Georgia General Information Nickname: Peach State State bird: Brown Thrasher State flower: Cherokee Rose Capital: Atlanta Date of admission to the Union: 2nd Jan 1788 (original 13 States; date of ratification of the Constitution) Population: 8,186,453 (2000) Population density: 53.2/sq km 2000 total overseas arrivals/US ranking: 805,000/11 Time: Eastern (GMT - 5). Daylight Saving Time is observed. The State: Georgia is the largest State east of the Mississippi, and was founded in 1735 by James Oglethorpe, an Englishman who landed in Savannah and established the 13th colony in the New World. Georgia is the only State to be named after a British monarch. It is a mixture of the Old and New South, and is geographically diverse, with landscapes ranging from mountains in the northeast to the mysterious, low-lying Okefenokee Swamp in the south, called the land of the ‘trembling earth’ by the region’s Native American tribes. It was in this State that gold was first struck in North America and the gold rush that followed centred around the town of Dahlonega. Georgia’s varied climate ranges from the low humidity of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the subtropical southern coastal region. Travel - International AIR: International airports: Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport (ATL) (website: www.atlanta-airport.com) is 16km (10 miles) south of the city (travel time – 20 minutes). There is a full range of facilities available, including a busineess centre. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transport Authority (MARTA) operates rapid rail services every 4-12 minutes (0500-0100), from the airport to downtown and throughout the metropolitan area. The subway runs 0430-0015 (travel time – 15 minutes); cost: US$1.50. Taxis and car hire are available from all terminals. Approximate flight times: From Atlanta to London is 8 hours, to Miami is 1 hour 45 minutes, to New York is 2 hours, and to Washington DC is 1 hour 30 minutes. RAIL: The Amtrak (tel: (800) 872 7245 (toll free); website: www.amtrak.com) service linking New York with New Orleans stops in Atlanta, while the New York to Miami service stops in Savannah; see the New York section for approximate journey times on these lines. ROAD: Greyhound (tel: (800) 229 9424 (toll free); website: www.greyhound.com) has terminals in Atlanta, Norcross, Hapeville, Decatur and Marietta. Approximate driving times: From Atlanta to Birmingham is 3 hours, to Charlotte is 5 hours, to Nashville is 5 hours, to Tallahassee is 6 hours, to Jacksonville is 7 hours, to Charleston (South Carolina) is 6 hours, to Dallas is 6 hours, to Memphis is 8 hours, to New Orleans is 9 hours, to Cincinnati is 9 hours, to Charleston (West Virginia) is 10 hours, to Miami is 13 hours, to Chicago is 14 hours, to New York is 17 hours, to Salt Lake City is 30 hours, to Los Angeles is 45 hours, and to Seattle is 53 hours. All times are based on non-stop driving at or below the applicable speed limits. Approximate bus travel times: From Atlanta to Chattanooga is 2-4 hours, to Birmingham is 3-6 hours, to Charlotte is 4-5 hours, to Mobile is 6-10 hours, to Jacksonville is 8 hours, to St Petersburg is 12-16 hours, and to Miami is 15-21 hours. URBAN: The public transport system is excellent. The most economical transport is the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transport Authority (MARTA) (website: www.itsmarta.com), which consists of 74km (46 miles) of rapid rail and 2373km (1475 miles) of bus lines. Car hire: Cars and motorcampers can be hired for touring the Atlanta area. Contact local companies through the Atlanta classified telephone directory. Atlanta & the North ATLANTA: Now a booming services-industry centre with a population of over 400,000 (and a metro population topping four million), Atlanta – known as ‘The City in a Forest’ – most dramatically expresses the transition from Old South to New. Along its residential streets, magnolia and dogwood trees surround handsome Georgian-style homes, yet only blocks away, some of the country’s most dazzling contemporary buildings are rising at record speed to add to Atlanta’s ever-growing skyline. The Georgia State Capitol on Washington Street on Capitol Square also houses the Georgia Hall of Fame and the Hall of Flags. The Tomb of Martin Luther King is located at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. The 14-storey CNN Center houses offices, a hotel, a sports arena and the headquarters of the CNN news agency. Underground Atlanta, a restored four-square block shopping and entertainment area, is located near the business centre of Atlanta and is home to the Zero Mile Post, which marks the city’s birthplace. Grant Park contains the Atlanta Zoo, the restored Confederate Fort Walker, and the Cyclorama, a world-famous 123m (406ft) circumference painting of the Battle of Atlanta. Piedmont Park has facilities for swimming and tennis. THE NORTH: 24km (16 miles) east of downtown Atlanta is Stone Mountain, where gigantic representations of three Confederate heroes – Robert E Lee, Jefferson Davis and ‘Stonewall’ Jackson – have been carved into a cliff-face. Within easy travelling distance of Atlanta are: Augusta, home of the Masters Golf Tournament every April; Dahlonega, an old mining town, where visitors can still pan for gold; and Madison, a historic town that was spared from ruin during Sherman’s March. The nearby Pine Mountain area is noted for its Callaway Gardens and for President Franklin D Roosevelt’s Little White House at Warm Springs. In the old capital of Georgia, Milledgeville, there is a trolley tour six days a week around the town’s historic district. Savannah & the Southeast SAVANNAH: On the Atlantic coast, 400km (240 miles) southeast of Atlanta, Savannah was the USA’s first planned city. It has become the greatest urban historic preservation site in the USA. Much of Savannah’s original beauty remains, and more than a thousand of its buildings are historically important, including the Regency-style Owens-Thomas House designed by William Jay, and Davenport House, one of the best examples of Georgian architecture in the New World. Fort Pulaski, one of Savannah’s five forts open to the public, is named after the Polish hero of the American Revolution. Tybee Island features sands, fishing piers and a marine science center. The city is also home to the celebrated Savannah Jazz Festival in September. THE SOUTHEAST: The Golden Isles, south of the city, are known for their leisurely resorts, with beaches, fine golfing, tennis and fishing. Jekyll Island, an ideal destination for bird watchers, golfers and history enthusiasts, is located off the Atlantic coastline’s marshlands. It can be reached within an hour’s drive from either Savannah or Jacksonville, Florida. The resort island is known for its natural beauty and a deep sense of history. From 1886 to 1942, Jekyll was the winter sanctuary of some of America’s wealthiest industrialists, such as William Rockefeller and Richard Crane. The beautifully restored Victorian Clubhouse and the historic district are perfect examples of this bygone era. St Simons is the largest of the Golden Isles, with vast woodlands and stretches of unspoilt marshes and coastline. Sea Island is home to The Cloister hotel and superb resort activities, including tennis, golf and a spa. Waycross is one of three gateways to the Okefenokee Swamp, one of the country’s most beautiful wilderness areas. The swamp is a refuge of exotic plant and animal life including alligators. Social Profile Food & Drink: Atlanta offers a wide variety of food, its restaurants covering a wide variety of cuisine, from Continental to Thai and Ethiopian. Theatres & Concerts: The Academy Theater is a professional outreach theatre. Alliance Theater Company, housed in the Woodruff Arts Center, presents a main stage season from August to June. The Fox Theater, saved from demolition and known as the ‘Fabulous Fox’, stages concerts and Broadway productions of hit musicals like The Phantom of the Opera. The Atlanta Ballet performs during autumn, winter and spring, and the celebrated Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performs at the Woodruff Arts Center, led by music director Robert Spano and principal guest conductor Donald Runnicles. Nightlife: Nightlife varies from intimate piano bars and dinner theatres to the underground music clubs of Atlanta. The Buckhead and Viriginia-Highlands communities in Atlanta have a thriving nightlife. Shopping: Lenox Square Mall and Phipps Plaza, both shopping centres in Buckhead, can be reached by MARTA bus and rail. Special Events: The following is a selection of events occuring in 2003: Mar St Patrick’s Festival (the world’s longest), Dublin. Apr Atlanta Dogwood Festival, Atlanta. May Prater’s Mill Country Fair, Dalton. Jul 4 July 4th Celebration, Stone Mountain; fireworks at Lenox Square Mall. Aug/Sep Montreux Atlanta Festival, Atlanta. Sep/Oct Oktoberfest, Helen. Oct Oliver Hardy Festival, Harlem; Prater’s Mill Country Fair, Dalton; Scottish Festival, Stone Mountain. Dec Christmas Celebration, Savannah; Victorian Candlelight Christmas, Thomasville. Climate Humid/hot in summer. Mild winter. Cooler in the northern mountains. Temperatures range from a January high of 10°C (50°F) and a low of 0°C (32°F) to a July high of 33°C (90°F) and a low of 21°C (70°F). Required clothing: Lightweight cotton clothes and rainwear. Warm clothing for evenings in the fall and spring, the winter season and mountain areas. Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.