I’ve got Georgia on my mind mostly because of the many requests I’ve had to do an issue on the State.  It’s a beautiful state with lots of beaches, barrier islands, forests and mountains.  As varied as the terrain, the history of the state is filled with tales of adventure, conflict, struggles, and above all, a fighting spirit to survive.  You can’t really appreciate all it has to offer today without knowing where it has overcome.

At the time of early colonization of Georgia, the Cherokee and Creek Indians lived there.  It is unclear who the first European explorer was but it is possible the Ponce de Leon sailed along the coast during his exploration of Florida.  Spain and England fought fiercely for control around 1670 and the British eventually won.  In the early 1730’s they rapidly developed settlements.  In 1774 the Patriots started their rebellion to gain control of the land and after some years of intermittent fighting obtained their goal.  The early economy was driven by rice and sugar crops until in 1794 Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin which quickly made cotton the dominant crop.  In 1829 Gold was discovered in north Georgia which led to the first Gold Rush in the United States.

Georgia joined the Confederacy in 1861.  This led to years of turmoil and Sherman’s infamous march to the sea burning Atlanta to the ground along the way.  The march is a major part of the state’s folk history and was the setting for the 1936 novel “Gone With the Wind.”  In 1870 the state became the last Confederate state to be re-admitted to the Union. 

The next decades were plagued by slavery and poverty issues.  Cotton remained the main economic factor but boll weevils kept destroying up to 45% of the crops.  The Great Depression further hurt the economy.  However, because of the damaged economy, Roosevelt’s New Deal benefited the state greatly by providing over 250 million dollars for rural electrification, housing, roads and education.  While this improved the economy, the state still struggled with race issues through the 1960’s and was an important battleground for the Civil Rights Movement.

So, from that turbulent background, it is amazing how far the state has come together to produce a very strong economy.  In the 1980’s the state built Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta and at the time it was the largest in the world.  Major economic growth followed when coupled with low taxes, lax corporate laws and cheap real estate.  Atlanta became a national center for finance, medicine, insurance and convention and trade shows.  The state found its moment in the sun when it landed the 1996 Olympics.  The state also landed a KIA auto manufacturing plant and is in the process of building it.

Politically, the state until very recently was solidly Democratic.  It has produced such noted politicians as Martin Luther King and Jimmy Carter.  But things turned around in the 1980’s and the state is now Republican.  That turn was due in part to Reaganism and the New Religious Right.  The state is conservative and it mandates a balanced budget.  The taxes are low in comparison to other states and they are currently transitioning to a sales only corporate income tax.  The state sales tax is 4%.  There are six income tax brackets ranging from 1-6%.

Healthcare is a prominent industry and is considered world class.  The state has four major medical schools including Emory University.  There are 151 general hospitals and over 15,000 doctors.  The state ranks 41^st in the number of persons who exercise regularly.

The climate is considered humid subtropical.  The winters are mild and the summers are hot but they do have four distinct seasons.  The average rainfall in the center and lower part of the state is 45 inches and is 75 inches in the northeast.

It would be difficult to find a state with more recreation and entertainment.  They boast four professional sports teams and a men’s soccer team.  Atlanta is third in the nation for music production.  They have two resident ballet companies, a Grammy award winning symphony and a world class art museum.

So, check out the active adult communities on our website.  In Georgia, the times have changed but the pioneering spirit remains.