All About Georgia
Georgia is a constituent state of the United States of America. The largest of the U.S. states east of the Mississippi River and by many years the youngest of the 13 former English colonies, Georgia was founded in 1732, at which time its boundaries were even larger - including much of the present-day states of Alabama and Mississippi. Its area of 58,910 square miles (152,576 square kilometres) presents numerous contrasts, with more soil types than any other state as it sweeps from the Appalachian Mountains in the north (on the borders of Tennessee and North Carolina) to the marshes of the Atlantic coast on the southeast and the Okefenokee Swamp (which it shares with Florida) on the south. The Savannah and Chattahoochee rivers describe much of Georgia's eastern and western boundaries with South Carolina and Alabama, respectively. The capital is Atlanta.
Atlanta has long been the economic and cultural centre of the Southeast. Its name evokes the largely romantic legends of the pre-Civil War South, of the traditions of Southern gentility, and of white-columned mansions along Peachtree Street, its best-known thoroughfare. The history of the state is marked by events of the Civil War: the many major battles fought there, the Confederate prison at Andersonville, in which nearly 13,000 Union prisoners died, and the burning of Atlanta and the devastating March to the Sea by Union forces under General William Tecumseh Sherman.
The southernmost portions of the Blue Ridge Mountains cover northeastern and north central Georgia. In the northwest a limestone valley-and-ridge area predominates above Rome and the Coosa River. The higher elevations extend southward about 75 miles (120 kilometres), with peaks such as Kennesaw and Stone mountains rising from the floor of the upper Piedmont. The highest point in the state, Brasstown Bald in the Blue Ridge, reaches to a height of 4,784 feet (1,458 metres) above sea level. Below the mountains the Piedmont extends to the fall line of the rivers - the east-to-west line of Augusta, Milledgeville, Macon, and Columbus. Along the fall region, which is nearly 100 miles wide, sandy hills form a narrow, irregular belt. Below these hills the rolling terrain of the coastal plain levels out to the flatlands near the coast, the ''pine barrens'' of the early days.
Georgia's wildlife is profuse. There are alligators in the south; bear, with a hunting season in counties near the mountains and the Okefenokee Swamp; deer, with restricted hunting in most counties; grouse; opossum; quail; rabbit; raccoon; squirrel; sea turtles, with no hunting allowed; and turkey, with quite restricted hunting. In general, wildlife is in a period of transition. Deer have been seen in suburban counties and bears on golf courses near Atlanta, but solid stands of pine and unbroken pasture are not ideal for wildlife. There is extensive stocking of game birds and fish. The major fish of southern Georgia, except snook and bonefish, are in waters off the coast, and all major freshwater game fish of the United States are found in Georgia's streams and lakes. Some 50 species of plants and 20 species of animals are listed as endangered in the state.
Conventional industries, such as automobile assembly, exploit the nearness of Atlanta to southeastern markets. Several decades of prosperity have also increased commerce, and a large number of New York City stores have branch stores in Atlanta and other Georgia cities. The federal government affects Georgia's economy through direct purchases from industry, but more through payrolls at the several major military installations in the state. It produces some hydroelectric power and regulates its sale, much of it to rural electric cooperatives. The state government, on the other hand, functions in the economic sphere largely to promote further industrial development or financial investment in the state, which continues to rely to a large extent on outside money. Atlanta is the financial centre of the Southeast and the headquarters of the Sixth District of the Federal Reserve Bank. More than 60 percent of state revenue comes from taxes levied on sales, licenses, and personal and corporate incomes. Taxes on personal income account for more than one-third of all tax revenue. Local governments in Georgia rely mainly on general property and sales taxes.
Georgia has a wide range of outdoor recreational opportunities. The mountainous north is dominated by the Chattahoochee National Forest, which includes the Cohutta Wilderness Area. On the coast is Cumberland Island National Seashore, which comprises part of that large barrier island. Numerous other national wildlife areas and refuges are found throughout the coastal zone. The unique character of Okefenokee Swamp is nurtured and preserved through the administration ofthe Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness Area, as well as the Stephen C. Foster and Laura S. Walker State Park facilities found there. Georgia also maintains a system of state parks that offer a wide range of outdoor recreational experiences, from ocean surf bathing to mountain hiking and climbing.
Water transportation determined the location of Georgia's first cities. Savannah is the leading port on the Southern Atlantic seaboard in terms of tonnage of cargo handled. Milledgeville was briefly the centre of an emerging road system for the settled counties in eastern Georgia and for the old military and post road running through Indian territories to Alabama. Atlanta, originally called Terminus on the early railroad survey maps, had a near-optimum location for all but water transport, thus making it a hub of railroad transportation for the Southeast. With the advent of highways and then of air traffic, the city maintained its focal position. Three interstate highways intersect in downtown Atlanta. More than a dozen cities in the state have commercial air service. Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport is by some measures the world's busiest. A rapid transit system began operating in the Atlanta area in 1979.
