Augusta was first used by Native Americans as a place to cross the Savannah River, because of Augusta's location on the fall line. In 1735, two years after James Oglethorpe founded Savannah, he sent a detachment of troops on a journey up the Savannah River. He gave them an order to build at the head of the navigable part of the river. The job fell into the hands of Nobel Jones, who created the settlement to provide a first line of defense against the Spanish and the French. Oglethorpe then named the town Augusta, in honor of Princess Augusta, wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales.

The city was named in honor of Augusta, Princess of Wales, daughter-in-law of King George II of Great Britain and mother of King George III of Great Britain, and was the second state capital of Georgia from 1785 until 1795 (alternating for a period with Savannah, the first).

Geography

The Augusta skyline, as seen from the I-520 US-1 overpass in North Augusta, SC

Augusta is located on the Georgia/South Carolina border, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) east of Atlanta. The city is located at 33°28′12″N, 81°58′30″W (33.470, -81.975)

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Augusta-Richmond County balance has a total area of 306.5 square miles (793.8 km²). 302.1 square miles (782.5 km²) of it is land and 4.3 square miles (11.3 km²) of it (1.42%) is water.

Savannah River and the Augusta Canal, with Riverwatch Parkway and residential areas in foreground

Augusta is also located about halfway up the Savannah River on the fall line, providing a number of small falls on the Savannah River. The city itself marks the end of a navigable waterway for the river. The Clarks Hill Dam is also built on the fall line near Augusta, forming Lake Strom Thurmond, also known as Clarks Hill Lake. Further downstream, near the border of Columbia County, is the Stevens Creek Dam, which generates hydroelectric power, and still further, the Augusta Diversion Dam which marks the beginning of the Augusta Canal and channels Savannah River waters into the canal.

 Climate

According to Köppen classification, Augusta has a humid subtropical climate. The city experiences mild winters and a humid summer. The average high temperature for the summer months is 90.6 °F (32.6 °C); the average low temperature is 67.8 °F (19.9 °C). The average high temperature for the winter months is 58.9 °F (14.9 °C); the average low temperature is 34.4 °F (1.3 °C).

 Demographics

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 195,182 people, 72,307 households, and 48,228 families residing in the balance. The population density was 646.0 people per square mile (249.4/km²). There were 80,481 housing units at an average density of 266.4/sq mi (102.8/km²). The racial makeup of the balance was 50.37% Black or African American, 44.91% White, 0.27% Native American, 1.52% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.02% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.79% of the population.

There were 72,307 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 20.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the balance the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the balance was $37,231, and the median income for a family was $45,372. Males had a median income of $32,008 versus $23,988 for females. The per capita income for the balance was $19,558. About 13.2% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The Augusta area's three largest employers include the Savannah River Site (a Department of Energy nuclear facility), the U.S. Army Signal Center at Fort Gordon, and the Medical College of Georgia.

 Arts and culture

Main article: Arts and culture in Augusta, Georgia

 Sports

 Teams

Augusta is home to four professional minor league athletic teams. The Augusta Greenjackets are the city’s oldest sporting club, which began play in 1988 as the Augusta Pirates. After the Augusta Pirates, the team was owned by the Red Sox and now by the Giants. In 1998, the ECHL Raleigh IceCaps relocated to Augusta and were renamed the Augusta Lynx. The city hosted an AF2 arena football team, the Augusta Stallions, from 2000 to 2002. Arena Football was brought back to the city in 2006 when the Augusta Spartans began play in the American Indoor Football League; however, in 2007 the Augusta Spartans moved to the World Indoor Football League and were named the 2007 World Indoor Football Champions, but for 2008, the Spartans will play in the American Indoor Football Association. Augusta's Female Flat-Track Roller Derby, The Soul City Sirens, formed in January of 2008 and consists of two teams, The Atomic Annies, with an atomic-radioactive theme and The Rock-a-Betties, with a 1950s Pin-Up Girl Theme. As of March 1, 2008, The Sirens were in training to become qualified under the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). SP Augusta formerly hosted a soccer club, the Augusta FireBall. The club folded after two seasons of play.

 Tournaments

The city’s famous golf course, the Augusta National Golf Club, hosts the first major golf tournament of each year, The Masters. This tournament is one of the most prestigious in the sport and is part of the Professional Golfers' Association’s Grand Slam. The city is also a hotbed for disc golf. The Augusta Top Gun Series is a series of tournaments sanctioned by the Professional Disc Golf Association. These tournaments are held at various venues in Augusta, including Pendleton King Park and Lake Olmstead. Also, Augusta hosted the 2006 Professional Disc Golf World Championships. Along with Pendleton King and Lake Olmstead, 2 courses in N. Augusta, SC were used for the tournanment. 299 disc golfers from around the world attended the event with Ken Climo winning the tournament and his 12th world championship.

Parks and recreation

Augusta riverfront marina.

• Riverwalk Augusta
• Augusta Canal, built in 1845 as a power source
• Phinizy Swamp Nature Park

 Government

See also: List of mayors of Augusta, Georgia

In 1995, the citizens of Augusta and unincorporated Richmond County voted to conconsolidate their city and county governments. Citizens of Hephzibah, Georgia and Blythe, Georgia, also located in Richmond County, decided to maintain separate governments. Augusta and Richmond County's consolidation took effect January 1, 1996, with the city and county merging operations. The consolidated government consists of a mayor and 10 commissioners. Eight commissioners represent specific districts, while the other two represent super districts comprised of the other eight.

Politics in Augusta often tend to be racially based, and several former holders of office have been the centers of controversy. An Augusta State Senator, Charles Walker (D), was convicted on numerous federal felony charges in 2005 and was removed from his position. Around the same time, former Augusta State Representative Robin Williams (R) was also convicted on federal fraud charges. Linda Schrenko, a former Georgia State School Superintendent who is from nearby Columbia County, recently plead guilty to numerous federal corruption charges for embezzling state education money and funneling it to her unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign and for plastic surgery. She received an eight-year prison sentence for her crimes. A former mayor, Ed McIntyre, was convicted of bribery and extortion charges in the mid 1980s regarding the sale of city-owned riverfront real estate. Augusta and Richmond County also have a long history of Democratic Party political machines such as The Crackers, which had a monopoly on local politics for much of the first half of the 20th century. The Southside Mafia was a political machine that dominated county government for much of the latter half of the 20th century prior to consolidation in 1996.

In early 2006 an organization founded by Woody Merry, CSRAHelp, filed suit against the consolidated government. The lawsuit, Merry v. Williams, was an attempt to force recalcitrant County Commissioners to perform the duties for which they had been elected

 Education

 Colleges and universities

MCG Medical Center with Fifteenth Street in the foreground

• Augusta State University (public university)
• Augusta Technical College (public technical college)
• Medical College of Georgia (public medical college)
• Paine College (private historically black college)
• Savannah River College (public technical college)

 K-12 schools

Public K-12 schools in Augusta are managed by the Richmond County School System. The system has 8 high schools, 10 middle schools, 36 elementary schools, 4 magnet schools, and 3 other-format schools.

Private schools in Augusta include Aquinas High School, Episcopal Day School, St. Mary on the Hill School, and Westminster Schools of Augusta. Augusta Christian School and Augusta Preparatory Day School serve Augusta, but are located in neighboring Martinez, Georgia.

Media

 Infrastructure

 Transportation

Augusta city bus

Augusta is linked to Atlanta, Georgia to the west and Columbia, South Carolina to the east by Interstate 20. Interstate 520 (Bobby Jones Expressway) runs from I-20 Exit 196 through Augusta's western and southern suburban areas, eventually crossing the Savannah River to South Carolina where it becomes the Palmetto Parkway. The current South Carolina terminus of I-520 is at U.S. Route 1, but construction is currently underway to complete its connection to I-20 in South Carolina near Exit 5.

Augusta is served by city transit service Augusta Public Transit (APT), but the main mode of transportation within the city is by car.

Augusta has 2 airports: the main airport, Augusta Regional Airport, and a small airport for private and chartered planes, Daniel Field Airport.

 Sister cities

• Takarazuka, Japan
• Biarritz, France

 See also

• List of people from Augusta, Georgia
• Central Savannah River Area
• Masters Tournament
  
  
  External links
  Augusta, Georgia
  • Augusta-Richmond County official web site
  • Augusta Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau
  • Augusta Economic Development Authority Homepage
  • CNN.com article on Augusta's racially divided government
  • Serving Augusta, Aiken, and Surrounding cities of the C.S.R.A.
  • Extensive, often artistic photos of Augusta, Georgia and the CSRA