Are you loving Georgia yet?
Have you fell in love yet—well if not love, have I interested you in the special state I call home? If not maybe you will by the end of this post.—Oh and here is a few interesting facts:
State Abbreviation - GA
State Capital - Atlanta
Largest City - Atlanta
Area - 59,441 square miles (24th biggest state in the USA)
Georgia Population -8,186,453 (as of 2004)
Major Industries - textiles, timber, agriculture
Georgia Rivers - Chattahoochee River, Savannah River, Suwannee River
Georgia Lakes - Lake Sidney Lanier, Clark Hill Lake, West Point Lake, Lake Hartwell
Highest Point - Brasstown Bald - 4,784 feet above sea level
Origin of the Name - named to honor King George II of England State
Nickname - Empire State of the South, Peach State
State Motto - “Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation”
State Song - Georgia on My Mind
So let us head out and see a few more special things about Georgia—the Peach State.
Great Lakes Inland bodies of water from the largest, Lake Sidney Lanier, to contenders such as Clarks Hill, Oconee, Allatoona, West Point, Seminole, and other lakes, offer recreational opportunities.
Stone Mountain Park The world’s largest chunk of exposed granite bears an impressive relief sculpture of three Civil War figures on horses. A special treat—see it during a laser light show.
On Screen Movies Movies such as Forrest Gump, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Driving Miss Daisy, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Glory show off our camera-ready locales, as do small screen episodes of Matlock and The Dukes of Hazzards.
Batters UP! Georgia claims two of baseball’s greatest. “Hammerin” Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves who held the home run record: “The Georgia Peach, “Tye Cobb of the Detroit Tigers, hailed from Royston and funded a hospital there.
Janisse Ray Writing eloquently about ecological subjects, the contemporary author joins the ranks of Carson McCullers, Erskine Caldwell, Flannery O’Conner, and other literary minded Georgians.
Peanuts We eat them roasted, boiled, salted, plain, mixed into hard brittle, and in peanut butter.
Norberto Reyes Recognizing a need in this era of Hispanic immigration, the owner of Los Reyes Mexican Restaurants works to bring bilingual educators into Dalton public schools.
Big Biz Homegrown global entities include Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, CNN ( in Atlanta) and Aflac Insurance (in Columbus).
Musical Heritage Athens nightclubs introduce alternative rock Atlanta studio pioneer hip-hop sounds, and rural churches, keep gospel harmonies close to our souls.
Favorite Falls. We like to see rivers leap off cliffs at Amicalola Falls and Anna Ruby Falls and in the Cloudland Canyon and Tallulah George.
Brasstown Bald The highest point in Georgia (elevation 4,784 feet) affords an impressive 360 degree view.
Presidential Connections Woodrow Wilson grew up in Augusta, Franklin Roosevelt vacationed in Warm Springs, and Jimmy Carter still lives in his hometown of Plains.
Wineries A growing number, each unique in character, accent North Georgia and feature tours and tasting.
Causes to Celebrate Special events jam our calendars. Some of the best include Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day, Macon’s Cherry Blossom Festival, Atlanta’s Dogwood Festival and whatever festival comes wherever you live in Georgia which means for me—–the Vidalia Onion.
and now for two of my favorites—this is for my friend Karen—I bet you did not know we had our own Canyon?
Providence Canyon Called ” Georgia’s Little Grand Canyon” is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia. The canyon is actually a geologically young feature. It was not here when the first settlers reached the region in the early 1800’s. The story goes that it was formed by a woman throwing her dishwater out into the yard, year after year. That is not quite accurate. The story is a little more complex.
The canyon is a testimony to poor farming practices, which led to runaway soil erosion, and illustrates the need for sound soil conservation practices. When the land was first cleared for agriculture in the early 1800’s, farmers plowed straight up and down the hills. (Contour plowing did not come into fashion until much later). The furrows were a good conduit for rainwater runoff. By 1850, gullies ranging from 3 to 5 feet deep (1 to 2 meters) had begun to appear in the fields. Once gullies appeared, erosion rates accelerated, and the land became useless for farming. The gullies deepened and widened into canyons, which continue to expand.
The rate of downcutting by erosion was calculated to be about 8 inches per year between 1820 and 1930 (based on the total volume of sediment removed by erosion). In addition to downcutting, headward erosion (or erosion at the head of a canyon) caused the canyons to lengthen. Rates of headward erosion were measured from aerial photos. Between 1955 and 1968, the average headward erosion of the canyons was calculated to be about 6 feet (2 m) per year. The softness of the sediments in this area, and poor farming practices led to the severe erosion that formed Providence Canyon.
I know I said this would be my last post sharing about Georgia—the Peach State but just like a female I’ve changed my mind. I’ll close the tour with a surprise for Monica—yes we have lighthouses here. So come on back, bring your peanuts, and enjoy a tour of Georgia’s lighthouses—complete with a little history.
July 26th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Thanks for sharing. It’s like a sightseeing tour, just much more affordable
It looks like a beautiful place to live. Of course you have competition up here on the west coast, in beautiful British Columbia; that’s on our license plates. The government has been running ads, about BC being the most beautiful place on earth 
I guess there’s a few places on earth that could lay claim to that. We’ve got some sun! Finally. Take care.
July 26th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
wow these pics are beautiful. I have enjoyed reading everything about Georgia….it isn’t anything like I expected it to be…not that I really know what I expected..lol. Thanks for sharing and educating me.
July 26th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
Now that was a better tour tan we could get if we hired someone to show us. You sure you are not working the the Georgia Tourist industry because I think you may have inspired many to come to seee it thanks to you.
Great posts beautiful state.
July 26th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
this is so impressive! thank you for the tour! i have never been to Georgia. this makes me want to go.
July 26th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
mmmm, now you’ve got me wanting boiled peanuts!! Or, peanut brittle. Or, peach cobbler.
I was kind of thinking like Walker, only wondering if you were working for the chamber of commerce. I love the pictures! And I especially love that you’re feeling better these days and sharing the joy you have for the great State of Georgia.
July 26th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
Well, at first I was thinking “Ho Hum…State Facts”… But then, THEN! Then Ah saw that luvely sunset, and dahling, I fell in LUV with Georgia! Thank you, thank you, for such a wonderful pictorial of your beautiful state.
July 26th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
You are giving a wonderful tour of or more than wonderful state, Miss Vickie!
I hope you don’t mind if I share another small tidbit or two…
None of the lakes in GA are naturally made. They are all man made.
Also, Georgia boasts the largest solid piece of granite in the world. All of Atlanta sits on top of the underground parts of Stone Mountain.
I love trivia! 
July 26th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
PS… it is sooooooooo wonderful to see you feeling well enough to post gf! Love you!
July 26th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
I still have this ticket.
Good for a year.
I know someone in Georgia I would like to meet.
And hug.
And talk with.
And hug.
And laugh with.
And hug.
… just sayin’.
Oh! That’d be you. Just say when!
July 27th, 2007 at 12:16 am
I enjoyed your posts about your beautiful state. The pictures are so nice, and the relief sculpture of the Civil War figures is very impressive. No wonder you’re so proud of where you live. When I think of Georgia, Gone with the Wind and Scarlett O’Hara come to mind.
I’m glad you are feeling better and that Missy is dormant. Take care.
July 27th, 2007 at 2:46 am
Your GA series has got me thinking of all the Georgia things I knew but didn’t know I knew.
Jeff Foxworthy, and his wonderful comedy.
Alan Jackson, Chattahoochee
The Atlanta Olympics
Coca Cola
Chalie Daniels, The Devil Went Down To Georgia.
The Masters at Augusta.
Jimmy Carter.
Harlem Globe Trotters, Sweet Georgia Brown (obscure one)
Ray Charles, Georgia on my Mind.
Forest Gump, and Fried Green Tomatoes.
My special friend… Miss Vickie.
That’s a lot for an Aussie to know about GA
and I’m finding out more with each post, thanks Vickie.
Don’t NASA have a GA connection too??
July 27th, 2007 at 6:47 am
Has the tourist bureau hired you yet? What an excellent article. If I wasn’t in love with Georgia already, you would have convinced me
July 27th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Hi Vickie ~~ Great post again and it is nice to learn about Georgia. Georgia on my MInd is one of my favorite songs. Your photos are really nice - love the first and second last one of waterfalls. thank you for your comments and kind words on my blog. Glad you like the things I post. I am happier with tonight’s post.
Take care, Vickie, Love, Merle.
July 27th, 2007 at 8:13 am
another beautiful set of photos and delightful post!
July 27th, 2007 at 9:58 am
Those were beautiful posts. I’ll have to come visit on my way to the beach sometime and you’ll have to come visit and see my own personalized lighthouse that Starsky engraved for my village.
Life is wonderful in our family and I hope and pray it is in yours as well.
Take care of you.
July 27th, 2007 at 11:15 am
Having lived in Georgia for 20 years I can definitely agree, it’s a great place to live! Beautiful state! Nice posts!
July 27th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
I’ve been through Georgia many times,but never visited.
Allison Krause and Union Station sing a cool song about Georgia.
Of course, the number one reason for visiting would be to see Miss Vickie.
July 28th, 2007 at 11:41 am
GA is beautiful!
except once I got lost in Atlanta’s airport. omg, I thought I was going to have to call the police to find me, it was THAT bad. It is the only airport Ive ever gotten lost at!
July 28th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
More nice info and photos of a beautiful place.
July 29th, 2007 at 9:54 pm
you have made me very home sick, miss vickie…
if only you had mentioned something about waffle house, i would probably already be on a plane…
July 31st, 2007 at 9:38 am
Are you sure you’re not moonlighting for a Tourism company? Wonderful post, fantastic pics and your words make me want to get on a plane. Georgia has always made me think of Gone with the Wind too.
September 21st, 2007 at 10:29 am
Hi! I was surfing the internet Friday afternoon during my break, and found your blog by searching MSN for georgia gardening. This is a topic I have great interest in, and follow it closely. I liked your insight on ou loving Georgia yet?, and it made for good reading. Keep up the good work…
October 2nd, 2007 at 8:52 pm
I love my home state, Georgia!
But there is one thing that you don’t have pictured here, honey! And that is a beautiful sunset illuminating the far side of a peach orchard in full blossom! The glorious sight is absolutely breath-taking and v-e-r-y romantic!