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Lovers of history, architecture, eclectic variety, civic pride, and friendly citizens would be hard pressed to find a more perfect holiday destination than Savannah. It was Georgia’s first city, founded by General James Oglethorpe in 1733, as the de facto capital of the British colony of Georgia. Savannah was an early example of urban planning, settled by hand-picked colonists, and a model of peaceful living which was destined to grow and prosper. Its original core is the largest registered National Historic District in the entire USA, 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) in size with dozens of houses and buildings of historical significance. As the map shows, right from its founding in 1733 it was a model town, with many public squares and parks.
Today it’s the fifth largest city in the State of Georgia, and one of America’s most important seaports. Its core has about 140,000 people, and its metro area is home to around 360,000, slightly more than half of whom are Blacks. Its people are well educated, with four colleges and universities offering the full range of degree programs. It is blessed with a humid subtropical climate, and it rarely sees hurricanes or severe storms. Savannah
is the most important container port on the East Coast, and the second largest one in the entire country.
While it was molded in prosperity, it was also forged in the crucible of strife, from the War of Independence (American Revolution), through the War of 1812, the horrendous War Between the States (US Civil War), and the major wars of the 20
th century. Today it represents a microcosm of American history, of the bad as well as the good, while remaining a contemporary example of genteel southern living that makes it justly one of America’s most popular tourist destinations.
In this and future articles we will show you some of the many places and things that Margo and I came to appreciate there as we escaped the worst of the seemingly endless Winter of 2013 that clobbered most of North America.
Here are two good sources of more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah,_Georgia and
http://www.visitsavannah.com/
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Rainyb
Lorraine Brecht
Great map. I could easily spend a couple weeks there just roaming the historic district. As you know Savannah & other plantation cities are high on my bucket list ;o)