Georgia is a southeastern US state stretching from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the north to the subtropical Golden Isles coast in the south. Atlanta, the vibrant capital, anchors the state with world-class museums, acclaimed restaurants, and pivotal civil rights history. Savannah enchants visitors with Spanish-moss-draped squares, antebellum architecture, and a legendary food scene. Beyond the cities, visitors find dramatic waterfalls at Amicalola Falls, pristine barrier islands at Cumberland and Jekyll, and the mysterious Okefenokee Swamp.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Georgia.
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1
Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León likely reaches Georgia's coastline on his Florida expedition
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2
Hernando de Soto enters Georgia territory, encountering large Mississippian chiefdoms including Cofitachequi
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3
Spanish establish Fort San Pedro at Cumberland Island (Santa Catalina de Guale mission chain established along Georgia coast)
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4
James Oglethorpe lands at Yamacraw Bluff with 114 colonists, founding Savannah as the first English settlement in the Province of Georgia
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5
Georgia ratifies the US Constitution, becoming the 4th state to join the Union (January 2, 1788)
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6
Gold discovered at Dahlonega — the first major gold rush in US history, predating California's by 21 years
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7
Forced removal of the Cherokee Nation via the Trail of Tears (New Echota, Georgia is the western starting point)
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8
Georgia secedes from the Union and joins the Confederate States of America; Alexander Stephens of Georgia becomes Confederate Vice President
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9
General William Sherman captures Atlanta (September 2) and conducts the March to the Sea (November–December), destroying the Confederacy's logistical backbone
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10
Georgia readmitted to the Union; Reconstruction government begins; Freedmen's Bureau active in Atlanta
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11
International Cotton Exposition in Atlanta marks the New South movement; Coca-Cola invented in Atlanta (1886)
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12
Coca-Cola formula created by Dr. John Pemberton at his drugstore at 160 Peachtree St, Atlanta
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13
Atlanta Race Massacre — white mob attacks Black Atlanta neighborhoods; pivotal moment in Georgia civil rights history
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14
Martin Luther King Jr. born at 501 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta — today a National Historic Site
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15
Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind (1936) sweeps the 1940 Academy Awards; filming in Atlanta and Selznick Studios
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16
Civil Rights movement: Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, SCLC headquarters, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and Voter Education Project all centered in Atlanta
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17
Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter elected 39th President of the United States
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18
Atlanta selected to host the 1996 Summer Olympic Games; Centennial Olympic Park built downtown
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19
Atlanta Summer Olympics draw 3.5 million attendees; Georgia welcomes the world
Historical sites
Places where Georgia's past comes alive.
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site
Where: Sweet Auburn, Atlanta
Admission: FREE
Andersonville National Historic Site
Where: Andersonville
Admission: FREE
Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site
Where: Cartersville
Admission: $7.00 adult, $4.50 child USD
New Echota State Historic Site
Where: Calhoun
Admission: $7.00 adult, $4.50 child USD
Little White House State Historic Site
Where: Warm Springs
Admission: $10.00 adult, $6.00 child USD