NC LIVE eBook collection. - Newcomers Guide to Georgia

Newcomers Guide to Georgia

Copyright 2009 by Don OBriant

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address John F. Blair, Publisher Subsidiary Rights Department, 1406 Plaza Drive, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27103.

Manufactured in the United States of America

COVER IMAGES

FRONT COVER

Top row left to right: Jekyll Island Beach; Forsyth Park in Savannah; Atlanta skyline

Second row: Tree-lined road in Thomasville

Third row: Peaches; Antebellum mansion in Savannah; Uga, the University of Georgia mascot

Bottom row: Callaway Gardens

BACK COVER

Stone Mountain

CREDITS

PHOTOGRAPH OF UGA: ASHLEY CONNELL/UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION ALL OTHER COVER IMAGES COURTESY OF GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

BOOK DESIGN BY DEBRA LONG HAMPTON

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

OBriant, Don, 1943

Newcomers guide to Georgia / by Don OBriant.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-89587-361-3 (alk. paper)

1. GeorgiaGuidebooks. I. Title.

F284.3.O24 2009

975.8044 dc22

2008051033

www.blairpub.com

OPPOSITE TOP: Dogwood blossoms
OPPOSITE BOTTOM: Atlantas Centennial Park
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

ABOVE: Peach trees in bloom / The Georgia Dome
OPPOSITE TOP: Stone Mountain Park / Golfing
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

ABOVE: Atlanta skyline at night
OPPOSITE: Mt. Yonah
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Contents

I wish to thank the staffs of the Georgia Department of Economic Developments Tourism Division, the Georgia Archives Department, and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame for their help and guidance.

Welcome to Georgia.

If you are thinking of moving here or have already relocated, you can take comfort in knowing you are not alone. An estimated 30 percent of the states 9,544,750 population was born elsewhere.

Georgia is the fastest-growing state in the South, according to the latest census figures. From 2000 to 2006, Georgia gained 228,415 people from outside the United States and 378,258 people from within the country.

In other words, Georgia has a diverse population that is getting more diverse. While some may complain about the influx of foreigners, the addition of people of other nationalities, other races, and other skills is in general a good thing. After all, the people who founded the colony of Georgia in 1732 were a pretty diverse group. Although they came from England under the leadership of General James Edward Oglethorpe, they were English, Scots-Irish, Italians, Moravians, Sephardic Jews, Salzburgers, and Swiss. Slaves who were brought here from Africa would add their own culture to the melting pot.

Today, Georgias culture is a blend of Native American, African, and Scots-Irish cultures. Georgians generally are highly religious and mostly Christian. Seventy-six percent are Protestants, and eight percent are Catholics. Nearly 13 percent say they have no religion, and 2 percent have a religion other than Christianity.

According to 2006 statistics, 59 percent of the population is white, 29.8 percent is black or African-American, 7.1 percent is Hispanic or Latino, 2.7 percent is Asian, and 1.4 percent is from other or mixed races. The state is almost equally divided between the genders, with 50.5 percent of the population male and 49.5 percent female. Seventy-eight percent of Georgians are high-school graduates, and nearly a quarter of these have a bachelors degree or higher.

Like other states below the Mason-Dixon line, Georgia is known for its Southern hospitality. Thats not to say you wont encounter someone rude on the expressways of Atlanta, in a long line at the post office, or waiting at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Even the most polite Georgian has his or her limits. Furthermore, you cant be sure that the person criticizing your driving on I-85 by flashing a rude hand gesture is a true Georgian. He may be a newcomer or a tourist from another state where drivers actually obey the speed limits and signal when they change lanes.

Politicians used to say, Theres Atlanta, and then theres the rest of the state. Thats still true to a certain extent, but Atlanta is changing, as are other cities and small towns in Georgia. No longer the big small town of the 1950s and early 1960s, Atlanta has acquired many of the perksas well as the problemsof Northern urban centers.

Yes, we have professional sports teams, a nationally recognized symphony orchestra, live theater, art museums, a vibrant music scene, a busy international airport, and a booming economy. We also have traffic gridlock and other problems associated with rapid growth.

So if youre moving to Atlanta from a big city, you probably will adjust fairly quickly. If youre moving from a small town, remember to stay calm when you find yourself in bumper-to-bumper rush-hour traffic.