It shares its borders with Tennessee and North Carolina to the north, South Carolina to the northeast, Florida to the south, Alabama to the west, and Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. Keep going for some interesting facts!
Georgia in Southeastern US is the country’s 8th most populous state and the 24th largest by area.
#1. In 1733, the British soldier named James Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia. It was, in fact, the last of the original Thirteen American Colonies.
#2. Georgia was named after King George II of Great Britain. The Colony of Georgia spread from south to South Carolina and Spanish Florida and west to French Louisiana at the Mississippi River.
#3. In 1788, Georgia was officially incorporated as the fourth state of the United States.
#4. Georgia is known by many nicknames including the Peach State, the Cracker State, and the Empire State of the South.
#5. Atlanta is the capital and most populated city of Georgia. It is also the 37th most populous US city.
#6. The Georgia Gold Rush was the second significant gold rush in the US, after that in North Carolina. It began in Auraria, GA (now a ghost town) and then spread further.
#7. Georgia’s Stone Mountain has the largest piece of exposed granite in the world.
#8. Georgia is the largest producer of peaches, peanuts, and pecans in all of United States.
#9. Cordele, the city in Crisp County, Georgia, is considered as the watermelon capital of the world.
#10. The world’s largest poultry trade show is held every year in Georgia.
#11. Gainesville, GA is named as the “Chicken Capital of the World”. In the city, it illegal to use a fork for eating chicken.
#12. John Stith Pemberton first invented Coca-Cola in Atlanta, GA. They started selling it in 1886 from a pharmacy soda fountain.
#13. Wesleyan College in Macon, GA was the New World’s first ever college to grant advanced education degrees to women.
#14. Many famous personalities have called Georgia their home, including Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Robinson, Kanye West, Julia Roberts, Spike Lee and Jimmy Carter.
#15. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is regarded as the world’s busiest airport.
#16. Chartered in 1785, the University of Georgia was the first ever American University to receive state funding.
#17. The Okefenokee Swamp in South Georgia is North America’s largest “blackwater” swamp and is considered to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia.
#18. In the year 1945, Georgia became the first ever US state to drop the legal voting age from 21 years to 18 years.
#19. In Georgia, it is illegal for funeral directors to use obscene language in front of a corpse. In fact, if caught doing so, they may lose their licenses.