GEORIGIA

Greetings,

While passing through the great state of Georgia...

home of one of our mortgages (I love that house and want to move back almost daily)

and

Birthplace of Oliver!

Okefenokee Swamp encompasses over 400,000 acres of canals; moss draped cypress trees, and lily pad prairies providing sanctuaries for hundreds of species of birds and wildlife including several endangered species.
 

Historic Saint Marys Georgia is the second oldest city in the nation.
 

The City of Savanna was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic.
It sailed from Georgia.
 

The pirate Edward "Blackbeard" Teach made a home on Blackbeard Island. The United States Congress designated the Blackbeard Island Wilderness Area in 1975 and it now has a total of 3,000 acres.
 

On January 19, 1861, Georgia joined the Confederacy.
 

In Gainesville, the Chicken Capital of the World it is illegal to eat chicken with a fork.
 

Georgia was named for King George II of England.
 

Stone Mountain near Atlanta is one of the largest single masses of exposed granite in the world.
 

Georgia is the nations number one producer of the three Ps--peanuts, pecans, and peaches.
 

Each year Georgia serves as a host to the International Poultry Trade Show, the largest poultry convention in the world.
 

The oldest portable steam engine in the United States is on display at Historic Railroad Shops in Savannah.
 

Known as the sweetest onion in the world, the Vidalia onion can only be grown in the fields around Vidalia and Glennville
 

Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi River.
 

Georgia's population in 1776 was around 40,000.
 

Cordele claims to be the watermelon capital of the world.
 

The annual Masters Golf Tournament is played at the Augusta National in Augusta every first week of April.
 

Georgia is often called the Empire State of the South and is also known as the Peach State and Cracker State.
 

In 1828 Auraria, near the city of Dahlongea, was the site of the first Gold Rush in America.
 

Coca-Cola was invented in May 1886 by Dr. John S. Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. The name "Coca-Cola" was suggested by Dr. Pemberton's bookkeeper, Frank Robinson. He penned the name Coca-Cola in the flowing script that is famous today. Coca-Cola was first sold at a soda fountain in Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta by Willis Venable.
 

Berry College in Rome has the world's largest college campus.
 

The Little White House in Warm Springs was the recuperative home of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
 

In 1942 Jekyll Island was a private resort sold to the state by the owners, a group of millionaires.
 

The popular theme park - Six Flags Over Georgia, was actually named for six flags that flew over Georgia. England, Spain, Liberty, Georgia, Confederate States of America, and the United States.
 

Chickamuga National Park is the site of the bloodiest battle in American history.
 

Plains is the home of Jimmy Carter, the 39th President.
 

The figures of Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis, and Robert E. Lee make up the world's largest sculpture. It is located on the face of Stone Mountain. Additionally Robert E. Lee's horse, Traveler, is also carved at the same place.
 

The world's largest Infantry training center is located at Fort Benning.
 

The largest Farmer's Market of its kind is located in Forest Park.
 

Wesleyan College in Macon was the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women.
 

Madison is known for its beautiful antebellum homes spared during Sherman's fiery march to the sea.
 

Athens is the location of the first university chartered and supported by state funds. 

GEORGIA:  ü