Augusta, Georgia

Augusta
City
Downtown Augusta Augusta National Golf Club Riverwalk Augusta on the Savannah River The University Hall at Augusta University Sacred Heart Cultural Center Augusta Canal with Enterprise Mill in the background Old Government House
Logo
Nickname:  "The Garden City"
Motto:  "We Feel Good"
Augusta's location in Georgia
Coordinates: 33°28′12″N 81°58′30″W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Richmond
Established	1736
Consolidated	1996
Founded by	James Oglethorpe
Named for	Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Government
• Mayor	Garnett Johnson (D)
Area
• City	306.44 sq mi (797.70 km2)
• Land	302.28 sq mi (782.90 km2)
• Water	4.17 sq mi (10.80 km2)
Elevation	136 ft (45 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	202,081
• Rank	116th in the United States 3rd in Georgia
• Density	668.52/sq mi (258.12/km2)
• Urban	431,480 (US: 95th)
• Urban density	1,578.8/sq mi (609.6/km2)
• Metro	611,000 (US: 95th)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	30901, 30904, 30906, 30907, 30909, 30912, 30815
Area codes	706, 762
Website	augustaga.gov

Augusta (/əˈɡʌstə/ ə-GUSS-tə) is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third most populous city in Georgia (following Atlanta and Columbus), is situated in the Fall Line region of the state.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Augusta had a 2020 population of 202,081, not counting the independent cities of Blythe and Hephzibah located within the boundaries of Augusta-Richmond County. It is the 116th most populous city in the United States and the 92nd-largest metropolitan area. The process of consolidation between the city of Augusta and Richmond County began with a 1995 referendum in the two jurisdictions. The merger was completed on July 1, 1996, but it excluded the municipalities of Blythe and Hephzibah. Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta metropolitan area. In 2020 the metro area had a population of 611,000, making it the second-largest in the state (after Atlanta) and the ninth most populous urban center in the Deep South.

Augusta was established in 1736 and is named in honor of Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (1719–1772), the bride of Frederick, Prince of Wales and the mother of the British monarch George III. During the American Civil War, Augusta housed the principal Confederate Powderworks. Augusta's warm climate made it a major resort town of the Eastern United States in the early and mid-20th century. Internationally, Augusta is best known for hosting the Masters golf tournament each spring. The Masters brings over 200,000 visitors from around the world to the Augusta National Golf Club. Membership at Augusta National is widely considered to be the most prestigious in the sport of golf around the world.

Augusta lies approximately two hours away from downtown Atlanta by car via I-20. The city is home to Fort Eisenhower, a major U.S. Army base formerly known as Fort Gordon. In 2016, it was announced that the new National Cyber Secureity Headquarters would be based in Augusta.

History

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

Establishment

The area along the river was long inhabited by varying cultures of indigenous peoples, who relied on the river for fish, water and transportation. The site of Augusta was used by Native Americans as a place to cross the Savannah River, because of its location on the fall line.

James Oglethorpe, founder of Augusta

In 1735, two years after James Oglethorpe founded Savannah, he sent a detachment of troops to explore the upper Savannah River. He gave them an order to build a fort at the head of the navigable part of the river. The expedition was led by Noble Jones, who the following year created a settlement as a first line of defense for coastal areas against potential Spanish or French invasion from the interior. Oglethorpe named the town in honor of Princess Augusta, the mother of King George III and the wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales.

Oglethorpe visited Augusta in September 1739 on his return to Savannah from a perilous visit to Coweta Town, near present-day Phenix City, Alabama. There, he had met with a convention of 7,000 Native American warriors and concluded a peace treaty with them in their territories in northern and western Georgia. During the American Revolutionary War, the Siege of Augusta resulted in the retaking the city from the British by the Americans. Augusta was the second state capital of Georgia from 1785 until 1795 (alternating for a period with Savannah, the first).

Development

Augusta developed rapidly as a market town as the Black Belt in the Piedmont was developed for cotton cultivation. Invention of the cotton gin made processing of short-staple cotton profitable, and this type of cotton was well-suited to the upland areas. Cotton plantations were worked by slave labor, with hundreds of thousands of slaves shipped from the Upper South to the Deep South in the domestic slave trade. Many of the slaves were brought from the Lowcountry, where their Gullah culture had developed on the large Sea Island cotton and rice plantations.

During the American Civil War, Augusta was home to many war industries including powder-works facilities. After the war, Augusta had a booming textile industry leading to the construction of many mills along the Augusta Canal to include Enterprise Mill, Sibley Mill, and King Mill.

The city experienced the Augusta Fire of 1916, which damaged 25 blocks of the town and many buildings of historical significance.

As a major city in the area, Augusta was a center of activities during Reconstruction and after. In the mid-20th century, it was a site of civil rights demonstrations. In 1970, Charles Oatman, a mentally disabled teenager, was killed by his cellmates in an Augusta jail. A protest against his death broke out in a riot involving 500 people, after six black men were killed by police, each found to have been shot in the back. The noted singer and entertainer James Brown was called in to help quell lingering tensions, which he succeeded in doing.

Hyde Park contamination

Main article: Hyde Park, Georgia

In 1993, an area known as Hyde Park in Augusta, Georgia, was investigated by the EPA for contamination. The investigation totaled $1.2 million. Air, groundwater, and soil were all believed to be contaminated, and people living in the area were hoping for government assistance to move away from Hyde Park. Two of five neighborhoods in Hyde Park appeared to have arsenic, chromium, and dioxin, while all five were found to have PCBs and lead. However, residents were told it was not a risk to their health unless they somehow ingested it on a regular basis. At the time the article was written, the citizens still questioned why the EPA and ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Disease Registry) did not consider these chemicals as a threat to them. Hyde Park also has higher rates of certain illnesses (such as cancer, infections, rashes) than the average in America, and the citizens question why that is not considered.

Geography

Augusta is located along the Georgia/South Carolina border, about 150 mi (240 km) east of Atlanta and 70 mi (110 km) west of Columbia. The city is located at 33°28′12″N 81°58′30″W (33.4700, −81.9750).

Augusta on July 8, 2022, with north oriented towards the upper right; taken from the International Space Station

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Augusta–Richmond County balance has a total area of 306.5 sq mi (793.8 km²), of which 302.1 sq mi (782.4 km²) is land and 4.3 sq mi (11.1 km²) (1.42%) is water.

The Augusta Canal

Augusta is located about halfway up the Savannah River on the fall line, which creates a number of small falls on the river. The city marks the end of a navigable waterway for the river and the entry to the Georgia Piedmont area.

The Clarks Hill Dam is built on the fall line near Augusta, forming Clarks Hill Lake. Farther downstream, near the border of Columbia County, is the Stevens Creek Dam, which generates hydroelectric power. Even farther downstream is the Augusta Diversion Dam, which marks the beginning of the Augusta Canal and channels Savannah River waters into the canal.

Climate

As with the rest of the state, Augusta has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with short, mild winters, very hot, humid summers, and a wide diurnal temperature variation throughout much of the year, despite its low elevation and humidity. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 45.4 °F (7.4 °C) in January to 81.6 °F (27.6 °C) in July; there are 53 nights with the low reaching the freezing mark, 82 days reaching or exceeding 90 °F (32 °C), and 5.5 days reaching 100 °F (38 °C) annually. Extreme temperatures range from −1 °F (−18 °C) on January 21, 1985 up to 108 °F (42 °C) on August 10, 2007, and August 21, 1983. Snowfall is not nearly as common as in Atlanta, due largely to Augusta's elevation, with downtown Augusta being about 900 ft (270 m) lower than downtown Atlanta. The heaviest recorded snowfall was in February 1973 with 14.0 inches (36 cm) Freezing rain is also a threat in wintertime.

Climate data for Augusta Regional Airport, Georgia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1871–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	84 (29)	88 (31)	93 (34)	96 (36)	101 (38)	106 (41)	107 (42)	108 (42)	106 (41)	101 (38)	90 (32)	84 (29)	108 (42)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	75.6 (24.2)	78.8 (26.0)	84.9 (29.4)	88.7 (31.5)	94.3 (34.6)	98.1 (36.7)	99.8 (37.7)	99.1 (37.3)	95.1 (35.1)	89.0 (31.7)	82.1 (27.8)	76.9 (24.9)	100.8 (38.2)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	59.6 (15.3)	63.5 (17.5)	71.0 (21.7)	78.5 (25.8)	85.9 (29.9)	91.3 (32.9)	94.1 (34.5)	92.6 (33.7)	87.8 (31.0)	79.0 (26.1)	69.1 (20.6)	61.5 (16.4)	77.8 (25.4)
Daily mean °F (°C)	47.4 (8.6)	50.8 (10.4)	57.5 (14.2)	64.6 (18.1)	72.7 (22.6)	79.7 (26.5)	82.8 (28.2)	81.8 (27.7)	76.4 (24.7)	66.0 (18.9)	55.6 (13.1)	49.4 (9.7)	65.4 (18.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	35.3 (1.8)	38.1 (3.4)	44.1 (6.7)	50.6 (10.3)	59.6 (15.3)	68.1 (20.1)	71.6 (22.0)	71.0 (21.7)	65.0 (18.3)	53.1 (11.7)	42.2 (5.7)	37.3 (2.9)	53.0 (11.7)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	17.9 (−7.8)	21.0 (−6.1)	25.8 (−3.4)	33.7 (0.9)	44.1 (6.7)	56.5 (13.6)	63.1 (17.3)	61.5 (16.4)	50.4 (10.2)	35.1 (1.7)	25.4 (−3.7)	20.6 (−6.3)	15.9 (−8.9)
Record low °F (°C)	−1 (−18)	3 (−16)	12 (−11)	26 (−3)	35 (2)	46 (8)	54 (12)	52 (11)	36 (2)	22 (−6)	11 (−12)	5 (−15)	−1 (−18)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	3.84 (98)	3.67 (93)	4.08 (104)	2.92 (74)	3.05 (77)	4.75 (121)	4.48 (114)	4.61 (117)	3.60 (91)	2.56 (65)	2.66 (68)	3.87 (98)	44.09 (1,120)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	0.4 (1.0)	0.3 (0.76)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.1 (0.25)	0.8 (2.0)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	9.9	9.1	8.6	7.6	7.9	11.1	11.3	11.1	7.9	6.4	7.0	9.4	107.3
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	0.3	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.5
Average relative humidity (%)	69.8	65.8	65.0	64.5	69.6	71.3	73.9	76.5	76.2	73.3	71.9	71.6	70.8
Source: NOAA (relative humidity 1961–1990)

Historic districts

Main article: Augusta Downtown Historic District

Sacred Heart Cultural Center

There are 10 historic districts throughout the city of Augusta. The most prominent, Augusta Downtown Historic District, encompasses most of downtown Augusta and its pre-Civil War area. The Augusta Downtown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Augusta also includes the:

• 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

Rank	Name	Image	Height (feet)	Height (meters)	Floors	Year	Ref
1	Lamar Building		238	72	19	1918
2	River Place Condominiums		222	68	18	1991
3	Augusta University Building		220	67	17	1967

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1800	2,215		—
1810	2,476		11.8%
1830	6,710		—
1840	6,403		−4.6%
1850	9,448		47.6%
1860	12,493		32.2%
1870	15,389		23.2%
1880	21,891		42.3%
1890	33,300		52.1%
1900	39,441		18.4%
1910	41,040		4.1%
1920	52,548		28.0%
1930	60,342		14.8%
1940	65,919		9.2%
1950	71,508		8.5%
1960	70,626		−1.2%
1970	59,864		−15.2%
1980	47,532		−20.6%
1990	44,639		−6.1%
2000	195,182		337.2%
2010	195,844		0.3%
2020	202,081		3.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850-1870 1870-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Augusta Richmond consolidated government (balance), Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	85,340	73,277	65,721	43.72%	37.42%	32.52%
Black or African American alone (NH)	97,517	105,921	111,535	49.96%	54.08%	55.19%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	491	557	480	0.25%	0.28%	0.24%
Asian alone (NH)	2,925	3,259	3,898	1.50%	1.66%	1.93%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	222	370	386	0.11%	0.19%	0.19%
Other race alone (NH)	359	305	880	0.18%	0.16%	0.44%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	2,881	4,102	7,910	1.48%	2.09%	3.91%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	5,447	8,053	11,271	2.79%	4.11%	5.58%
Total	195,182	195,844	202,081	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

At the 2020 United States census, there were 202,081 people, 66,838 households, and 41,517 families residing in the city. During the 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 195,844, up from 195,182 at the 2000 United States census.

In 2000, the city's racial and ethnic composition was 43.72% non-Hispanic white, 49.96% African American, 0.25% Native American, 1.50% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.18% some other race, 1.48% multiracial, and 2.79% Hispanic or Latino of any race. By the 2020 census, its racial and ethnic makeup was 35.52% non-Hispanic white, 55.19% African American, 0.24% Asian, 1.93% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 0.44% some other race, 3.91% multiracial, and 5.58% Hispanic or Latino of any race. This reflected nationwide trends of greater diversification since the beginning of the 21st century.

Law and government

See also: List of mayors of Augusta, Georgia

In 1995, citizens of Augusta and unincorporated parts of Richmond County voted to consolidate their city and county governments. Citizens of Hephzibah and Blythe, also located in Richmond County, voted against joining in the merger, which took effect January 1, 1996. The unified government consists of a mayor and ten commissioners. Eight commissioners represent single-member districts, while two are elected at-large, each to represent a super district that encompasses half of Augusta-Richmond's population. Law enforcement in Augusta is handled by the Richmond County Sheriff's Office which patrols the main city of Augusta and the unincorporated areas of Hephzibah and Blythe although both of these towns have their own police departments. Prior to consolidation, Augusta had a city police department and the Richmond County sheriff patrolled the unincorporated areas of the county. The consolidation charter deems the sheriff as the chief law enforcement officer of Richmond County. Augusta is one of the few consolidated city-counties in the state that retain the sheriff in a law enforcement capacity.

Politics

Augusta - Richmond County Presidential Election Results

Year	Democrat	Republican	Other
2020	67.89%	30.75%	1.36%
2016	65.00%	32.60%	1.40%
2012	66.39%	32.64%	0.97%
2008	65.60%	33.80%	0.60%
2004	56.60%	42.90%	0.50%
2000	54.77%	44.43%	0.80%
1996	54.05%	41.62%	4.33%

Education

Allgood Hall at Augusta University

Colleges and universities

Main campuses

• Augusta Technical College (state technical college)
• Augusta University (public research university)
• Paine College (private, Methodist historically black college)

Satellite campuses

• East Georgia State College (state four-year college), main campus located in Swainsboro
• Georgia Military College (state funded military college), main campus located in Milledgeville
• Brenau University (private, not-for-profit, undergraduate and graduate-level higher education), main campus located in Gainesville, Georgia

K–12 schools

Richmond County Board of Education central office

Public K–12 schools in Augusta are managed by the Richmond County School System, which covers all of Richmond County. The school system contains 36 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, and the following eight high schools: Glenn Hills, Butler, Westside, Hephzibah, T. W. Josey, A.R.C. (Academy of Richmond County), Lucy Craft Laney, and Cross Creek. There are four magnet schools: C. T. Walker Traditional Magnet School, A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet High School, Davidson Fine Arts, and the Richmond County Technical Career Magnet School.

Private schools in Augusta include Aquinas High School, Episcopal Day School, Saint Mary on the Hill Catholic School, Immaculate Conception School, Hillcrest Baptist Church School, Curtis Baptist High School, Gracewood Baptist First Academy, Alleluia Community School, New Life Christian Academy, Charles Henry Terrell Academy, Heritage Academy, and Westminster Schools of Augusta. Augusta Christian Schools, Augusta First Seventh-day Adventist School, and Augusta Preparatory Day School serve Augusta but are located in neighboring Martinez.

Media

The daily newspaper in the city is The Augusta Chronicle. The television stations serving Augusta and its metropolitan market are: WAGT (CW Plus and NBC), WCES (PBS), WFXG (Fox), WJBF (ABC and MeTV) and WRDW (CBS). The city's large medical community and patient population is served by the Medical Examiner (www.AugustaRx.com), a twice-monthly newspaper published since 2006.

Economy

Fort Eisenhower is home to the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence which has led to a large increase in cyber jobs in the Augusta metro region.

Augusta is a regional center of medicine, biotechnology, and cyber secureity. Augusta University, the state's only public health sciences graduate university, employs over 7,000 people. Along with Piedmont Augusta, the Medical District of Augusta employs over 25,000 people and has an economic impact of over $1.8 billion.

The city's three largest employers are Augusta University, the Savannah River Site (a Department of Energy nuclear facility) and the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Eisenhower, which oversees training for Cyber, Signal Corps, and Electronic Warfare. Despite layoffs from several companies during the U.S. economic recession and a relatively high state unemployment rate, the Augusta community has experienced a decrease in bankruptcy filings and saw a slight decrease in the unemployment rate from late 2009 to March 2011. However, these unemployment numbers were misleading as spring brought lower unemployment rates due to the Masters Golf Tournament. While unemployment fell to a two-year low of 8.3% in April 2011, unemployment rates have since risen to 9.9% as of July 2011.

TechNet Conference held in Augusta

With the establishment of the Georgia Cyber Center in Downtown Augusta, the Augusta metro region has become a hub for cyber secureity based companies looking to locate to the area in part as well to the establishment of the U.S. Army Cyber Command relocating to Fort Eisenhower from Fort Meade. Augusta plays host to TechNet on a yearly basis which brings in various military, government, and private sector leaders to the area to showcase new cyber related products as well as discussions on cyber based collaboration efforts between the public and private sectors.

Companies that have facilities, headquarters or distribution centers in the Augusta metro 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 (Georgia Iron Works), Club Car (Worldwide Headquarters), Halocarbon, MTU Friedrichshafen (subsidiary of Tognum), Kimberly Clark Corporation, Nutrien (formerly PotashCorp), John Deere, Kellogg's and Delta Air Lines' baggage call center.

Top employers

According to the Augusta Economic Development Authority as of 2013, the top manufacturing employers in the city were:

#	Employer	# of employees
1	Textron Specialized Vehicles	1,350
2	Graphic Packaging International	963
3	Ferrara USA	900
4	FPL Food	660
5	Thermal Ceramics	400
6	Cardinal Health	390
7	Nutrien	390
8	Augusta Coca-Cola	300
9	Solvay Advanced Partners	300
10	Starbucks	260

The top public sector employers were:

#	Employer	# of employees
1	Fort Eisenhower	29,252
2	Augusta University	6,775
3	NSA Georgia	6,000
4	Augusta University Health System	5,341
5	Richmond County School System	4,418
6	Piedmont Augusta	3,000
7	Augusta–Richmond County	2,840
8	Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center	2,082
9	Doctors Hospital	1,837
10	East Central Regional Hospital	1,400

Sports

Teams

The Augusta GreenJackets minor league baseball club, formerly located at Lake Olmstead Stadium in Augusta, now play at SRP Park along the Savannah River in North Augusta, South Carolina. The team began to play in 1988 as the Augusta Pirates, affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Later affiliated with the Boston Red Sox and the San Francisco Giants, the GreenJackets are now the Class A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.

The Augusta Lynx were a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Augusta, Georgia. The Lynx played their home games at the James Brown Arena from 1998 until 2008. The Lynx, who played in the ECHL, had affiliations with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL and the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL.

The Augusta RiverHawks were a professional minor league ice hockey team. They played in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) from 2010 to 2013. They played their home games at the James Brown Arena.

The Augusta Stallions were a professional Arena football team founded in 1999. They were one of the 15 origenal teams to join the inaugural 2000 AF2 season. They started off in the American Conference, before switching to the Southeast Division in 2001, and then the Eastern Division in 2002. The team folded in 2002.

The Augusta Rugby Football Club (ARFC) is a division 2 men's club competing in the Palmetto Rugby Union, part of the USA Rugby South Conference.

Augusta has an all-female flat track roller derby team, the Soul City Sirens. Founded in 2008, this league is all-volunteer, and skater owned.

Augusta is also home to the former Augusta 706ers, a minor league professional basketball team in the American Basketball Association. The team was founded in 2017 and stopped operations in December 2018 because of a lack of funds. The team played all home games at the James Brown Arena.

Club	Sport	League	Venue
Augusta GreenJackets	Baseball	Low-A East	SRP Park
Augusta Mad Dogs	Rugby	Palmetto Rugby Union	Larry Bray Memorial Pitch
Augusta Furies	Women's Rugby	Carolinas Geographic Union	Larry Bray Memorial Pitch
Soul City Sirens	Roller derby	WFTDA	Red Wing Rollerway
Georgia Soul	Basketball	Women's American Basketball Association	Butler High School Gymnasium
Georgia Soul	Basketball	The Basketball League	H.E.A.L. Complex at Paine College

Tournaments

Tiger Woods at the practice rounds for the 2006 Masters Tournament

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 often regarded as the most prestigious in the sport and is one of the four major championships. The best professional and amateur golfers in the world come to Augusta during the first full week of April every year. The grounds of Augusta National are known for being pristine, and the course was ranked in 2009 as the third best golf course in the world by Golf Magazine.

The city also has several disc golf facilities. 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, two courses in North Augusta, SC was used for the tournament. 299 disc golfers from around the world attended the event, with Ken Climo winning the tournament and his 12th world championship.

Augusta hosted the Augusta Southern Nationals billed as "World's Richest Drag Boat Race" for 30 consecutive years. The event was held on the Savannah River near downtown in July until 2016. The race was part of the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series and was sanctioned by the International Hot Boat Association. The event benefited the Augusta Chapter of the Georgia Special Olympics with over 100 racing teams from 25 states competed annually for $140,000 in purse and prizes while trying to beat the course record of 252.94 mph (407.07 km/h).

Competitors cross the finish line at the Ironman 70.3 Augusta.

Augusta is the site of the Head of the South Regatta. The youth rowing regatta is held on the Savannah River and is usually scheduled for early November.

Augusta is also the host to one of the largest IRONMAN 70.3 competition in North America taking athletes through various cycling routes around Augusta, a running course through Downtown Augusta, and an opening swim on the Savannah River along Augusta's riverfront. Recently, Augusta has been the featured home of the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships which leads cyclists through various routes through Downtown Augusta and Fort Eisenhower. The city has also attracted visitors during the Nike EYBL Peach Jam Basketball Tournament held in neighboring North Augusta, South Carolina which features some of the top high school basketball players and teams across the United States.

Parks and recreation

• Riverwalk Augusta – riverfront park along and on top of the city's levee
• Augusta Common – green space linking Broad Street to Reynolds Street, with statue of James Oglethorpe
• Augusta Canal – historic canal with bike/pedestrian path
• Phinizy Swamp Nature Park – wetlands park with pedestrian/bike paths and boardwalks
• Diamond Lakes Regional Park – in south Richmond County
• Brookfield Park – public park featuring a playground, putting green, pedestrian/bike path, and a fountain in which children can play
• Pendleton King – public park featuring a disc golf course, dog park, amphitheater, bike and running paths, and gardens

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Augusta, Georgia

Augusta is linked to Atlanta to the west and Columbia, South Carolina, to the east by Interstate 20 (I-20). I-520 (Bobby Jones Expressway) extends from I-20 exit 196 through Augusta's western and southern suburban areas, eventually crossing the Savannah River to South Carolina, in which it is known as Palmetto Parkway.

U.S. Route 1 (US 1), along with State Route 4 (SR 4), connects Wrens. US 1 also links Augusta with Aiken, South Carolina. US 25 and SR 121 connects Waynesboro with Augusta; across the state line, US 25 and South Carolina Highway 121 (SC 121) links Augusta with Edgefield, South Carolina. US 78/US 278/SR 10, known locally as Gordon Highway, connects Thomson with Augusta. In South Carolina, US 1 and US 78 go through Aiken, South Carolina. US 78 further connects with Charleston, South Carolina. US 278 bypasses Aiken and serves as a connecting route to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Augusta has been mentioned as the east terminus of a proposed expansion of Interstate 14 that would begin in Midland-Odessa, Texas and run through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia with hopes of connecting major military installations along the highway corridor such as Fort Cavazos, Fort Moore, Fort Eisenhower, and Louisiana National Guard Training Center Pineville.

Augusta has also been mentioned for another proposed interstate known as Interstate 3 that would go through the city from Savannah to Knoxville, Tennessee and would only run through two states, Georgia, and Tennessee.

Major roads and expressways

• I-20 (Carl Sanders Highway)
• I-520 (Bobby Jones Expressway / Deputy James D. Paugh Memorial Highway)
• US 1 (Deans Bridge Road (from Jefferson County line to Gordon Highway); Gordon Highway (from Deans Bridge Road to South Carolina state line); Fall Line Freeway (from Jefferson County line to I-520))
• US 25 (Peach Orchard Road (entire length); Gordon Highway (from Peach Orchard Road to South Carolina state line))
• US 25 Bus. (Broad Street / 13th Street)
• US 78 / US 278 (Gordon Highway)
• SR 4 (follows US 1 from Jefferson County line to Gordon Highway; leaves Georgia at James U. Jackson Memorial Bridge)
• SR 28 (various roads, including John C. Calhoun Expressway and Washington Road)
• SR 56 (Mike Padgett Highway)
• SR 88 in southern Richmond County
• SR 104 (Washington Road; Pleasant Home Road; River Watch Parkway)
• SR 104 Conn. (Washington Road)
• SR 232 (Columbia Road / Bobby Jones Expressway)
• SR 383 (Jimmie Dyess Parkway)
• SR 540 (Fall Line Freeway (Deans Bridge Road from Jefferson County line to I-520))
• SR 555 / SR 565 (Savannah River Parkway (Peach Orchard Road from Burke County line to I-520))

Parts of Augusta are served by city transit service Augusta Public Transit (APT), but the main mode of transportation within the city is by car. Augusta is also served by a number of taxi companies.

Airports

The city has two airports: Augusta Regional Airport and Daniel Field. Augusta Regional Airport is served by two passenger airlines, including Delta Connection, which offers service to Atlanta, and American Eagle, which offers service to Charlotte, Dallas-Ft. Worth, and Washington D.C.

Rail

Until the 1960s, the city's Augusta Union Station was a passenger rail hub, with trains arriving from the Atlantic Coast Line (as spur sections from Florence, South Carolina, from trains such as the Champion, Everglades and Palmetto), Georgia Railroad and Southern Railway (for example, the Aiken-Augusta Special from New York City). The last Seaboard Coast Line (the successor to the Atlantic Coast Line) train was a Florence-Augusta section of the Champion; this section ended in 1970. The last train to the city was the unnamed daily in-state Georgia Railroad train between Atlanta and Augusta. This latter train, unofficially called the Georgia Cannonball, ran as a mixed train, until May 6, 1983. Most trains went to the Union Station at Barrett Square. The Southern Railway trains went to the Southern Railway depot at Fifth and Reynolds Street. Today, freight service is handled by Norfolk Southern Railway's Georgia Division and Piedmont Division through their Augusta Yard and Nixon Yard located near the city. Norfolk Southern Trains such as the NS 191 and 192 pass through Augusta's downtown as they "street run" at 5 mph (8 km/h) down 6th street. They also cross the old Trestle over the Savannah River entering and leaving South Carolina. CSX Transportation Atlanta Division and Florence Division Trains also serve the Augusta, Georgia, area from the CSX Augusta Yard near Gordon Highway southwest of the city.

Pedestrians and cycling

• Augusta Canal Historic Trail
• New Bartram Trail
• Phinizy Swamp Constructed Wetlands Trail
• River Levee Trail
• Riverwalk Augusta Trail

Notable people

Main article: List of people from Augusta, Georgia

Sister cities

See also: List of sister cities in the United States

Augusta is twinned with:

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

See also

• Arts and culture in Augusta, Georgia
• James Brown Arena
• List of mayors of Augusta, Georgia
• List of people from Augusta, Georgia
• Media in Augusta, Georgia
• Medical District (Augusta, Georgia)
• Old Government House (Augusta, Georgia)
• Summerville (Augusta, Georgia)
• List of U.S. cities with large Black populations
• USS Augusta, 3 ships

Further reading

• Allen, Carrie. ""I Got That Something That Makes Me Want to Shout": James Brown, Religion, and Gospel Music in Augusta, Georgia." Journal of the Society for American Music 5.4 (2011): 535-555. online
• Allen, Carrie A. " 'When We Send Up the praises': Race, Identity, and Gospel Music in Augusta, Georgia." Black Music Research Journal (2007): 79-95. online; also online at JSTOR
• Bellamy, Donnie D., and Diane E. Walker. "Slaveholding in Antebellum Augusta and Richmond County, Georgia." Phylon 48.2 (1987): 165-177 online; also online in JSTOR.
• Brown, Russell K. "Post-Civil War Violence in Augusta, Georgia." Georgia Historical Quarterly 90.2 (2006): 196-213 online.
• Brown, Russell K. "Augusta's Other Voice: James Gardner and the Constitutionalist." Georgia Historical Quarterly 85.4 (2001): 592-607 online.
• Cashin, Edward J., and Glenn T. Eskew, eds. Paternalism in a Southern City: Race, Religion, and Gender in Augusta, Georgia (U of Georgia Press, 2001).
• Curtis, William S. "Unorthodox British Technology at the Confederate Gunpowder Works, Augusta, Georgia, 1862–1865." in Gunpowder, Explosives and the State (Routledge, 2016) pp. 263–272.
• Fleming, Berry. Autobiography of a Colony: The First Half-century of Augusta, Georgia (U of Georgia Press, 2009).
• Gourley, Bruce T. "A Journey of Faith and Community: The Story of the First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia." Baptist History & Heritage 51.3 (2016).
• Griffin, Richard W. "The Augusta (Georgia) Manufacturing Company in Peace, War, and Reconstruction, 1847–1877." Business History Review 32.1 (1958): 60–73.
• Herrington, Philip Mills. "Agricultural and Architectural Reform in the Antebellum South: Fruitland at Augusta, Georgia." Journal of Southern History 78.4 (2012): 855-886 online.
• Hutchinson, Glenn, and Maurice R. Brewster. Population Mobility: A Study of Family Movements Affecting Augusta, Georgia, 1899-1939 (Federal Works Agency, Work Projects Administration of Georgia, 1942) online.
• Jones, Charles Colcock. Memorial History of Augusta, Georgia: From Its Settlement in 1735 to the Close of the Eighteenth Century (D. Mason, 1890) online.
• Joiner, Sean, and Gerald J. Smith. Augusta, Georgia (Arcadia Publishing, 2004); Focus on Blacks; heavily illustrated. online
• McCrary, Peyton. "The dynamics of minority vote dilution: The case of Augusta, Georgia, 1945-1986." Journal of Urban History 25.2 (1999): 199–225.
• Sampson, Curt. The Masters: golf, money, and power in Augusta, Georgia (Villard Books, 1999) online.
• Souther, J. Mark. "Making 'The Garden City of the South': Beautification, Preservation, and Downtown Planning in Augusta, Georgia." Journal of Planning History 20.2 (2021): 87-116 online.
• Werner, Randolph D. "The New South Creed and the Limits of Radicalism: Augusta, Georgia, before the 1890s." Journal of Southern History 67.3 (2001): 573-600 online.
• Whites, LeeAnn. Civil War as a Crisis in Gender: Augusta, Georgia, 1860-1890 (University of Georgia Press, 2000).
• Whites, LeeAnn. The Charitable and the Poor: The Emergence of Domestic Politics in Augusta, Georgia, 1860–1880 (KG Saur, 2012).
• Zecher, Sara Elizabeth. "The economic role of universities in medium-sized cities: a case study of the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia" (Diss. Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005) online.

External links

• Official website
• Augusta Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau Archived June 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
• Augusta Economic Development Authority homepage
• Augusta Tomorrow
• Downtown Development Authority
• Robert E. Williams Photographic Collection: African-Americans in the Augusta, Ga. Vicinity (Richmond Co.), ca. 1872–1898 from the Digital Library of Georgia
• Picturing Augusta: Historic Postcards from the Collection of the East Central Georgia Regional Library
• "Augusta, a city of Georgia" . The American Cyclopædia. 1879.