Augusta

History

Establishment

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. A historical marker in Augusta reads:Augusta served as the capital of Georgia from 1785 until 1795 when the seat of government was moved to the new capital, Louisville. The Georgia General Assembly met at this site in a two-story building on the corner of Elbert (Fourth) and Bay Streets. The building was known as both the State House and Government House and was adjacent to the Academy of Richmond County. In Augusta on January 2, 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution. In 1789 the General Assembly, meeting here, adopted a new state constitution creating today's bicameral (two-house) state legislature consisting of the Senate and House of Representatives.

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 the main facilities of the vast Confederate Powderworks. After the war, Augusta had a booming textile industry, lead by the construction of many mills along the Augusta Canal to include Enterprise Mill, Sibley Mill, and King Mill.

The devastating Augusta fire of 1916 damaged 25 blocks of the city's downtown and wiped out many buildings of historical significance, some dating back to the 18th century.

Augusta was a major center of economic activity during Reconstruction and thereafter. 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 into a riot involving some 500 people; during the unrest, six Black men were killed by police, each found to have been shot in the back. Noted singer and entertainer James Brown, a native of Augusta, was called in to help quell lingering tensions, at which he succeeded.

Hyde Park contamination

In 1993, an area known as Hyde Park in Augusta 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 the 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, and rashes) than the average in America, and the citizens question why that was not considered.

Geography

Augusta is located along the Georgia/South Carolina border, about 150 mi (240 km) east of Atlanta and 74 mi (119 km) west of Columbia, South Carolina.

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 4.3 sq mi (11.1 km2) (1.42%) are covered by water.

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; 53 nights have the low reach the freezing mark, 82 days reach or exceed 90 °F (32 °C), and 51⁄2 days reach 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.

Demographics

At the 2020 United States census, 202,081 people, 66,838 households, and 41,517 families were 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.

Economy

Augusta is a regional center of medicine, biotechnology, and cyber security. 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 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 Gordon, which oversees training for Cyber, Signal Corps, and Electronic Warfare.

With the establishment of the Georgia Cyber Center in downtown Augusta, the Augusta metro region has become a hub for cyber security-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 Gordon from Fort Meade. Augusta plays host to TechNet annually, 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.

As of February 2025, the metro area unemployment rate was 4.5%, slightly above the national average.

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:

The top public sector employers were:

Arts and culture

Historic districts

Ten historic districts are located 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

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

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 Rugby Football Club 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.

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, which 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 original 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.

Augusta was 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.

Tournaments

Augusta National Golf Club hosts the first major golf tournament of each year, The Masters.

The Augusta Top Gun Series is a series of tournaments sanctioned by the Professional Disc Golf Association, held at various venues in Augusta, including Pendleton King Park and Lake Olmstead.

Augusta hosted the Augusta Southern Nationals drag boat Race for 30 consecutive years. Held on the Savannah River until 2016, the race was part of the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series.

Augusta hosts one of the largest Ironman 70.3 competitions, which includes cycling around Augusta, running through Downtown Augusta, and swimming on the Savannah River.

Parks and recreation

Riverwalk Augusta – riverfront park along and on top of the city's levee

Augusta Canal – historic canal with bike/pedestrian path

Phinizy Swamp Nature Park – wetlands park with pedestrian/bike paths and boardwalks

Augusta Municipal Golf Course – a public golf course renovated by Augusta National Golf Club

Government

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 10 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. A May 2024 referendum, giving the mayor full voting powers on the Augusta Commission, was approved by Augusta voters by 74%, with the mayor previously being allowed to vote only in the case of a tie on the commission. The government is a Council–manager government, with the commission appointing a County Administrator to carry out ordinances and directives of the government.

Education

Colleges and universities

Augusta University (public research university)

Augusta Technical College (state technical college)

Paine College (private, Methodist historically black college)

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

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.

In 2026, the Richmond County School System Board of Education approved a districtwide reorganization plan that included the replacement of Barton Chapel Elementary School, which will temporarily consolidate with Glenn Hills Elementary School during construction, before both merge into a new facility. Once the schools merge into the new building, Glenn Hills Elementary will close. The plan also calls for the closure of Jenkins-White Elementary School, the consolidation of John M. Tutt Middle School with Langford Middle School into the new Langford-Tutt Middle School, and the closure of Murphey Middle School as its campus is redeveloped. The Richmond County System Board of education also plans to convert T.W. Josey Comprehensive High School into a districtwide College and Career Academy for grades 9–12.[1]

Private schools in Augusta include Aquinas High School, Curtis Baptist High School, and Westminster Schools of Augusta.

Media

The daily newspaper in the city is The Augusta Chronicle. Television stations serving Augusta and its metropolitan market are WJBF, channel 6 (ABC, with The CW Plus on DT2); WRDW, channel 12, (CBS); WCES, channel 20 (PBS); WAGT, channel 26 (NBC); and WFXG, channel 54 (Fox). Augusta's large medical community and patient population is served by the Medical Examiner (www.AugustaRx.com), a twice-monthly newspaper published since 2006.

Infrastructure

Transportation

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))

Law enforcement

Law enforcement in Augusta is handled by the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.

Sister cities

Augusta is twinned with:

Biarritz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France

Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Japan