Last updated on July 1st, 2024
Georgia is the 8th most populous and the 24th most extensive of the 50 states of the United States. It is a state in the Southeastern United States. The state attained statehood on January 2, 1788, becoming the 4th state to join the union. It shares its border with five states (Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.) Georgia (nicknamed: Empire State of the South, Peach State) has 159 counties. The state’s capital is Atlanta. The abbreviation for Georgia is GA. With these interesting facts about Georgia, let us learn about its history, geography, people, economy, culture, and more.
Facts about Georgia State
1. Georgia is the youngest of the 13 states that formed the United States originally.
2. Georgia is named after George II, who was the king of Britain when Europeans first settled there in 1733.
3. Georgia has had five capitals. 1. Savannah (1777-1785), 2. Augusta (1786-1789), 3. Louisville (1789-1807), 4. Milledgeville (1807-1867), 5. Atlanta (1868-present.)
4. Behind Texas (254), Georgia (159) has the second most counties in the United States.
5. When Georgia was founded in 1772, it included much of the present day Alabama and Mississippi.
Georgia on the map
6. The mounds people used to live in the area known as the state of Georgia, USA. These Civilians used to live in the area between 800 CE and 1600 CE.
7. Georgia, USA, is the only US colony ruled by a board of trustees from 1732 to 1752. The Board was located in London and consisted of 71 members.
8. In Calhoun, Georgia, USA, New Echota was officially named the Cherokee Capital in 1825. They are one of the most prominent Native American tribes in Georgia.
9. The first publication of the official Cherokee newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix, came out on February 21, 1828. It was approved two years earlier by the Cherokee National Counsel in Georgia.
10. Johns Creek is where the first gold rush was documented in the foothills of Northern Georgia, a land occupied by the Cherokee Indians who would, later on, be driven away by the Federal government in the 1830s. These developments are featured in what is popularly known as the “Trail of Tears.”
11. According to legend, the elders of the Creek Nation have cursed the banks of the Ocmulgee River. The rumor about this curse started spreading when the Government of the US relocated the Creek Nation to the “Indian Territory” in the year 1830. According to the curse, people who settled along the banks of the River would have to stay there forever.
12. On December 29, 1835, the Treaty of New Echota was signed in Georgia. It led to the Cherokee tribe being relocated from their homeland to an area west of the Mississippi.
13. From January 2000 to 2009, the number of illegal immigrants in Georgia, USA, more than doubled to nearly half a million. That is according to a federal report.
14. Johns Creek was dotted with trading posts besides the Chattahoochee River in the early 19th century. Some of these trading posts became crossroads communities in which pioneer families such as the Medlock, Cowart, Buice, Findley, McGinnis, Rogers, and others gathered to visit and sell their crops.
15. Few people know a unique fact about the Roswell Mill that it was powered by Vickery Creek dam. The waterfall is active even today. A hole in the wall permits you to hide in under the cover of water. Burned during the Civil war as an act of economic warfare, slaves were used to build this mill.
16. Sandy Springs: known as the investor’s eye-catcher, Sandy Springs is home to more Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies per capita than any other city in the nation. Some of the global leaders located here are UPS, First Data, Veritiv, Newell Rubbermaid, Centene and Axiall, Mercedes Benz, Cox Communications, and CBS among others.
17. Did you know that the cotton gin was invented in Georgia by Eli Whitney in 1793? The cotton gin is a machine that is used to pull cotton fibers from the cotton seed. The machine helped ease of the burden from the workers by making the task much simpler and efficient.
18. Cornelius Swartwart from Georgia invented the first stovetop waffle iron in the 1860s. If you love waffles for breakfast, thank this Georgia native for it.
19. Interestingly, Coca-Cola, the favorite drink of billions of people across the globe, was also invented in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1886, Dr. John Pemberton invented “Coca-Cola” in what remain the most famous scripts in history. The first product of Coca Cola trademark was sold in Jacob’s Pharmacy at a soda fountain. This name has since remained the most sought-after brand in the soft drinks and beverages industry worldwide.
20. That huge foam finger people wave at sports events was invented by Geral Fauss from Waycross, Georgia. He invented it in 1971 and started producing it seven years later.
21. Athens is where the first twin-barreled cannon was created and displayed at the seat of the City Hall. Historians say this innovation was a massive failure in the history of war since it was never used in actual combat.
22. Georgia was the headquarters for the civil rights movement and home to Martin Luther King, Jr.
23. On September 18, 1863, the Battle of Chickamauga took place in Georgia and lasted two days. It is known as one of the bloodiest battles in the state’s history.
24. Did you know that a federal holiday was established in 1986 for every third Monday in January to be set aside in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was born in Atlanta, Georgia on Jan. 15, 1929?
25. In 1958, a nuclear bomb went missing off Tybee Island, Savannah, Georgia, during a training mission. The Tybee bomb was believed to be buried in the silt at the bottom of Wassaw Sound.
26. A city located in North Fulton County, Georgia, Roswell saw the first telephone service in 1901. This is obvious, right? Wait, the first telephony service unveiled here in 1901 featured only one digit. Now you can appreciate how far telephoning technology has come.
27. Catherine Elizabeth Benson Brewer was the first woman in the US to receive a Bachelor’s degree. She received her diploma at Wilson College, Macon, Georgia, on July 16, 1840.
28. Named after Nancy Hart, Hart County is the only county in Georgia named after a woman.
29. Georgia outranks other states in the production of Vidalia onions– known as the sweetest onions in the world. The state is also the topmost producer of peanuts, pecans, and peaches.
30. According to locals of Savannah, Georgia, is the first to have Sunday school in the US. That was when it was started by John Wesley in 1736.
31. Savannah, Georgia, was the first colony to send silk back to Britain in its early existence. It was needed to create a dress for the queen.
32. Claxton in Georgia, USA, claims to have been the first to bake the favorite fruit cake. Two bakeries from this area bake more than four million pounds of fruit cake every year.
33. Georgia has more soil types than any other state.
34. Blairsville is the place to go for people who love sorghum. Thanks to its soil conditions and unique climate, it is the sole region in Georgia that grows sorghum, particularly for making syrup. Try to time your visit to this place during October when the Blairsville Sorghum Festival is celebrated.
35. Several species of azaleas can be found in Georgia, USA. These plant species are native to the state, and their flowers range from white to pink to crimson.
36. Did you know that Blueberries replaced tobacco crops in Georgia, USA? It is now one of the state’s top productions, putting Georgia at number three among the top producers in the US.
37. There are about 4 dozen varieties of peaches from Georgia. Peaches contain vitamins, fiber, and potassium.
38. Seventy-one streets in Atlanta, Georgia, have some variant of Peach tree in their name. It is not because of the abundance of peaches but refers to a Creek Indian Settlement close by.
39. In Athens, Georgia, there’s a tree that has legal ownership of itself. According to legend, the tree owns itself and all the land in an eight-foot radius at its base.
40. The historic city of Savannah, Georgia, is where you will find Spanish moss draping the oak trees. It gives that beautiful, mysterious look to the trees of this state.
41. The Tifton Experiment Station in Georgia has been identifying shade-resistant Bermuda grass for many years. It has been the dominant turf grass for many years.
42. Cumberland Island, just off the coast of Georgia, is home to many wild horses. These horses are descendants of those brought over by the Spanish many years ago.
43. In southwest Georgia, quail hunting is a popular sport. More than one million acres of land with about 50 species can be found here.
44. Georgia is the largest of the U.S. states east of the Mississippi River. Yet you could fit Georgia into Alaska 11 times!
45. Did you know the city of Savannah was primarily a Christmas gift to President Lincoln during the Civil War? The Union General Sherman was amazed by the ambience, greenery, and bounty beauty of Savannah. Unlike other cities he had destroyed, he preserved Savannah, no wonder it retains its lush look to date.
46. One of the most extensive archaeological finds was found at a dig in Macon in 1933. More than 2.5 million artifacts were found at what is now known as the Ocmulgee Indian Mounds.
47. The Appalachian Plateau is a beautiful region in the east and south of Georgia, USA, with the most scenic views. The Extensive natural area is one of the most popular places in the state. The Lookout Mountain here has the most amazing views.
48. One of the deepest caves in the Appalachian Plateau of Georgia, USA, is Ellison’s Cave. It is over 1,000 feet deep and about 12 miles long.
49. In Elberton, Georgia, you will find the awkward Guide stones with ten instructions on life. The instructions written on the stones are listed in eight languages.
50. Interestingly, these stones were bombed in July 2022. It remains a mystery who destroyed the stones: surveillance footage only shows a mysterious person approaching and leaving the scene.
51. The peanut state has plenty of peanut statues erected throughout the state. You could find one in Ashburn and another in Plains. The one in Plains is 13 feet tall and was made for a 1976 political visit to Evansville by Jimmy Carter.
52. Did you know that before becoming the 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer? He was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia.
53. The founder of Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low, was born in 1860 in Savannah, Georgia. Her home on Oglethorpe Avenue became a Historic Landmark in 1965.
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