Augusta, Georgia
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Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Georgia's third-largest city after
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
and Columbus, Augusta is located in the Fall Line section of the state. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Augusta–Richmond County had a 2020 population of 202,081, not counting the unconsolidated cities of Blythe and Hephzibah. It is the 116th largest city in the United States. The process of consolidation between the City of Augusta and
Richmond County Richmond County may refer to places: Australia *Richmond County, New South Wales, a cadastral division Canada *Richmond County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Richmondshire, the original Richmond County in Yorkshire, England United States ...
began with a 1995 referendum in the two jurisdictions. The merger was completed on July 1, 1996. Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta metropolitan area. In 2020 it had a population of 611,000, making it the second-largest metro area in the state. It is the 95th largest metropolitan area in the United States. Augusta was established in 1736 and is named in honor of Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (1719–1772), the bride of Frederick, Prince of Wales and the mother of the British monarch
George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
. During the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, Augusta housed the principal Confederate powder works. Augusta's warm climate made it a major resort town of the Eastern United States in the early and mid-20th century. Internationally, Augusta is best known for hosting
The Masters The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first ma ...
golf tournament each spring. The Masters brings over 200,000 visitors from around the world to the Augusta National Golf Club. Membership at Augusta National is widely considered to be the most exclusive in the sport of golf around the world. Augusta lies approximately two hours away from downtown Atlanta by car via I-20. The city is home to Fort Gordon, a major U.S. Army base. In 2016, it was announced that the new National Cyber Security Headquarters would be based in Augusta.


History

The area along the river was long inhabited by varying cultures of
indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
, who relied on the river for fish, water and transportation. The site of Augusta was used by Native Americans as a place to cross the Savannah River, because of its location on the fall line. In 1735, two years after James Oglethorpe founded Savannah, he sent a detachment of troops to explore the upper Savannah River. He gave them an order to build a fort at the head of the navigable part of the river. The expedition was led by
Noble Jones Noble Jones (1702 – November 2, 1775), an English-born carpenter, was one of the first settlers of the Province of Georgia and one of its leading officials. He was born in Herefordshire. As part of Gen. James Edward Oglethorpe's 42nd (old) Regi ...
, who created a settlement as a first line of defense for coastal areas against potential
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
or French invasion from the interior. Oglethorpe named the town in honor of Princess Augusta, the mother of
King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
and the wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales. Oglethorpe visited Augusta in September 1739 on his return to Savannah from a perilous visit to Coweta Town, near present-day Phenix City, Alabama. There, he had met with a convention of 7,000 Native American warriors and concluded a peace treaty with them in their territories in northern and western Georgia. Augusta was the second state capital of Georgia from 1785 until 1795 (alternating for a period with Savannah, the first). Augusta developed rapidly as a market town as the Black Belt in the Piedmont was developed for cotton cultivation. Invention of the cotton gin made processing of short-staple cotton profitable, and this type of cotton was well-suited to the upland areas. Cotton plantations were worked by slave labor, with hundreds of thousands of slaves shipped from the Upper South to the Deep South in the domestic slave trade. Many of the slaves were brought from the
Lowcountry The Lowcountry (sometimes Low Country or just low country) is a geographic and cultural region along South Carolina's coast, including the Sea Islands. The region includes significant salt marshes and other coastal waterways, making it an impor ...
, where their
Gullah The Gullah () are an African American ethnic group who predominantly live in the Lowcountry region of the U.S. states of Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina, within the coastal plain and the Sea Islands. Their language and cultu ...
culture had developed on the large Sea Island cotton and rice plantations. During the Civil War, Augusta was home to many war industries including powder-works facilities. After the war, Augusta had a booming textile industry leading to the construction of many mills along the Augusta Canal to include Enterprise Mill, Sibley Mill, and King Mill. The city experienced the Augusta Fire of 1916, which damaged 25 blocks of the town and many buildings of historical significance. As a major city in the area, Augusta was a center of activities during Reconstruction and after. In the mid-20th century, it was a site of civil rights demonstrations. In 1970, Charles Oatman, a mentally disabled teenager, was killed by his cellmates in an Augusta jail. A protest against his death broke out in a riot involving 500 people, after six black men were killed by police, each found to have been shot in the back. The noted singer and entertainer James Brown was called in to help quell lingering tensions, which he succeeded in doing.


Hyde Park

In 1993, an area known as Hyde Park in Augusta, Georgia, was investigated by the EPA for contamination. The investigation totaled $1.2 million. Air, groundwater, and soil were all believed to be contaminated, and people living in the area were hoping for government assistance to move away from Hyde Park. Two of five neighborhoods in Hyde Park appeared to have arsenic, chromium, and dioxin, while all five were found to have PCBs and lead. However, residents were told it was not a risk to their health unless they somehow ingested it on a regular basis. At the time the article was written, the citizens still questioned why the EPA and ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Disease Registry) did not consider these chemicals as a threat to them. Hyde Park also has higher rates of certain illnesses (such as cancer, infections, rashes) than the average in America, and the citizens question why that is not considered.


Geography

Augusta is located along the Georgia/South Carolina border, about east of
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
and west of Columbia. The city is located at (33.4700, −81.9750). According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the Augusta–Richmond County balance has a total area of , of which is land and (1.42%) is water. Augusta is located about halfway up the Savannah River on the fall line, which creates a number of small falls on the river. The city marks the end of a navigable waterway for the river and the entry to the Georgia
Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
area. The Clarks Hill Dam is built on the fall line near Augusta, forming Clarks Hill Lake. Farther downstream, near the border of Columbia County, is the Stevens Creek Dam, which generates
hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...
. Even farther downstream is the Augusta Diversion Dam, which marks the beginning of the Augusta Canal and channels Savannah River waters into the canal.


Climate

As with the rest of the state, Augusta has a humid subtropical climate (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Cfa''), with short, mild winters, very hot, humid summers, and a wide
diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak da ...
throughout much of the year, despite its low elevation and humidity. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from in January to in July; there are 53 nights with the low reaching the freezing mark, 82 days reaching or exceeding , and 5.5 days reaching annually. Extreme temperatures range from on January 21, 1985 up to on August 10, 2007, and August 21, 1983. Snowfall is not nearly as common as in Atlanta, due largely to Augusta's elevation, with downtown Augusta being about lower than downtown Atlanta. The heaviest recorded snowfall was in February 1973 with 14.0″ snowfall (35.56 cm) Freezing rain is also a threat in wintertime.


Historic districts

Augusta Downtown Historic District is a historic district that encompasses most of downtown Augusta and its pre- Civil War area. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 2004. Augusta also includes the: * Bethlehem Historic District * Broad Street Historic District * Greene Street Historic District * Harrisburg–West End Historic District * Laney–Walker North Historic District * Paine College Historic District * Pinched Gut Historic District * Sand Hills Historic District * Summerville Historic District


Tallest buildings


Demographics


2020 census

As of the
2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 202,081 people, 66,838 households, and 41,517 families residing in the city.


2013

According to 2013 US Census estimates, the Augusta–
Richmond County Richmond County may refer to places: Australia *Richmond County, New South Wales, a cadastral division Canada *Richmond County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Richmondshire, the original Richmond County in Yorkshire, England United States ...
population was 197,350 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe. In the 2010 census, Augusta–Richmond County had 195,844 residents. The population density was . There were 84,427 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city-county area was 64.7%
Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
or
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 29.1%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 0.3% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.2%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 1.3% some other race, and 2.6% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or Latino people of any race were 4.1% of the population. There were 75,208 households, out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were headed by married couples living together, 22.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.09. In the city-county consolidated area the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males. As of the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the city-county area was $37,231, and the median income for a family was $45,372. Males had a median income of $32,008 versus $23,988 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the balance was $19,558. About 13.2% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.


Religion

The most-attended denomination is the Southern Baptist Convention, with 221 congregations and 114,351 members. The
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
has 13 congregations and 31,687 members, while the United Methodist Church has 83 churches and 30,722 members. The National Baptist Convention had 26,671 members. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has 14 congregations and 4,500 members, the
Presbyterian Church in America The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Reformed in theology and presb ...
has 4,396 members in 14 churches. The
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
community in Augusta dates back to the early 19th century. Today, there are two congregations: Congregation Children of Israel (
Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...
) and Adas Yeshurun (
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
). There is also a Chabad-Lubavitch house. Around 1,300 Jews currently live in Augusta, who collectively support a
Jewish Community Center A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social, and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish culture and heritage through holiday celebrations ...
.


Economy

Augusta is a regional center of medicine, biotechnology, and cyber security. Augusta University, the state's only public health sciences graduate university, employs over 7,000 people. Along with University Hospital, the Medical District of Augusta employs over 25,000 people and has an economic impact of over $1.8 billion. The city's three largest employers are Augusta University, the
Savannah River Site The Savannah River Site (SRS) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reservation in the United States in the state of South Carolina, located on land in Aiken, Allendale, and Barnwell counties adjacent to the Savannah River, southeast of August ...
(a
Department of Energy A Ministry of Energy or Department of Energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-re ...
nuclear facility) and the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon, which oversees training for Cyber, Signal Corps, and Electronic Warfare. Despite layoffs from several companies during the U.S. economic recession and a relatively high state unemployment rate, the Augusta community has experienced a decrease in bankruptcy filings and saw a slight decrease in the unemployment rate from late 2009 to March 2011. However, these unemployment numbers are misleading as spring brings lower unemployment rates due to the Masters Golf Tournament. While unemployment fell to a two-year low of 8.3% in April 2011, unemployment rates have since risen to 9.9% as of July 2011. With the establishment of the Georgia Cyber Center in Downtown Augusta, the Augusta metro region has become a hub for cyber security based companies looking to locate to the area in part as well to the establishment of the U.S. Army Cyber Command relocating to Fort Gordon from Fort Meade. Augusta plays host to TechNet on a yearly basis which brings in various military, government, and private sector leaders to the area to showcase new cyber related products as well as discussions on cyber based collaboration efforts between the public and private sectors. Companies that have facilities, headquarters or distribution centers in the Augusta metro area include CareSouth,
NutraSweet The NutraSweet Company is an American nutrient company that produces and markets NutraSweet Neotame, their trademarked brand name for the high-intensity sweetener neotame. In 2021, NutraSweet was placed 43rd by FoodTalks' list of Top 50 Global S ...
,
T-Mobile T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic ( T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland ( T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobil ...
, Covidien, Solo Cup Company,
Automatic Data Processing ADP, Inc. (originally an acronym for Automatic Data Processing) is an American provider of human resources management software and services. History In 1949, Henry Taub founded Automatic Payrolls, Inc. as a manual payroll processing business wit ...
, Graphic Packaging International, Solvay S.A., Bridgestone, Teleperformance,
Olin Corporation Olin Corporation is an American manufacturer of ammunition, chlorine, and sodium hydroxide. The company traces its roots to two companies, both founded in 1892: Franklin W. Olin's Equitable Powder Company and the Mathieson Alkali Works. Olin che ...
, Sitel, E-Z-GO, Taxslayer, Elanco, KSB Company (Georgia Iron Works),
Club Car Club Car is an American company that manufactures electric and gas-powered golf carts and small utility vehicles for personal and commercial use. It is currently owned by Platinum Equity after being acquired in 2021. Before that, the company wa ...
(Worldwide Headquarters), Halocarbon, MTU Friedrichshafen (subsidiary of
Tognum Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG is a German company owned by Rolls-Royce Holdings with holdings in engine manufacturing brands and facilities. The company previously traded, from 2006 to 2014, as Tognum AG. Prior to 2006, the core company – MTU ...
), Kimberly Clark Corporation,
Nutrien Nutrien is a Canadian fertilizer company based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It is the largest producer of potash and the third largest producer of nitrogen fertilizer in the world. It has over 2,000 retail locations across North America, S ...
(formerly PotashCorp), John Deere, Kellogg's and
Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along w ...
' baggage call center.


Top employers

According to the Augusta Economic Development Authority,City of Augusta Largest Employers
Retrieved November 14, 2013
the top manufacturing employers in the city are: The top public sector employers are:


Sports


Teams

The
Augusta GreenJackets The Augusta GreenJackets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina, which opened in April 2018. They previo ...
minor league baseball club, formerly located at Lake Olmstead Stadium in Augusta, now play at
SRP Park SRP Park is a baseball park in North Augusta, South Carolina, which is part of the Augusta metropolitan area, Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area. It is the home of the Augusta GreenJackets, a Minor League Baseball team playing in the Single-A Car ...
along the Savannah River in
North Augusta, South Carolina North Augusta is a city in Aiken and Edgefield counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina, on the north bank of the Savannah River. The population was 21,348 at the 2010 census. The city is included in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) ...
. The team began to play in 1988 as the Augusta Pirates, affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Later affiliated with the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
and the San Francisco Giants, the GreenJackets are now the Class A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The Augusta Lynx were a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Augusta, Georgia. The Lynx played their home games at the James Brown Arena from 1998 until 2008. The Lynx, who played in the
ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...
, had affiliations with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL and the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL. The Augusta RiverHawks were a professional minor league ice hockey team. They played in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) from 2010 to 2013. They played their home games at the James Brown Arena. The Augusta Stallions were a professional Arena football team founded in 1999. They were one of the 15 original teams to join the inaugural 2000 AF2 season. They started off in the American Conference, before switching to the Southeast Division in 2001, and then the Eastern Division in 2002. The team folded in 2002. The Augusta Rugby Football Club (ARFC) is a division 2 men's club competing in the Palmetto Rugby Union, part of the USA Rugby South Conference. Augusta has an all-female flat track roller derby team, the Soul City Sirens. Founded in 2008, this league is all-volunteer and skater-owned. Augusta is also home to the former Augusta 706ers, a minor league professional basketball team in the American Basketball Association. The team was founded in 2017 and stopped operations in December 2018 because of a lack of funds. The team played all home games at the James Brown Arena.


Tournaments

The city's famous
golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
course, the Augusta National Golf Club, hosts the first major golf tournament of each year,
The Masters The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first ma ...
. This tournament is the most prestigious in the sport and is one of the four major championships. The best professional and amateur golfers in the world come to Augusta during the first full week of April every year. The grounds of Augusta National are known for being pristine, and the course was ranked in 2009 as the third best golf course in the world by '' Golf Magazine''. The city also has several disc golf facilities. The Augusta Top Gun Series is a series of tournaments sanctioned by the Professional Disc Golf Association. These tournaments are held at various venues in Augusta, including Pendleton King Park and Lake Olmstead. Also, Augusta hosted the 2006 Professional Disc Golf World Championships. Along with Pendleton King and Lake Olmstead, two courses in North Augusta, SC was used for the tournament. 299 disc golfers from around the world attended the event, with Ken Climo winning the tournament and his 12th world championship. Augusta hosted the Augusta Southern Nationals billed as "World's Richest Drag Boat Race" for 30 consecutive years. The event was held on the Savannah River near downtown in July until 2016. The race was part of the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series and was sanctioned by the International Hot Boat Association. The event benefited the Augusta Chapter of the Georgia Special Olympics with over 100 racing teams from 25 states competed annually for $140,000 in purse and prizes while trying to beat the course record of . Augusta is the site of the Head of the South Regatta. The youth
rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...
regatta is held on the Savannah River and is usually scheduled for early November. Augusta is also the host to one of the largest IRONMAN 70.3 competition in North America taking athletes through various cycling routes around Augusta, a running course through Downtown Augusta, and a opening swim on the Savannah River along Augusta's riverfront. Recently, Augusta has been the featured home of the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships which leads cyclists through various routes through Downtown Augusta and Fort Gordon. The city has also attracted visitors during the Nike EYBL Peach Jam Basketball Tournament held in neighboring
North Augusta, South Carolina North Augusta is a city in Aiken and Edgefield counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina, on the north bank of the Savannah River. The population was 21,348 at the 2010 census. The city is included in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) ...
which features some of the top high school basketball players and teams across the United States.


Parks and recreation

* Riverwalk Augusta
riverfront A riverfront is a region along a river. Often in larger cities that are traversed or bordered by one or more rivers, the riverfront is lined with marinas, docks, cafes, museums, parks, or minor attractions. Today many riverfronts are a staple of ...
park along and on top of the city's levee *Augusta Common – green space linking Broad Street to Reynolds Street, with statue of James Oglethorpe * Augusta Canal – historic canal with bike/pedestrian path * Phinizy Swamp Nature Parkwetlands park with pedestrian/bike paths and boardwalks *Diamond Lakes Regional Park – in south Richmond County *Brookfield Park – public park featuring a playground, putting green, pedestrian/bike path, and a fountain in which children can play *Pendleton King – public park featuring a disc golf course, dog park, amphitheater, bike and running paths, and gardens


Law and government

In 1995, citizens of Augusta and unincorporated parts of
Richmond County Richmond County may refer to places: Australia *Richmond County, New South Wales, a cadastral division Canada *Richmond County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Richmondshire, the original Richmond County in Yorkshire, England United States ...
voted to consolidate their city and county governments. Citizens of Hephzibah and Blythe, also located in Richmond County, voted against joining in the merger, which took effect January 1, 1996. The unified government consists of a
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
and ten commissioners. Eight commissioners represent single-member districts, while two are elected at-large, each to represent a super district that encompasses half of Augusta-Richmond's population. Law enforcement in Augusta is handled by the Richmond County Sheriff's Office which patrols the main city of Augusta and the unincorporated areas of Hephzibah and Blythe although both of these towns have their own police departments. Prior to consolidation, Augusta had a city police department and the
Richmond County Richmond County may refer to places: Australia *Richmond County, New South Wales, a cadastral division Canada *Richmond County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Richmondshire, the original Richmond County in Yorkshire, England United States ...
sheriff patrolled the unincorporated areas of the county. The consolidation charter deems the sheriff as the chief law enforcement officer of Richmond County. Augusta is one of the few consolidated city-counties in the state that retain the sheriff in a law enforcement capacity.


List of mayors

See
List of mayors of Augusta, Georgia This is a list of mayors of Augusta, Georgia, United States, including the former city of Augusta and 1996–present consolidated Augusta–Richmond County. Former city of Augusta Consolidated Augusta–Richmond County See also * Timeline ...


Education


Colleges and universities

;Main campuses *
Augusta Technical College Augusta Technical College is a public technical school based in Augusta, Georgia. It was opened in 1961 and is part of the Technical College System of Georgia. The school has three campuses, one in Augusta (Richmond County), another in Thomson ...
(state technical college) * Augusta University (public research university) *
Paine College Paine College is a private, historically black Methodist college in Augusta, Georgia. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. Paine College offers undergraduate degrees in the liberal arts, bu ...
(private, Methodist historically black college) ;Satellite campuses *
East Georgia State College East Georgia State College (EGSC) is a public college in Swainsboro, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia. As an access institution, the college serves a predominantly rural area of 24 counties in Georgia's coastal plain from i ...
(state four-year college), main campus located in Swainsboro *
Georgia Military College Georgia Military College (GMC) is a public military junior college in Milledgeville, Georgia. It is divided into the junior college, a military junior college program, high school, middle school, and elementary school. It was originally known as M ...
(state funded military college), main campus located in Milledgeville * Brenau University (private, not-for-profit, undergraduate and graduate-level higher education), main campus located in Gainesville, Georgia


K–12 schools

Public K–12 schools in Augusta are managed by the Richmond County School System. The school system contains 36 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, and the following eight high schools: Glenn Hills, Butler, Westside, Hephzibah, T. W. Josey, A.R.C. (Academy of Richmond County),
Lucy Craft Laney Lucy Craft Laney (April 13, 1854 – October 23, 1933) was an American educator who in 1883 founded the first school for black children in Augusta, Georgia. She was principal for 50 years of the Haines Institute for Industrial and Normal Ed ...
, and Cross Creek. There are four
magnet school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...
s: C. T. Walker Traditional Magnet School, A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet High School, Davidson Fine Arts, and the Richmond County Technical Career Magnet School. Private schools in Augusta include Aquinas High School, Episcopal Day School, Saint Mary on the Hill Catholic School, Immaculate Conception School, Hillcrest Baptist Church School, Curtis Baptist High School, Gracewood Baptist First Academy, Alleluia Community School, New Life Christian Academy, Charles Henry Terrell Academy, Heritage Academy, and Westminster Schools of Augusta. Augusta Christian Schools, Augusta First Seventh-day Adventist School, and Augusta Preparatory Day School serve Augusta, but are located in neighboring Martinez.


Transportation

Augusta is linked to Atlanta to the west and
Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...
, to the east by Interstate 20 (I-20). I-520 ( Bobby Jones Expressway) extends from I-20 exit 196 through Augusta's western and southern suburban areas, eventually crossing the Savannah River to South Carolina, in which it is known as Palmetto Parkway. U.S. Route 1 (US 1), along with State Route 4 (SR 4), connects
Wrens Wrens are a family of brown passerine birds in the predominantly New World family Troglodytidae. The family includes 88 species divided into 19 genera. Only the Eurasian wren occurs in the Old World, where, in Anglophone regions, it is comm ...
. US 1 also links Augusta with
Aiken, South Carolina Aiken is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, in western South Carolina. It is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. Founded in 1835, Aiken was named after William Aiken, the president of the S ...
. US 25 and SR 121 connects Waynesboro with Augusta; across the state line, US 25 and
South Carolina Highway 121 South Carolina Highway 121 (SC 121) is a major state highway that travels north and south in central parts of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway is actually part of a long multi-state highway that also exists in Florida and ...
(SC 121) links Augusta with Edgefield, South Carolina. US 78/ US 278/ SR 10, known locally as
Gordon Highway Gordon Highway is a major highway in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Georgia, traveling through the southern part of Columbia County and the northeastern part of Richmond County. It is named after Confederate general John Brown Gordo ...
, connects Thomson with Augusta. In South Carolina, US 1 and US 78 go through
Aiken, South Carolina Aiken is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, in western South Carolina. It is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. Founded in 1835, Aiken was named after William Aiken, the president of the S ...
. US 78 further connects with Charleston, South Carolina. US 278 bypasses Aiken and serves as a connecting route to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Augusta has been mentioned as the east terminus of an proposed expansion of Interstate 14 that would begin in Midland-Odessa, Texas and run through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia with hopes of connecting major military installations along the highway corridor such as
Fort Hood Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarter ...
, Fort Benning, Fort Gordon, and Camp Beauregard. Augusta has also been mentioned another proposed interstate known as Interstate 3 that would go through the city from Savannah to Knoxville, Tennessee and it only runs through two states, Georgia, and Tennessee.


Major roads and expressways

* * * * * * * (follows US 1 from Jefferson County line to Gordon Highway; leaves Georgia at James U. Jackson Memorial Bridge) * (various roads, including John C. Calhoun Expressway and Washington Road) * * in southern Richmond County * * * * * * Parts of Augusta are served by city transit service Augusta Public Transit (APT), but the main mode of transportation within the city is by car. Augusta is also served by a number of taxi companies.


Airports

The city has two airports:
Augusta Regional Airport Augusta Regional Airport (Augusta Regional Airport at Bush Field) is a city-owned public airport six miles (11 km) south of Augusta, in Richmond County, Georgia, United States. In 2000 Bush Field airport changed its name to Augusta Regio ...
and
Daniel Field Daniel Field is a public use airport located one nautical mile (2  km) west of the central business district of Augusta, a city in Richmond County, Georgia, United States. It is owned by the City of Augusta and operated by the General ...
. Augusta Regional Airport is served by three passenger airlines, including Delta, which offers mainline service to Atlanta.


Rail

Until the 1960s, the city's Augusta Union Station was a passenger rail hub, with trains arriving from the Atlantic Coast Line (as spur sections from Florence, South Carolina, from trains such as the '' Champion,'' ''Everglades'' and '' Palmetto''),
Georgia Railroad Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
and Southern Railway (for example, the '' Aiken-Augusta Special'' from
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
). The last
Seaboard Coast Line The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate lin ...
(the successor to the Atlantic Coast Line) train was a Florence-Augusta section of the ''Champion;'' this section ended in 1970. The last train to the city was the unnamed daily in-state
Georgia Railroad Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
train between
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
and Augusta. This latter train, unofficially called ''The Georgia Cannonball,'' ran as a
mixed train A mixed train or mixed consist is a train that contains both passenger and freight cars or wagons. Although common in the early days of railways, by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. Typically, service ...
, until May 6, 1983. Most trains went to the Union Station at Barrett Square. The Southern Railway trains went to the Southern Railway depot at Fifth and Reynolds Street. Today, freight service is handled by Norfolk Southern Railway's Georgia Division and Piedmont Division through their Augusta Yard and Nixon Yard located near the city. Norfolk Southern Trains such as the NS 191 and 192 pass through Augusta's downtown as they "street run" at down 6th street. They also cross the old Trestle over the Savannah River entering and leaving South Carolina. CSX Transportation Atlanta Division and Florence Division Trains also serve the Augusta, Georgia, area from the CSX Augusta Yard near
Gordon Highway Gordon Highway is a major highway in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Georgia, traveling through the southern part of Columbia County and the northeastern part of Richmond County. It is named after Confederate general John Brown Gordo ...
southwest of the city.


Pedestrians and cycling

* Augusta Canal Historic Trail * New Bartram Trail * Phinizy Swamp Constructed Wetlands Trail * River Levee Trail * Riverwalk Augusta Trail


Notable people


Sister cities

Augusta is twinned with: * Biarritz,
Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlant ...
, France * Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Japan


See also

* Arts and culture in Augusta, Georgia * James Brown Arena *
List of mayors of Augusta, Georgia This is a list of mayors of Augusta, Georgia, United States, including the former city of Augusta and 1996–present consolidated Augusta–Richmond County. Former city of Augusta Consolidated Augusta–Richmond County See also * Timeline ...
*
List of people from Augusta, Georgia The city of Augusta, Georgia, the largest city and the county seat of Richmond County, Georgia, is the birthplace and home of several notable individuals. This is a list of people from Augusta, Georgia and includes people who were born or lived ...
* Media in Augusta, Georgia * Medical District (Augusta, Georgia) * Old Government House (Augusta, Georgia) * Summerville (Augusta, Georgia) * List of U.S. cities with large Black populations


Notes


References


Further reading

* Allen, Carrie. "“I Got That Something That Makes Me Want to Shout”: James Brown, Religion, and Gospel Music in Augusta, Georgia." ''Journal of the Society for American Music'' 5.4 (2011): 535-555
online
* Allen, Carrie A. " 'When We Send Up the praises': Race, Identity, and Gospel Music in Augusta, Georgia." ''Black Music Research Journal'' (2007): 79-95
online
als
online at JSTOR
* Bellamy, Donnie D., and Diane E. Walker. "Slaveholding in Antebellum Augusta and Richmond County, Georgia." ''Phylon'' 48.2 (1987): 165-17
online
als
online in JSTOR
* Brown, Russell K. "Post-Civil War Violence in Augusta, Georgia." ''Georgia Historical Quarterly'' 90.2 (2006): 196-21
online
* Brown, Russell K. "Augusta's Other Voice: James Gardner and the Constitutionalist." ''Georgia Historical Quarterly'' 85.4 (2001): 592-60
online
* Cashin, Edward J., and Glenn T. Eskew, eds. ''Paternalism in a Southern City: Race, Religion, and Gender in Augusta, Georgia'' (U of Georgia Press, 2001). * Curtis, William S. "Unorthodox British Technology at the Confederate Gunpowder Works, Augusta, Georgia, 1862–1865." in ''Gunpowder, Explosives and the State'' (Routledge, 2016) pp. 263–272. * Fleming, Berry. ''Autobiography of a Colony: The First Half-century of Augusta, Georgia'' (U of Georgia Press, 2009). * Gourley, Bruce T. "A Journey of Faith and Community: The Story of the First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia." ''Baptist History & Heritage'' 51.3 (2016). * Griffin, Richard W. "The Augusta (Georgia) Manufacturing Company in Peace, War, and Reconstruction, 1847–1877." ''Business History Review'' 32.1 (1958): 60–73. * Herrington, Philip Mills. "Agricultural and Architectural Reform in the Antebellum South: Fruitland at Augusta, Georgia." ''Journal of Southern History'' 78.4 (2012): 855-88
online
* Hutchinson, Glenn, and Maurice R. Brewster. ''Population Mobility: A Study of Family Movements Affecting Augusta, Georgia, 1899-1939'' (Federal Works Agency, Work Projects Administration of Georgia, 1942
online
* Jones, Charles Colcock. ''Memorial History of Augusta, Georgia: From Its Settlement in 1735 to the Close of the Eighteenth Century'' (D. Mason, 1890
online
* Joiner, Sean, and Gerald J. Smith. ''Augusta, Georgia'' (Arcadia Publishing, 2004); Focus on Blacks; heavily illustrated
online
* McCrary, Peyton. "The dynamics of minority vote dilution: The case of Augusta, Georgia, 1945-1986." ''Journal of Urban History'' 25.2 (1999): 199–225. * Sampson, Curt. ''The Masters: golf, money, and power in Augusta, Georgia'' (Villard Books, 1999
online
* Souther, J. Mark. "Making 'The Garden City of the South': Beautification, Preservation, and Downtown Planning in Augusta, Georgia." ''Journal of Planning History'' 20.2 (2021): 87-11
online
* Werner, Randolph D. "The New South Creed and the Limits of Radicalism: Augusta, Georgia, before the 1890s." ''Journal of Southern History'' 67.3 (2001): 573-60
online
* Whites, LeeAnn. ''Civil War as a Crisis in Gender: Augusta, Georgia, 1860-1890'' (University of Georgia Press, 2000). * Whites, LeeAnn. ''The Charitable and the Poor: The Emergence of Domestic Politics in Augusta, Georgia, 1860–1880'' (KG Saur, 2012). * Zecher, Sara Elizabeth. "The economic role of universities in medium-sized cities: a case study of the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia" (Diss. Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005
online


External links

*
Augusta Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau

Augusta Economic Development Authority homepageAugusta TomorrowDowntown Development AuthorityRobert E. Williams Photographic Collection: African-Americans in the Augusta, Ga. Vicinity (Richmond Co.), ca. 1872–1898
from the
Digital Library of Georgia The Digital Library of Georgia (DLG) is an online, public collection of documents and media about the history and culture of the state of Georgia, United States. The collection includes more than a million digitized objects from more than 200 Georg ...

Picturing Augusta: Historic Postcards from the Collection of the East Central Georgia Regional Library
* {{Authority control Populated places established in 1735 Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
Cities in Richmond County, Georgia County seats in Georgia (U.S. state) Census balances in the United States Augusta metropolitan area Consolidated city-counties