Augusta, Georgia

Augusta is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the third biggest city in Georgia, after Atlanta and Columbus. The city sits on the central eastern edge of Georgia and is the county seat of Richmond County. Across the Savannah River is North Augusta, South Carolina.

Augusta was founded in 1736 and named after Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, the mother of British king George III. During the American Civil War, the city had an important factory.

Today, Augusta is famous worldwide for holding the Masters golf tournament each spring at the Augusta National Golf Club. Many people visit for this event. The city is also home to Fort Gordon, a big U.S. Army base. Augusta is about two hours from downtown Atlanta by car via I-20.

History

Main articles: History of Augusta, Georgia and Timeline of Augusta, Georgia

Establishment

In 1735, explorer James Oglethorpe sent soldiers to build a fort on the upper Savannah River. The fort was built to protect the coast. The settlement was named after Princess Augusta, the mother of King George III.

Development

Augusta grew fast as a market town, especially when new machines made cotton processing easier. The city had many factories during the American Civil War. After the war, textile mills were built along the Augusta Canal.

A big fire in 1916 damaged many old buildings in the city's downtown area.

Augusta stayed an important place for business and was part of big changes in rights for all people. Famous singer James Brown was born in Augusta.

Hyde Park contamination

Main article: Hyde Park, Georgia

In 1993, officials checked an area called Hyde Park in Augusta for harmful chemicals. They found some chemicals in the air, water, and soil. People living there were worried about their health.

Geography

Augusta is in Georgia, close to the border with South Carolina. It is about 150 miles east of Atlanta and 74 miles west of Columbia.

Augusta covers 306.5 square miles, mostly land with some water. It is on the Savannah River at a spot called the fall line, where the river has small falls. This is where boats can no longer go up the river and where the Georgia Piedmont begins.

The Clarks Hill Dam is near Augusta and creates Clarks Hill Lake. Other dams downstream help make hydroelectric power and manage the river's water.

Climate

Augusta has a humid subtropical climate, like the rest of Georgia. This means mild winters, very hot and humid summers, and temperatures that change during the day. Temperatures usually range from about 45 °F in January to 82 °F in July. Snow is rare, but freezing rain can sometimes happen in winter.

Demographics

According to the 2020 United States census, about 202,081 people lived in Augusta. This number grew from 195,844 people in the 2010 U.S. census and from 195,182 people in the 2000 United States census.

The people living in Augusta come from many different backgrounds. In 2000, most people were either non-Hispanic white or African American. By 2020, the city had even more kinds of people, showing that communities in the United States are becoming more mixed together.

Economy

Augusta is an important place for medicine, biotechnology, and cyber security. Augusta University, the only public health sciences graduate university in the state, employs many people. Together with Piedmont Augusta, the Medical District of Augusta employs thousands of people.

The city's three largest employers are Augusta University, the Savannah River Site (a Department of Energy facility), and the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon. With the Georgia Cyber Center in Downtown Augusta, the area has become a center for cyber security companies. The city also hosts TechNet each year, bringing together leaders to discuss new cyber products.

Companies with facilities or headquarters in the Augusta area include CareSouth, NutraSweet, T-Mobile, Covidien, Solo Cup Company, Automatic Data Processing, Clearwater Paper, Solvay S.A., Bridgestone, Teleperformance, Olin Corporation, Sitel, E-Z-GO, Taxslayer, Elanco, KSB Company, Club Car, Halocarbon, MTU Friedrichshafen, Kimberly Clark Corporation, Nutrien, John Deere, Kellogg's, and Delta Air Lines' baggage call center.

Top employers

The top public sector employers were:

Arts and culture

Historic districts

Main article: Augusta Downtown Historic District

Augusta has 10 historic districts. The most famous is the Augusta Downtown Historic District. It covers much of downtown Augusta and includes areas from before the Civil War. This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Augusta also has other historic districts, including:

• 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

The tallest buildings in Augusta are the Lamar Building, River Place Condominiums, and Augusta University Building.

Sports

Augusta has many sports teams and events. The Augusta GreenJackets is a minor league baseball team that plays at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina. They started in 1988 and are connected to the Atlanta Braves.

Augusta is also home to the Augusta Rugby Football Club, a men's rugby team, and the Soul City Sirens, an all-female roller derby team that began in 2008.

Augusta has hosted many important events. The Augusta National Golf Club holds The Masters, the first major golf tournament of the year. The city also has tournaments for disc golf, drag boat racing, and one of the big Ironman 70.3 competitions.

Parks and recreation

Augusta has many places to enjoy the outdoors. The Riverwalk Augusta is a beautiful park along the river where you can walk and relax. The Augusta Canal is an old canal where you can bike or walk on special paths.

Phinizy Swamp Nature Park is a wetland area with paths and boardwalks for exploring nature. The Augusta Municipal Golf Course is a public golf course that was improved by the famous Augusta National Golf Club.

Government

In 1995, Augusta and parts of Richmond County decided to combine their city and county governments. This change began on January 1, 1996. The new government has a mayor and ten commissioners. Eight commissioners come from different areas, and two are chosen to represent the whole city. In May 2024, voters allowed the mayor to have full voting powers on the commission. The government uses a Council-manager system, where the commission picks a County Administrator to carry out their decisions.

Education

Augusta has many places for learning, from colleges to elementary schools.

Augusta University, Augusta Technical College, and Paine College are three main colleges in the city. Other colleges have smaller campuses here too, like East Georgia State College and Brenau University.

Public schools from kindergarten through 12th grade are run by the Richmond County School System. There are elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools, including Glenn Hills and Butler. There are also special focus schools, such as the C. T. Walker Traditional Magnet School and the A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet High School.

There are also private schools, such as Aquinas High School and Curtis Baptist High School.

Media

Augusta has one main daily newspaper called The Augusta Chronicle. Several television stations serve the city, including WJBF on channel 6, which shows ABC and The CW Plus; WRDW on channel 12, which shows CBS; WCES on channel 20, which shows PBS; WAGT on channel 26, which shows NBC; and WFXG on channel 54, which shows Fox. There is also a special newspaper for the medical community.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Augusta, Georgia

Augusta has many roads and highways that help people travel around the city. Some important roads include I-20, I-520, US 1, and US 25. There are also smaller roads like SR 4 and SR 28 that connect different parts of the city.

The city has two airports: Augusta Regional Airport and Daniel Field. These airports have flights to places like Atlanta and Charlotte.

In the past, Augusta had many train services, but today, trains mainly carry goods instead of people. There are still some train tracks that go through the city.

Augusta also has trails for walking and biking, such as the Augusta Canal Historic Trail and Riverwalk Augusta.

Law enforcement

The Richmond County Sheriff's Office helps keep Augusta safe.

Notable people

Main article: List of people from Augusta, Georgia

Augusta, Georgia, has been home to many famous people. These people have done important work in sports, entertainment, and public service. The city is still a place where inspiring stories begin.

Sister cities

See also: List of sister cities in the United States

Augusta has special friendships with cities in other countries. These friends are called sister cities. Augusta is friends with:

• Biarritz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France
• Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Japan