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State in the SE United States, the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be founded. It is bordered by Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina, and South Carolina and the Atlantic Ocean.
Area, 58,876 sq mi (152,489 sq km).
Pop, (2000) 8,186,453, an 26.4% increase since the 1990 census.
Capital and largest city, Atlanta.
Nickname, Empire State of the South.
Motto, Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation.
State bird, brown thrasher.
State flower, Cherokee rose.
State tree, live oak. 
Although the trade and service sectors supply the majority of jobs in Georgia, manufacturing and agriculture remain important to the state's economy. In addition, federal facilities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, near Atlanta; Fort Benning, near Columbus; and the Kings Bay naval base, contribute to the economy.
Cotton, once Georgia's most valuable crop, has declined in importance; in the 1990s it was rivaled by peanuts, tobacco, and corn. Georgia is easily the nation's largest producer of peanuts. Tobacco is the principal crop in the central and southern sections of the state, peanuts in the southwest. Livestock and poultry raising account for the largest share of farm income; broilers, eggs, and cattle are major products.
The manufacture of textiles and textile products has long been Georgia's leading industry, centering mainly around Columbus, Augusta, Macon, and Rome. Other major manufactures include transportation equipment, foods, paper products, and chemicals. Automobile manufacturing is important around Atlanta. Much of Georgia is heavily forested with pine, and the state is a leading producer of lumber and pulpwood. Although the state is rich in minerals, mining is not as important as manufacturing and agriculture. The most valuable minerals produced are clays, stone, kaolin, iron ore, sand, and gravel. Georgia is famous for its fine marble.
HABERSHAM COUNTY
Poet Sidney Lanier waxed about the county in The Song of the Chattahoochee, and for good reason. The river forms the southwest border of the county and even today is one of the most beautiful sections still visible.
Out of the hills of Habersham,
Down the valleys of Hall ... Established in 1818. Named in honor of Joseph Habersham , Served as officer of the First Georgia Regiment, 1776. Continental Congress, 1785-86; postmaster general, 1795-1801.
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On display at the Mauldin House & Welcome Center in Clarkesville |
From the first written words about the area in 1790 to the flowing praised heaped on Clarkesville by the Georgia Gazetteer in 1827 the county went through a remarkable transformation. In 1790 a Methodist bishop told of the fierce Chickamauga and the few white encroachers who were described as ... poor creatures; they are but one remove from savages themselves, while forty years later Habersham County was ... healthy and pleasant for visitors. In between, Habersham himself became a summer resident, the county had been formed, and the Cherokee were removed, mostly to Arkansas. The Unicoi Turnpike contributed heavily to the early, rapid development in the area. Only one short, albeit fierce, battle was fought in the county during the Civil War. During the war a number of Georgia units used the area for training. Centered at Camp Bartow, near Clarkesville, the camp housed a succession of Rebels including the Independent Volunteers, Thomas Guards, White Marksmen, Hiawassee Volunteers and the McMillan Guards.
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The Cherokees - The Cherokees, whose name means "Upland Fields", had a population of around 11,000 and several settlements in Habersham County. One of these was "Sakwi-yi" or "Su-ki", near where Clarkesville is today. The river of Soque ("Pig River") was named for this settlement. Another, in Cornelia, was called "Chenocetah" ("See all around"), the name now given to the mountain where Cornelia is located. Remnants of Cherokee influence can also be seen in the names of Sautee, Nacoochee, Tallulah, Currahee, Chattahoochee ("flowered rock" or "River of the Painted Rocks"), Yonah ("Sleeping Bear Mountain") and Toccoa ("beautiful"), as well as the names of most of the streams.
Tallulah Falls was a hunting ground for the Cherokees and for white people who came up from other cities in Georgia. It was also home to "Council Rocks", the tribal courtroom, located above "Lovers' Leap Lookout" (see The Legend of Tallulah below). The 500-lb Council Chair of Grey Eagle, the last chief of the Cherokees in this area, can be seen on display at Tallulah Falls School.
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On display at the Welcome Center in Clarkesville |
In 1828, under Andrew Jackson as President of the United States, the Federal Government changed in its attitude towards the Indians. This change was reflected locally when, late that same year, Georgia passed a law extending its jurisdiction over Cherokee country and refusing any longer to recognize Indian self-government. In 1832, a new law prevented the Cherokees from holding public meetings. Seeing the inevitable, in 1835 they accepted five million dollars for their holdings in Georgia. The next year, in what is known in history of "The Trail of Tears", the Indians were forcibly removed to Cherokee, NC and to the Indian Territory west of the Mississippi; only a few stayed behind in hiding.
During the 1830s, coastal Georgia residents trying to avoid malaria made Habersham their summer home. Clarkesville, with three hotels, became known as a fashionable summer resort. Besides Clarkesville, Tallulah Falls also attracted visitors, and later on, towards the end of the 18th century, Mt. Airy and Cornelia were founded and became popular with summer residents and tourists.
(Information taken from The Hills of Habersham, by Mary L. Church; "F.Y.I. Habersham County, 1999-2000 Directory", published by "The Northeast Georgian"; "Habersham Mills, An Historic Synopsis", compiled by Dudley Sisk; "Habersham County Visitor's Guide", published by the Habersham County Chamber of Commerce; "The Historical News", published by Southern Historical News, Inc; The Light in the Mountains, by Carol Stevens Hancock; and Habersham County, Georgia: A Pictorial History by Jo and Stephen Whited) |
*Information from Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition |