Augusta at A Glance

Nestled along the banks of the Savannah River, Augusta is the oldest and second largest city in Georgia. Augusta has been rated as the second best place to live in Georgia, and 111th in the nation. (Places Rated Almanac).

Both Forbes Magazine and MSN Money ranked Augusta’s housing market in the top 10 markets nationally for home value appreciation, and Augusta was listed in “The 10 Best Places to Retire in Georgia” by Retire in Georgia Magazine in 2008. Just last year, relocateamerica.com, a Web site that provides information to folks looking to relocate, included Augusta in its annual listing of “America’s Top 100 Places to live for 2009.” According to the magazine Where to Retire, Augusta is ranked No. 4 among the nation’s low-cost cities for retirement because of the area’s low cost of living and proximity to the health community.

Augusta is approximately 150 miles east of Atlanta on Interstate 20 in east central Georgia at the South Carolina border. Augusta is centrally located just two and a half hours from the beach and the mountains. The Savannah River serves as the state line and separates Augusta from North Augusta, S.C.

Augusta is home to the United States Army Signal Center Fort Gordon, the state’s Medical university and Augusta State University. The city is also recognized for its state-of-the-art medical facilities and growing business and manufacturing sectors.

There are about 745 physicians per 100,000 people in the Garden City. The national average is 170 physicians per 100,000 people

Once a year during the first full week of April the eyes of the world are focused on Augusta when the world’s greatest golfers gather at the Augusta National Golf Club for the Masters Tournament. Bobby Jones built the Augusta National Golf Club and hosted its First Invitational Tournament in 1934.

Augusta was once the capital of Georgia and has a large number of historically significant homes and facilities. The Cotton Exchange, established in 1872, supplied local businessmen with cattle and grain quotations from Chicago, stock averages from New York and daily market prices for cotton.

In addition, Augusta is home to Woodrow Wilson's (28th president of the United States) childhood home; the Ezekiel Harris House; George Walton’s (signer of the Declaration of Independence) home and many more historical places of interest.

Augusta’s Springfield Baptist Church is the oldest independently formed African-American congregation still meeting on its orginal site. It is also where Morehouse College orginated. The Georgia Republican Party and the Southern Baptist Convention were both started in Augusta. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, built in 1749, is the third oldest Episcopal Church in Georgia.

 

Augusta is the childhood home to the godfather of soul, the late James Brown, and is the birthplace of Amy Grant, Laurence Fishburne, Jessye Norman, Terri Gibbs, Danny Glover, Joe Penney, boxer Ray Mercer, novelist Frank Yerby, professional wrestler Hulk Hogan and pro golfer Larry Mize. Ty Cobb, a great baseball player of his time, also made his home in Augusta.

Augusta reflects the historic charm of the classic South with its tree-lined streets and majestic antebellum mansions. There are dozens of shops and restaurants, cultural and historic attractions in Augusta.

With an average temperature of 62.7 degrees, Augustans spend much of the year outside taking advantage of many parks and recreational facilities.

Quick Facts: Established in 1736; Named for Princess Augusta of Saxe Gotha, Princess of Wales; Population: 200,000 city, 500,000 trade region (Source: U.S. Census Bureau Estimates); Location: 136 feet above sea level; Nicknames: The Garden City of the South (chosen early in the 20th century because of the city's many large private gardens), and the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) which includes surrounding counties in Georgia and South Carolina.

Colleges and Universities: Augusta State University, Augusta Technical College, Georgia Military College - Augusta, Medical College of Georgia, Paine College.