Population

State Population by Decade

State Population by Decade
YearTotal
179082,548
1810252,433
1820340,989
1830516,823
1840691,392
1850906,185
18601,057,286
18701,184,109
18801,542,180
18901,837,353
19002,216,331
19102,609,121
19202,895,832
19302,908,506
19403,123,723
19503,444,578
19603,943,116
19704,589,575
19805,463,105
19906,478,149
20008,186,453
20109,687,653
202010,711,908

20 Largest Cities by Population – 2020 Census

20 Largest Cities by Population – 2020 Census
CityPopulation
Atlanta498,715
Columbus 206,922
Augusta-Richmond County202,081
Macon-Bibb County157,346
Savannah147,780
Athens-Clarke County127,315
Sandy Springs108,080
South Fulton107,436
Roswell92,833
Johns Creek82,453
Warner Robins80,308
Albany69,647
Alpharetta65,818
Marietta60,972
Stonecrest59,194
Smyrna55.663
Valdosta55,378
Brookhaven55,161
Dunwoody51,683
Newnan42,549

20 Largest Counties by Population – 2020 Census

20 Largest Counties by Population – 2020 Census
CountyPopulation
Fulton1,066,710
Gwinnett957,062
Cobb766,149
DeKalb764,382
Clayton297,595
Chatham295,291
Cherokee266,620
Forsyth251,283
Henry240,712
Muscogee206,922
Richmond206,607
Hall203,136
Paulding168,661
Houston163,633
Bibb157,346
Columbia156,010
Coweta146,158
Douglas144,237
Clarke128,671
Fayette119,194

Metro Areas by Population – 2020 Census

Metro Areas by Population – 2020 Census
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)Population
Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Alpharetta6,089,815
Augusta-Richmond (GA–SC)611,000
Chattanooga (TN-GA)562,647
Savannah404,798
Columbus (GA–AL)328,883
Macon-Bibb233,802
Athens-Clark215,415
Gainesville203,136
Warner Robins191,614
Albany148,922
Valdosta148,126
Dalton142,837
Brunswick113,495
Rome98,584
Hinesville81,424

State Symbols

Cherokee Rose

Cherokee Rose

State Flower

Quail

Quail

Game Bird

Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher

State Song Bird

Forest, Cumberland Island

Live Oak

State Tree

Vidalia Onions

Vidalia Onion

State Vegetable

Peanuts

Peanuts

State Crop

Peaches

Peach

State Fruit

Muscadine Grapes

Muscadine

State Grape

Gopher Tortoise

Gopher Tortoise

State Reptile

Green Tree Frog

Green Tree Frog

State Amphibian

Largemouth Bass

Largemouth Bass

State Fish

Right Whale

Right Whale

State Marine Mammal

Staurolite

Staurolite

State Mineral

Ray Charles

“Georgia on My Mind”

State Song

April 24, 1979 by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell

Springer Opera House

Springer Opera House

State Theatre

Columbus, Georgia

2004 Georgia State Flag

State Flag

Adopted 2003

Great Seal

Great Seal

Adopted 1799

Geography

Major Lakes & Reservoirs

Major Lakes & Reservoirs
ReservoirCreatedBuilderPurposeImpoundedAcres
Lake Allatoona1950Army Corps of EngineersFloor controlEtowah River basin12,010
Lake Andrews1963Army Corps of EngineersNavigationLower Chattahoochee River 1,540
Bartlett’s Ferry1926Georgia Power CompanyPowerMiddle Chattahoochee River5,850
Lake Blackshear1930Crisp County Power CompanyPowerFlint River8,700
Black Shoals2000Big Haynes Creek Impoundment AuthorityWater supplyBig Haynes Creek650
Blue Ridge1930Tennessee Valley AuthorityPowerToccoa River3,290
Lake Burton1919Georgia Power CompanyPowerTallulah River2,775
Carters Lake1977Army Corps of EngineersPowerCoosawattee River3,220
Lake Chatuge1942Tennessee Valley AuthorityFlood control, powerHiwassee River7,050
Lake Chehaw (Worth)1919Georgia Power CompanyPowerFlint River, Muckalee Creek, Kinchafoonee Creek1,400
Clarks Hill (J. Strom Thurmond)1954Army Corps of EngineersFlood control, powerSavannah River, Little River71,535
Walter F. George1963Army Corps of EngineersNavigation, power, water supplyChattahoochee River45,180
Goat Rock1912Georgia Power CompanyPowerChattahoochee River 940
Lake Hartwell1963Army Corps of EngineersFlood control, powerSavannah River56,000
High FallsunknownGeorgia Power CompanyGrist mill, power, recreationBuck Creek650
Jackson Lake1910Georgia Power CompanyPowerAlcovy River, South River, Yellow River, Tussahaw Creek4,750
Lake JulietteunknownGeorgia Power CompanyPower (cooling water)Rum Creek, Chambliss Creek3,600
Lake Lanier1956Army Corps of EngineersWater supply, Flood control, power, navigationChattahoochee River38,000
Lake Nottely1942Tennessee Valley AuthorityPower, navigation, flood controlNottely River4,180
Lake Oconee1979Georgia Power CompanyPowerOconee River, Apalachee River, Richland Creek, other creeks19,050
Lake Oliver1926Georgia Power CompanyPowerMiddle Chattahoochee River2,150
Lake Rabun1915Georgia Power CompanyPower, water supplyTallulah River834
Richard B. Russell1983Army Corps of EngineersFlood control, powerSavannah River26,650
Lake Seminole1957Army Corps of EngineersNavigation, power, recreationFlint River, Chattahoochee River37,500
Lake Sinclair1953Georgia Power CompanyPowerOconee River, Apalachee River15,330
Lake TobesofkeeunknownBibb CountyRecreationTobesofkee Creek1,750
Lake TugalounknownGeorgia Power CompanyPowerTallulah River, Chattooga River597
Lake Varner1991Newton CountyWater supplyCornish Creek850
Weiss Lake1961Alabama Power CompanyPowerCoosa River30,200
West Point Lake1974Army Corps of EngineersFlood control, power, navigation, recreationChattahoochee River25,900

20 Largest Counties

20 Largest Counties
CountySquare Miles
Ware906.6
Burke835.1
Clinch824.2
Laurens818.6
Charlton783.0
Camden782.5
Emanuel690.4
Bulloch688.9
Washington684.4
Screven655.7
Wayne648.9
Chatham646.3
Decatur623.2
Coffee602.7
Liberty602.6
Glynn583.1
McIntosh574.8
Worth574.6
Colquitt556.6
Thomas552.1

Web Resources

Association County Commissioners of Georgia: County Map

This interactive map provides census, geographic, and political information on each county in the state.

Atlanta History Center Album

Album provides access to more than 16,000 photographs and audio and video recordings from the collection of the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center.

Atlanta Studies

Atlanta Studies is an open access, digital publication that features original scholarship on Atlanta’s past and present. This multimedia web-based journal is published by the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship.

ATLMaps

The ATLmaps platform, a collaboration between Georgia State University and Emory University, combines archival maps, geospatial data visualization, and user contributed multimedia location pinpoints to promote investigation into any number of issues about Atlanta.

Brown Media Archives at UGA You Tube Channel

The channel for the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection provides streaming content through various databases, including the archives’ website.

Civil Rights Digital Library

The CRDL promotes an enhanced understanding of the civil rights movement by helping users discover primary sources and other educational materials from libraries, archives, museums, public broadcasters, and others on a national scale.

Digital Library of Georgia

The Digital Library of Georgia, an initiative of GALILEO, partners with the state’s libraries, archives, museums, and other institutions to provide access to key digital resources on Georgia history, culture, and life.

Georgia Government Publications

A project of GALILEO, this database contains born-digital publications and scanned print documents produced by Georgia state agencies from 1994 to the present. GGP participants are actively scanning documents printed before 1994.

Georgia Historic Newspapers

A project of the Digital Library of Georgia, the Georgia Historic Newspapers Archives includes over one million digitized newspaper pages between 1786 and 1986.

Georgia Stories

This collection of videos, produced by Georgia Public Broadcasting, tells the stories of the state’s history and supports the Georgia Performance Standards for eighth-grade social studies.

Georgia’s Virtual Vault

The Virtual Vault provides electronic access to historic Georgia manuscripts, photographs, maps, and government records housed in the state archives.