Georgia (state)

A

1

Higher Education

The state university system includes four research universities, two regional universities, many four-year colleges, several junior colleges, agricultural experimental stations, and an agricultural extension service. The University of Georgia, in Athens, is the largest school in the system and the oldest state-chartered university in the United States. The university was incorporated in 1785, although classes were not begun until 1801. Other major state-supported schools include Georgia Institute of Technology, in Atlanta; Medical College of Georgia, in Augusta; Georgia State University, in Atlanta; and Georgia Southern University, in Statesboro.

Georgia also has a number of distinguished private colleges and universities. Wesleyan College in Macon, founded in 1836, is the world’s oldest chartered women’s college. Atlanta University Center, a consortium of historically black institutions, is comprised of Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Morris Brown College, Spelman College, and the Interdenominational Theological Center, all in Atlanta. Other private colleges and universities in Georgia include Emory University, in Atlanta; Mercer University, in Macon; and Oglethorpe University, in Atlanta. In 2004–2005 Georgia had 74 public and 54 private institutions of higher learning.

B

Libraries

Georgia’s 58 public library systems serve numerous communities and rural areas. One of the largest public libraries in the state is the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, which was first opened to the public in 1902 as the Carnegie Library. Other notable libraries include the state archives, in Atlanta; the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library of the University of Georgia, at Athens; and the Georgia Historical Society Library at Savannah. The Office of Public Library Services in Atlanta functions as the state library. Public libraries each year circulate an average of 4.8 books for every resident.

C

Museums

The noted High Museum of Art, in Atlanta, has an important collection of works by European masters, in addition to paintings by early and contemporary American artists. There are also collections of American paintings in the Georgia Museum of Art of the University of Georgia and in the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, in Savannah. Other notable museums in the state include the Atlanta History Center and SciTrek, a science and technology museum, both in Atlanta, and the Augusta Museum of History, in Augusta. The Atlanta History Center maintains one of the largest urban museums in the country, with permanent exhibits on the Civil War and the history of the city. Atlanta is also home to the Carter Presidential Center, dedicated to the presidency of Jimmy Carter. The center includes a library and museum.

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D

Communications

In 2002 there were 256 newspapers published in Georgia. Most of them were weeklies, but 32 of them were published daily. The first newspaper published in Georgia was the Georgia Gazette, which was founded in Savannah in 1763 by James Johnston, the official printer of the colony. In 1783, after the American Revolution, Johnston published another newspaper, the Gazette of the State of Georgia. Today the oldest continuously published newspaper in Georgia is the Augusta Chronicle, which was begun as the Georgia State Gazette or Independent Register in 1785. The Christian Index, a weekly newspaper published in Atlanta, dates from 1822 and is the South’s oldest Baptist publication. The state’s most widely circulated newspaper is the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Georgia’s first radio station, WSB, was founded in Atlanta in 1922. The first television station, WSB-TV, began operations in Atlanta in 1948. In 2002 there were 127 AM and 130 FM radio stations located in the state and 32 television stations. Atlanta is the headquarters of Turner Broadcasting System, a cable-television company reaching an international audience. Established by Ted Turner, the cable system includes the Cable News Network (CNN).

E

Music and Theater

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is one of the leading orchestras in the South. In addition, several of the larger cities and most of the colleges and universities in the state support symphony orchestras. The Atlanta Ballet performs at the Fox Theatre. Many community and university theaters are active in the state, and midtown Atlanta has numerous live performance theaters.