Real Estate Directory - Georgia

Population: 8,829,383 (2004)
Capital city/population: Atlanta (423,019) (2003)
Largest cities/population:

  • Atlanta - 423,019
  • Augusta - 193,316
  • Columbus - 185,702
  • Savannah - 127,573

All 2003 figures

Georgia is the 24th largest state, with a total area of 59,441 square miles. The state’s winter temperatures average from 44ºF - 54ºF, with summer temperatures ranging from 78ºF - 81ºF. Summers are warm and humid, with mild winters. Annual precipitation ranges from 44” – 68”. Georgia was the first state to allow 18 year-olds the right to vote, and grits are one of the state’s symbols.

HOUSING

Atlanta – General real estate conditions for the city are strong, especially for first time home buyers, and those buyers moving to the $200,000 - $350,000 price range. Good deals are being negotiated for both buyers and sellers.

Augusta – With low interest rates, the Augusta area is experiencing a strong market. Most home buyers are able to purchase up to 1 ½ times as much as they would in a slow market. Currently, there are over 2,500 active residential listings, with over 6,000 sold since the beginning of 2005.

Columbus – The city has over 35,000 total housing units, with owner-occupied units comprising 53% of this total. Average home price is $111,498, and the median rental price is $312. Vacancies stand at 9%.

Savannah – There is a demand for buyers of homes under $190,000 due to a trend toward a buyers market. With homes being on the market for a longer period of time, sellers are sometimes willing to negotiate more readily. There are over 4,000 active home listings as of mid-December, 2005.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

In 2003, Georgia’s total gross state product was $320 billion, with a per capita personal income in the same year of $29,000. Industrial products include textiles, apparel, transportation equipment, food processing, chemical products, and electrical equipment. Agricultural products include poultry, eggs, peanuts, cattle, hogs, and dairy products. Georgia has over 48,000 farms, each averaging 263 acres. Georgia is also a leading producer of granite.

SCHOOLS

The University of Georgia – Athens became the first chartered state university in the country in 1785. Today, the state has over 56 colleges and universities. Private institutions include Emory University, Mercer University, Agnes Scott College (for women), Berry College, and Wesleyan College, which was the first college in the world to grand women degrees. A constitutional amendment in 1910 permitted taxes to be levied for high schools. The 1994 student-teacher ratio was 16:3, with an average 1995 teachers’ salary of $34,307.

HISTORY

Georgia was the 4th state in the Union, achieving statehood on January 2, 1788. In 1733, General James Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia. It was the last of the original 13 colonies, founded at the present site of Savannah. King George II granted the original charter. In the first few years, the colonists sent nearly 500 pounds of raw silk to England, but this trade diminished after a few years. During the American Revolution, Georgians seized the Savannah armory and sent munitions to the Continental Army. Final evacuation of the British from the city occurred in 1782. During the Civil War, Georgia seceded from the Union in 1861, being readmitted in 1870.

RELIGION (2004)

  • Christian – 85%
    • Protestant – 76%
      • Baptist – 39%
      • Methodist – 12%
      • Presbyterian – 3%
      • Pentecostal – 3%
      • Other Protestant – 19%
    • Roman Catholic – 8%
    • Other Christian – 1%
  • Other Religions – 2%
  • Non-Religious – 13%

DEMOGRAPHICS (2004)

  • White non-Hispanic - 62.6%
  • Black - 28.7%
  • Hispanic - 5.3%
  • Asian - 2.1%
  • Native American - 0.3%
  • Mixed race - 1.4%