Georgia in a nutshell:

• Georgia encompasses metro Atlanta with nearly 4 million people;
• 100 miles of coastline;
• the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains;
• multiple rivers and fertile farmland.
• Georgia melds the best of the old South historic sites and well-known hospitality with new burgeoning business growth, big-city culture and international trade.

Interesting facts about Georgia

• Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi River.
• Onions can be grown in Vidalia and 20 counties in Georgia.
• The greatest distance from north to south in Georgia is 315 miles.
• Georgia’s capitol building has a gold dome; the gold was mined from Dahlonega, Georgia, the site of the first gold rush in North America.
• Georgia is among the nation’s top producers of peaches, pecans and peanuts.
• Some of many famous Georgians include Jimmy Carter and Martin Luther King, Jr., Ted Turner, creator of CNN; Andrew Young, first African-American ambassador to the United Nations; Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts in the U.S.; and Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With The Wind.
• Natural wonders in Georgia include Providence Canyon, Okefenokee Swamp, Warm Springs, Tallulah Gorge, Amicalola Falls, Stone Mountain and Radium Springs.

Cities and town to visit

• Atlanta
• Savannah
• Macon
• Helen

More travel articles about GEORGIA are tagged: Georgia

Helen (Blue Ridge Mountains)

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Chattahoochee River, Helen is a modern day recreation of a traditional alpine village, complete with cobblestone alleys and old-world towers. This Northeast Georgia destination has a rich history.

Once the center of Cherokee Indian culture, the area has attracted settlers in waves, first because of it’s gold, then it’s timber and finally it’s railways. The Gainsville and Northernwestern Railroad came up the Chattahoochee and converged in this mountain community; in 1913 the valley was officially named „Helen,“ after the daughter of the railroad surveyor. In 1968, local Helen Businessmen met to discuss what be done not to attract the next wave of settlers, but to stabilize and improve their town.

They approached a nearby artist, who had been stationed in Germany, to sketch the new Helen. Shortly thereafter, Helen was rebuilt, complete with gingerbread trim, cobblestone alleys and all the colors and details of an authentic Alpine town.

A mountain village with a touch of Bavarian, Helen has created a unique experience for the millions of visitors it hosts each year. Accommodations include cozy log cabins, quaint village inns, charming bed and breakfast and inviting mountain resorts.

The area is perhaps best known for hosting the world’s longest Oktoberfest, from the middle September through the first of November. Enjoy oompah Bavarian music, German food and drinks along with polkas and the infamous „Chicken Dance.“

Weather

Best time to travel / Season
Year-round.

Climate and Temperatures
Season – some states have two, others three. But Georgia has all four. Four beautiful seasons — with an average year-round temperature of 65°F, perfect for any outdoor activity. Winters are mild with an average high of 13 degrees C (55°F), while summers are warm with an average high of 32 degrees C (90°F) and low of 23 degrees C (71°F). Spring and autumn are transitional with temperatures leaning to the warm side. Georgia enjoys mild temperatures year-round due to its latitude and proximity to the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico. Keep in mind: the Georgia Mountains generally remain cooler than the rest of the state. Rainfall averages 127 cm (50 inches) annually, providing lush foliage.

Average Temp in Atlanta

Map

State Essentials

State Name
Georgia  – State Abbr.: GA
Statehood
2-Jan-1788
 – Statehood Ranking: 4
Land Area
57,906 square miles  (149,971 qkm)
 – Land Area Ranking: 21
Population
8,186,453
(2000; Census every 10 years)
Capital
Atlanta
Biggest City
Atlanta
Nickname
The Peach State OR The Empire State of The South
Motto
Wisdom, Justice & Moderation
Highest Point
1.458 m / 4,783 ft (Brasstown Bald)
Lowest Point
Sea Level
Daylight Saving Time: yes
Tree
Live Oak
Flower
Cherokee Rose
Bird
Brown Thrasher
Song
Georgia on my mind

History

… including Creek and Cherokee, Georgia was established by the British in 1733 when General James Edward Oglethorpe and English colonists landed on the coast and settled what is now Savannah, the nation’s first planned city. The state was named in honor of King George II of England. Georgia later became the final of the original 13 American colonies. After the Revolutionary War, on January 2, 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the new United States Constitution.

Native American History From the Cherokee to the Etowah, the Kolomoki to the Chehaw, the many Native American tribes that settled in or traveled through Georgia have left their impressions on the state. The Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site in Cartersville protects six earthen mounds-the largest of which covers three acres- on which leaders’ temples once stood, as well as a plaza, village area and defensive ditch. Near Blakely, the Kolomoki Mounds State Historic Park consists of seven earthen mounds built by Swift Creek and Weeden Island Indians. The New Echota Cherokee Capital State Historic Site in Calhoun offers tours of the 1825 Cherokee national capital, including the supreme courthouse, council house, missionary home print shop for the bilingual Cherokee Phoenix and Van’s Tavern.

Civil War History Made famous by Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind, Georgia’s Civil War history is evident throughout the state.. The Blue and Gray trail, which extends from Chattanooga to Atlanta, highlights some of the most preserved land and battle sites of the 1860s. The Blue and Gray Museum in Fitzgerald features a rare collection of Civil War battle relics and the “Roll Call of the States” that is a mecca for both Union and Confederate descendants across this nation. The city’s Evergreen Cemetery contains the burial site of William J. Bush, the oldest Confederate veteran in Georgia; Jerome Moss, Gen. William T.Sherman’s drummer boy; Lewis Clute, credited with capturing Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy and John C.Buckley, Civil War Medal of Honor recipient for gallantry in the charge of the “volunteer storming party. The Andersonville Civil War Village, once the arrival point for the Andersonville Prison’s Union inmates, features a collection of Civil War uniforms, artifacts and a Working pioneer farm. The Smithsonian-a affiliated Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History demonstrates the locomotive’s impact on history and includes the famous Civil War-era locomotive. The General. The Port Columbus National Civil War Museum displays the remains of two original Confederate Navy ships and reconstruction’s of three other ships, including the U.S.S. Monitor, and features the nation’s only Civil War ironclad combat simulator.

Presidential History As the birthday of Jimmy Carter and refuge to Franklin D. Roosevelt, Georgia is dotted with presidential folklore. FDR built his vacation home in Warm Springs for it’s therapeutic waters and died there in 1945 while posing for a portrait; the unfinished piece is on display in the den of his “Little White House.” The site also features a museum, FDR’s cars, restored pools and other novel depictions of FDR and his life. Plains, home of 39th president of the United States and Nobel Laureate Jimmy Carter, is full of history and charm. Many attractions center on the life of President Carter, including his boyhood farm, his high school that is now a museum and visitor center and the Plains depot, where he launched his campaign for the White House.