Georgia
Georgia State Information
www.georgia.gov
Area (sq mi):: 59424.77 (land 57906.14; water 1518.63) Population per square mile: 156.70
Population 2005: 9,072,576 State rank: 0 Population change: 2000-20005 10.80%; 1990-2000 26.40% Population 2000: 8,186,453 (White 62.60%; Black or African American 28.70%; Hispanic or Latino 5.30%; Asian 2.10%; Other 4.20%). Foreign born: 7.10%. Median age: 33.40
Income 2000: per capita $21,154; median household $42,433; Population below poverty level: 13.00% Personal per capita income (2000-2003): $27,989-$29,000
Unemployment (2004): 4.80% Unemployment change (from 2000): 1.30% Median travel time to work: 27.70 minutes Working outside county of residence: 41.50%
List of Georgia counties:
Georgia Parks
- US National Parks
- Urban Parks
- State Parks
- Parks and Conservation-Related Organizations - US
- National Wildlife Refuges
- National Scenic Byways
- National Heritage Areas
- National Forests
- Marine Sanctuaries
Georgia
Fourth state; adopted the U.S. Constitution on January 2, 1788 (seceded from the Union on January 19, 1861, and was readmitted on July 15, 1870)
State capital: Atlanta
Nicknames: The Empire State of the South; The Peach State; The Goober State; The Peachtree State
State motto: Wisdom, Justice, Moderation
State amphibian: green tree frog
State art museum: Georgia Museum of Art
State atlas: Atlas of Georgia
State ballet: Atlanta Ballet
State beef cook off: Shoot the Bull
State bird: Brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)
State botanical garden: State Botanical Garden of Georgia
State butterfly: Tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
State creed: Georgian’s creed
State crop: Peanut
State fish: Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)
State flower: Cherokee rose (Rosa laevigata); wildflower: Azalea (Rhododendron)
State folk dance: Square dance
State folk festival: Georgia Folk Festival
State folk life play: Swamp Gravy
State fossil: Shark tooth
State fruit: Peach
State game bird: Bobwhite quail
State gem: Quartz
State historic drama: The Reach of Song
State insect: Honeybee (Apis mellifera)
State marine mammal: Right whale (Baleana glacialin)
State mineral: Staurolite
State musical theater: Jekyll Island Musical Theater Festival
State peanut monument: Turner County Peanut Monument
State pork cook off: Slosheye Trail Big Pig Jig
State ‘possum: Pogo ‘possum
State poultry: “Poultry Capital of the World”
State prepared food: Grits
State railroad museum: Historic Railroad Shops
State reptile: Gopher tortoise
State seashell: Knobbed whelk (Busycon carica)
State school: Plains High School
State song: “Georgia on My Mind”
State tartan: Georgia tartan
State theater: Springer Opera House
State transportation history museum: Southeastern Railway Museum
State tree: Live oak (Quercus virginiana)
State vegetable: Vidalia sweet onion
State waltz: “Our Georgia”
More about state symbols at:
sos.georgia.gov/state_symbols/state_symbols.html
More about the state at:
sos.georgia.gov/archives
SOURCES:
AmerBkDays-2000, p. 14
AnnivHol-2000, p. 3
STATE OFFICES:
State web site:
www.georgia.gov
Office of the Governor
State Capitol
Rm 203
Atlanta, GA 30334
404-656-1776
fax: 404-657-7332
www.gov.state.ga.us
Secretary of State
State Capitol
Rm 214
Atlanta, GA 30334
404-656-2881
fax: 404-656-0513
www.sos.state.ga.us
Georgia Public Library Services
1800 Century Pl
Suite 150
Atlanta, GA 30345
404-982-3560
fax: 404-982-3563
www.georgialibraries.org
Legal Holidays:
Georgia
a state in the southeastern United States. Area, 152,500 sq km. Population (1970), 4,590,000, more than one-fourth of whom are Negroes; 60.3 percent of the population (1970) is urban. Capital and largest city, Atlanta.
A large part of the territory of Georgia is a low coastal plain intersected by the navigable Savannah, Altamaha, and Flint rivers. To the north and northwest are the spurs and foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, intersected by the Chattahoochee River. The climate is moist subtropical; annual precipitation is 1,300-1,600 mm. The mountains have forests (for the most part secondary), consisting mostly of oak, pine, and beech.
Georgia is an industrial-agrarian state. Manufacturing industries employed 477,000 people in 1969. The state’s electric power plants in 1968 produced 5 million kilowatts, one-fifth of which was from hydroelectric power plants. Augusta, Columbus, Savannah, and other cities have significant textile, cellulose paper, and food industries. In Atlanta there are large aviation plants (the Lockheed Company), automobile assembly plants, and metal construction and chemical industries. Animal husbandry produces one-half the value of the marketable production of agriculture; poultry farming plays a large role (mainly the breeding of broiler chickens). In 1970 there were 1,889,000 head of cattle, and 1,780,000 swine. In terms of production value the main crops are peanuts, corn, tobacco, and cotton. There are orchards and truck farms. In 1968 there were 8,700 km of railway lines; Atlanta is an important transportation junction. The main seaport is Savannah; the state exports forest and agricultural products and imports oil.
M. E. POLOVITSKAIA
Georgia was one of the first 13 states of the United States. Until the War for Independence in North America (1775-83) it was an English colony (the first settlers from England arrived in Georgia in 1733). In 1776, Georgia and 12 other English colonies proclaimed their independence and formed the United States of America. During the Civil War in the United States (1861-65) the slaveowners in Georgia took an active part in the rebellion of the southern states. Georgia still has racial discrimination; the Ku Klux Klan is active.