Savannah, Georgia

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Savannah is a city located in (and the county seat of) Chatham County, Georgia (USA). The city's population was 129,800 in 2004, according to U.S. Census estimates. Before 1970, Savannah was the second-largest city in Georgia. Today it is ranked fourth in population.

The Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area, defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, has a population of 310,000 (2004 estimate), and includes three Georgia counties: Bryan, Chatham, and Effingham. (The Census Bureau does not include Liberty County, Georgia, and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, as part of the Savannah MSA.) Savannah's metropolitan population is ranked third among Georgia cities.

Savannah is located at latitude 32°03'03" North, longitude 81°06'14" West. Savannah was the first colonial and state capital of Georgia. It is also the primary port on the Savannah River and is located along the U.S. Intracoastal Waterway.

Savannah's architecture and history are internationally known, as is its reputation for Southern charm and hospitality. The city prides itself as the "Hostess City of the South." Each year, Savannah attracts millions of visitors from across the country and around the world. [Savannah Convention and Visitors Bureau] Savannah houses the nation's most valuable living collection of 18th and 19th century architecture. Founded by General James Oglethorpe in 1733, Georgia's colonial capital now encompasses six Historic Neighborhoods and each Spring Savannahians open their doors to visitors during the Savannah Tour of Homes and Gardens. Savannah's downtown area is the largest National Historic Landmark District in the United States. Savannah is also noted for its St. Patrick's Day celebration, the second largest in the United States behind New York City.

Savannah is served by Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport, near Interstate 95. The city is the home of four colleges and universities offering bachelor's and master's degree programs: Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah State University, and South University. Bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. programs in engineering are offered through the Savannah campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology [Georgia Tech - Savannah]. In addition, South University offers doctorate degrees of pharmacy.

As of 2006, the mayor of Savannah is Otis Johnson.

Residents of Savannah are known as Savannahians (pron. sa-VAN-e-yuns).

History

The Yamacraws, a Native American tribe, were the first people to settle in and around Savannah. In the 18th century AD under their leader Tomochici, they met the newly arriving European settlers. In November 1732, the ship Anne sailed from Britain carrying 114 colonists, including General James Oglethorpe. On February 12, 1733, Oglethorpe and his settlers landed at Yamacraw Bluff and, in an example of some of the earliest "Southern hospitality", were greeted by Tomochici, the Yamacraws, and John and Mary Musgrove, Indian traders. (Mary Musgrove often served as a translator.) The city of Savannah was founded on that date, along with the colony of Georgia. Because of the friendship between Oglethorpe and Tomochici, Savannah was able to flourish unhindered by the warfare that marked the beginnings of many early American colonies. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary (with etymologies), the name "Savannah" means "Shawnee"; it derives from a Muskoghean Indian word—a variant of Sawanoki, the native name of the Shawnees. Georgia colonists adopted this name for the Savannah River and then for the city.

Savannah's physical layout was the subject of an elaborate plan by the Georgia colony's founders. Oglethorpe's Savannah Plan consisted of a series of wards built around central squares, with trust lots on the east and west sides of the squares for public buildings and churches, and tithing lots for the colonists' private homes on the north and south sites of the squares.

In midsummer 1733, five months after the English colonists, Jews from Spain and Portugal arrived in Savannah. Over the next century and a half the city welcomed other non-British immigrants, and Savannah remains to this day one of the most cosmopolitan and diverse cities in the South. In 1740, George Whitefield founded the Bethesda Orphanage, which is now the oldest extant orphanage in the United States.

During the American Revolutionary War, Savannah came under British and Loyalist control in 1778. At the Siege of Savannah in 1779, American and French troops (the latter including a company of free blacks from Haiti) fought unsuccessfully to retake the city.

On January 27, 1785, members of the State Assembly gathered in Savannah to found the nation's first state-chartered, public university—the University of Georgia (in Athens).

In 1818 shipping and business stopped when the city fell under quarantine due to a yellow fever epidemic. Many ships never came back to Savannah, dealing a harsh blow to the local cotton industry.

In 1864, the city was captured by Northern troops led by General William Tecumseh Sherman. After taking the city General Sherman offered the captured city and Port of Savannah to his Commander-in-Chief and telegraphed President Lincoln with the following message:

"I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the City of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty guns and plenty of ammunition, also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton."

In the 1930s and 1940s many of the distinguished buildings in the historic district were demolished to create parking lots. Squares had been bisected by streets and fire lanes to speed traffic flow. The demolition of the 1870 City Market on Ellis Square and the attempted demolition of the 1821 Davenport House prompted seven Georgia women, led by Davenport descendant Lucy Barrow McIntire, to create the Historic Savannah Foundation, which was able to preserve the city from destruction. In 1979, the Savannah College of Art and Design was founded, and began a process of renovation and adaptive reuse of many notable downtown buildings, rather than building a centralized campus. This effort, along with the work of the Historic Savannah Foundation and other preservation groups, has contributed greatly to Savannah's now-famous rebirth.

The city's popularity as a tourist destination was solidified by the best-selling book and subsequent movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which were set in Savannah. Also of note is the Pinkie Masters Bar which has been the site of presidential visits and political aspiration. Pinkie Masters (a local political figure) was a friend of President Jimmy Carter, who made several visits to the bar and the city. Additionally, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was born in nearby Pin Point, Georgia.

The city's location offers visitors access to the coastal islands and the Savannah Riverfront, both popular tourist destinations. Tybee Island, formerly known as "Savannah Beach", is the site of the Tybee Island Light Station, the first lighthouse on the southern Atlantic coast. Other picturesque towns adjacent to Savannah include the shrimping village of Thunderbolt and two residential areas that began as summer resort communities for Savannahians: Beaulieu and Vernonburg.

Crime and Other Urban Trends

Savannah today is a city with a high rate of violent crime. The mayor, Otis Johnson, has held three open forums on the issue. Upscale neighborhoods, African American neighborhoods, and commercial districts of downtown have been equally impacted by the crime wave. Murder rates have increased by 50% since 2004 and other types of crime, such as theft, have seen similar spikes. [Savannah Morning News on crime] (requires login)

In 2003, Savannah and Chatham County merged their city and county police departments. Although advertised as a way to cut costs and improve efficiency, the merger has cost more than expected and has resulted in a 100-officer shortage that the department is trying to remedy.

While some see the police merger as a step toward city-county consolidation, Savannah is actually one of eight incorporated cities or towns in Chatham County. (The others are Bloomingdale, Garden City, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Thunderbolt, Tybee Island, and Vernonburg). Although these seven smaller localities would remain independent from a consolidated government, they have long opposed any efforts to adopt a city-county merger. One fear is that consolidation would reduce county funding to areas outside of Savannah. Efforts towards city-county consolidation are thought by some to be an attempt to force residents of the wealthy planned community, The Landings, to pay city taxes. Currently, Landings residents do not pay city taxes. However, consolidation is favored by some city and county boosters, including Savannah's main newspaper, and merger plans have been presented to state legislators in the recent past. Should consolidation pass, Savannah would become Georgia's second-largest city, with a population of more than 205,000 (by state law, the almost 35,000 residents of the seven smaller incorporated towns remain independent; they are not included in a Savannah-Chatham consolidation plan).

Economy

Like most cities, agriculture was the background of Savannah's economy in its first two centuries. Silk and indigo production, both in demand in England, were early export commodities; by 1767 almost a ton of silk was exported annually to England.[link]

The Savannah region's mild climate offered perfect conditions for growing cotton, which became the dominant commodity after the American Revolution. Its production (under the plantation system) helped the city's European immigrants to achieve wealth and prosperity.

Main article: Port of Savannah.

The port of Savannah was one of the most frequented in the United States and Savannah's inhabitants had the opportunity to consume the world's finest goods, imported by foreign merchants. Savannah grew to be one of the richest cities in the United States. Cotton was exported to places all over the world.

Savannah's port has always been a mainstay of the city's economy. In the early years of U.S. history, goods produced in the New World had to pass through ports such as Savannah's before they could be shipped to England.

For years, Savannah was the home of Union Camp, which housed the world's largest paper mill. The plant is now owned by International Paper, and it remains one of Savannah's largest employers.

Savannah is also home to the famous Gulfstream Aerospace company, maker of private jets.

Education

Savannah is home to most of the schools in the Chatham County public school system. Public schools in Savannah are largely considered substandard by state and national statistics. Schools in Georgia consistently rate near the bottom of national achievement tests, while Savannah schools generally perform poorly compared to other schools in the state. That situation, coupled with Savannah's history of segregation, white flight and a wide-scale busing plan (1970-1992), has given rise to an extraordinary number of private schools in the city. Savannah also hosts two state universities and a number of other public and private colleges. Although the public school system is in a poor state, some progress has been made to improve test scores.

Notable high schools:

• Savannah High School - the city's oldest public high school, relocated to a new campus in 1997
• Benedictine Military School - Catholic high school for young men, founded in 1902. Traditionally the city's athletic powerhouse.
• Saint Vincent's Academy - Catholic high school for young women, founded in 1847. Notably attended by Confederate President Jefferson Davis' daughters.
• Alfred E. Beach High School - historically African-American public high school and Savannah High's crosstown rival
• Groves High School - public high school serving western Chatham County (westside Savannah, Garden City, Pooler, and Bloomingdale)
• [Johnson High School] - public high school serving eastside Savannah and Thunderbolt, and the 2003 Peachtree Regional Winner
• Herschel V. Jenkins High School - public high school serving midtown and portions of the southside, a 1997 National Blue Ribbon School.
• Windsor Forest High School - public high school that serves much of the southside: Windsor Forest, Georgetown, and White Bluff
• Saint Andrew's School - an independent college preparatory school located on Wilmington Island
• Savannah Arts Academy - the first dedicated performing and visual arts school in Savannah. Students concentrate in one of the arts majors: communications technology, dance, instrumental and/or vocal music, theatre arts, and visual arts. Located in the old Savannah High School building on Washington Avenue.
• The Savannah Country Day School - an exclusive private high school
• Savannah Christian Preparatory School - private Christian high school
• Calvary Baptist - private Baptist high school

Notable colleges and universities

• Armstrong Atlantic State University - public four-year institution.
• Savannah College of Art and Design - private four-year institution.
• Savannah State University - public four-year institution, historically African-American.

Geography and points of interest

Savannah is located at [32°3′3″N, 81°6′14″W] (32.050706, -81.103762)^{[Geographic references#1GR1]}. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 202.3 km² (78.1 mi²). 193.6 km² (74.7 mi²) of it is land and 8.7 km² (3.4 mi²) of it (4.31%) is water. Because of its marshiness and flat topography, Savannah is prone to flooding. Four canals and pumping stations have been built to help reduce the effects: Fell Street Canal, Kayton Canal, Springfield Canal and the Casey Canal, with the first three draining north into the Savannah River.

The Savannah International Trade & Convention Center is located on Hutchinson Island, across from downtown Savannah and surrounded by the Savannah River. The Belles Ferry connects the island with the mainland, as does the Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge.

The Savannah Civic Center is located on Montgomery Street and is host to over 900 events each year, including the Memorial Health Hockey Classic.

Squares

Savannah's historic district has 24 squares [link]:

• Calhoun Square
• Chatham Square
• Chippewa Square
• Columbia Square
• Crawford Square
• Elbert Square
• Ellis Square
• Franklin Square
• Greene Square
• Johnson Square
• Lafayette Square
• Liberty Square
• Madison Square
• Monterey Square
• Ogelthorpe Square
• Orleans Square
• Pulaski Square
• Reynolds Square
• Telfair Square
• Troup Square
• Warren Square
• Washington Square
• Whitefield Square
• Wright Square

The squares vary in size and personality, from the formal fountain and monuments of the largest, Johnson, to the playgrounds of the smallest, Crawford. Elbert, Ellis, and Liberty Squares are classified as the "lost squares," destroyed due to development in the 1950's. Elbert and Liberty Squares were paved over to make way for an extension of Interstate 16, while Ellis Square was demolished to build the City Market parking garage. Separate efforts are under way to revive each of the three lost squares. The city has recently razed the City Market parking garage in order to build a new parking facility underground, with a new park on the street level.

Historic sites

• Riverfront Plaza and Factors' Walk—River Street's restored nineteenth-century cotton warehouses and passageways include shops, bars and restaurants
• City Market—Savannah's restored central market features antiques, souvenirs, small eateries, as well as two large outdoor plazas
• Historic homes—the Pink House, Sorrel Weed House, Juliette Gordon Low birthplace, Owens-Thomas house, Wormsloe plantation of Noble Jones
• Historic houses of worship—Trinity United Methodist Church (circa 1848), Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Christ Episcopal Church, First African Baptist Church, Independent Presbyterian Church, Lutheran Church of the Ascension, Temple Mickve Israel
• Historic cemeteries—Colonial Park Cemetery (an early graveyard dating back to the English colony of Georgia), Laurel Grove Cemetery (with the graves of many Confederate soldiers and African American slaves) and Bonaventure Cemetery (a former plantation and the final resting place for some illustrious Savannahians)
• Historic forts—Fort Jackson (near the historic district) and Fort Pulaski National Monument (17 miles east of Savannah via the Islands Expressway), both important in the American Civil War

Demographics

As of the census^{[Geographic references#2GR2]} of 2000, there were 131,510 people, 51,375 households, and 31,390 families residing in the city. The population density was 679.4/km² (1,759.5/mi²). There were 57,437 housing units at an average density of 296.7/km² (768.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.08% African American, 38.86% White, 1.52% Asian, 0.23% Native American, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.93% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.23% of the population.

There were 51,375 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 13.2% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,038, and the median income for a family was $36,410. Males had a median income of $28,545 versus $22,309 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,921. About 17.7% of families and 21.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.4% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.

Interstates and major highways in Savannah

Interstate 95 - Runs north-south just west of the city; provides access to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, and intersects with Interstate 16 which leads into the city's center.

Interstate 16 - Terminates in Downtown Savannah at Liberty and Montgomery Streets, and intersects with Interstate 95 and Interstate 516.

Interstate 516 - An urban perimeter highway connecting Southside Savannah, at DeRenne Avenue, with the industrialized port area of the city to the north; intersects with the Veterans Parkway and Interstate 16, as well. Also known as Lynes Parkway.

Harry S. Truman Parkway - Runs through the eastside of town, connecting the east end of Downtown with Southside Savannah. The road has been under construction since 1992, and is opening in phases with the latest phase opening in 2004. The highway will eventually complete a chain of highways that form a loop around the city that include Interstate 516, Veterans Parkway and the Truman Parkway.

Veterans Parkway - Links Interstate 516 and Southside/Midtown Savannah with South Savannah, and is intended to move traffic quicker from north-south by avoiding high-volume Abercorn Expressway.

Abercorn Expressway (S.R. 204) - An extension of Abercorn Street that begins at 37th Street (which is its northern point) and terminates at Rio Road and the Forest River at its southern point, and serves as the primary traffic and commercial artery linking downtown, midtown and southside sections of the city.

Islands Expressway - An extension of President Street to facilitate traffic moving between Downtown Savannah and the barrier islands, as well as the beaches of Tybee Island

Victory Drive (U.S. 80) - Runs east-west through Midtown Savannah and connects the city with the town of Thunderbolt, and the islands of Whitemarsh, Talahi, Wilmington and Tybee. Merges with the Islands Expressway and serves as the only means of reaching the beach by automobile.

Transportation

Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is located west of Savannah off Interstate 95. Airlines serving this airport are Delta, Delta Connection, Northwest Airlink, Continental Express, United Express, US Airways, Airtran and American Eagle.

Amtrak operates a passenger terminal at Savannah for the Palmetto and Silver Service Trains running between Boston, Massachusetts and Miami, Florida with three southbound and three northbound trains stopping at the station daily.

People from Savannah

• Conrad Aiken, (1889-1973), poet
• Big Boi, rapper from the group OutKast
• Camoflauge, (1981-2004), rapper
• Charles Coburn, (1877-1961), actor
• Paula Deen, (b. 1950 - , Food Network television chef / cookbook writer / restaurateur
• Bucky Dent, (b.1951), nemesis of 1978 Red Sox season
• Al Jaffee, (b. 1921), writer and artist for Mad Magazine
• Stacy Keach, (b. 1941), actor
• J. Curtis Lewis, Jr. (1926-2005), businessman, philanthropist
• Juliette Gordon Low, (1860-1927), founder of Girl Scouts of the USA
• Johnny Mercer, (1909-1976), songwriter
• James Moody, (b.1925), jazz musician (saxophone, flute), composer, actor
• Ward Morehouse, (1899 - 1966), theater critic and newspaper columnist
• Flannery O'Connor, (1925-1964), writer
• Kenny Rogers, (b.1964), baseball player
• Billy Joe Royal, 1960s singer
• Diana Scarwid, (b. 1955), actor
• Moxley Sorrel, (1838-1901), youngest General in the Confederate Army
• Clarence Thomas, (b. 1948), Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
• James Moore Wayne, (1790-1867), Congressman and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Savannah in literature

The 1994 non-fiction novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (known to locals as "The Book") is set in Savannah, and in 1997 was made into a film, directed by Clint Eastwood.

Savannah resident N.Y.W. Peacocke has completed two books of a trilogy that deal with the war of independence in Georgia, and particularly Savannah. Savannah Spell (ISBN 1898030510) and Mirror My Soul (ISBN 1898030618) weave a love triangle around the events of the Revolution in Georgia and Carolina.

E.L. Doctorow's historical novel, The March (ISBN 0357506713), is about Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's 1864 scorched-earth campaign in which he marched 60,000 troops eastward from Atlanta to Savannah and into the Carolinas during the American Civil War (1861-65).

Chris Fuhrman wrote the book The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys depicting his life as a catholic school boy growing up in the town of Savannah, attending the local catholic school. He attended Blessed Sacrament School and graduated in 1974. He graduated from UGA, from where his book was published. Sadly, he died in 1990 of cancer, he was 30.

Savannah in television and film

The following is based on a list assembled by the Savannah Film Commission [link]:

Trivia

• One of the region's old nicknames is "the Coastal Empire." A new nickname is "The Creative Coast".
• The communities of White Bluff are now within the city limits of Savannah.
• Between 1960 and 1975, Savannah was one of the few Sunbelt cities to lose population in both the city and metropolitan area. This was due to the closing of Hunter Air Force Base in 1966 (later reopened as an army airfield) and the lack of new industry. This population trend has reversed, and between 1980 and 2004, Savannah's metropolitan area has grown from little more than 200,000 to 310,000, a healthy rate for any city in the Sunbelt.
• The ZIP Codes for Savannah begin with the digits 314 . (Other municipilities in Chatham County begin with 313, ex: Pooler, GA is 31322, Bloomingdale, GA is 31302, and Tybee Island is 31328.)
• Savannah has a reputation as one of the most haunted cities in the United States.
• The Savannah Morning News is the city's daily newspaper.
• The city hosts the Savannah Sand Gnats baseball club of the South Atlantic League.
• A common joke about Savannah and the cities nearby is: Upon first arrival..."In Atlanta they ask you 'what you do for a living?' In Charleston they ask you 'who are you related to?' In Savannah they ask you 'what would you like to drink?'"
• Connect Savannah is a weekly newspaper focusing on the arts and entertainment.
• Murmur Magazine Is a homegrown Savannah monthly digest magazine. Murmur focuses on Savannah's underground and counterculture scenes in music, art, oddities, and culture.

Sister cities

Savannah, Georgia has three sister cities, as designated by the [Sister Cities International]:

- Batumi (Ajaria, Georgia) - Patras (Akhaia, Greece) - Kaya (Burkina Faso)

References

External links

• [Official City Website]
• [Savannah Economic Development Authority]
• [Savannah Convention & Visitors Bureau]
• [The Creative Coast]
• [Official Savannah Guide]
• [Savannah Crime Map & Data], a public service listing current crimes, crime trends, and sex offenders in Savannah.

Area colleges and universities

• [Savannah State University]
• [Armstrong Atlantic State University]
• [Savannah College of Art and Design]
• [Savannah Technical College]
• [Georgia Tech Savannah]
• [Georgia Southern University]
• [University of South Carolina - Beaufort]
• [Brewton-Parker Evening College]
• [Ogeechee Technical College]
• [St. Leo College]
• [Technical College of the Low Country]
• [South University]

State of Georgia
Regions
Colonial Coast | Metro Atlanta | North Georgia Mountains | Historic South | Inland Empire | Southern Rivers | The Golden Isles
Largest cities
Albany | Atlanta | Athens | Augusta | Columbus | Macon | Marietta | Roswell | Sandy Springs | Savannah
Counties of Georgia
Appling | Atkinson | Bacon | Baker | Baldwin | Banks | Barrow | Bartow | Ben Hill | Berrien | Bibb | Bleckley | Brantley | Brooks | Bryan | Bulloch | Burke | Butts | Calhoun | Camden | Candler | Carroll | Catoosa | Charlton | Chatham | Chattahoochee | Chattooga | Cherokee | Clarke | Clay | Clayton | Clinch | Cobb | Coffee | Colquitt | Columbia | Cook | Coweta | Crawford | Crisp | Dade | Dawson | Decatur | DeKalb | Dodge | Dooly | Dougherty | Douglas | Early | Echols | Effingham | Elbert | Emanuel | Evans | Fannin | Fayette | Floyd | Forsyth | Franklin | Fulton | Gilmer | Glascock | Glynn | Gordon | Grady | Greene | Gwinnett | Habersham | Hall | Hancock | Haralson | Harris | Hart | Heard | Henry | Houston | Irwin | Jackson | Jasper | Jeff Davis | Jefferson | Jenkins | Johnson | Jones | Lamar | Lanier | Laurens | Lee | Liberty | Lincoln | Long | Lowndes | Lumpkin | Macon | Madison | Marion | McDuffie | McIntosh | Meriwether | Miller | Mitchell | Monroe | Montgomery | Morgan | Murray | Muscogee | Newton | Oconee | Oglethorpe | Paulding | Peach | Pickens | Pierce | Pike | Polk | Pulaski | Putnam | Quitman | Rabun | Randolph | Richmond | Rockdale | Schley | Screven | Seminole | Spalding | Stephens | Stewart | Sumter | Talbot | Taliaferro | Tattnall | Taylor | Telfair | Terrell | Thomas | Tift | Toombs | Towns | Treutlen | Troup | Turner | Twiggs | Union | Upson | Walker | Walton | Ware | Warren | Washington | Wayne | Webster | Wheeler | White | Whitfield | Wilcox | Wilkes | Wilkinson | Worth | (Campbell) | (Milton)

 

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