Georgia Information and Facts

Official Website: http://www.state.ga.us/

Income

The population of Georgia in 2002 was 8,544,005. Its rank was 10th in the nation. (The District of Columbia is included for ranking purposes.)

Per Capita Personal Income

In 2002 Georgia had a per capita personal income of $28,821. This per capita personal income ranked 29th in the United States and was 93 percent of the national average, $30,906. The 2002 per capita personal income reflected an increase of 0.9 percent from 2001. The 2001-2002 national change was 1.2 percent. In 1992 the per capita personal income of Georgia was $19,075 and ranked 29th in the United States. The 1992-2002 average annual growth rate of per capita personal income was 4.2 percent. The average annual growth rate for the nation was 4.0 percent.

Total Personal Income

In 2002 Georgia had a total personal income of $246,247,169. This total personal income ranked 11th in the United States. In 1992 the total personal income of Georgia was $130,040,771 and ranked 12th in the United States. The 2002 total personal income reflected an increase of 2.7 percent from 2001. The 2001-2002 national change was 2.3 percent. The 1992-2002 average annual growth rate of total personal income was 6.6 percent. The average annual growth rate for the nation was 5.2 percent.

Components of Personal Income

Total personal income includes net earnings by place of residence; dividends, interest, and rent; and total personal current transfer receipts received by the residents of Georgia. In 2002 net earnings accounted for 70.6 percent of total personal income (compared with 71.2 in 1992); dividends, interest, and rent were 16.1 percent (compared with 16.3 in 1992); and personal current transfer receipts were 13.3 percent (compared with 12.5 in 1992). From 2001 to 2002 net earnings increased 1.0 percent; dividends, interest, and rent increased 1.5 percent; and personal current transfer receipts increased 14.7 percent. From 1992 to 2002 net earnings increased on average 6.5 percent each year; dividends, interest, and rent increased on average 6.5 percent; and personal current transfer receipts increased on average 7.3 percent.

Employment Earnings

Earnings of persons employed in Georgia increased from $192,930,607 in 2001 to $195,187,058 in 2002, an increase of 1.2 percent. The 2001-2002 national change was 1.5 percent. The average annual growth rate from the 1992 estimate of $103,745,753 to the 2002 estimate was 6.5 percent. The average annual growth rate for the nation was 5.3 percent.

Area - Georgia has a total area of 152,750 sq km (58,977 sq mi), including 2618 sq km (1011 sq mi) of inland water and 122 sq km (47 sq mi) of coastal waters over which the state has jurisdiction. The state is the 24th largest in the country and has the largest land area of any state east of the Mississippi River. Georgia has a maximum dimension north to south of 515 km (320 mi) and east to west of 441 km (274 mi). The mean elevation is about 180 m (about 600 ft).

Climate - The average January temperature on the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont ranges from about 7° C (about 44° F) in the north to about 12° C (54° F) in the south. In the mountains, winter temperatures are in the middle single digits C (lower 40°s F) in the valleys and considerably lower on the hills and more exposed mountain slopes. Occasionally in winter masses of colder air sweep into Georgia from the north. On such occasions, temperatures have dropped to the lower 20°s C (lower 10°s F). Average July temperatures are in the upper 20°s C (lower 80°s F) on the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont, and range from about 23° to 26° C (about 74° to 78° F) in the mountains. Daytime temperatures are often in the upper 30°s C (lower 100°s F) and have risen occasionally to the middle 40°s Celsius (lower 110°s F). The high humidity makes very hot days exceedingly uncomfortable. Precipitation The Coastal Plain and Piedmont receive between 1170 and 1320 mm (46 and 52 in) of precipitation (both rainfall and snowfall) a year, and the mountains receive between 1420 and 1930 mm (56 and 76 in). However, the amount of precipitation varies greatly from year to year, and prolonged dry spells, although infrequent, occasionally cause crop failures and water shortages. More than half of all annual precipitation falls during the spring and summer. Snow is rare in the lowlands, but there are sometimes heavy snowfalls in the mountains.

State Flag

State Flower - Cherokee Rose

State Capitol - Atlanta
Georgia has had ten state constitutions. They were adopted in 1777, 1789, 1798, 1861, 1865, 1868, 1877, 1945, 1976, and 1982. The constitution of 1976 had so many amendments, many of which affected only localities, that it became unwieldy. The constitution adopted in 1982, which became effective in 1983, prohibits the passage of merely local amendments. All constitutional amendments require a two- thirds majority vote in each house of the legislature and ratification by a majority of the voters.

Famous People

Alice Walker author, Eatonton
Amy Grant singer, Augusta
Billy Joe Royal singer, Valdosta
Blind Willie McTell blues pioneer, Thomson
Bobby Jones golfer, Atlanta
Brenda Lee singer, Lithonia
Burt Reynolds actor, Waycross
Carson McCullers author, Columbus
Charles Coburn movie and TV actor, Macon
Clarence Thomas supreme court associate justice, Savannah
Conrad Aiken poet, Savannah
DeForest Kelley actor, Atlanta
Erskine Caldwell writer, Moreland
Fletcher Henderson musician/songwriter, Cuthbert
Gladys Knight singer, Atlanta
Harry James trumpeter, Albany
Henry W. Grady journalist, Athens
Hulk Hogan professional wrestler, Augusta
Jackie Robinson baseball player, Cairo
James Bowie soldier, Burke County
James Dickey poet, Atlanta
James E. Carter U.S. president, Plains
Janelle Taylor romance novelist, Athens
Jasper Johns painter, sculptor, Augusta
Jerry Reed singer/songwriter/actor, Atlanta
Jessye Norman singer, Augusta
Jim Brown actor, athlete, St. Simons Island
Joanne Woodward actress, Thomasville
Joel Chandler Harris journalist, author, Eatonton
John Henry Doc Holliday western hero, Griffin
John Robert Johnny Mize baseball player, Demorest
Johnny Mercer songwriter, Savannah
Joseph R. Lamar jurist, Elbert
Juliette Gordon Low U.S. Girl Scouts founder, Savannah
Larry Holmes boxer, Cuthert
Lawrence Fishburne III actor, Augusta
Little Richard singer, Macon
Lucius D. Clay banker, general, Marietta
Margaret Mitchell author, Atlanta
Martin Luther King, Jr. civil rights leader, Atlanta
Mattiwilda Dobbs soprano, Atlanta
Melvyn Douglas actor, Macon
Miriam Hopkins actress, Bainbridge
Nipsey Russell comedian, Atlanta
Oliver Hardy comedian, Harlem
Ossie Davis actor, writer, Cogdell
Otis Redding singer, Dawson
Pete Drake musician/record producer, Augusta
Ray Charles singer, Albany
Ray Stevens singer/songwriter, Clarksdale
Rebecca Latimer Felton first appointed woman U.S. senator, Decatur
Roland Hayes singer, Curyville
Stacy Keach actor, Savannah
Tommy Roe singer/songwriter, Alpharetta
Travis Tritt singer/songwriter, Marietta
Trisha Yearwood singer, Monticello
Ty Cobb baseball player, Narrows