Georgia: The Empire State of the South

Georgia: The Empire State of the South — page 1
4 GEORGIA INTRODUCTION Georgia is known as the Empire State of the South This nickname refers to Georgia’s role as the center of agricultural and industrial development in the South The state was once the cotton capital of the nation and cotton production is still one of its main industries In Georgia’s early days plantation owners were known for their wealth and their fine Southern manners Early Georgians were proud and friendly people a tradition that continues today Georgia’s landscape is a dramatic combination of swamplands beaches mountains and plains Built for the 1996 Olympic Games Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park features a water fountain shaped like the five Olympic rings The state is decorated with moss-covered trees colorful magnolias and majestic pines In fact the expression tall as a Georgia pine came from the state’s giant pine trees The Reynolds Mansion like many other plantation homes in Georgia is rich in Southern history Built between 1807 and 1810 it represents the success of the slavery-driven sugarcane and cotton industries Georgia’s state flower the Cherokee rose has a legend attached to it Cherokee mothers wept when settlers forced them off their land The legend claims that a rose grew wherever their tears had fallen The design of Georgia’s state flag has changed repeatedly over time The current flag is based on the first flag of the Confederate states during the Civil War with the addition of the state coat of arms The design was adopted on May 8 2003 The right whale is Georgia’s state marine mammal This endangered creature can grow up to 60 feet in length and is the only great whale that is native to Georgia’s coastal waters