Georgia State Study

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Both you and your kids will have fun learning all about ‘The Peach State’ using this Georgia State Study. 

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While I haven’t personally spent much time in the state of Georgia, I do know that something I want to do begins in Georgia’s Fannin County. Do you know what starts there and ends in the state of Maine?

I’ve driven through Georgia countless times on my trek from the North Woods of Maine back home to Texas. Yet, I can’t remember a single stop I’ve made in Georgia. I’ll have to rectify that on my next trip through. After putting together this state study, I discovered several places that I’d love to stop in and explore. 

I designed this Georgia State Study to make learning about ‘The Peach State’, both a fun and educational experience. I’ve included videos, articles, literature options, state facts, famous landmarks and more to provide thorough learning opportunities for your children. 

Georgia State Study

History of the State of Georgia

Georgia State History Timeline

The History of Georgia by Britannica

Georgia State History by History.com 

Encyclopedia of Georgia 

Civil Rights History of Georgia 

History of National Forests in Georgia  

Georgia Magazine

Historical Climate Summaries of Georgia 

Georgia’s Presidential Election Voting History

Georgia Literature and Research Resources
Good Night Atlanta (Good Ni...Shop on AmazonJames Oglethorpe: Not for S...Shop on AmazonThe Creek and the Cherokee ...Shop on AmazonGo Georgia Go! - an Interac...Shop on AmazonHey Kids! Let's Visit Savan...Shop on AmazonBirds of Georgia: Bird Watc...Shop on AmazonThe Kids' Guide to Birds of...Shop on AmazonKids Love Georgia: Your Fam...Shop on AmazonTeacher Created Materials -...Shop on AmazonAtlanta, GA:: Cool Stuff Ev...Shop on AmazonGood Night Savannah (Good N...Shop on AmazonThe Ultimate Atlanta Braves...Shop on AmazonLucky to Live in Georgia (A...Shop on AmazonLucky to Live in Georgia (A...Shop on AmazonFreshwater Fish of Georgia ...Shop on AmazonGeorgia: What's So Great Ab...Shop on AmazonGood Night Georgia (Good Ni...Shop on AmazonWhat's Great about Georgia?...Shop on AmazonGeorgia Discovered: Explori...Shop on AmazonHiking Georgia: A Guide to ...Shop on AmazonHiking Waterfalls in Georgi...Shop on AmazonHistoric Rural Churches of ...Shop on AmazonLost Towns of North GeorgiaShop on AmazonGeorgia (A True Book: My Un...Shop on AmazonTales from the Georgia Tech...Shop on AmazonThe Georgia Guidestones: Am...Shop on AmazonCanoeing & Kayaking Georgia...Shop on AmazonThe War-Time Journal of a G...Shop on AmazonThe Savannah Walking Tour &...Shop on AmazonI'm Reading about Georgia (...Shop on AmazonSavannah, 1733 to 2000 (Ima...Shop on AmazonAtlanta Then and Now®Shop on AmazonHistoric Photos of Universi...Shop on AmazonHidden History of Old Atlan...Shop on AmazonIt Happened in Georgia: Sto...Shop on AmazonHidden History of SavannahShop on AmazonThe Way It Was in the South...Shop on AmazonThe Archaeology and History...Shop on AmazonMammals of Georgia Field Gu...Shop on AmazonMammals of Georgia Field Gu...Shop on AmazonNight-Night Georgia: A Swee...Shop on Amazon

All About Georgia

Year Georgia Became a State

January 2, 1788

State Capital

Atlanta

State Abbreviation

GA

State Population

10.62 million

State Size

57, 919 square miles

State Name Origin

The territory of Georgia was originally claimed by the English and named for King George II.

State Motto

Wisdom, Justice and Moderation is considered to be the state motto. Although it has never been formally adopted, it appears on the Georgia state seal and the Georgia quarter.

State Nickname

“The Peach State”. Other nicknames for Georgia include “The Goober State (Goober meaning peanuts) and “The Empire State of the South”.

State Song

“Georgia on My Mind” was written by Stuart Gorrell and Hoagy Carmichael and adopted as the official state song in 1979. 

State Flag

Most often, Georgia is known as the state who has changed their flag. The current state flag consists of three thick horizontal stripes of red, white, and red with a blue square in the upper left corner. In the center of the blue square sits the Georgia State coat of arms and the words below it, “In God We Trust” both in gold surrounded by 13 white stars representing the original 13 states, of which Georgia is one. The current flag was adopted in 2003.

State Bird 

The brown thrasher was adopted as the state bird in 1970. 

State Tree

The live oak was chosen to be the official state tree of Georgia in 1937. 

State Saltwater Fish

In 2006, the Red Drum (or channel bass) was chosen by the Georgia legislature as the official state saltwater fish. 

State Fish

The official state fish of Georgia is the largemouth bass, chosen by the legislature in 1970.

State Mammal

The Georgia state legislature approved the white-tailed deer as the state mammal in 2015. 

State Dog

In 2016, the state legislature designated “the adopted dog” as the official state dog.

State Fruit

The peach became the official state fruit in 1995.

State Flower

The Cherokee rose became the official Georgia state flower in 1916.

State Crop

In 1995, the peanut crop was designated as the official crop of Georgia.

Geography

  • Rivers
    • Chattooga River
    • Chattahoochee River
    • Savannah River
    • Altamaha River
    • Ocmulgee River
    • Flint River
    • Tallapoosa River
    • Mobile River
    • St. Mary’s River
    • Ogeechee River
    • Satilla River
  • Lakes
    • Lake Rabun
    • Lake Allatoona
    • Lake Eufaula
    • Lake Black shear
    • Strom Thurmond Lake
    • Lake Harding
    • Richard B. Russell Lake
    • Lake Seminole
    • Lake Hartwell
    • Lake Lanier
    • Oconee Lake
    • Lake Sinclair
    • Weiss Lake
    • West Point Lake

Highways

  • Interstate 3 – North and South
  • Interstate 75 – North and South
  • Interstate 95- North and South
  • Interstate 14 – East and West
  • Interstate 20 – East and West
  • Interstate 16- East and West
  • Interstate 24- Northwest and Southeast
  • Interstate 59- Northwest and Southeast
  • Interstate 85-Northwest and Southeast

National Parks

State Parks

Famous Landmarks

Famous People

  • Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929- April 4, 1968) was born in Atlanta, GA. He attended Crozer Theological Seminary and Boston University. He both pastored and worked in the Civil Rights Movement across the South. He was assassinated by James Earl Ray at the age of 39. 
  • Vyto Kab (December 23, 1959- Present) was born in Albany, GA. He began playing football in high school, and after playing for the Penn State Nittany Lions in college, Kab was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. He has also played for the New York Giants and Detroit Lions. 
  • Mammy Kate (1740- 1815) was a slave owned by Stephen Heard in Wilkes County, GA (now know as Elbert County). She claimed to be the princess daughter of a great African king. Stories are told of how she broke Stephen Heard out of a Tory prison. She was given her freedom but continued to serve the Heard family of her own will until her death.
  • Kanye West (June 8, 1977- Present) was born in Atlanta, GA. He showed an affinity for the arts early on in his life and dropped out of college at the age of 20 to pursue a career in music. He is well known for his rap and hip-hop music, however after his recommitment to Christianity in 2019 he released a Gospel album, and he also dabbles in fashion.
  • Jimmy Carter (October 1, 1924- Present) was born and raised in Plains, GA where he also attended and graduated from the United States Naval Academy. After serving in the Navy for several years, he became involved in politics. He served in the Senate and as Governor in Georgia, and eventually became the 39th president of the United States. 
  • Julia Roberts (October 28, 1967- Present) was born in Smyrna, GA and is most well-known for her roles in romantic comedies and dramas of the late 1990s and early 2000s. During that time, she was the highest-paid actress in the world! She has won three Golden Globe Awards, and one Academy Award for Best Actress.
  • Jackie Robinson (January 31, 1919- October 24, 1972) was born in Cairo, GA. He became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball when he was called up to play with the Dodgers in 1947. He played for the Dodgers until retirement 10 years later. During that time, he won numerous awards. He is the first professional athlete to have his uniform number, “42” retired. April 15th, “Jackie Robinson Day”, has been celebrated since 2004 as a day on which each player on every MLB team wears the number 42. 
  • Hulk Hogan/Terry Eugene Bollea (August 11, 1953- Present) was born in Augusta, GA, and according to Imagine Games Network is, “The most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980’s”. He has also hosted several TV and Reality shows, released music albums, acted in several movies, and created and financed the restaurant called Pastamania. 
  • Ray Charles (September 23, 1930/June 10, 2004) was born in Albany, GA. Due to glaucoma, he began going blind by the age of four and was completely blind by the age of seven. He learned to play brail music in school, and after leaving school, he began to earn his living by playing music. By 1960, Charles had written his first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, Georgia on My Mind. He is referred to as “The Genius” or “Brother Ray” and is well known for pioneering the soul music genre of the 1950s which combines rhythm and blues, jazz, blues, and gospel musical styles.
  • Doc Holliday/ John Henry Holliday (August 14, 1851- November 8, 1887) was born in Griffin, GA and earned his degree in dentistry in Pennsylvania. His health forced him to the Southwest where the climate would ease his symptoms and there became a gambler. It was at the gambling tables where he met, saved the life of, and later became friends with Wyatt Earp, the famous lawman. He was later deputized and became famous for his part in the shootout in Tombstone near the O.K. Corral. 

Interesting Facts 

  • The first college in the world to grant degrees to women was the Wesleyan College in Macon, GA.
  • Georgia was originally founded as a colony for felons.
  • Georgia is where the Cherokee alphabet was invented.
  • The largest swamp in North America is found in Georgia.
  • In the town of Acworth, every citizen by law must own a rake!
  • Not once but TWICE has Georgia had three governors simultaneously!
  • The world’s largest sculpture is found in Georgia on the face of Stone Mountain.
  • Georgia was the first state to lower the legal voting age from 21 to 18.
  • Georgia is home to the first protestant Sunday school in the US, started by John Wesley in 1736. 
  • The oldest state park in the US is found in Georgia.
  • Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi River.
  • The city of Atlanta has had 3 previous names: Atlantic-Pacifica, Terminus and Marthaville.
  • The phrase “Sleep tight! Don’t let the bed bugs bite! Originated in Georgia!
  • All the major lakes in Georgia are man-made.
  • In the town of Athens, it is strictly prohibited that livestock runs at large!
  • In Atlanta over 50 streets have the word Peachtree in their name.
  • Gainesville, GA is the Chicken Capital of the World and it is illegal to eat chicken with a fork there.
  • The Appalachian Trail, a 2,000+ mile hiking trek, begins at Springer Mountain in Fannin County, Georgia.

Georgia Learning Resources 

What did your children enjoy learning the most about the state of Georgia?

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Misty Leask

Misty Leask

Misty Leask is an imperfect country girl from Texas, learning alongside her blessings while loving her husband and living life in the North Woods of Maine. She started Year Round Homeschooling because she wanted to come alongside fellow homeschool moms and help them find the freedom and resources they needed to homeschool their children year round. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest
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