Georgia joined the Union on January 2, 1788, as the 4th state.
Nickname: "The Peach State" & "The Empire State of the South"
State Amphibian: Green Tree Frog
State Bird: Brown Thrasher
State Fish: Largemouth Bass
State Insect: Honeybee
State Marine Mammal: Right Whale
State Reptile: Gopher Tortoise
State Crop: Peanut
State Flower: Cherokee Rose
State Fruit: Peach
State Tree: Live Oak
State Vegetable: Vidalia Sweet Onion
State Prepared Food: Grits
State Gem: Quartz
The area of Georgia was part of the original territory of the United States. It was chartered as a colony in 1732. At that time, Georgia included territory that extended westward to the Mississippi River and now makes up most of Alabama and Mississippi. The territory west of the present state boundary was added to Mississippi Territory when Georgia ceded to the United States its claims to the territory in 1802. As part of this cession, Georgia obtained part of the South Carolina cession of 1787 from the federal government along its northern boundary. These changes left Georgia with generally the same boundary as the present state.
Census data for Georgia are available beginning with the 1790 Census. No population was reported in 1790 for the portion of Georgia now within Alabama and Mississippi. The 1800 population shown for Georgia includes the population in the territory that is now part of Alabama and Mississippi.
