Learning about Georgia's Facts & History

by Simba Sat Mar 01, 2014 6:32 pm

James Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia in 1733. One of the 13 original colonies, Georgia is now home to more than 9.6 million residents, a figure that makes the state the ninth most populous in the country.

What You Should Know:

Politician James Oglethorpe envisioned Georgia as a refuge for released debtors and the poor. In 1732, King George II approved the colony's charter; the state is named in that king's honor.
On February 12, 1733, Oglethorpe and more than 100 colonists unloaded their ship, the Anne, and settled in present day Savannah.
Throughout Georgia's history, its capital has moved four times. The cities of Savannah, Augusta, Louisville, Milledgeville and Atlanta have all at one point served as the seat of state government.
Georgia was the site of the first full college for women in the country, the Georgia Female College (now renamed Wesleyan College), chartered in 1836 and opened three years later in Macon.
Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, The Home Depot, Turner Broadcasting and United Postal Service are all headquartered in Georgia.
Georgia produces poultry, eggs, cotton, peanuts, peaches and Vidalia onions, the last three of which all hold places as state symbols.
In the arts, the state has seen its share of successes: Writers Alice Walker, Carson McCullers and Flannery O'Connor, visual artists Jasper Johns and Kara Walker, and musicians James Brown, Ray Charles, R.E.M. and Trisha Yearwood have all at one point called Georgia home.
Among the most beautiful and unusual landscapes in Georgia are those generally listed as the state's Seven Natural Wonders - Amicalola Falls, Okefenokee Swamp, Providence Canyon, Radium Springs, Stone Mountain, Tallulah Gorge and Warm Springs. Learn more about these wonders.

FAQs:
Who is the current governor?

In January 2011, former Congressman Nathan Deal took the oath of office as the state's 82nd governor. Learn more about Governor Deal.

What Georgia sites played an important role in the Civil War?

Read about Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Fort Pulaski National Monument and the Andersonville National Historic Site.

Are the Georgia Archives open for visitation?

Even though the archives switched hands from the Secretary of State's Office to the University System of Georgia, you can still visit them at 5800 Jonesboro Rd. in Morrow. For information on visitation hours, call 678-364-3710, or visit the archives online.

Source: New Georgia Encyclopedia. This information was prepared as a public service of the State of Georgia to provide general information, not to advise on any specific legal problem. It is not, and cannot be construed to be, legal advice. If you have questions regarding any matter contained on this page, please speak with the agency that is the source of the information.