Savannah is a city located in (and the county seat of) Chatham County, Georgia. 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.
Savannah's metropolitan area, with a population of 304,000, includes three Georgia counties: Bryan, Chatham, and Effingham.
Savannah is located at latitude 32°05'00" North, longitude 81°05'59" 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 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 three colleges and universities offering bachelor's and master's degree programs: Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah College of Art and Design and Savannah State University. Bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. programs in engineering are offered through the Savannah campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology. In addition, South University offers bachelor's degree programs in business-related areas.
As of 2004, the mayor of Savannah is Otis Johnson.
Residents of Savannah are known as Savannahians (pron. sa-VAN-e-yuns).
As of the census of 2000, there are 131,510 people, 51,375 households, and 31,390 families residing in the city. The population density is 679.4/km2 (1,759.5/mi2). There are 57,437 housing units at an average density of 296.7/km2 (768.5/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 2.23% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 51,375 households out of which 28.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% are married couples living together, 21.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% are non-families. 31.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.45 and the average family size is 3.13.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $29,038, and the median income for a family is $36,410. Males have a median income of $28,545 versus $22,309 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,921. 21.8% of the population and 17.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 31.4% of those under the age of 18 and 15.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
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.
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.
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.
Around 3500 BCE, the Bilbo inhabited the area now known as Savannah. Thousands of years later, the Yamacraws settled here and in the 18th century AD under their leader Tomochici, they met the new arrivals. In November of 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 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 1738, 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 (located 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:
In the 1930's and 40's 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. The city is also known as the birthplace of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
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.
Source:
Savannah-USA.com
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