My month+ in Georgia

My take on Georgia

where I went
The pink line shows a route Momma and I took
on one of our trips to see my uncle in Orlando. 

I'd pat myself on the back for getting to so much of the state this month, except the time I was touring actually lasted 1 month plus a week of another.  Georgia's pretty big but only ranks 24th in area of the states - thanks to the huge land masses that comprise the western US states.   Speaking of land . . .

Georgia's land

Among the things that surprised me about Georgia were the number of trees and the number of bodies of water I saw.  Georgia can't rival Minnesota in number of lakes, but it sure has more than its fair share.  I saw lakes and ponds and streams and rivers all over the state.

And I hadn't realized Georgia is such a green state.  I guess I'd pictured it as mostly farm land, and it's got plenty of that.  But it also has trees everywhere.  In terms of timberland, Georgia ranks #9 among the US states, and since it's only #24 in size, that makes for a lot of trees.

Of course I've known for years that the Appalachian Trail starts in the south at Springer Mountain in Georgia, so you'd think I'd have realized that meant the Appalachian Mountains themselves must be in Georgia too so the trail could be traveling through them.  But apparently my brain hadn't connected the two.  I heard from many people living in the southern part of the state that, if I wanted to see beautiful country, I needed to go to the northern part.  They all talked about how beautiful the mountains are.  But still I was surprised at encountering the mountains of the Appalachians.  And they are beautiful.

But I wasn't bored by the relatively flat land in the south.  Farming land has its own beauty - and the Okefenokee Swamp is a wonderland all on its own.  And of course, Georgia has its share of ocean-front property that's lovely.

Georgia's people

Another idea I've always had about Georgia is that it's the home of Southern hospitality.  And the people I met were mostly friendly.  Specifically the managers of the KOA in Cordele, where I spent so much time.  They went out of their way to be hospitable.  But sometimes it seemed that those who were most friendly were those who had moved to Georgia from another state.  Not what I expected.

I also expected to find a lot of evidence of very conservative opinions - and my daily posts indicate times I saw Confederate and Trump flags flying.  But politically, Georgia seems to be in transition and maybe that explains why I didn't see more such flags, especially considering the incredible number of Civil War related historical markers and museums I found there.  So chalk up another oddity.

Driving in Georgia

I'm pleased to report that Georgia's roads are in good shape and driving there isn't hard at all - as long as you already know where you're going.  If you haven't been there before and need signs to help you get there, don't count on finding them.  I've been frustrated in other states about a lack of directional signs, but Georgia takes the prize for being worst.  As I mentioned in one of the daily posts, getting lost became a theme for my time here.

Along with the roads being good, so are the drivers.  Although they drive pretty fast, I didn't find them to be particularly aggressive.  Nobody honked at me - in fact, I don't think I heard anybody honk a horn at anybody for any reason while I was here.  I almost never had trouble merging into a lane of travel - people were willing to pull over to let me in, and I certainly appreciated it.

Both of these designs seemed to be the official ones, and I couldn't tell that either was more widely used than the other, or that one was newer than the other.

Georgia has a lot of specialty plates, but these 2 designs seemed the most popular choices.

My conclusion

In general I enjoyed my month+ here.  Georgia is a very attractive state with lots of variety and lots to see.  

But I've also learned that Georgia is a study in contradictions.  Georgia was the 4th state to ratify the US Constitution, which is odd because those loyal to the British crown were both strong and numerous in the Georgia Territory.  Yet, Georgia was faster in signing up than states like those in New England where Revolutionary fervor was said to be strongest.

Still, a mere 73 years later Georgia was the 5th state to join the Confederacy and the last to rejoin the Union.  Actually, it wouldn't have been last except that, after being reinstated, Georgia expelled all its Black members of the state legislature; Congress then expelled Georgia from the Union.  They managed to get themselves reinstated 2 years later, though they'd apparently just learned to talk a good story because in many ways life didn't change materially for Blacks - sharecropping, which the whites assigned them to, being only marginally better than slavery in many ways.

And now, Georgia's making other historic changes.  Despite its history as a solidly red state, Georgia seems to be turning purple.  Five of Georgia's 14 US Congressional representatives are Democrats (they're also all Black).  Georgians have also recently elected Raphael Warnock to a full term in the US Senate - Georgia's first Black senator.  Given the state's history, these events seem remarkable to me.

Georgia is the state of Jimmy Carter and Lester Maddox.  It gave birth to Martin Luther King, Jr. and, just 2 years ago, to one of the country's most restrictive voting laws.

But although Georgia doesn't even rank in the top 10 among fastest-growing states, its population is still increasing - especially in traditional minority groups.  Interestingly, Georgia has the 3rd lowest percentage of older residents among the 50 states - making Georgia a young state, which may account for its openness to change.

I guess my conclusion is that I ambivalently like Georgia.  It's a very religious state, and it's traditionally a conservative state.  But Georgians seem to be trying to learn and grow, and I applaud that in anyone.  I'm a fan of tradition, but I also believe in leaving the past behind when you learn a better way.  I think that's where Georgia is.

And I will always be grateful for being able to see the fabulous display of wisteria that Georgia provided.