Outline of Georgia
Georgia has the largest land area of any state of the United States that lies east of the Mississippi River. It also is one of the leading manufacturing states of the Southern States. Georgia's large size and thriving industries have given it one of its nicknames, the Empire State of the South. Atlanta is Georgia's capital and largest city. It is also the state's chief industrial and transportation center.
For many years, almost all the people of Georgia grew cotton for a living. During the early 1900's, many Georgia farmers began growing more of such crops as corn, fruits, and tobacco. Manufacturing expanded, and the weaving of cotton soon became more important than growing it. Today, service industries are Georgia's chief source of income. Manufacturing is also an important source of income. Georgia's leading manufactured goods include chemicals, food products, textiles, and transportation equipment.
Mountains and ridges along Georgia's northern border slope southward to a wide belt of gently rolling hills. Flat coastal plains, extending to the Atlantic Ocean, form the southern half of the state. Pine and hardwood forests cover large parts of Georgia. The state is one of the nation's leading producers of forest products. The towering pine trees led to the expression ''tall as a Georgia pine.'' From beneath the land have come some of the largest blocks of marble, including two weighing about 90 tons (82 metric tons) each. Georgia marble was used in building the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the capitols of several states.
Much of Georgia is a mild, sunny land of pines, magnolias and moss-draped trees. The state's natural beauty has inspired many songs and stories. The Suwannee River, which rises near Waycross, was made famous by Stephen Foster's song, ''Old Folks at Home.'' Tales from Georgia include the Uncle Remus stories of Joel Chandler Harris. Other noted writers from Georgia include the poet Sidney Lanier and novelists Erskine Caldwell, Margaret Mitchell, Carson McCullers, and Flannery O'Connor.
About half of all Georgians live in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia's largest city. Georgia has 28 cities with populations of more than 20,000. Eight of these cities have more than 70,000 people each. The cities are, in order of size, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Savannah, Athens, Macon, Roswell, and Albany.
The natural beauty and famous resorts of Georgia attract visitors from all parts of the United States. Vacationers enjoy the water sports and luxury hotels of Sea Island and the other Golden Isles along Georgia's coast. People fish for bass, flounder, mullet, and trout at the seashore or in Georgia's many lakes and streams. Hunters trail deer, fox, and quail in the thick forests. Since Indian days, physically disabled people have found relief in the soothing waters of Warm Springs. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was a victim of polio, established a summer home there called the Little White House. Tourists can visit Roosevelt's home.
Many beautiful monuments and parks-including reminders of important Civil War battles and heroes-dot the Georgia landscape. Stone Mountain, near Atlanta, has huge figures of Confederate leaders carved on its face. The most famous annual event in Georgia is probably the Masters golf tournament. It is held the second week in April at the Augusta National Golf Course. Top golfers from the United States and other countries compete in this tournament.
Of the 13 colonies that fought in the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783), Georgia was the last one founded. The colony was named for King George II of England. The University of Georgia, founded in 1785, was one of the first state universities in the United States to receive a charter. Georgia ranks high in growing peaches and is sometimes called the Peach State. No other state produces more peanuts-often called goobers in the South-and Georgia is also known as the Goober State.
