River]], until [[Tennessee]] was divided from [[North Carolina]], and the Yazoo companies induced the legislature of Georgia to pass an act, approved by the governor in 1795, to sell the greater part of Georgia's territory presently comprising [[Alabama]] and [[Mississippi]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fcoybLve0aQC&pg=PA30|author=Ulrich Bonnell Phillips|title=Georgia and state rights: a study of the political history of Georgia from the Revolution to the Civil War|publisher=Annual Report of American Historical Association for the 57th US Congress, 1901|page=30|access-date=October 23, 2012|year=1902|archive-date=February 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206005320/https://books.google.com/books?id=fcoybLve0aQC&pg=PA30|url-status=live}}</ref> The state's western border runs in a straight line south-southeastward from a point southwest of [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]], to meet the [[Chattahoochee River]] near [[West Point, Georgia|West Point]]. It continues downriver to the point where it joins the [[Flint River (Georgia)|Flint River]] (the confluence of the two forming Florida's [[Apalachicola River]]); the southern border goes almost due east and very slightly south, in a straight line to the [[St. Marys River (Florida/Georgia)|St. Mary's River]], which then forms the remainder of the boundary back to the ocean.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} The water boundaries are still set to be the original [[thalweg]] of the rivers. Since then, several have been inundated by lakes created by dams, including the [[ACF River Basin|Apalachicola/Chattahoochee/Flint]] point now under [[Lake Seminole]].{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} An 1818 survey erroneously placed Georgia's border with Tennessee {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} south of the intended location of the 35th parallel north.<ref name=saporta>{{cite news|last=Morton|first=William J.|date=April 4, 2016|title=How Georgia got its northern boundary – and why we can't get water from the Tennessee River|url=https://saportareport.com/georgia-got-northern-boundary-cant-get-water-tennessee-river/|work=Saporta Report|location=Atlanta|access-date=April 9, 2019|archive-date=April 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410160441/https://saportareport.com/georgia-got-northern-boundary-cant-get-water-tennessee-river/|url-status=live}}</ref> State legislators [[Tennessee–Georgia water dispute|still dispute this placement]], as correction of this inaccuracy would allow Georgia access to water from the [[Tennessee River]].<ref>{{cite news |title=In drought, water found: next door |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-feb-10-na-water10-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 10, 2008 |access-date=May 18, 2020 |archive-date=August 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801012048/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-feb-10-na-water10-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ===Geology and terrain=== {{Main|Geology of Georgia (U.S. state)}} [[File:Map of Georgia elevations.png|thumb|USGS map of Georgia elevations]] Georgia consists of five principal [[physiographic regions of the United States|physiographic regions]]: The [[Cumberland Plateau]], [[Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians]], [[Blue Ridge Mountains]], [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]], and the [[Atlantic coastal plain]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Georgia Overview |url=https://narsal.uga.edu/gap/georgia/ |website=uga.edu |publisher=Natural Resources Spatial Analysis Lab, University of Georgia |access-date=August 15, 2021 |location=Athens, Georgia |archive-date=August 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815190551/https://narsal.uga.edu/gap/georgia/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Each region has its own distinctive characteristics. For instance, the region, which lies in the northwest corner of the state, includes limestone, sandstone, shale, and other sedimentary rocks, which have yielded construction-grade limestone, barite, ocher, and small amounts of coal. ===Ecology=== {{Main|Ecology of Georgia (U.S. state){{!}}Ecology of Georgia}} The state of Georgia has approximately 250 tree species and 58 protected plants. Georgia's native trees include [[Juniperus virginiana|red cedar]], a variety of pines, oaks, hollies, [[Taxodium|cypress]], [[Liquidambar styraciflua|sweetgum]], scaly-bark and white [[hickory|hickories]], and [[sabal palmetto]]. East Georgia is in the subtropical coniferous forest biome and conifer species as other broadleaf evergreen flora make up the majority of the southern and coastal regions. [[Gelsemium sempervirens|Yellow jasmine]] and [[Kalmia latifolia|mountain laurel]] make up just a few of the flowering shrubs in the state. [[White-tailed deer]] are found in nearly all counties of Georgia. The [[northern mockingbird]] and [[brown thrasher]] are among the 160 bird species that live in the state. Reptiles include the [[eastern diamondback]], [[Agkistrodon contortrix|copperhead]], and [[Agkistrodon piscivorus|cottonmouth]] snakes as well as alligators; amphibians include [[salamander]]s, frogs and [[toad]]s. There are about 79 species of reptile and 63 amphibians known to live in Georgia. The Argentine black and white tegu is currently an invasive species in Georgia. It poses a problem to local wildlife by chasing down and killing many native species and dominating habitats.<ref>Tegus – Georgia Invasive Species Task Force {{Full citation needed|date=December 2021}}</ref> The most popular freshwater game fish<!-- not sure "gamefish" should be here per se. More under tourism perhaps. --> are [[trout]], [[bream]], [[bass (fish)|bass]], and [[catfish]], all but the last of which are produced in state hatcheries for restocking. Popular saltwater game fish include [[red drum]], [[spotted seatrout]], [[flounder]], and [[tarpon]]. [[Porpoise]]s, whales, [[shrimp]], [[oyster]]s, and [[Callinectes sapidus|blue crabs]] are found inshore and offshore of the Georgia coast. ===Climate=== {{Main|Climate of Georgia (U.S. state)}}{{Further|Climate change in Georgia (U.S. state)}} [[File:Georgia Köppen.png|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification]] types of Georgia]] [[File:Storm of the century satellite.gif|thumb|upright|Image of March [[1993 Storm of the Century]] covering the length of the east coast. The outline of Georgia is discernible in the center of the image.]] The majority of the state is primarily a [[humid subtropical climate]]. 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 {{convert|45|in|mm}} in central Georgia<ref>[http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USGA0346?from=search Monthly Averages for Macon, GA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423111441/http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USGA0346?from=search |date=April 23, 2009 }} ''The Weather Channel''.</ref> to approximately {{convert|75|in|mm}} around the northeast part of the state.<ref>[http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USGA0118?from=search Monthly Averages for Clayton, GA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423110858/http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USGA0118?from=search |date=April 23, 2009 }} ''The Weather Channel''.</ref> The degree to which the weather of a certain region of Georgia is subtropical depends on the latitude, its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean or [[Gulf of Mexico]], and the elevation. The latter factor is felt chiefly in the mountainous areas of the northern part of the state, which are farther away from the ocean and can be {{convert|4500|ft|m}} above sea level. The USDA plant [[hardiness zone]]s for Georgia range from zone 6b (no colder than {{convert|-5|F}}) in the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] to zone 8b (no colder than {{convert|15|F}} ) along the [[Atlantic]] coast and Florida border.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-georgia-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php |title=Georgia USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map |access-date=November 11, 2010 |archive-date=December 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206121327/http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-georgia-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The highest temperature ever recorded is {{convert|112|°F|°C|abbr=on}} in [[Louisville, Georgia|Louisville]] on July 24, 1952,<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/weather/wheat7.htm Each state's high temperature record] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120703051245/http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wheat7.htm |date=July 3, 2012 }} ''USA Today, last updated August 2004''.</ref> while the lowest is {{convert|-17|°F|°C|abbr=on}} in northern [[Floyd County, Georgia|Floyd County]] on January 27, 1940.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.usatoday.com/weather/wcstates.htm| title = Each state's low temperature record| website = [[USA Today]]| access-date = December 28, 2017| archive-date = August 27, 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120827011331/http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wcstates.htm| url-status = live}} ''USA Today, last updated August 2006''</ref> Georgia is one of the leading states in frequency of [[tornado]]es, though they are rarely stronger than [[Enhanced Fujita scale|EF1]]. Although tornadoes striking the city are very rare,<ref name="scientificamerican.com">{{cite web|last1=Wurman|first1=Joshua|title=Why don't tornadoes hit cities more often?|url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/experts-tornadoes-cities/|website=scientificamerican.com|access-date=June 10, 2016|archive-date=June 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604125833/http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/experts-tornadoes-cities/|url-status=live}}</ref> an EF2 tornado<ref name="scientificamerican.com"/> hit downtown Atlanta on March 14, 2008, causing moderate to severe damage to various buildings. With a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean, Georgia is also vulnerable to [[hurricane]]s, although direct hurricane strikes were rare during the 20th century. Georgia often is affected by hurricanes that strike the [[Florida Panhandle]], weaken over land, and bring strong [[tropical storm]] winds and heavy rain to the interior, a recent example being [[Hurricane Michael]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.weather.gov/ffc/2018_hurricane_michael|title=Hurricane Michael Hits Georgia|last=US Department of Commerce|first=NOAA|website=www.weather.gov|access-date=May 5, 2019|archive-date=May 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505200051/https://www.weather.gov/ffc/2018_hurricane_michael|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as hurricanes that come close to the Georgia coastline, brushing the coast on their way north without ever making landfall. [[Hurricane Matthew|Hurricane Matthew of 2016]] and [[Hurricane Dorian|Hurricane Dorian of 2019]] did just that. {| class="wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:90%;"| |+ Monthly average daily high and low temperatures for major Georgia cities |- style="background: #E5AFAA;text-align:center;" ! City ! Jan ! Feb ! Mar ! Apr ! May ! Jun ! Jul ! Aug ! Sep ! Oct ! Nov ! Dec |- style="background: #F8F3CA;text-align:center;" ! Athens | 51/11<br />33/1 | 56/13<br />35/2 | 65/18<br />42/6 | 73/23<br />49/9 | 80/27<br />58/14 | 87/31<br />65/18 | 90/32<br />69/21 | 88/31<br />68/20 | 82/28<br />63/17 | 73/23<br />51/11 | 63/17<br />42/6 | 54/12<br />35/2 |- style="background: #C5DFE1;text-align:left;" ! Atlanta | 52/11<br />34/1 | 57/14<br />36/2 | 65/18<br />44/7 | 73/23<br />50/10 | 80/27<br />60/16 | 86/30<br />67/19 | 89/32<br />71/22 | 88/31<br />70/21 | 82/28<br />64/18 | 73/23<br />53/12 | 63/17<br />44/7 | 55/13<br />36/2 |- style="background: #F8F3CA;text-slide:center;" ! Augusta | 56/13<br />33/1 | 61/16<br />36/4 | 69/21<br />42/6 | 77/25<br />48/9 | 84/29<br />57/14 | 90/32<br />65/18 | 92/33<br />70/21 | 90/32<br />68/20 | 85/29<br />62/17 | 76/24<br />50/10 | 68/20<br />41/5 | 59/15<br />35/2 |- style="background: #C5DFE1;text-align:center;" ! Columbus | 57/14<br />37/3 | 62/17<br />39/4 | 69/21<br />46/8 | 76/24<br />52/11 | 83/28<br />61/16 | 90/32<br />69/21 | 92/33<br />72/22 | 91/32<br />72/22 | 86/30<br />66/19 | 77/25<br />54/12 | 68/20<br />46/8 | 59/15<br />39/4 |- style="background: #F8F3CA;text-align:center;" ! Macon | 57/14<br />34/1 | 61/16<br />37/3 | 68/20<br />44/7 | 76/24<br />50/10 | 83/28<br />59/15 | 90/32<br />67/19 | 92/33<br />70/21 | 90/32<br />70/21 | 85/29<br />64/18 | 77/25<br />51/11 | 68/20<br />42/6 | 59/15<br />36/2 |- style="background: #C5DFE1;text-align:center;" ! Savannah | 60/16<br />38/3 | 64/18<br />41/5 | 71/22<br />48/9 | 78/26<br />53/12 | 84/29<br />61/16 | 90/32<br />68/20 | 92/33<br />72/22 | 90/32<br />71/22 | 86/30<br />67/19 | 78/26<br />56/13 | 70/21<br />47/8 | 63/17<br />40/4 |- | colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:90%;background:#E8EAFA;"|''Temperatures are given in °F/°C format, with highs on top of lows.''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weatherbyday.com/georgia/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710035549/http://www.weatherbyday.com/georgia/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 10, 2009 |title=Weather By Day Georgia |publisher=Weatherbyday.com |access-date=October 24, 2010}}</ref> |} Due to anthropogenic [[climate change]], the climate of Georgia is warming. This is already causing major disruption, for example, from sea level rise (Georgia is more vulnerable to it than many other states because its land is sinking) and further warming will increase it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/06/global-warming-american-south/532200/|title=The American South Will Bear the Worst of Climate Change's Costs|first=Robinson|last=Meyer|publisher=[[The Atlantic]]|date=June 29, 2017|access-date=January 3, 2021|archive-date=January 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120080635/https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/06/global-warming-american-south/532200/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Georgia Coastal Flooding |url=https://statesatrisk.org/georgia/coastal-flooding |website=States at risk |publisher=Climate Central |access-date=January 3, 2021 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116020535/https://statesatrisk.org/georgia/coastal-flooding |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="EPA">{{cite web|url=https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/climate-change-ga.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906180900/https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/climate-change-ga.pdf |archive-date=September 6, 2017 |url-status=live|title=What Climate Change Means for Georgia|publisher=[[United States Environmental Protection Agency]]|date=August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Shepherd |first1=Marshall |title=Georgia Had Its Warmest Year On Record In 2019 – Here are 5 'So Whats?' |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2020/01/09/georgia-had-its-warmest-year-on-record-in-2019here-are-5-so-whats/?sh=32cfec6f7392 |access-date=January 3, 2021 |agency=Forbes |date=January 9, 2020 |archive-date=February 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228074303/https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2020/01/09/georgia-had-its-warmest-year-on-record-in-2019here-are-5-so-whats/?sh=32cfec6f7392 |url-status=live }}</ref> === Major cities === {{See also|Georgia census statistical areas|List of metropolitan areas in Georgia (U.S. state)}} [[Atlanta]], located in north-central Georgia at the [[Eastern Continental Divide]], has been Georgia's [[List of capitals in the United States|capital city]] since 1868. It is the most populous city in Georgia, with a 2020 U.S. census population of just over 498,000.<ref name="PopEstCities">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-cities-and-towns.html|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2010–2019|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|access-date=May 21, 2020|archive-date=June 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618093832/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-cities-and-towns.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The state has seventeen cities with populations over 50,000, based on official 2020 U.S. census data.<ref name="PopEstCities" /> Along with the rest of the Southeast, Georgia's population continues to grow rapidly, with primary gains concentrated in urban areas. The U.S. Census Bureau lists [[List of metropolitan areas in Georgia (U.S. state)|fourteen metropolitan areas]] in the state. The population of the Atlanta metropolitan area added 1.23 million people (24%) between 2000 and 2010, and Atlanta rose in rank from the eleventh-largest metropolitan area in the United States to the [[List of metropolitan statistical areas|ninth-largest]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/national/atlanta-moves-9th-largest-metro-area/MZ3Ns1PQ5w8pUAzZrnLqlJ/ |title=Atlanta moves to 9th largest US Metro area |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |publisher=www.ajc.com |access-date=June 4, 2021 |last1=Tagami |first1=Ty |archive-date=June 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604191809/https://www.ajc.com/news/national/atlanta-moves-9th-largest-metro-area/MZ3Ns1PQ5w8pUAzZrnLqlJ/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Atlanta metropolitan area]] is the cultural and economic center of the [[Southeastern United States|Southeast]]; its official population in 2020 was over 6 million, or 57% of Georgia's total population.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://proximityone.com/metros0010.htm|title=Metropolitan Area Population & Housing Patterns: 2000–2010|publisher=Proximityone.com|access-date=October 23, 2012|archive-date=January 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130109110234/http://proximityone.com/metros0010.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> {{Largest cities | country = Georgia | stat_ref = [[2020 United States census|2020 U.S. census]] populations | name_link = List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state) | div_link = List of counties in Georgia{{!}}County | city_1 = Atlanta{{!}}Atlanta | div_1 = Fulton County, Georgia{{!}}Fulton{{))!}}, {{!((}}DeKalb County, Georgia{{!}}DeKalb | pop_1 = 498,715 | img_1 = Atlanta Skyline from Buckhead.jpg | city_2 = Columbus, Georgia{{!}}Columbus | div_2 = Muscogee County, Georgia{{!}}Muscogee | pop_2 = 206,922 | img_2 = Columbus Georgia skyline.jpeg | city_3 = Augusta, Georgia{{!}}Augusta | div_3 = Richmond County, Georgia{{!}}Richmond | pop_3 = 202,081 | img_3 = Augustagaskyline.jpg | city_4 = Macon, Georgia{{!}}Macon | div_4 = Bibb County, Georgia{{!}}Bibb | pop_4 = 157,346 | img_4 = MaconSkyline.JPG | city_5 = Savannah, Georgia{{!}}Savannah | div_5 = Chatham County, Georgia{{!}}Chatham | pop_5 = 147,780 | city_6 = Athens, Georgia{{!}}Athens | div_6 = Clarke County, Georgia{{!}}Clarke | pop_6 = 127,315 | city_7 = Sandy Springs, Georgia{{!}}Sandy Springs | div_7 = Fulton County, Georgia{{!}}Fulton | pop_7 = 108,080 | city_8 = South Fulton, Georgia{{!}}South Fulton | div_8 = Fulton County, Georgia{{!}}Fulton | pop_8 = 107,436 | city_9 = Roswell, Georgia{{!}}Roswell | div_9 = Cobb County, Georgia{{!}}Cobb{{))!}}, {{!((}}Fulton County, Georgia{{!}}Fulton | pop_9 = 92,833 | city_10 = Johns Creek, Georgia{{!}}Johns Creek | div_10 = Fulton County, Georgia{{!}}Fulton | pop_10 = 82,453 }} ==Demographics== {{Main|Demographics of Georgia (U.S. state)}} {{US Census population | 1790 = 82548 | 1800 = 162686 | 1810 = 251407 | 1820 = 340989 | 1830 = 516823 | 1840 = 691392 | 1850 = 906185 | 1860 = 1057286 | 1870 = 1184109 | 1880 = 1542181 | 1890 = 1837353 | 1900 = 2216331 | 1910 = 2609121 | 1920 = 2895832 | 1930 = 2908506 | 1940 = 3123723 | 1950 = 3444578 | 1960 = 3943116 | 1970 = 4589575 | 1980 = 5463105 | 1990 = 6478216 | 2000 = 8186453 | 2010 = 9687653 | 2020 = 10711908 | estimate = 11029227 | estyear = 2023 | align-fn = center | footnote = 1910–2022<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 1, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |publisher=US Census Bureau |title=Data |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data.html |access-date=December 22, 2022 |website=Census.gov |archive-date=October 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006035730/http://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data.html |url-status=live }}</ref> }} [[File:Ethnic Origins in Georgia.png|thumb|Packed circles diagram showing estimates of the ethnic origins of people in Georgia in 2021.]] [[File:Georgia Counties by race (2020 census).svg|thumb|Map of counties in Georgia by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census{{Collapsible list | title = Legend|{{col-begin}}{{col-2}} '''Non-Hispanic White''' {{legend|#e6b8af|30–40%}} {{legend|#dd7e6b|40–50%}} {{legend|#cc4125|50–60%}} {{legend|#a61c00|60–70%}} {{legend|#85200c|70–80%}} {{legend|#5b0f00|80–90%}} {{legend|#410b00|90%+}} {{col-2}} '''Black or African American''' {{legend|#ffe599|40–50%}} {{legend|#ffd966|50–60%}} {{legend|#f1c232|60–70%}} {{legend|#bf9000|70–80%}} {{col-end}} }}|239x239px]] [[File:Georgia Population Density by Census Tract 2018.png|thumb|Population density by census tract in the state of Georgia, 2018]] The [[United States Census Bureau]] reported Georgia's official population to be 10,711,908 as of the [[2020 United States census]]. This was an increase of 1,024,255, or 10.57% over the [[2010 United States census|2010]] figure of 9,687,653 residents.<ref name="2020PopGA">{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/apportionment/apportionment-2020-table02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426194205/https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/apportionment/apportionment-2020-table02.pdf |archive-date=April 26, 2021 |url-status=live|title=U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts—Georgia|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 26, 2021}}</ref> Immigration resulted in a net increase of 228,415 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 378,258 people.{{when|date=September 2021}} {{as of|2010}}, the number of [[Illegal immigration to the United States|illegal immigrants]] living in Georgia more than doubled to 480,000 from January 2000 to January 2009, according to a federal report. That gave Georgia the greatest percentage increase among the 10 states with the biggest undocumented immigrant populations during those years.<ref>{{Cite news | agency=Associated Press | title=Southeast sees big influx of illegal immigrants | url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/35546061/ns/us_news-life/t/southeast-sees-big-influx-illegal-immigrants/ | publisher=NBCNews.com | date=February 23, 2010 | access-date=January 2, 2018 | archive-date=January 2, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102191506/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/35546061/ns/us_news-life/t/southeast-sees-big-influx-illegal-immigrants/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Georgia has banned [[Sanctuary city|sanctuary cities]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/09/politics/sanctuary-city-bans-states/index.html|title=Florida is about to ban sanctuary cities. At least 11 other states have, too|first=Catherine E.|last=Shoichet|website=CNN|date=May 9, 2019|access-date=September 3, 2019|archive-date=June 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190616132746/https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/09/politics/sanctuary-city-bans-states/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, The top countries of origin for Georgia's immigrants were [[Mexico]], [[India]], [[Jamaica]], [[Korea]], and [[Guatemala]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_georgia.pdf|title=Immigrants in Georgia}}</ref> There were 743,000 [[veteran]]s in 2009.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Michael E. | last=Kanell | title=Number of veterans, October | url=https://www.ajc.com/business/vets-jobs-challenges-tough-labor-market/RjXe0WIMdNrh5kRkT1lj8M/ | publisher=Atlanta Constitution-Journal | location=Atlanta, Georgia | pages=A6 | date=November 16, 2009 | access-date=August 18, 2021 | archive-date=August 18, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818170214/https://www.ajc.com/business/vets-jobs-challenges-tough-labor-market/RjXe0WIMdNrh5kRkT1lj8M/ | url-status=live }} quoting the Bureau of Labor Statistics.</ref> According to [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|HUD]]'s 2022 [[Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress|Annual Homeless Assessment Report]], there were an estimated 10,689 [[Homelessness|homeless]] people in Georgia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2007-2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |access-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314020239/https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |access-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311234217/https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> === Race and ethnicity === {| class="wikitable sortable" ; text-align:right; font-size:80%;" |+ style="font-size:120%" |Ethnic composition as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]] |- ! Race and ethnicity<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=August 12, 2021 |website=census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 26, 2021 |archive-date=August 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815165418/https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ! colspan="2" data-sort-type="number" |Alone ! colspan="2" data-sort-type="number" |Total |- | [[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White (non-Hispanic)]] |align=right| {{bartable|50.1|%|2||background:gray}} |align=right| {{bartable|53.2|%|2||background:gray}} |- | [[African Americans|African American (non-Hispanic)]] |align=right| {{bartable|30.6|%|2||background:mediumblue}} |align=right| {{bartable|32.3|%|2||background:mediumblue}} |- | [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]{{efn|Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry.}} |align=right| {{bartable}} |align=right| {{bartable|10.5|%|2||background:green}} |- | [[Asian Americans|Asian]] |align=right| {{bartable|4.4|%|2||background:purple}} |align=right| {{bartable|5.2|%|2||background:purple}} |- | Native American |align=right| {{bartable|0.2|%|2||background:gold}} |align=right| {{bartable|1.5|%|2||background:gold}} |- | [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] |align=right| {{bartable|0.1|%|2||background:pink}} |align=right| {{bartable|0.1|%|2||background:pink}} |- | Other |align=right| {{bartable|0.5|%|2||background:brown}} |align=right| {{bartable|1.2|%|2||background:brown}} |} {| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;" |+ '''Historical racial demographics''' |- ! Racial composition !! 1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |title=Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States |publisher=Census.gov |access-date=July 27, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224151538/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |archive-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref>!! 2000<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://censusviewer.com/city/GA|title=Population of Georgia: Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts|website=Censusviewer.ocm|access-date=April 17, 2021}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>!! 2010<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov//2010census/data/ |title=2010 Census Data |publisher=Census.gov |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-date=July 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713154415/https://www.census.gov/2010census/data/ |url-status=live }}</ref>!! 2020<ref name="2020DP1">{{Cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?g=040XX00US13 |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=April 2, 2024}}</ref> |- | [[White American|White]] || 71.0% || 65.1% || 59.7% || 51.9% |- | [[African American|Black]] || 27.0% || 28.7% || 30.5% || 31.0% |- | [[Asian American|Asian]] || 1.2% || 2.1% || 3.3% || 4.5% |- | [[Native Americans in the United States|Native]] || 0.2% || 0.3% || 0.3% || 0.5% |- | [[Native Hawaiian]] and <br />[[Pacific Islander|other Pacific Islander]] ||—|| 0.1% || 0.1% || 0.1% |- | [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Other race]] || 0.6% || 2.4% || 4.0% || 5.2% |- | [[Multiracial American|Two or more races]] ||—|| 1.4% || 2.1% || 6.9% |} In the [[1980 United States census|1980 census]], 1,584,303 people from Georgia claimed [[English American|English]] ancestry out of a total state population of 3,994,817, making them 40% of the state, and the largest ethnic group at the time.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov//population/www/censusdata/files/pc80-s1-10/tab03.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111061729/http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/files/pc80-s1-10/tab03.pdf |archive-date=January 11, 2012 |url-status=live |title=Persons Who Reported at Least One Specific Ancestry Group for Regions, Divisions and States | year = 1980 |publisher=Census |access-date=October 23, 2012}}</ref> Today, many of these same people claiming they are of "American" ancestry are actually of English descent, and some are of [[Scottish-Irish American|Scots-Irish]] descent; however, their families have lived in the state for so long, in many cases since the colonial period, that they choose to identify simply as having "American" ancestry or do not in fact know their own ancestry. Their ancestry primarily goes back to the original thirteen colonies and for this reason many of them today simply claim "American" ancestry, though they are of predominantly English ancestry.<ref>{{Citation | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=SVoAXh-dNuYC&pg=PA57 | title = Sharing the Dream: White Males in a Multicultural America | first = Dominic J | last = Pulera | isbn = 9780826416438 | date = October 20, 2004 | publisher = A&C Black | access-date = October 16, 2015 | archive-date = January 16, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230116051127/https://books.google.com/books?id=SVoAXh-dNuYC&pg=PA57 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation | first = Reynolds | last = Farley | title = The New Census Question about Ancestry: What Did It Tell Us? | journal = Demography | volume = 28 | number = 3 |date=August 1991 | pages = 411–29 | doi=10.2307/2061465 | pmid=1936376| jstor = 2061465 | s2cid = 41503995 | doi-access = free}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | first1 = Stanley | last1 = Lieberson | first2 = Lawrence | last2 = Santi | title = The Use of Nativity Data to Estimate Ethnic Characteristics and Patterns | journal = Social Science Research | volume = 14 | number = 1 | year = 1985 | pages = 44–6 | doi=10.1016/0049-089x(85)90011-0}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | first1 = Stanley | last1 = Lieberson | first2 = Mary C | last2 = Waters | title = Ethnic Groups in Flux: The Changing Ethnic Responses of American Whites | journal = Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science | volume = 487 | number = 79 |date=September 1986 | pages = 82–86 | doi=10.1177/0002716286487001004| s2cid = 60711423}}</ref> Historically, about half of Georgia's population was composed of African Americans who, before the [[American Civil War]], were almost exclusively enslaved. The [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]] of hundreds of thousands of blacks from the rural South to the industrial North from 1914 to 1970 reduced the African American population.<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.brookings.edu/urban/pubs/20040524_Frey.pdf |first=William H |last=Frey |title=The New Great Migration: Black Americans' Return to the South, 1965–2000 |publisher=The Brookings Institution |date=May 2004 |access-date=May 19, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080428042235/http://www.brookings.edu/urban/pubs/20040524_Frey.pdf |archive-date=April 28, 2008}}</ref> Georgia had the second-fastest-growing Asian population growth in the U.S. from 1990 to 2000, more than doubling in size during the ten-year period.<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.oca-georgia.org/AtlantaProfile.pdf |title=Atlanta |type=profile |publisher=Oca |place=GA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090711094955/http://www.oca-georgia.org/AtlantaProfile.pdf |archive-date=July 11, 2009}}</ref> Indian people and Chinese people are the largest Asian groups in Georgia.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://aapidata.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/GA-2018.pdf |title=Georgia - AAPI Data |access-date=March 13, 2023 |archive-date=March 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308150150/https://aapidata.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/GA-2018.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, according to census estimates, Georgia ranks third among the states in terms of the percent of the total population that is African American (after [[Mississippi]] and [[Louisiana]]) and third in numeric Black population after New York and Florida. Georgia also has a sizeable Latino population. Many are of Mexican descent.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/latino-immigration/|title=Latino Immigration|access-date=November 19, 2022|archive-date=November 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119032026/https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/latino-immigration/|url-status=live}}</ref> Georgia is the state with the third-lowest percentage of older people (65 or older), at 12.8 percent ({{as of|2015|lc=y}}).<ref>{{Citation|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13000.html |contribution=Georgia |publisher=Census |title=Quickfacts |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622105843/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13000.html |archive-date=June 22, 2015}}</ref> The colonial settlement of large numbers of [[Scottish American]], [[English American]] and [[Scotch-Irish American]]s in the mountains and Piedmont, and coastal settlement by some [[English American]]s and African Americans, have strongly influenced the state's culture in food, language and music. The concentration of African slaves repeatedly "imported" to coastal areas in the 18th century from rice-growing regions of West Africa led to the development of [[Gullah]]-Geechee language and culture in the Low Country among African Americans. They share a unique heritage in which many African traditions of food, religion and culture were retained. In the creolization of Southern culture, their foodways became an integral part of Low Country cooking.<ref>{{Citation | publisher = Georgia | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080504151611/http://www.georgia.org/Travel/Early%2BMountain%2BLife.htm | archive-date = May 4, 2008 | url = http://www.georgia.org/Travel/Early+Mountain+Life.htm | title = Travel | contribution = Early Mountain Life | url-status=dead | df = mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.well.com/~mp/gAmOrigins.html | publisher = The well | title = Who are Americans | access-date = October 1, 2006 | archive-date = September 30, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181109/http://www.well.com/~mp/gAmOrigins.html | url-status = live }}</ref> Sephardic Jews, French-speaking Swiss people, Moravians, Irish convicts, Piedmont Italians and Russian people immigrated to the state during the colonial era.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/colonial-immigration/#:~:text=Immigrants%20to%20colonial%20Georgia%20came,a%20host%20of%20American%20colonies.|title=Colonial Immigration - New Georgia Encyclopedia}}</ref> {{as of|2011}}, 58.8% of Georgia's population younger than 1 were minorities (meaning they had at least one parent who was not non-Hispanic white) compared to other states like California with 75.1%, Texas with 69.8%, and New York with 55.6%.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html|title=Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot|last=Exner|first=Rich|date=June 3, 2012|work=[[The Plain Dealer]]|access-date=August 4, 2012|archive-date=July 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714084214/http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The largest European ancestry groups as of 2011 were: [[English American|English]] 8.1%, [[Irish American|Irish]] 8.1%,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_1YR_DP02&prodType=table |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212210153/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_1YR_DP02&prodType=table |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |title=Selected Social Characteristics in the United States-2011 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates |access-date=September 4, 2013 }}</ref> and [[German American|German]] 7.2%.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US13&-qr_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_DP2&-context=adp&-ds_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_&-tree_id=308&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-format= | title = American FactFinder | publisher = Census | access-date = February 11, 2012 | archive-date = February 11, 2020 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20200211182406/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US13&-qr_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_DP2&-context=adp&-ds_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_&-tree_id=308&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-format= | url-status = dead }}</ref> ===Languages=== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:1em; float:center" |+ '''Top 10 languages spoken in Georgia''' |- ! Language !! Speakers <small>({{as of|2021|lc=y}})</small><ref name="language">{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=punjabi&g=040XX00US13&tid=ACSDT1Y2021.B16001&moe=false|title=American Community Survey- LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME BY ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH FOR THE POPULATION 5 YEARS AND OVER|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=August 7, 2013}}</ref> !! [[Percentage|%]] of total <br /> |- | [[American English|English]] ||8,711,102|| {{Percentage|8711102|10173597|2}} |- | [[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish]] ||795,646|| {{Percentage|795646|10173597|2}} |- | [[Vietnamese language in the United States|Vietnamese]] ||57,795|| {{Percentage|57795|10173597|2}} |- | [[Chinese language in the United States|Chinese]] ||55,024|| {{Percentage|55024|10173597|2}} |- | [[Korean American|Korean]] ||52,742|| {{Percentage|52742|10173597|2}} |- | [[French language in the United States|French]] ||33,248|| {{Percentage|33248|10173597|2}} |- | Hindi ||31,531|| {{Percentage|31531|10173597|2}} |- | [[German language in the United States|German]] ||25,881|| {{Percentage|25881|10173597|2}} |- | [[Haitian American|Haitian]] ||25,032|| {{Percentage|25032|10173597|2}} |- | [[Arabic language in the United States|Arabic]] ||21,795|| {{Percentage|21795|10173597|2}} |- |} {{as of|2021}}, {{Percentage|8711102|10173597|2}} (8,711,102) of Georgia residents age{{nbsp}}5 and older spoke English at home as a [[primary language]], while {{Percentage|795646|10173597|2}} (795,646) spoke Spanish, and {{Percentage|666,849|10173597|2}} (666,849) spoke languages other than English or Spanish at home, with the most common of which were Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean. In total, {{Percentage|1,462,495|10173597|2}} (1,462,495) of Georgia's population age{{nbsp}}5 and older spoke a [[mother language]] other than English.<ref name="language"/> ===Religion=== {{further|Demographics of Georgia (U.S. state)#Religion|Culture of Georgia (U.S. state)#Religion}} {{multiple image | perrow = 2 | total_width = 500 | caption_align = center | image1 = St. Mark's United Methodist Church - Atlanta, Georgia.jpg | caption1 = [[St. Mark United Methodist Church (Atlanta)|St. Mark's United Methodist Church]] in [[Atlanta]] | image2 = Hindutempleatlanta.jpg | caption2 = The [[BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta|BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir]] in [[Lilburn, GA|Lilburn]] is the second-largest [[Hindu temple]] in the United States. }} {{bar box |title = Religion in Georgia (2014)<ref name="pew2014">{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/georgia/|title=Religious Landscape Study|date=May 11, 2015|access-date=December 3, 2017|archive-date=December 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203224558/http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/georgia/|url-status=live}}</ref> |titlebar=#ddd |left1=Religion |right1=Percent |float=left |bars = {{bar percent|[[Protestant]]|purple|67}} {{bar percent|[[Irreligion|None]]|black|18}} {{bar percent|[[Catholic]]|dodgerblue|9}} {{bar percent|[[Jehovah's Witness]]|yellow|2}} {{bar percent|Jewish|blue|1}} {{bar percent|[[Mormon]]|pink|1}} {{bar percent|Other|grey|2}} {{bar percent|Don't know|Orange|1}} }}According to the [[Pew Research Center]], the composition of religious affiliation in Georgia was 70% Protestant, 9% Catholic, 1% Mormon, 1% Jewish, 0.5% Muslim, 0.5% Buddhist, and 0.5% Hindu. [[Atheist]]s, [[deist]]s, agnostics, and other unaffiliated people make up 13% of the population.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://religions.pewforum.org/maps |title= Maps |publisher= Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life |access-date= October 24, 2010 |archive-date= July 7, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130707085300/http://religions.pewforum.org/maps |url-status= live }}</ref> Overall, Christianity was the dominant religion in the state, as part of the [[Bible Belt]]. According to the [[Association of Religion Data Archives]] in 2010, the largest Christian denominations by number of adherents were the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] with 1,759,317; the [[United Methodist Church]] with 619,394; and the [[Roman Catholic Church]] with 596,384. Non-denominational [[Evangelical Protestant]] had 566,782 members, the [[Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)]] has 175,184 members, and the [[National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.]] has 172,982 members.<ref name="www.thearda.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/13/rcms2010_13_state_name_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report |publisher=www.thearda.com |access-date=November 7, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131012074430/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/13/rcms2010_13_state_name_2010.asp |archive-date=October 12, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Presbyterian Church (USA)]] is the largest Presbyterian body in the state, with 300 congregations and 100,000 members. The other large body, [[Presbyterian Church in America]], had at its founding date 14 congregations and 2,800 members; in 2010 it counted 139 congregations and 32,000 members.<ref name="www.thearda.com"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/presbyterian-church-america |title=www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/presbyterian-church-america |publisher=Georgiaencyclopedia.org |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-date=July 5, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140705171016/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/presbyterian-church-america |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]] is noteworthy in Georgia's urban areas, and includes the [[Archdiocese of Atlanta]] and the [[Diocese of Savannah]]. Georgia is home to the second-largest [[Hindu]] temple in the United States, the [[BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta]], located in the suburb city of [[Lilburn, Georgia|Lilburn]]. Georgia is home to several historic synagogues including [[The Temple (Atlanta)]], [[Congregation Beth Jacob (Atlanta)]], and [[Congregation Mickve Israel|Congregation Mickve Israel (Savannah)]]. [[Chabad]] and the [[Rohr Jewish Learning Institute]] are also active in the state.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Weiszer|first1=Marc|title=Georgia's Kublanow balances faith and football|url=http://savannahnow.com/sports/2014-09-29/georgias-kublanow-balances-faith-and-football|agency= Savannah Now|date=September 29, 2014|quote=Kublanow wasn't just born Jewish, he was raised and had his bar mitzvah while attending an orthodox Chabad synagogue. His mother, Shelly Kublanow Rosenblatt, will attend Friday night and Saturday morning services at the Chabad House in Athens and then head to Sanford Stadium in the afternoon to watch Kublanow and his linemates clear the way for Todd Gurley.|access-date=October 5, 2014|archive-date=October 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006081212/http://savannahnow.com/sports/2014-09-29/georgias-kublanow-balances-faith-and-football|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Sollish|first1=Ari|title=Chabad Course Explores Israel's Spiritual Side|url=http://crownheights.info/shlichus/8510/chabad-course-explores-israels-spiritual-side/|agency=Crown Heights Info|date=October 11, 2007|quote=ATLANTA, GA—A new six-part adult-education course from Chabad-Lubavitch's Rohr Jewish Learning Institute will explore the spiritual connection between the Jewish people and the land of Israel starting at the end of October. Unlike courses that focus on the history or the culture of Israel, "The Land & the Spirit: Why We All Care About Israel" will explore the mystery of the deep connection between Jews everywhere and that small patch of land in the Middle East.|access-date=October 5, 2014|archive-date=October 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006084147/http://crownheights.info/shlichus/8510/chabad-course-explores-israels-spiritual-side/|url-status=live}}</ref> By the 2022 [[Public Religion Research Institute]]'s study, 71% of the population were Christian; throughout its Christian population, 60% were Protestant and 8% were Catholic. Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons collectively made up 3% of other Christians according to the study.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=PRRI – American Values Atlas |url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2022/States/religion/m/US-GA |access-date=May 13, 2023 |website=ava.prri.org}}</ref> [[Judaism]], [[Islam]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Hinduism]] collectively formed 4% of the state's non-Christian population; [[New Age|New Age spirituality]] was 2% of the religious population. Approximately 23% of the state was [[Irreligion|irreligious]].<ref name=":0" /> Population percentage of Georgia in the United States 2010: 3.14% 2020: 3.23% ==Economy== {{Split section|Economy of Georgia (U.S. state)|discuss={{TALKPAGENAME}}#Split proposed|date=September 2020}} {{See also|Georgia (U.S. state) locations by per capita income}} Georgia's 2018 total [[gross state product]] was $602 billion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bea.gov/system/files/2019-04/qgdpstate0519_4.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501130539/https://www.bea.gov/system/files/2019-04/qgdpstate0519_4.pdf |archive-date=May 1, 2019 |url-status=live|title=Bureau of Economic Analysis|first=US Department of Commerce, BEA, Bureau of Economic|last=Analysis|website=www.bea.gov}}</ref> For years Georgia as a state has had the highest [[credit rating]] by [[Standard & Poor's]] (AAA) and is one of only 15 states with a AAA rating.<ref>{{cite web|title=State credit ratings|url=https://ballotpedia.org/State_credit_ratings|website=ballotpedia.org|publisher=Ballotpedia|access-date=July 22, 2016|archive-date=December 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151230131149/http://ballotpedia.org/State_credit_ratings|url-status=live}}</ref> If Georgia were a stand-alone country, it would be the 28th-largest economy in the world, based on data from 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrelarchive/2006/gsp1006.htm |title=BEA statistics for 2005 GSP—October 26, 2006 |publisher=Bea.gov |date=May 23, 2011 |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030130012/https://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrelarchive/2006/gsp1006.htm |archive-date=October 30, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> * Total employment 2021 ::4,034,309 * Total employer establishments 2021 ::253,729<ref>{{cite web |title=QuickFacts: Georgia |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/GA |website=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=January 28, 2024 |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124000715/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/GA |url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:Map of Georgia Median Income by County.png|thumb|upright=1.25]] There are 16 Fortune 500 companies and 26 Fortune 1000 companies with headquarters in Georgia, including [[Home Depot]], [[United Parcel Service|UPS]], [[Coca-Cola]], [[TSYS]], [[Delta Air Lines]], [[Aflac]], [[Southern Company]], and [[Elevance Health]] Atlanta boasts the world's [[List of the busiest airports|busiest airport]], as measured both by passenger traffic and by aircraft traffic.<ref>{{cite news|title=Atlanta Airport Still the "Busiest"|first=Jim|last=Tharpe|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/atlanta-airport-still-the-busiest/YAYECFH2YVCEJDXKJREVYSUINM/|newspaper=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|date=January 4, 2007|access-date=June 4, 2021|archive-date=June 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604184731/https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/atlanta-airport-still-the-busiest/YAYECFH2YVCEJDXKJREVYSUINM/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|url=http://news.delta.com/index.php?s=18&item=100|publisher=Delta Air Lines, Inc.|access-date=June 23, 2013|archive-date=July 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130706181307/http://news.delta.com/index.php?s=18&item=100|url-status=live}}</ref> Also, the [[Port of Savannah]] is the fourth-largest [[seaport]] and fastest-growing container seaport in North America, importing and exporting a total of 2.3 million [[twenty-foot equivalent unit|TEUs]] per year.<ref name="Bizjournal">{{cite web|title=Port of Savannah fourth-busiest, fastest-growing in the U.S.|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2007/07/30/daily6.html|work=Atlanta Business Chronicle|publisher=American City Business Journals|access-date=August 26, 2013|archive-date=December 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207151653/http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2007/07/30/daily6.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Atlanta has a significant effect on the state of Georgia, the Southeastern United States, and beyond. It has been the site of growth in finance, insurance, technology, manufacturing, real estate, [[Tertiary sector of the economy|service]], logistics, transportation, film, communications, [[convention center|convention and trade show]] businesses and industries, while tourism is important to the economy. [[Atlanta]] is a [[global city]], also called ''world city'' or sometimes ''alpha city'' or ''world center'', as a city generally considered to be an important node in the global economic system. For the five years through November 2017, Georgia has been ranked the top state (number{{nbsp}}1) in the nation to do business, and has been recognized as number{{nbsp}}1 for business and labor climate in the nation, number{{nbsp}}1 in business climate in the nation, number{{nbsp}}1 in the nation in workforce training and as having a "Best in Class" state economic development agency.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Belser|first1=Briana|title=State of Georgia ranked No. 1 in business|url=http://www.cbs46.com/story/33597751/state-of-georgia-ranked-no-1-in-business?autostart=true|website=CBS46.com|publisher=WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation)|access-date=November 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104011241/http://www.cbs46.com/story/33597751/state-of-georgia-ranked-no-1-in-business?autostart=true|archive-date=November 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=No. 1 State For Business Georgia Leads in Workforce Training, Global Access and Infrastructure|url=http://www.georgia.org/competitive-advantages/pro-business/number-1-for-business/|website=georgia.org|publisher=Georgia Department of Economic Development|access-date=November 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106081847/http://www.georgia.org/competitive-advantages/pro-business/number-1-for-business/|archive-date=November 6, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2016, Georgia had a median annual income per person of between $50,000 and $59,999, which is in inflation-adjusted dollars for 2016. The U.S. median annual income for the entire nation is $57,617. This lies within the range of Georgia's median annual income.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/visualizations/2017/comm/income-map-3.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718104842/https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/visualizations/2017/comm/income-map-3.pdf |archive-date=July 18, 2018 |url-status=live |title=Census map |website=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref> A 2024 study listed Georgia in the top 20 of states for an affordable cost of living.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Huisache |first1=Sam M. |title=These are the most affordable states, according to our 2024 study |url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/homefront/moving/most-affordable-states/ |access-date=12 April 2024 |work=[[USA Today]] |agency=Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. |date=March 14, 2024}}</ref> ===Agriculture=== [[File:South Georgia Cotton Field - panoramio (2).jpg|thumb|A cotton field in southern Georgia]] Widespread farms produce peanuts, corn, and [[soybean]]s across middle and south Georgia. The state is the number one producer of [[pecans]] in the world, thanks to [[Naomi Chapman Woodroof]] regarding peanut breeding, with the region around [[Albany, Georgia|Albany]] in [[southwest Georgia]] being the center of Georgia's pecan production. Gainesville in northeast Georgia touts itself as the Poultry Capital of the World. Georgia is in the top five [[blueberry]] producers in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=Did You Know?|url=http://www.georgiablueberries.org/|website=Georgia Blueberry Commission|publisher=Georgia Department of Agriculture|access-date=January 11, 2015|archive-date=January 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101062546/http://www.georgiablueberries.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Mining=== {{See also|List of gold mines in Georgia|Georgia Gold Belt|Georgia Gold Rush}} [[File:1999 GA Proof.png|thumb|upright=0.7|Reverse of the [[50 State Quarters|U.S. State Quarter]] for Georgia]] Major products in the mineral industry include a variety of clays, stones, sands and the clay [[palygorskite]], known as attapulgite. ===Industry=== While many textile jobs moved overseas, there is still a textile industry located around the cities of [[Rome, Georgia|Rome]], [[Columbus, Georgia|Columbus]], [[Augusta, Georgia|Augusta]], [[Macon, Georgia|Macon]] and along the I-75 corridor between Atlanta and [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]]. Historically it started along the fall line in the Piedmont, where factories were powered by waterfalls and rivers. It includes the towns of [[Cartersville, Georgia|Cartersville]], [[Calhoun, Georgia|Calhoun]], [[Ringgold, Georgia|Ringgold]] and [[Dalton, Georgia|Dalton]]<ref>Lohr, Kathy (September 3, 2013) [https://www.npr.org/2013/09/03/216945303/new-carpet-plants-help-cushion-blows-from-recession-losses "New Carpet Factories Help Cushion Blows From Recession Losses"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215174655/https://www.npr.org/2013/09/03/216945303/new-carpet-plants-help-cushion-blows-from-recession-losses |date=December 15, 2018 }}, NPR; Retrieved March 19, 2014.</ref> In November 2009, the South Korean automaker [[Kia Corporation]] began production in Georgia. The first Kia plant built in the U.S., [[Kia Design and Manufacturing Facilities#Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG)|Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia]], is located in [[West Point, Georgia|West Point]]. [[Rivian]], an [[electric vehicle]] manufacturer, plans to begin production at a facility in [[Social Circle, Georgia|Social Circle]] in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |date=December 15, 2021 |title=Rivian to build $5 billion electric truck plant in Georgia, sources say |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/15/rivian-to-build-5-billion-electric-truck-plant-in-georgia-sources-say.html |work=CNBC |access-date=January 9, 2022 |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110032023/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/15/rivian-to-build-5-billion-electric-truck-plant-in-georgia-sources-say.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Industrial products include textiles and [[apparel]], transportation equipment, food processing, paper products, [[chemical]]s and products, and electric equipment. ===Logistics=== Georgia was ranked the number 2 state for infrastructure and global access by ''Area Development'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Infrastructure in Georgia|url=http://workforce.georgia.org/competitive-advantages/infrastructure/?_ga=2.39658020.620194697.1510024564-134091593.1510024564|website=workforce.georgia.org|publisher=Georgia Department of Economic Development.|access-date=November 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622140209/http://workforce.georgia.org/competitive-advantages/infrastructure/?_ga=2.39658020.620194697.1510024564-134091593.1510024564|archive-date=June 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Georgia Ports Authority]] owns and operates four ports in the state: [[Port of Savannah]], [[Port of Brunswick]], [[Port Bainbridge]], and Port Columbus. The [[Port of Savannah]] is the third-busiest [[seaport]] in the United States,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kanell |first1=Michael E. |title=Savannah greets largest ship to dock on East Coast |url=https://www.ajc.com/ajcjobs/savannah-greets-largest-ship-to-dock-on-east-coast/L3PUADDAIBEZZKQX2BYEVW2T2Q/ |access-date=May 27, 2021 |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |date=May 26, 2021 |archive-date=May 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527031252/https://www.ajc.com/ajcjobs/savannah-greets-largest-ship-to-dock-on-east-coast/L3PUADDAIBEZZKQX2BYEVW2T2Q/ |url-status=live }}</ref> importing and exporting a total of 2.3 million [[twenty-foot equivalent unit|TEUs]] per year.<ref name="Bizjournal" /> The Port of Savannah's Garden City Terminal is the largest single container terminal in North America.<ref>{{cite web|title=Savannah's Garden City Terminal is the Largest Single Container Terminal in North America|url=http://www.georgia.org/competitive-advantages/pro-business/number-1-for-business/|website=georgia.org|publisher=Georgia Department of Economic Development|access-date=November 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106081847/http://www.georgia.org/competitive-advantages/pro-business/number-1-for-business/|archive-date=November 6, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Several major companies including [[Target Corporation|Target]], [[IKEA]], and [[Heineken]] operate distribution centers in close proximity to the Port of Savannah. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport moves over 650,000 tons of cargo annually through three cargo complexes ({{convert|2|e6sqft|m2|sigfig=1|abbr=off|sp=us|disp=or}} of floor space). It has nearby cold storage for perishables; it is the only airport in the Southeast with USDA-approved cold-treatment capabilities. Delta Air Lines also offers an on-airport refrigeration facility for perishable cargo, and a 250-acre Foreign Trade Zone is located at the airport.<ref>{{cite web|title=Infrastructure in Georgia By Air|url=http://workforce.georgia.org/competitive-advantages/infrastructure/?_ga=2.39658020.620194697.1510024564-134091593.1510024564|website=workforce.georgia.org|publisher=Georgia Department of Economic Development|access-date=November 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622140209/http://workforce.georgia.org/competitive-advantages/infrastructure/?_ga=2.39658020.620194697.1510024564-134091593.1510024564|archive-date=June 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Georgia is a major railway hub, has the most extensive rail system in the Southeast, and has the service of two Class I railroads, CSX and Norfolk Southern, plus 24 short-line railroads. Georgia is ranked the No. 3 state in the nation for rail accessibility. Rail shipments include intermodal, bulk, automotive and every other type of shipment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Infrastructure in Georgia|url=http://workforce.georgia.org/competitive-advantages/infrastructure/?_ga=2.39658020.620194697.1510024564-134091593.1510024564|website=georgia.org|publisher=Georgia Department of Economic Development|access-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622140209/http://workforce.georgia.org/competitive-advantages/infrastructure/?_ga=2.39658020.620194697.1510024564-134091593.1510024564|archive-date=June 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Georgia has an extensive interstate highway system including {{convert|1200|mi|km|sp=us|abbr=off}} of interstate highway and {{convert|20000|mi|km|sp=us|abbr=off}} of federal and state highways that facilitate the efficient movement of more than $620 billion of cargo by truck each year. Georgia's six interstates connect to 80 percent of the U.S. population within a two-day truck drive. More than $14 billion in funding has been approved{{when|date=July 2019}} for new roadway infrastructure.<ref>{{cite web|title=INFRASTRUCTURE IN GEORGIA|url=http://workforce.georgia.org/competitive-advantages/infrastructure/?_ga=2.39658020.620194697.1510024564-134091593.1510024564|website=georgia.org|publisher=Georgia Department of Economic Development|access-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622140209/http://workforce.georgia.org/competitive-advantages/infrastructure/?_ga=2.39658020.620194697.1510024564-134091593.1510024564|archive-date=June 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> ===Military=== [[File:1-64 AR stands ready for whatever may come 140904-A-CW513-177.jpg|thumb|[[Fort Stewart]]]] Southern Congressmen have attracted major investment by the U.S. military in the state. The several installations include [[Moody Air Force Base]], [[Fort Stewart]], [[Hunter Army Airfield]], [[Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay]], [[Fort Moore]], [[Robins Air Force Base]], [[Fort Eisenhower]], [[Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany]], [[Dobbins Air Reserve Base]], [[Coast Guard Air Station Savannah]] and Coast Guard Station Brunswick. These installations command numerous jobs and business for related contractors. ===Energy use and production=== Georgia's electricity generation and consumption are among the highest in the United States, with natural gas being the primary electrical generation fuel, followed by coal. The state also has two nuclear power facilities, [[Plant Hatch]] and [[Plant Vogtle]], which contribute almost one fourth of Georgia's electricity generation, and two additional nuclear reactors are being built at Vogtle as of 2022.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}} In 2013, the generation mix was 39% gas, 35% coal, 23% nuclear, 3% hydro and other renewable sources. The leading area of energy consumption is the industrial sector because Georgia "is a leader in the energy-intensive wood and paper products industry".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=GA |title=Energy Information Administration |publisher=Tonto.eia.doe.gov |date=March 27, 2014 |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101117131234/http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=GA |archive-date=November 17, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Solar generated energy is becoming more in use with solar energy generators currently installed ranking Georgia 15th in the country in installed solar capacity. In 2013, $189 million was invested in Georgia to install solar for home, business and utility use representing a 795% increase over the previous year.<ref>{{cite web|title=Facts on the Georgia Solar Industry|url=http://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/georgia|website=Georgia Solar|publisher=Solar Energy Industries Association|access-date=January 12, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141227074758/http://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/georgia|archive-date=December 27, 2014}}</ref> ===State taxes=== Georgia has a [[progressive income tax]] structure with six brackets of state [[income tax]] rates that range from 1% to 6%. In 2009, Georgians paid 9% of their income in state and local taxes, compared to the U.S. average of 9.8% of income.<ref name="TF">{{cite web|title=Georgia's State and Local Tax Burden 1977–2009 |publisher=The Tax Foundation |access-date=February 8, 2012 |url=http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/448.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105131236/http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/448.html |archive-date=November 5, 2011}}</ref> This ranks Georgia 25th among the states for total state and local tax burden.<ref name="TF" /> The state [[sales tax]] in Georgia is 4%<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://etax.dor.ga.gov/salestax/salestaxrates/LGS_2014_Jul_Rate_Chart.pdf|title=Georgia Sales and Use Tax Rate Chart Effective July 1, 2014 |date=August 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808052204/https://etax.dor.ga.gov/salestax/salestaxrates/LGS_2014_Jul_Rate_Chart.pdf|archive-date=August 8, 2014}}</ref> with additional percentages added through local options (e.g. [[special-purpose local-option sales tax]] or SPLOST), but there is no sales tax on [[prescription drug]]s, certain medical devices, or food items for home consumption.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gppf.org/pub/Taxes/sales_tax.pdf |title=Georgia Public Policy Foundation |publisher=Gppf.org |access-date=October 23, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331135645/http://www.gppf.org/pub/Taxes/sales_tax.pdf |archive-date=March 31, 2012}}</ref> The [[Georgia Legislature|state legislature]] may allow municipalities to institute local sales taxes and special local taxes, such as the 2% SPLOST tax and the 1% sales tax for [[Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority|MARTA]] serviced counties. [[Excise|Excise taxes]] are levied on alcohol, tobacco, and motor fuel. Owners of [[real property]] in Georgia pay [[property tax]] to their county. All taxes are collected by the [[Georgia Department of Revenue]] and then properly distributed according to any agreements that each county has with its cities. ===Film=== {{Main|Film industry in Georgia (U.S. state)}} [[File:Captain America-Civil War filming in Atlanta.jpg|thumb|Filming of ''[[Captain America: Civil War]]'' in Atlanta, 2015]] The Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office promotes filming in the state.<ref>[http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-3521 Film Industry in Georgia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105224352/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-3521 |date=November 5, 2011 }}. (2004–2010). ''The New Georgia Encyclopedia''. Retrieved April 1, 2010.</ref> Since 1972, over eight hundred films and 1,500 television shows have been filmed on location in Georgia.<ref>[http://www.georgia.org/GeorgiaIndustries/Entertainment/FilmTV/Pages/FilmFacts.aspx Georgia Industries: Film Facts] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213175803/http://www.georgia.org/GeorgiaIndustries/Entertainment/FilmTV/Pages/FilmFacts.aspx |date=February 13, 2012}}. (2010). ''Georgia''. Retrieved April 1, 2010.</ref> Georgia overtook California in 2016 as the state with the most feature films produced on location. In the fiscal year 2017, film and television production in Georgia had an economic impact of $9.5 billion.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Simmons|first1=Kenna|title=GA GA LAND Georgia's film industry spurs big plans beyond production|url=http://www.georgiatrend.com/March-2018/GA-GA-LAND/|date=March 2018|work=Georgia Trend Magazine|access-date=March 1, 2018|archive-date=March 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302163833/http://www.georgiatrend.com/March-2018/GA-GA-LAND/|url-status=live}}</ref> Atlanta has been called the "Hollywood of the South".<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/29/how-atlanta-became-the-hollywood-of-the-south/| work = The Washington Times |date=August 29, 2015 |title=How Atlanta became the Hollywood of the South |access-date=May 14, 2023}}</ref> Television shows like ''[[Stranger Things]]'', [[The Walking Dead (TV series)|''The Walking Dead'']], and ''[[The Vampire Diaries]]'' are filmed in the state.<ref>Khouli, Gabriel (July 21, 2009). "'Vampire Diaries' crew to film on square Thursday, Friday". ''The Covington News''. Retrieved October 20, 2009.</ref> Movies such as [[Passengers (2016 film)|''Passengers'']], ''[[Forrest Gump]]'', [[Contagion (2011 film)|''Contagion'']], ''[[Hidden Figures]]'', [[Sully (film)|''Sully'']], ''[[Baby Driver]]'', ''[[The Hunger Games: Catching Fire]]'', ''[[Captain America: Civil War]]'', [[Black Panther (film)|''Black Panther'']], ''[[Birds of Prey (2020 film)|Birds of Prey]]'', and many more, were filmed around Georgia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/5-oscar-nominated-movies-filmed-around-atlanta/495189611|title=5 Oscar-nominated movies filmed around Atlanta|first=Allie|last=Goolrick|date=September 12, 2017|publisher=WSB-TV|access-date=July 11, 2018|archive-date=July 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704153350/https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/5-oscar-nominated-movies-filmed-around-atlanta/495189611|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Walljasper, Matt (January 24, 2017). "What's filming in Atlanta now? Black Panther, I, Tonya, Stranger Things, and why MCU = ATL". Atlanta. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2017.</ref> ===Tourism=== [[File:Savannah river street.jpg|thumb|left|Savannah's River Street is a popular tourist destination.]] In the Atlanta area, [[World of Coke]], [[Georgia Aquarium]], [[Zoo Atlanta]] and [[Stone Mountain]] are important tourist attractions.<ref>[http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/SportsRecreation/Recreation&id=h-3463 Zoo Atlanta] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502085322/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=%2FSportsRecreation%2FRecreation&id=h-3463 |date=May 2, 2013 }}. Retrieved December 8, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/SportsRecreation/Recreation&id=h-1102 Circues] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502083930/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=%2FSportsRecreation%2FRecreation&id=h-1102 |date=May 2, 2013 }}. Retrieved December 8, 2007.</ref> Stone Mountain is Georgia's "most popular attraction"; receiving more than four million tourists per year.<ref>Alexander, Sheridan "<span class="plainlinks">[http://gosoutheast.about.com/od/familybudgettravel/ss/stonemountain.htm Stone Mountain Park—Georgia's Most Popular Attraction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141204173758/http://gosoutheast.about.com/od/familybudgettravel/ss/stonemountain.htm |date=December 4, 2014 }}</span>". gosoutheast.about.com. Retrieved November 28, 2014.</ref><ref>[http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/SportsRecreation/Recreation&id=h-2794 Rattlesnake Roundups] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502093323/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=%2FSportsRecreation%2FRecreation&id=h-2794 |date=May 2, 2013 }}. Retrieved December 8, 2007.</ref> The Georgia Aquarium, in Atlanta, was the largest aquarium in the world in 2010 according to [[Guinness World Records]].<ref>Associated Press <span class="plainlinks">"[https://web.archive.org/web/20110629132436/http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/aquarium-sets-guinness-record-597545.html Aquarium sets Guinness record—Official from world record book says aquarium is world's largest]"</span>. ajc.com. Retrieved November 28, 2014.</ref> [[Callaway Gardens]], in western Georgia, is a family resort.<ref>[http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/SportsRecreation/Recreation&id=h-2155 Callaway Gardens] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502120643/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=%2FSportsRecreation%2FRecreation&id=h-2155 |date=May 2, 2013 }}. Retrieved December 8, 2007</ref> The area is also popular with golfers. The [[Savannah Historic District (Savannah, Georgia)|Savannah Historic District]] attracts more than eleven million tourists each year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.savannahvisit.com/getaways/savannah-information |title=Savannah GA Historical Information |publisher=Savannahvisit.com |access-date=October 23, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022050007/http://savannahvisit.com/getaways/savannah-information |archive-date=October 22, 2012}}</ref> The [[The Golden Isles of Georgia|Golden Isles]] is a string of barrier islands off the Atlantic coast of Georgia near Brunswick that includes beaches, golf courses and the [[Cumberland Island National Seashore]]. Several sites honor the lives and careers of noted American leaders: the [[Little White House]] in [[Warm Springs, Georgia|Warm Springs]], which served as the summer residence of President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] while he was being treated for [[polio]]; President [[Jimmy Carter]]'s hometown of [[Plains, Georgia|Plains]] and the [[Jimmy Carter Library and Museum|Carter Presidential Center]] in Atlanta; the [[Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park]] in Atlanta, which is the final resting place of [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] and [[Coretta Scott King]]; and Atlanta's [[Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta, Georgia)|Ebenezer Baptist Church]], where Dr. King preached. ===Literature=== Authors have grappled with Georgia's complex history. Popular novels related to this include [[Margaret Mitchell]]'s ''[[Gone with the Wind (novel)|Gone with the Wind]]'', [[Olive Ann Burns]]' ''[[Cold Sassy Tree]]'', and [[Alice Walker]]'s ''[[The Color Purple]]''. A number of noted authors, poets and playwrights have lived in Georgia, such as [[James Dickey]], [[Flannery O'Connor]], [[Sidney Lanier]], [[Frank Yerby]] and [[Lewis Grizzard]].<ref name="NGE">[http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/Literature/MiscellaneousEssays&id=h-2452 Literature: Overview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502105535/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=%2FLiterature%2FMiscellaneousEssays&id=h-2452 |date=May 2, 2013 }}. Retrieved December 5, 2007.</ref> ===Television=== Well-known television shows set in [[Atlanta]] include, from [[Tyler Perry Studios]], ''[[House of Payne]]'' and ''[[Meet the Browns (TV series)|Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns]]'', ''[[The Real Housewives of Atlanta]]'', the [[CBS]] sitcom ''[[Designing Women]]'', ''[[Matlock (TV series)|Matlock]]'', the popular [[AMC (TV channel)|AMC]] series ''[[The Walking Dead (TV series)|The Walking Dead]]'', [[FX (TV channel)|FX]] [[comedy drama]] ''[[Atlanta (TV series)|Atlanta]]'', Lifetime's ''[[Drop Dead Diva]]'', ''[[Rectify (TV series)|Rectify]]'' and numerous [[List of HGTV television shows set in Atlanta|HGTV original productions]]. ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]'', a 1980s TV show, was set in the fictional Hazzard County, Georgia. The first five episodes were shot on location in [[Conyers, Georgia|Conyers]] and [[Covington, Georgia|Covington]], Georgia as well as some locations in [[Atlanta]]. Production was then moved to [[Burbank, California]].{{citation needed|date=July 2017}} Also filmed in Georgia is ''[[The Vampire Diaries]]'', using Covington as the setting for the fictional Mystic Falls. ===Music=== {{Main|Music of Georgia (U.S. state)}} {{See also|List of hip hop musicians from Atlanta}} A number of notable musicians in various genres of popular music are from Georgia. Among them are [[Ray Charles]] (whose many hits include "[[Georgia on My Mind]]", now the official state song), and [[Gladys Knight]] (known for her Georgia-themed song, "[[Midnight Train to Georgia]]"). Rock groups from Georgia include the [[Atlanta Rhythm Section]], [[The Black Crowes]], and [[The Allman Brothers]]. The city of [[Athens, Georgia|Athens]] sparked an influential rock music scene in the 1980s and 1990s. Among the groups achieving their initial prominence there were [[R.E.M.]], [[Widespread Panic]], and [[the B-52's]]. Since the 1990s, various hip-hop and R&B musicians have included top-selling artists such as [[Outkast]], [[Usher (entertainer)|Usher]], [[Ludacris]], [[TLC (group)|TLC]], [[B.o.B.]], and [[Ciara]]. Atlanta is mentioned in a number of these artists' tracks, such as Usher's "A-Town Down" reference in his 2004 hit "[[Yeah! (Usher song)|Yeah!]]" (which also features Atlanta artists [[Lil Jon]] and Ludacris), Ludacris' "[[Welcome to Atlanta]]", Outkast's album "[[ATLiens]]", and [[B.o.B]].'s multiple references to [[Decatur, Georgia]], as in his hit song "[[Strange Clouds (song)|Strange Clouds]]". ===Films set in Georgia=== Two movies, both set in Atlanta, won Oscars for [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]: ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' (1939) and ''[[Driving Miss Daisy (film)|Driving Miss Daisy]]'' (1989). Other films set in Georgia include ''[[Deliverance]]'' (1972), ''[[Parental Guidance (film)|Parental Guidance]]'' (2012), and ''[[Vacation (2015 film)|Vacation]]'' (2015). ===Sports=== {{main|Sports in Georgia (U.S. state)}} [[File:Football game kickoff (Georgia vs South Carolina), Sanford Stadium, September 2007.jpg|thumb|Kickoff, [[Sanford Stadium]], Athens]] Sports in Georgia include professional teams in nearly all major sports, [[Olympic Games]] contenders and medalists, collegiate teams in major and small-school conferences and associations, and active amateur teams and individual sports. The state of Georgia has teams in four major professional leagues—the [[Atlanta Braves]] of [[Major League Baseball]], the [[Atlanta Falcons]] of the [[National Football League]], the [[Atlanta Hawks]] of the [[National Basketball Association]], and [[Atlanta United FC]] of [[Major League Soccer]]. The [[Georgia Bulldogs]] ([[Southeastern Conference]]), [[Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets]] ([[Atlantic Coast Conference]]), [[Georgia State Panthers]] and [[Georgia Southern Eagles]] ([[Sun Belt Conference]]) are Georgia's [[NCAA Division I FBS]] football teams, having won multiple national championships between them. The Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have a historical rivalry in college football known as [[Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate]], and the Georgia State Panthers and the Georgia Southern Eagles have recently developed their [[Georgia Southern–Georgia State rivalry|own rivalry]]. The [[1996 Olympic Games|1996 Summer Olympics]] took place in Atlanta. The stadium that was built to host various Olympic events was converted to [[Turner Field]], home of the Atlanta Braves through 2016. Atlanta will serve as a host city for the [[2026 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/articles/fifa-to-announce-host-cities-for-fifa-world-cup-2026 |title=FIFA announces hosts cities for FIFA World Cup 2026™ |access-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228153555/https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/articles/fifa-to-announce-host-cities-for-fifa-world-cup-2026 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Masters Tournament|Masters golf tournament]], the first of the [[PGA Tour]]'s four [[Men's major golf championships|"majors"]], is held annually the second weekend of April at the [[Augusta National Golf Club]]. The [[RSM Classic]] is a [[golf]] tournament on the PGA Tour, played in the autumn in [[Saint Simons Island, Georgia]].{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}{{Importance inline|Is this really a major tournament?|date=March 2023}} The [[Atlanta Motor Speedway]] hosts the [[Dixie 500]] [[NASCAR Cup Series]] stock car race and [[Road Atlanta]] the [[Petit Le Mans]] endurance sports car race. Atlanta's [[Georgia Dome]] hosted [[Super Bowl XXVIII]] in 1994 and [[Super Bowl XXXIV]] in 2000. The dome has hosted the [[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA Final Four Men's Basketball National Championship]] in 2002, 2007, and 2013.<ref name="AJC Final Four">{{cite news |last=Tucker |first=Tim |title=Atlanta tunes up for Final Four with South region |url=https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-tunes-for-final-four-with-south-region/jJskpliQXUppX2qog3S0pN/ |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=March 19, 2012 |access-date=June 4, 2021 |archive-date=June 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604195355/https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-tunes-for-final-four-with-south-region/jJskpliQXUppX2qog3S0pN/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It hosted [[WWE]]'s [[WrestleMania XXVII]] in 2011, an event which set an attendance record of 71,617. The venue was also the site of the annual [[Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl]] post-season college football games. Since 2017, they have been held at the [[Mercedes-Benz Stadium]] along with the [[For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology|FIRST]] World Championships. Professional baseball's [[Ty Cobb]] was the first player inducted into the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]]. He was from [[Narrows, Georgia]] and was nicknamed the "Georgia Peach".<ref>{{cite web |last=<!-- Staff writer(s); no by-line. --> |title=Cobb, Ty |url=http://baseballhall.org/hof/cobb-ty |publisher=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum |access-date=December 19, 2012 |archive-date=December 14, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214092554/http://baseballhall.org/hof/cobb-ty |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Mercedes-Benz Stadium]] hosted [[Super Bowl LIII]] in 2018 and the [[CFP National Championship]] in the same year, the [[SEC Championship Game]] in 2017, the [[MLS All-Star Game]] in 2018, the [[MLS Cup]] in 2018, and the record-setting friendly fixture between Mexico Men's National Football Team and Honduras Men's National Football Team. ==Culture== {{main|Culture of Georgia (U.S. state)}} The people of Georgia have been named 'Peaches' after the amount of peaches grown and distributed from Georgia. ===Fine and performing arts=== [[File:Fox Theater - Atlanta, Georgia.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Fox Theatre (Atlanta, Georgia)|Fox Theatre]] in [[Midtown Atlanta]], centerpiece of the [[Fox Theatre Historic District|Historic District]]]] Georgia's major fine art museums include the [[High Museum of Art]] and the [[Michael C. Carlos Museum]], both in [[Atlanta]]; the [[Georgia Museum of Art]] on the campus of the [[University of Georgia]] in [[Athens, Georgia|Athens]]; [[Telfair Museum of Art]] and the [[SCAD Museum of Art]] in Savannah; and the [[Morris Museum of Art]] in Augusta.<ref>[http://www.willamette.edu/cla/art/links/museums_us.htm Willamette]. Retrieved December 8, 2007. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005141018/http://www.willamette.edu/cla/art/links/museums_us.htm|date=October 5, 2010}}</ref> The state theatre of Georgia is the [[Springer Opera House]] located in [[Columbus, Georgia|Columbus]]. The [[Atlanta Opera]] brings opera to Georgia stages.<ref>[http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/TheArts/Music/Classical/Orchestras-1&id=h-2702 Atlanta Opera] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502090150/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=%2FTheArts%2FMusic%2FClassical%2FOrchestras-1&id=h-2702|date=May 2, 2013}}. Retrieved December 8, 2007</ref> The [[Atlanta Symphony Orchestra]] is the most widely recognized orchestra and largest arts organization in the southeastern United States.<ref>[http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/TheArts/Music/Classical/Orchestras-1&id=h-1669 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502073721/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=%2FTheArts%2FMusic%2FClassical%2FOrchestras-1&id=h-1669|date=May 2, 2013}}. Retrieved December 8, 2007.</ref> There are a number of performing arts venues in the state, among the largest are the [[Fox Theatre (Atlanta, Georgia)|Fox Theatre]], and the [[Alliance Theatre]] at the [[Woodruff Arts Center]], both on [[Peachtree Street]] in [[Midtown Atlanta]] as well as the [[Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre]], located in Northwest Atlanta. ==Education== {{Main|Education in Georgia (U.S. state)}} [[File:TechTower.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Georgia Institute of Technology|Georgia Tech]]'s [[Tech Tower]]]] Georgia county and city public school systems are administered by school boards with members elected at the local level. {{as of|2013}}, all but 19 of 181 boards are elected from [[single-member districts]]. Residents and activist groups in [[Fayette County, Georgia|Fayette County]] sued the board of commissioners and school board for maintaining an election system based on [[at-large]] voting, which tended to increase the power of the majority and effectively prevented minority participation on elected local boards for nearly 200 years.<ref name="star">{{cite web|url=http://atlantablackstar.com/2013/05/22/fayette-county-at-large-election-process-violates-voting-rights-act/|title=Fayette County At-Large Election Process Violates Voting Rights Act|date=May 22, 2013|access-date=April 11, 2015|archive-date=April 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416051713/http://atlantablackstar.com/2013/05/22/fayette-county-at-large-election-process-violates-voting-rights-act/|url-status=live}}</ref> A change to single-member districts has resulted in the African-American minority being able to elect representatives of its choice. Georgia high schools (grades nine through twelve) are required to administer a [[standardized test|standardized]], [[multiple choice]] [[End of Course Test]], or EOCT, in each of eight core subjects: [[algebra]], [[geometry]], [[U.S. history]], economics, [[biology]], [[physical science]], ninth grade literature and [[Composition (language)|composition]], and [[American literature]]. The official purpose of the tests is to assess "specific content knowledge and skills". Although a minimum test score is not required for the student to receive [[Carnegie Unit and Student Hour|credit]] in the course, completion of the test is mandatory. The EOCT score accounts for 15% of a student's grade in the course.<ref>[http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ci_testing.aspx?PageReq=CI_TESTING_EOCT GA DOE—Testing—EOCT]. Retrieved April 24, 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100502005611/http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ci_testing.aspx?PageReq=CI_TESTING_EOCT |date=May 2, 2010}}</ref> The ''Georgia Milestone'' evaluation is taken by public school students in the state.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.11alive.com/story/news/education/2014/09/02/test-georgia-milestones-crct/14990373/ | archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20170525201019/http://www.11alive.com/news/education/new-georgia-test-will-be-different-from-crct/253230419 | url-status=dead | archive-date=May 25, 2017 | title=New Georgia test will be different from CRCT | work=11 Alive | date=September 2, 2014 | access-date=August 9, 2015 | author=Lowry, Donna}}</ref> In 2020, because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Georgia State BOE agreed to state superintendent Richard Woods' proposal to change the weight of the EOCT test to only count for 0.01% of the Student's course grade. This change is currently only in effect for the 2020–21 school year.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 20, 2020|title=Georgia BOE reverses course on Milestones grade weight|website=Valdosta Today|url=https://valdostatoday.com/news-2/region/2020/11/georgia-boe-reverses-course-on-milestones-grade-weight/|access-date=December 4, 2020|archive-date=November 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127074429/https://valdostatoday.com/news-2/region/2020/11/georgia-boe-reverses-course-on-milestones-grade-weight/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[File:The Arch UGA.jpg|thumb|upright|left|One of the entrances to the [[University of Georgia]]]] Georgia has 85 public colleges, universities, and technical colleges in addition to more than 45 private institutes of higher learning. Among Georgia's public universities is the [[flagship university|flagship]] [[research university]], the [[University of Georgia]], founded in 1785 as the country's oldest state-chartered university and the birthplace of the American system of public higher education.<ref>{{cite web|title=Points of Pride|url=http://www.uga.edu/profile/pride/|publisher=University of Georgia|access-date=February 9, 2013|archive-date=February 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202133333/http://www.uga.edu/profile/pride/|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[University System of Georgia]] is the presiding body over public post-secondary education in the state. The System includes 29 institutions of higher learning and is governed by the [[Georgia Board of Regents]]. Georgia's workforce of more than 6.3 million is constantly refreshed by the growing number of people who move there along with the 90,000 graduates from the universities, colleges and technical colleges across the state, including the highly ranked [[University of Georgia]], [[Georgia Institute of Technology]], [[Georgia State University]] and [[Emory University]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Georgia Leads in Workforce Training, Global Access and Infrastructure|url=http://www.georgia.org/competitive-advantages/pro-business/number-1-for-business/|website=georgia.org|publisher=Georgia Department of Economic Development|access-date=November 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106081847/http://www.georgia.org/competitive-advantages/pro-business/number-1-for-business/|archive-date=November 6, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[HOPE Scholarship]], funded by the [[Georgia Lottery|state lottery]], is available to all Georgia residents who have graduated from high school or earned a [[General Educational Development]] certificate. The student must maintain a 3.0 or higher grade point average and attend a public college or university in the state.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Academic Eligibility in College {{!}} Georgia Student Finance Commission |url=https://www.gafutures.org/hope-state-aid-programs/hope-zell-miller-scholarships/hope-scholarship/academic-eligibility-in-college/ |access-date=July 11, 2022 |website=Georgia Student Finance Commission |archive-date=July 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703112715/https://www.gafutures.org/hope-state-aid-programs/hope-zell-miller-scholarships/hope-scholarship/academic-eligibility-in-college/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Georgia Historical Society]], an independent educational and research institution, has a research center located in [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]]. The research center's library and archives hold the oldest collection of materials related to Georgia history in the nation. ==Media== {{See also|List of newspapers in Georgia (U.S. state)}} [[File:Cnncenter.jpg|left|thumb| The [[CNN Center]] in [[Atlanta]]]] The [[Atlanta metropolitan area]] is the ninth largest [[media market]] in the United States as ranked by [[Nielsen Media Research]]. The state's other top markets are [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]] (95th largest), [[Augusta, Georgia|Augusta]] (115th largest), and [[Columbus, Georgia|Columbus]] (127th largest).<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.nielsenmedia.com/DMAs.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060517010320/http://www.nielsenmedia.com/DMAs.html |archive-date=May 17, 2006 |title= 210 Designated Market Areas—03–04 | publisher = Nielsen Media | access-date=February 7, 2012}}</ref> There are 48 [[List of television stations in Georgia (U.S. state)|television broadcast stations in Georgia]] including [[TBS (U.S. TV channel)|TBS]], [[TNT (U.S. TV network)|TNT]], [[Turner Classic Movies|TCM]], [[Cartoon Network]], [[CNN]] and [[Headline News]], all founded by notable Georgia resident [[Ted Turner]]. [[The Weather Channel]] also has its headquarters in Atlanta. By far, the largest daily newspaper in Georgia is the [[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] with a daily readership of 195,592 and a Sunday readership of 397,925.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2010/04/26/daily15.html |title= AJC circulation continues to fall |date= April 26, 2010 |work= Atlanta Business Chronicle |publisher= American City Business Journals |access-date= February 7, 2012 |archive-date= April 30, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100430060424/http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2010/04/26/daily15.html |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Georgia-state |title=Georgia |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=March 31, 2017 |archive-date=March 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331212823/https://www.britannica.com/place/Georgia-state |url-status=live }}</ref> Other large dailies include ''[[The Augusta Chronicle]]'', the ''[[Ledger-Enquirer|Columbus Ledger-Enquirer]]'', ''[[The Telegraph (Macon)|The Telegraph]]'' (formerly ''The Macon Telegraph'') and the ''[[Savannah Morning News]]''. [[WSB-AM]] in Atlanta was the first licensed radio station in the southeastern United States, signing on in 1922. [[Georgia Public Radio]] has been in service since 1984<ref>{{Citation | title = Network | url = http://www.gpb.org/public/radio/index.jsp?pcode=network | publisher = Georgia Public Radio | access-date = May 19, 2007 | archive-date = February 2, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070202213446/http://www.gpb.org/public/radio/index.jsp?pcode=network}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | title = About | url = http://www.gpb.org/public/about/index.jsp?pcode=about | publisher = Georgia Public Radio | access-date = May 19, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070503003039/http://www.gpb.org/public/about/index.jsp?pcode=about | archive-date=May 3, 2007}}</ref> and, with the exception of Atlanta, it broadcasts daily on several FM (and one AM) stations across the state. Georgia Public Radio reaches nearly all of Georgia (with the exception of the Atlanta area, which is served by [[WABE (FM)|WABE]]). [[WSB-TV]] in Atlanta is the state's oldest television station, having begun operations in 1948. WSB the first television service in Georgia, and the South.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McDougald |first1=Michael H. |title=Television Broadcasting |url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/television-broadcasting/ |website=New Georgia Encyclopedia |access-date=June 23, 2023 |date=April 25, 2013}}</ref> ==Government== {{Main|Government of Georgia (U.S. state)}} ===State government=== {{See also|List of governors of Georgia|Georgia elected officials}} [[File:GeorgiaCapitolBuilding.jpg|thumb|The [[Georgia State Capitol]] in [[Atlanta]], with the distinctive gold dome]] [[File:Savannah, GA, USA, Savannah City Hall.jpg|thumb|[[Savannah City Hall]]]] As with all other U.S. states and the federal government, Georgia's government is based on the [[Separation of powers|separation of legislative, executive, and judicial power]].<ref>[http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2007_08/senate/senkids.htm Senate Kids]. Retrieved December 30, 2007. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222060944/http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2007_08/senate/senkids.htm |date=December 22, 2007}}</ref> Executive authority in the state rests with the [[Governor (United States)|governor]], currently [[Brian Kemp]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]). Both the [[List of Governors of Georgia|Governor of Georgia]] and [[Lieutenant Governor of Georgia|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 [[Georgia General Assembly|General Assembly]], composed of the [[Georgia State Senate|Senate]] and [[Georgia House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]. The Lieutenant Governor [[President of the Senate|presides over the Senate]], while members of the House of Representatives select their own Speaker. The [[Georgia (U.S. state) Constitution|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.<ref>[http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/conart3.htm Constitution of Georgia Article III Section II]. Retrieved December 30, 2007. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209140427/http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/conart3.htm |date=December 9, 2007}}</ref> The laws enacted by the General Assembly are codified in the [[Official Code of Georgia Annotated]]. State judicial authority rests with the state [[Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state)|Supreme Court]] and [[Georgia Court of Appeals|Court of Appeals]], which have statewide authority.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gasupreme.us/court-information/history |title=The Supreme Court of Georgia History |website=[[Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state)|Supreme Court of Georgia]] |access-date=November 26, 2016 |archive-date=November 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127084723/http://www.gasupreme.us/court-information/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, there are smaller courts which have more limited geographical jurisdiction, including Superior Courts, State Courts, Juvenile 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 to four-year terms by the state's citizens who live within that court's jurisdiction. ===Local government=== {{Further|List of counties in Georgia|List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state){{!}}List of municipalities in Georgia}} Georgia consists of 159 [[County (United States)|counties]], second only to Texas, with 254.<ref>[http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/countyhistory.htm A Brief History of Georgia Counties]. Retrieved December 30, 2007. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102173430/http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/countyhistory.htm |date=November 2, 2007}}</ref> Georgia had 161 counties until the end of 1931, when [[Milton County, Georgia|Milton]] and [[Campbell County, Georgia|Campbell]] were merged into the existing [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton]]. Some counties have been named for prominent figures in both American and Georgian history, and many bear names with Native American origin. Counties in Georgia have their own elected legislative branch, usually called the Board of Commissioners, which usually also has executive authority in the county.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/GovernmentPolitics/Government/LocalGovernment&id=h-589 |title=Georgia's County Governments |publisher=Georgiaencyclopedia.org |date=June 5, 2014 |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117103138/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=%2FGovernmentPolitics%2FGovernment%2FLocalGovernment&id=h-589 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Several counties have a [[sole Commissioner]] form of government, with legislative and executive authority vested in a single person. Georgia is the only state with current Sole Commissioner counties. Georgia's Constitution provides all counties and cities with "[[Home rule in the United States|home rule]]" authority. The county commissions have considerable power to pass legislation within their county, as a municipality would. Georgia recognizes all local units of government as cities, so every incorporated town is legally a city. Georgia does not provide for [[township (United States)|townships]] or [[Independent city (United States)|independent cities]], though there have been bills proposed in the Legislature to provide for townships;<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/townships-proposed-alternative-cities-georgia/dfcmwWT2xD3iTRxtAxA65I/ | title=Townships proposed as an alternative to cities in Georgia | work=Atlanta Journal-Constitution | date=January 21, 2016 | access-date=June 4, 2021 | author=Niesse, Mark | archive-date=June 4, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604192911/https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/townships-proposed-alternative-cities-georgia/dfcmwWT2xD3iTRxtAxA65I/ | url-status=live }}</ref> it does allow [[consolidated city-county]] governments by local [[referendum]]. All of Georgia's second-tier cities except [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]] have now formed consolidated city-county governments by referendum: [[Columbus, Georgia|Columbus]] (in 1970), [[Athens, Georgia|Athens]] (1990), [[Augusta, Georgia|Augusta]] (1995), and [[Macon, Georgia|Macon]] (2012). (Augusta and Athens have excluded one or more small, incorporated towns within their consolidated boundaries; Columbus and Macon eventually absorbed all smaller incorporated entities within their consolidated boundaries.) The small town of [[Cusseta, Georgia|Cusseta]] adopted a consolidated city-county government after it merged with unincorporated [[Chattahoochee County, Georgia|Chattahoochee County]] in 2003. Three years later, in 2006, the town of [[Georgetown, Quitman County, Georgia|Georgetown]] consolidated with the rest of [[Quitman County, Georgia|Quitman County]]. There is no true [[metropolitan government]] in Georgia, though the [[Atlanta Regional Commission]] (ARC) and [[Georgia Regional Transportation Authority]] do provide some services, and the ARC must approve all major [[land development]] projects in the [[Atlanta metropolitan area]]. {{Citation needed|reason=This paragraph has 0 citations|date=February 2022}} ===Elections=== {{Main|Elections in Georgia (U.S. state)}} {{See also|Political party strength in Georgia (U.S. state)}} Georgia voted [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] in six consecutive presidential elections from [[United States presidential election in Georgia, 1996|1996]] to [[United States presidential election in Georgia, 2016|2016]], a streak that was broken when the state went for [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] candidate [[Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign|Joe Biden]] in [[United States presidential election in Georgia, 2020|2020]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Georgia Presidential Election Results and Maps 2020 |url=https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/results/state/georgia/president|access-date=November 14, 2020|website=CNN |archive-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114031540/https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/results/state/georgia/president|url-status=live}}</ref> Until 1964, Georgia's state government had the longest unbroken record of single-party dominance, by the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], of any state in the Union. This record was established largely due to the [[Disfranchisement after Reconstruction era|disenfranchisement of most blacks]] and many poor whites by the state in its constitution and laws in the early 20th century. Some elements, such as requiring payment of poll taxes and passing literacy tests, prevented blacks from registering to vote; their exclusion from the political system lasted into the 1960s and reduced the Republican Party to a non-competitive status in the early 20th century.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://umich.edu/~lawrace/votetour6.htm | work=Race, Voting Rights, and Segregation | publisher=University of Michigan |title=On the eve of complete Black disenfranchisement, 1900 | access-date=October 15, 2016 | archive-date=October 18, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018043625/http://umich.edu/~lawrace/votetour6.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> White Democrats regained power after Reconstruction due in part to the efforts of some using intimidation and violence, but this method came into disrepute.<ref name="auto1">{{cite book|last1=Saye|first1=Albert B.|title=A Constitutional History of Georgia, 1732–1945|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kwD3PrldCfUC&q=1908%20georgia%20constitutional%20amendment&pg=PA336|publisher=University of Georgia Press|access-date=May 18, 2016|isbn=9780820335544|date=May 1, 2010|archive-date=February 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206005320/https://books.google.com/books?id=kwD3PrldCfUC&q=1908%20georgia%20constitutional%20amendment&pg=PA336|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1900, shortly before Georgia adopted a disfranchising constitutional amendment in 1908, blacks comprised 47% of the state's population.<ref>[http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/php/state.php Historical Census Browser, 1900 US Census, University of Virginia]. Retrieved March 15, 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823030234/http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/php/state.php |date=August 23, 2007}}</ref> The whites dealt with this problem of potential political power by the 1908 amendment, which in practice disenfranchised blacks and poor whites, nearly half of the state population. It required that any male at least 21 years of age wanting to register to vote must also be of good character and able to pass a test on citizenship, be able to read and write provisions of the U.S. and Georgia constitutions, or own at least forty acres of land or $500 in property. Any Georgian who had fought in any war from the [[American Revolution]] through the [[Spanish–American War]] was exempted from these additional qualifications. More importantly, any Georgian descended from a veteran of any of these wars also was exempted. Because, by 1908, many white Georgia males were grandsons of veterans or owned the required property, the exemption and the property requirement basically allowed only well-to-do whites to vote. The qualifications of good character, citizenship knowledge, literacy (all determined subjectively by white registrars), and property ownership were used to disqualify most blacks and poor whites, preventing them from registering to vote. The voter rolls dropped dramatically.<ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Georgia's 1908 Disfranchisement Constitutional Amendment|url=https://raycityhistory.wordpress.com/tag/georgias-1908-disfranchisement-constitutional-amendment/|website=Ray City History|publisher=Ray City Community Library|access-date=May 18, 2016|archive-date=October 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012171952/https://raycityhistory.wordpress.com/tag/georgias-1908-disfranchisement-constitutional-amendment/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the early 20th century, [[Progressivism|Progressives]] promoted electoral reform and reducing the power of ward bosses to clean up politics. Their additional rules, such as the eight-box law, continued to effectively close out people who were illiterate.<ref name="auto"/> White one-party rule was solidified. For more than 130 years, from 1872 to 2003, Georgians nominated and elected only white Democratic governors, and white Democrats held the majority of seats in the General Assembly.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/history101/gahistory10.html |title=A State Divided |publisher=Ourgeorgiahistory.com |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-date=August 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830190237/http://www.ourgeorgiahistory.com/history101/gahistory10.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Most of the Democrats elected throughout these years were [[Southern Democrats]], who were fiscally and socially conservative by national standards.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/node/17467202 |title=The long goodbye |publisher=Economist.com |date=November 11, 2010 |access-date=September 3, 2013 |archive-date=November 9, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109011526/http://www.economist.com/node/17467202 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ngeorgia.com/history/postwar.html |title=The Confident Years |publisher=Ngeorgia.com |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-date=January 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126001613/http://ngeorgia.com/history/postwar.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> This voting pattern continued after the segregationist period.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-campaign-georgia-congress-idUSBRE8A61MZ20121107 |title=Last white Democrat in House from Deep South wins re-election |publisher=Reuters.com |date=2012 |access-date=September 3, 2013 |archive-date=January 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102030934/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-campaign-georgia-congress-idUSBRE8A61MZ20121107 |url-status=live }}</ref> Legal segregation was ended by passage of federal legislation in the 1960s. According to the 1960 census, the proportion of Georgia's population that was African American was 28%; hundreds of thousands of blacks had left the state in the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]] to the North and Midwest. New white residents arrived through migration and immigration. Following support from the national Democratic Party for the civil rights movement and especially civil rights legislation of 1964 and 1965, most African-American voters, as well as other minority voters, have largely supported the Democratic Party in Georgia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/white-voters-solidly-for-gop-georgia/3tKH7yW7hZloI8QwqY5ocJ/ |title=White voters solidly in for GOP in Georgia (October 16, 2012) |publisher=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=October 16, 2012 |access-date=June 4, 2021 |archive-date=June 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604192313/https://www.ajc.com/news/white-voters-solidly-for-gop-georgia/3tKH7yW7hZloI8QwqY5ocJ/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2002, incumbent moderate Democratic Governor [[Roy Barnes]] was defeated by Republican [[Sonny Perdue]], a state legislator and former Democrat. While Democrats retained control of the State House, they lost their majority in the Senate when four Democrats switched parties. They lost the House in the 2004 election. Republicans then controlled all three partisan elements of the state government. Even before 2002, the state had become increasingly supportive of Republicans in Presidential elections. It has supported a Democrat for president only four times since 1960. In 1976 and 1980, native son [[Jimmy Carter]] carried the state; in 1992, the former Arkansas governor [[Bill Clinton]] narrowly won the state; and in 2020, [[Joe Biden]] narrowly carried the state. Generally, Republicans are strongest in the predominantly white suburban (especially the Atlanta suburbs) and rural portions of the state.<ref name="CNN.com: Election 2004">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004//pages/results/states/GA/P/00/epolls.0.html |title=Election 2004 |publisher=CNN |access-date=October 24, 2010 |archive-date=October 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024041646/http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004//pages/results/states/GA/P/00/epolls.0.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Many of these areas were represented by conservative Democrats in the state legislature well into the 21st century. One of the most conservative of these was U.S. Congressman [[Larry McDonald]], former head of the [[John Birch Society]], who died when the [[Soviet Union]] shot down [[KAL 007]] near [[Sakhalin Island]]. Democratic candidates have tended to win a higher percentage of the vote in the areas where black voters are most numerous,<ref name="CNN.com: Election 2004"/> as well as in the cities among liberal urban populations (especially Atlanta and Athens), and the central and southwestern portion of the state. The ascendancy of the Republican Party in Georgia and in the South in general resulted in Georgia [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] member [[Newt Gingrich]] being elected as [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] following the election of a Republican majority in the House in 1994. Gingrich served as Speaker until 1999, when he resigned in the aftermath of the loss of House seats held by members of the GOP. Gingrich mounted an unsuccessful bid for president in the 2012 election, but withdrew after winning only the South Carolina and Georgia primaries. In 2008, Democrat [[Jim Martin (Georgia politician)|Jim Martin]] ran against incumbent Republican Senator [[Saxby Chambliss]]. Chambliss failed to acquire the necessary 50 percent of votes due to a Libertarian Party candidate receiving the remainder of votes. In the [[runoff election]] held on December 2, 2008, Chambliss became the second Georgia Republican to be reelected to the U.S. Senate. In the 2018 elections, the [[List of Governors of Georgia|governorship]] remained under control by a Republican (by 54,723 votes against a Democrat, [[Stacey Abrams]]), Republicans lost eight seats in the [[Georgia House of Representatives]] (winning 106), while Democrats gained ten (winning 74), Republicans lost two seats in the [[Georgia State Senate|Georgia Senate]] (winning 35 seats), while Democrats gained two seats (winning 21), and five Democrat [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representatives]] were elected with Republicans winning nine seats (one winning with just 419 votes over the Democratic challenger, and one seat being lost).<ref>{{cite news |title=Georgia Election Results |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/election-results/georgia/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=January 27, 2019 |archive-date=February 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190208205411/https://www.washingtonpost.com/election-results/georgia/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2018 |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Georgia_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2018 |website=ballotpedia.org |publisher=Ballotpedia |access-date=January 27, 2019 |archive-date=November 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107081615/https://ballotpedia.org/Georgia_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Georgia State Senate elections, 2018 |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Georgia_State_Senate_elections,_2018 |website=ballotpedia.org |publisher=Ballotpedia |access-date=January 27, 2019 |archive-date=November 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107080248/https://ballotpedia.org/Georgia_State_Senate_elections,_2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the three presidential elections up to and including 2016, the Republican candidate has won Georgia by approximately five to eight points over the Democratic nominee, at least once for each election being narrower than margins recorded in some states that have flipped within that timeframe, such as [[United States presidential elections in Michigan|Michigan]], [[United States presidential elections in Ohio|Ohio]] and [[United States presidential elections in Wisconsin|Wisconsin]]. This trend led to the state narrowly electing Democrat [[Joe Biden]] for president in 2020, and it coming to be regarded as a [[swing state]].<ref name=biden1>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/19/joe-biden-president-georgia-recount|title=Joe Biden confirmed as Georgia winner after recount|work=The Guardian|access-date=January 7, 2021|date=November 20, 2020|archive-date=October 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006180247/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/19/joe-biden-president-georgia-recount|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=swing>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2020/11/08/georgia-swing-state-democrats/?arc404=true|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title=How Georgia became a swing state for the first time in decades|access-date=January 7, 2021|date=November 8, 2020|archive-date=March 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313054614/https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2020/11/08/georgia-swing-state-democrats/?arc404=true|url-status=live}}</ref> In a 2020 study, Georgia was ranked as 49th on the "Cost of Voting Index" with only Texas ranking higher.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=J. Pomante II |first1=Michael |last2=Li |first2=Quan |title=Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020 |journal=Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy |date=December 15, 2020 |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=503–509 |doi=10.1089/elj.2020.0666 |s2cid=225139517 |doi-access=free }}</ref> In 2022, Georgia swung substantially back to the right towards Republicans with incumbent Republican Governor [[Brian Kemp]] winning reelection by 7.5% over Democrat [[Stacey Abrams]] with a raw vote margin of over 300,000 votes in the [[2022 Georgia gubernatorial election]]. The largest amount since the early 2000s, and every other Republican statewide getting elected by a 5–10% margin of victory.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} ===Politics=== {{Main|Politics of Georgia (U.S. state)}} During the 1960s and 1970s, Georgia made significant changes in civil rights and governance. As in many other states, its legislature had not reapportioned congressional districts according to population from 1931 to after the 1960 census. Problems of malapportionment in the state legislature, where rural districts had outsize power in relation to urban districts, such as Atlanta's, were corrected after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in ''[[Wesberry v. Sanders]]'' (1964). The court ruled that congressional districts had to be reapportioned to have essentially equal populations. A related case, ''[[Reynolds v. Sims]]'' (1964), required state legislatures to end their use of geographical districts or counties in favor of "one man, one vote"; that is, districts based upon approximately equal populations, to be reviewed and changed as necessary after each census. These changes resulted in residents of Atlanta and other urban areas gaining political power in Georgia in proportion to their populations.<ref name="epstein">[https://books.google.com/books?id=CmPKNI2z5-AC&q=Was+Georgia+dominated+by+rural+districts%3F+Apportionment%3F&pg=PA753 Lee Epstein, Thomas G. Walk, ''Constitutional Law: Rights, Liberties and Justice 8th Edition''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206005320/https://books.google.com/books?id=CmPKNI2z5-AC&pg=PA753&lpg=PA753%3F+Apportionment%3F#v=onepage&q=Was%20Georgia%20dominated%20by%20rural%20districts%3F%20Apportionment%3F |date=February 6, 2023 }}, SAGE, 2012, p. 753</ref> From the mid-1960s, the voting electorate increased after African Americans' rights to vote were enforced under civil rights law. Economic growth through this period was dominated by Atlanta and its region. It was a bedrock of the emerging "[[New South]]". From the late 20th century, Atlanta attracted headquarters and relocated workers of national companies, becoming more diverse, liberal and cosmopolitan than many areas of the state. In the 21st century, many conservative Democrats, including former U.S. Senator and governor [[Zell Miller]], decided to support Republicans. The state's then-socially conservative bent resulted in wide support for measures such as restrictions on abortion. In 2004, a state constitutional amendment banning [[same-sex marriage]]s was approved by 76% of voters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Georgia_Constitutional_Amendment_1_%282004%29 |title=Georgia Marriage Amendment, Question 1 (2004) |publisher=Ballotpedia |access-date=May 22, 2010 |archive-date=September 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100930081048/http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Georgia_Constitutional_Amendment_1_(2004) |url-status=live }}</ref> However, after the United States Supreme Court issued its ruling in ''[[Obergefell v. Hodges]]'', all Georgia counties came into full compliance, recognizing the rights of same-sex couples to marry in the state.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Greg | last=Bluestein | title=Top Georgia court official: Judges are following the law on gay marriages | url=http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2015/06/29/top-georgia-court-official-judges-are-following-the-law-on-gay-marriages/ | publisher=Atlanta Constitution-Journal | location=Atlanta, Georgia | date=June 29, 2015 | access-date=September 25, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903081750/http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2015/06/29/top-georgia-court-official-judges-are-following-the-law-on-gay-marriages/ | archive-date=September 3, 2017 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all}}</ref> In [[United States presidential election|presidential elections]], Georgia voted solely Democratic in every election from [[1900 United States presidential election|1900]] to [[1960 United States presidential election|1960]]. In [[1964 United States presidential election|1964]], it was one of only a handful of states to vote for Republican [[Barry Goldwater]] over Democrat [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]. In [[1968 United States presidential election|1968]], it did not vote for either of the two parties, but rather the [[American Independent Party]] and its nominee, [[Alabama]] Governor [[George Wallace]]. In [[1972 United States presidential election|1972]], the state returned to Republicans as part of a landslide victory for [[Richard Nixon]]. In [[1976 United States presidential election|1976]] and [[1980 United States presidential election|1980]], it voted for Democrat and former Georgia governor [[Jimmy Carter]]. The state returned to Republicans in [[1984 United States presidential election|1984]] and [[1988 United States presidential election|1988]], before going Democratic once again in [[1992 United States presidential election|1992]]. For every election between that year and [[2020 United States presidential election|2020]], Georgia voted heavily Republican, in line with many of its neighbors in the [[Deep South]]. In [[2020 United States presidential election|2020]], it voted Democratic for the first time in 28 years, aiding [[Joe Biden]] in his defeat of incumbent Republican [[Donald Trump]]. Prior to 2020, Republicans in state, federal and congressional races had seen decreasing margins of victory, and many election forecasts had ranked Georgia as a "toss-up" state, or with Biden as a very narrow favorite.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/georgia-demographic-shift-vote-democrat-republican-1.5794314|title=Georgia was reliably red. Young, Black voters helped turn it blue|publisher=CBC News|first=Mark|last=Gollom|date=November 8, 2020|access-date=December 18, 2020|archive-date=December 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216111112/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/georgia-demographic-shift-vote-democrat-republican-1.5794314|url-status=live}}</ref> Concurrent with the 2020 presidential election were two elections for both of Georgia's United States Senate seats (one of which being a special election due to the resignation of Senator [[Johnny Isakson]], and the other being regularly scheduled). After no candidate in either race received a majority of the vote, both went to January 5, 2021, run-offs, which Democrats [[Jon Ossoff]] and [[Raphael Warnock]] won. Ossoff is the state's first Jewish senator, and Warnock is the state's first Black senator. Biden's, Ossoff's, and Warnock's wins were attributed to the rapid [[Historical racial and ethnic demographics of the United States|diversification]] of the suburbs of Atlanta<ref>{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Emma |title=How Georgia Flipped Blue for Biden |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/11/biden-win-georgia-democrats-senate-runoff/617001/ |access-date=March 7, 2021 |work=The Atlantic |date=November 13, 2020 |archive-date=March 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306113544/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/11/biden-win-georgia-democrats-senate-runoff/617001/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and increased turnout of younger African American voters, particularly around the suburbs of Atlanta and in [[Savannah, Georgia]].<ref name="stacey1">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/07/georgia-senate-runoff-black-voters-stacey-abrams|title=How Black voters lifted Georgia Democrats to Senate runoff victories|work=The Guardian|access-date=January 7, 2021|date=January 7, 2021|archive-date=January 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107112639/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/07/georgia-senate-runoff-black-voters-stacey-abrams|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="progressive">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/12/02/raphael-warnock-might-be-too-radical-georgia-senate/|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=January 7, 2021|date=December 2, 2020|title=Raphael Warnock might really be too radical for Georgia|archive-date=January 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107010002/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/12/02/raphael-warnock-might-be-too-radical-georgia-senate/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="progressive2">{{cite web|url=https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2021/01/06/last-night-in-georgia-black-americans-saved-democracy/|title=Last night in Georgia, Black Americans saved democracy|access-date=January 7, 2021|date=January 6, 2021|publisher=The Brookings Institution|quote=Both candidates ran on progressive agendas|archive-date=January 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106224618/https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2021/01/06/last-night-in-georgia-black-americans-saved-democracy/|url-status=live}}</ref> ==Parks and recreational activities== {{Main|Protected areas of Georgia (U.S. state)}} There are 48 [[List of Georgia state parks|state parks]], 15 historic sites, and numerous wildlife preserves under supervision of the [[Georgia Department of Natural Resources]].<ref>[http://www.gadnr.org/ Georgia Department of Natural Resources gadnr.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612062546/http://www.gadnr.org/ |date=June 12, 2007 }}, accessed May 13, 2007</ref> Other historic sites and parks are supervised by the [[National Park Service]] and include the [[Andersonville National Historic Site]] in [[Andersonville, Georgia|Andersonville]]; [[Appalachian National Scenic Trail]]; [[Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area]] near Atlanta; [[Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park]] at [[Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia|Fort Oglethorpe]]; [[Cumberland Island National Seashore]] near [[St. Marys, Georgia|St. Marys]]; [[Fort Frederica National Monument]] on [[St. Simons, Georgia|St. Simons Island]]; [[Fort Pulaski National Monument]] in [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]]; [[Jimmy Carter National Historic Site]] near [[Plains, Georgia|Plains]]; [[Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park]] near [[Kennesaw, Georgia|Kennesaw]]; [[Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park]] in Atlanta; [[Ocmulgee National Monument]] at [[Macon, Georgia|Macon]]; [[Trail of Tears National Historic Trail]]; and the [[Okefenokee Swamp]] in [[Waycross, Georgia]]<ref>[http://www.nps.gov/state/ga/ National Park Service nps.gov] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070502182441/http://www.nps.gov/state/ga/ |date=May 2, 2007 }}, accessed May 13, 2007</ref> Outdoor recreational activities include hiking along the [[Appalachian Trail]]; Civil War Heritage Trails; [[rock climbing]] and [[whitewater kayaking]].<ref>[http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/SportsRecreation/Recreation&id=h-692 Appalachian Trail] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502092439/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=%2FSportsRecreation%2FRecreation&id=h-692 |date=May 2, 2013 }}. Retrieved December 8, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/SportsRecreation/Recreation&id=h-829 Civil War Heritage Trails] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502124706/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=%2FSportsRecreation%2FRecreation&id=h-829 |date=May 2, 2013 }}. Retrieved December 8, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/SportsRecreation/Recreation&id=h-914 Rock climbing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502090807/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=%2FSportsRecreation%2FRecreation&id=h-914 |date=May 2, 2013 }}. Retrieved December 8, 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=%2FSportsRecreation%2FRecreation&id=h-693 |title=Whitewater rafting |publisher=Georgiaencyclopedia.org |date=July 1, 2014 |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-date=May 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502100731/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=%2FSportsRecreation%2FRecreation&id=h-693 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other outdoor activities include hunting and fishing. ==Infrastructure== ===Transportation=== {{Main|Transportation in Georgia (U.S. state)}} [[File:The Port of Brunswick, Georgia.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Port of Brunswick]] and the Sidney Lanier Bridge]] Transportation in Georgia is overseen by the [[Georgia Department of Transportation]], a part of the executive branch of the [[Government of Georgia (U.S. state)|state government]]. Georgia's major [[Interstate Highway]]s are [[Interstate 20 in Georgia|I-20]], [[Interstate 75 in Georgia|I-75]], [[Interstate 85 in Georgia|I-85]], and [[Interstate 95 in Georgia|I-95]]. On March 18, 1998, the Georgia House of Representatives passed a resolution naming the portion of Interstate 75, which runs from the Chattahoochee River northward to the Tennessee state line the [[Larry McDonald]] Memorial Highway. Larry McDonald, a Democratic member of the House of Representatives, had been on [[Korean Air Lines Flight 007]] when it was shot down by the Soviets on September 1, 1983. [[File:CQ310 switching tracks.jpg|thumb|[[MARTA]] (rapid transit) train]] Georgia's primary commercial airport is Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), the world's busiest airport.<ref>{{Citation | contribution = Airport information | url = http://www.atlanta-airport.com/default.asp?url=sublevels/airport_info/gmpage.htm | title = Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport | access-date = June 18, 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080612064709/http://www.atlanta-airport.com/Default.asp?url=sublevels%2Fairport_info%2Fgmpage.htm | archive-date = June 12, 2008 | df = mdy-all}}</ref> In addition to Hartsfield–Jackson, there are eight other airports serving major commercial traffic in Georgia. [[Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport]] is the second-busiest airport in the state as measured by passengers served, and is the only additional international airport. Other commercial airports (ranked in order of passengers served) are located in [[Augusta, Georgia|Augusta]], [[Columbus, Georgia|Columbus]], [[Albany, Georgia|Albany]], [[Macon, Georgia|Macon]], [[Brunswick, Georgia|Brunswick]], [[Valdosta, Georgia|Valdosta]], and [[Athens, Georgia|Athens]].<ref name="ge1">{{Citation | url = http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/Transportation/Air&id=h-773 | contribution = Public-Use Airports | title = Georgia Encyclopedia | access-date = June 27, 2011 | archive-date = July 26, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110726101324/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=%2FTransportation%2FAir&id=h-773 | url-status = dead }}</ref> The [[Georgia Ports Authority]] manages two deepwater seaports, at Savannah and Brunswick, and two river ports, at Bainbridge and Columbus. The [[Port of Savannah]] is a major U.S. seaport on the Atlantic coast. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority ([[Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority|MARTA]]) is the principal [[rapid transit]] system in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of [[bus route]]s linked to a rapid transit system consisting of {{convert|48|mi|km}} of [[rail track]] with 38 [[subway station|train stations]]. MARTA operates almost exclusively in [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton]] and [[DeKalb County, Georgia|DeKalb]] counties, with bus service to two destinations in [[Cobb County, Georgia|Cobb]] county and the [[Cumberland (Atlanta)|Cumberland]] Transfer Center next to the [[Cumberland Mall (Georgia)|Cumberland Mall]], and a single rail station in [[Clayton County, Georgia|Clayton]] County at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. MARTA also operates a separate [[paratransit]] service for disabled customers. {{As of | 2009}}, the average total daily ridership for the system (bus and rail) was 482,500 passengers.<ref name="apta">{{citation |last=Dawson |first=Christie |url=http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2009_q3_ridership_APTA.pdf |title=Public Transportation Ridership Report |date=Autumn 2009 |publisher=[[American Public Transportation Association]] |access-date=February 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117093630/http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2009_q3_ridership_APTA.pdf |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ===Health care=== {{See also|List of hospitals in Georgia (U.S. state)}} The state has 151 general hospitals, more than 15,000 doctors and almost 6,000 dentists.<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.georgia.org/Culture/LivingInGeorgia.htm | title = Culture | contribution = Living in Georgia | access-date = May 16, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070212101511/http://www.georgia.org/Culture/LivingInGeorgia.htm | archive-date = February 12, 2007 | url-status=dead | df = mdy-all}}</ref> The state is ranked forty-first in the percentage of residents who engage in regular exercise.<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.statemaster.com/graph/hea_phy_exe-health-physical-exercise | publisher = Statemaster | title = Health | contribution = Physical exercise | type = graph | access-date = May 16, 2007 | archive-date = May 13, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130513182949/http://www.statemaster.com/graph/hea_phy_exe-health-physical-exercise | url-status = dead}}</ref> ==Notable people== {{Main|List of people from Georgia (U.S. state)}} [[Jimmy Carter]], from [[Plains, Georgia]], was President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] was born in [[Atlanta]] in 1929. He was a [[civil rights movement]] leader who protested for equal rights and against racial discrimination. He won the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] in 1964.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Georgia|last=Tieck|first=Sarah|publisher=ABDO Publishing Company|year=2013|isbn=978-1-61783-348-9|location=Minneapolis, MN|page=22}}</ref> [[Blake R. Van Leer]] played an important role in the civil rights movement, Georgia's economy and was president of [[Georgia Tech]].<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|title=Blake Van Leer, Educator, Dead; Georgia Tech President Was 62—Barred Cancellation of Bowl Game Over Negro Hailed by Faculty Basketball Game Off|date=January 24, 1956}}</ref> [[Mordecai Sheftall]], the highest ranking Jewish officer in the American Revolution, was born and lived his life in Georgia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/mordecai-sheftall-1735-1797|title=Mordecai Sheftall (1735–1797)|website=New Georgia Encyclopedia|access-date=June 5, 2020|archive-date=June 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603025540/https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/mordecai-sheftall-1735-1797|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Naomi Chapman Woodruff]], originally from Idaho, was responsible for developing a peanut breeding program in Georgia which lead to a harvest of nearly five times the typical amount.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Genetics of Peanuts|url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/science-medicine/genetics-peanuts|access-date=April 14, 2021|website=New Georgia Encyclopedia|archive-date=April 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413215926/https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/science-medicine/genetics-peanuts|url-status=live}}</ref> ==State symbols== [[File:Cherokee rose.jpg|thumb|''Rosa laevigata'' ([[Cherokee rose]]), the state flower]] [[File:VSU Quad Tree 15.JPG|thumb|''Quercus virginiana'' ([[Live oak]]), the state tree at [[Valdosta State University]]]] * Amphibian: [[American green tree frog]] * Bird: [[brown thrasher]] * Crop: [[peanut]] * Fish: [[largemouth bass]] * Flower: [[Rosa laevigata|Cherokee rose]] * Fruit: [[peach]] * Gem: [[quartz]] * Insect: [[honey bee]] * Mammal: [[white-tailed deer]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://georgia.gov/blog/2015-05-19/white-tailed-deer-named-state-mammal-georgia|title=White-Tailed Deer Named State Mammal of Georgia—Georgia.gov|date=May 19, 2015|access-date=January 21, 2016|archive-date=January 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129221121/https://georgia.gov/blog/2015-05-19/white-tailed-deer-named-state-mammal-georgia|url-status=dead}}</ref> * Marine mammal: [[North Atlantic right whale|right whale]] * Mineral: [[staurolite]] * Nicknames: ** "Peach State" ** "Empire State of the South"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.georgia.gov/vgn/images/portal/cit_1210/7/36/59432712LOOK%20AT%20GEORGIA.pdf |title=Look Georgia Agriculture on www.georgia.gov |access-date=August 5, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722212901/http://www.georgia.gov/vgn/images/portal/cit_1210/7/36/59432712LOOK%20AT%20GEORGIA.pdf |archive-date=July 22, 2011}}</ref> * Reptile: [[Gopherus polyphemus|gopher tortoise]] * Song: "[[Georgia on My Mind]]" * Tree: [[Quercus virginiana|live oak]] * Vegetable: [[Vidalia onion]] :Reference: Georgia Symbols<ref>{{cite web|url=https://georgia.gov/georgia-symbols|title=Georgia Symbols|website=Georgia.gov|date=April 11, 2017|access-date=May 8, 2017|archive-date=May 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525200623/https://georgia.gov/georgia-symbols|url-status=dead}}</ref> ==See also== * [[Index of Georgia (U.S. state)-related articles]] * [[Outline of Georgia (U.S. state)]] * [[USS Georgia|USS ''Georgia'']], 2 ships ==Notes== {{notelist}} ==References== {{reflist}} ==Bibliography== * Bartley, Numan V. ''The Creation of Modern Georgia'' (1990). Covers 1865–1990 period. {{ISBN|0-8203-1183-9}}. * Coleman, Kenneth. ed. ''A History of Georgia'' (1991). {{ISBN|0-8203-1269-X}}. * London, Bonnie Bullard. (2005) ''Georgia and the American Experience'' Atlanta, Georgia: Clairmont Press {{ISBN|1-56733-100-9}}. 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|0-393-05496-9}}. * Williams, David and Christopher C. Meyers. ''Georgia: A Brief History'' Macon: Mercer University Press, 2012. ==External links== {{Sister project links|Georgia (U.S. state)|voy=Georgia (state)|auto=1}} * [https://www.georgia.gov Georgia state government website] * [https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/states/georgia/ Georgia State Guide, from the Library of Congress] * {{OSM relation|161957}} {{s-start}} {{s-bef|before=[[New Jersey]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union]]|years=Ratified [[United States Constitution|Constitution]] on January 2, 1788 (4th)}} {{s-aft|after=[[Connecticut]]}} {{s-end}} {{Geographic location | Northwest = | North = {{flag|Tennessee}} and {{flag|North Carolina}} | Northeast = {{flag|South Carolina}} | West = {{flag|Alabama}} | Centre = {{flag|Georgia (U.S. state)|name=Georgia}}: [[Outline of Georgia (U.S. state)|Outline]] • [[Index of Georgia (U.S. state)-related articles|Index]] | East = Atlantic Ocean | Southwest = | South = {{flag|Florida}} | Southeast = Atlantic Ocean }} {{Navboxes |title = <span style="font-size:11pt;">Topics related to Georgia (U.S. state)</span><br />''Peach State'' |list = {{Georgia (U.S. state)|expanded}} {{Protected areas of Georgia (U.S. state)}} {{Southern United States}} {{Thirteen Colonies}} {{Confederate States political divisions}} {{United States political divisions}} |state=expanded}} {{Gullah topics|state=collapsed}} {{Portal bar|Georgia (U.S. state)|United States}} {{Authority control}} {{coord|33|-83|dim:300000_region:US-GA_type:adm1st|name=State of Georgia|display=title}} [[Category:Georgia (U.S. state)| ]]<!-- please leave the empty space as standard --> [[Category:1788 establishments in the United States]] [[Category:Former British colonies and protectorates in the Americas]] [[Category:Southern United States]] [[Category:States and territories established in 1788]] [[Category:States of the Confederate States of America]] [[Category:States of the East Coast of the United States]] [[Category:States of the United States]] [[Category:Gullah country]] [[Category:Contiguous United States]] Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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