According to theU.S. Census Bureau, Augusta had a 2020 population of 202,081,[4] not counting the independent cities ofBlythe andHephzibah located within the boundaries of Augusta-Richmond County.[9] It is the124th most populous city in the United States and the92nd-largest metropolitan area. The process of consolidation between the city of Augusta andRichmond 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 theAugusta metropolitan area. In 2020 the metro area had a population of 611,000,[5] making it thesecond-largest in the state (afterAtlanta) and the ninth most populous urban center in theDeep South.
Augusta lies approximately two hours away from downtown Atlanta by car viaI-20. The city is home toFort Gordon, a major U.S. Army base formerly known as Fort Eisenhower. In 2016, it was announced that the new National Cyber Security Headquarters would be based in Augusta.[11]
In 1735, two years afterJames Oglethorpe foundedSavannah, 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 byNoble Jones, who the following year created a settlement as a first line ofdefense for coastal areas against potentialSpanish orFrench invasion from the interior.[12] Oglethorpe named the town in honor ofPrincess Augusta, the mother ofKing George III and the wife ofFrederick, Prince of Wales.
Oglethorpe visited Augusta in September 1739 on his return to Savannah from a perilous visit to Coweta Town, near present-dayPhenix City, Alabama.[13] 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.[14] During theAmerican Revolutionary War, theSiege 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).
Augusta developed rapidly as a market town as theBlack 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 domesticslave trade. Many of the slaves were brought from theLowcountry, where theirGullah culture had developed on the largeSea Island cotton and rice plantations.
During theAmerican Civil War, Augusta was home to many war industries including powder-works facilities.[15] 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 theAugusta 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 duringReconstruction 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 ariot involving 500 people, after six black men were killed by police,[16] each found to have been shot in the back.[17] The noted singer and entertainerJames Brown was called in to help quell lingering tensions, which he succeeded in doing.[16]
In 1993, an area known as Hyde Park in Augusta, Georgia, was investigated by the EPA for contamination. The investigation totaled $1.2 million.[18] 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.[18] 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.[18]
Augusta is located along the Georgia/South Carolina border, about 150 mi (240 km) east ofAtlanta and 74 mi (119 km) west ofColumbia.
According to theUnited 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.
Augusta is located about halfway up theSavannah River on thefall 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 GeorgiaPiedmont area.
TheClarks Hill Dam is built on the fall line near Augusta, formingClarks Hill Lake. Farther downstream, near the border ofColumbia County, is the Stevens Creek Dam, which generateshydroelectric power. Even farther downstream is the Augusta Diversion Dam, which marks the beginning of theAugusta Canal and channels Savannah River waters into the canal.[19]
As with the rest of the state, Augusta has ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa), with short, mild winters, very hot, humid summers, and a widediurnal 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) onJanuary 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)[20] Freezing rain is also a threat in wintertime.
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.
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.[39][40]
Fort Gordon 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 security.Augusta University, the state's only public health sciences graduate university, employs over 7,000 people. Along withPiedmont Augusta, theMedical District of Augusta employs over 25,000 people and has an economic impact of over $1.8 billion.[41]
With the establishment of theGeorgia 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 theU.S. Army Cyber Command relocating to Fort Gordon fromFort Meade.[42][43] 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.
As of February 2025, the metro area unemployment rate is 4.5%, slightly above the national average.[44]
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 theNational Register of Historic Places in 2004.[47]
TheAugusta Lynx were a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Augusta, Georgia. The Lynx played their home games at theJames Brown Arena from 1998 until 2008. The Lynx, who played in theECHL, had affiliations with theTampa Bay Lightning of the NHL and theNorfolk Admirals of the AHL.
TheAugusta Stallions were a professional Arena football team founded in 1999. They were one of the 15 original teams to join the inaugural 2000AF2 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 has an all-female flat trackroller derby team, theSoul City Sirens. Founded in 2008, this league is all-volunteer, and skater owned.[55]
Augusta is also home to the former Augusta 706ers, a minor league professional basketball team in theAmerican 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.
Augusta National Golf Club hosts the first major golf tournament of each year,The Masters.[56]
The Augusta Top Gun Series is a series of tournaments sanctioned by theProfessional Disc Golf Association, held at various venues in Augusta, including Pendleton King Park and Lake Olmstead.[57]
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.[citation needed]
Augusta hosts one of the largestIronman 70.3 competitions, which includes cycling around Augusta, running through Downtown Augusta, and swimming on theSavannah River.[58]
In 1995, citizens of Augusta and unincorporated parts ofRichmond County voted toconsolidate their city and county governments. Citizens ofHephzibah andBlythe, also located in Richmond County, voted against joining in the merger, which took effect January 1, 1996.[59] The unified government consists of amayor and tencommissioners. 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.[60] 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.[61] The government is aCouncil–manager government, with the commission appointing a County Administrator to carry out ordinances and directives of the government.
Augusta - Richmond County Presidential Election Results[62][63]
The daily newspaper in the city isThe Augusta Chronicle. Television stations serving Augusta and its metropolitan market areWJBF, channel 6 (ABC, withThe CW Plus on DT2);WRDW, channel 12, (CBS);WCES, channel 20 (PBS);WAGT, channel 26 (NBC); andWFXG, 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.
US 1 (Deans Bridge Road (from Jefferson County line toGordon 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))
Parts of Augusta are served by city transit serviceAugusta 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.
The city has two airports:Augusta Regional Airport andDaniel Field. Augusta Regional Airport is served by two passenger airlines, includingDelta Connection, which offers service to Atlanta, andAmerican Eagle, which offers service to Charlotte, Dallas-Ft. Worth, and Washington D.C.
Until the 1960s, the city'sAugusta Union Station was a passenger rail hub, with trains arriving from theAtlantic Coast Line (as spur sections fromFlorence, South Carolina, from trains such as theChampion,Everglades andPalmetto),Georgia Railroad andSouthern Railway (for example, theAiken-Augusta Special fromNew York City). The lastSeaboard Coast Line (the successor to the Atlantic Coast Line) train was a Florence-Augusta section of theChampion; this section ended in 1970.[66][67] The last train to the city was the unnamed daily in-stateGeorgia Railroad train betweenAtlanta and Augusta. This latter train, unofficially called theGeorgia Cannonball, ran as amixed train, until May 6, 1983.[68] 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 byNorfolk 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 nearGordon Highway southwest of the city.
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^Official records for Augusta were kept at downtown from February 1871 to March 1944,Daniel Field from April 1944 to June 1950, and at Bush Field / Augusta Regional Airport since July 1950. For more information, seeThreadex
^Memorial History of Augusta, Georgia: from Its Settlement in 1735 to the Close of the Eighteenth Century by Charles Colcock Jones, Salem Dutcher (Augusta, GA: D. Mason, 1890) page 31
^"Station: August Bush Fld AP, GA".U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. RetrievedMay 24, 2021.
^Seaboard Coast Line timetable, April 26, 1970, Table 3
^Seaboard Coast Line timetable, December 1, 1970, Table 4
^Cox, Jim (2011).Rails across dixie : a history of passenger trains in the American South. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 246.ISBN9780786445288.OCLC609716000.
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; alsoonline at JSTOR
Bellamy, Donnie D., and Diane E. Walker. "Slaveholding in Antebellum Augusta and Richmond County, Georgia."Phylon 48.2 (1987): 165-177online; alsoonline in JSTOR.
Brown, Russell K. "Post-Civil War Violence in Augusta, Georgia."Georgia Historical Quarterly 90.2 (2006): 196-213online.
Brown, Russell K. "Augusta's Other Voice: James Gardner and the Constitutionalist."Georgia Historical Quarterly 85.4 (2001): 592-607online.
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." inGunpowder, 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): 855-886online.
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): 87-116online.
Werner, Randolph D. "The New South Creed and the Limits of Radicalism: Augusta, Georgia, before the 1890s."Journal of Southern History 67.3 (2001): 573-600online.
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.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
