Culture of Georgia (U.S. state)
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The
.The people of Georgia are stereotyped both by their manners and for being highly religious. Language in Georgia is a combination of several different sub-dialects of Southern American English found in different areas of the state. The state's culture is also influenced by its economy, most notably from forestry and its many benefits to the state and its people. Finally, Georgia's cuisine is integral to its culture with such foods as seafood, cornbread, peaches and grits being part of the people of Georgia's diet and economy.
On a more abstract level, Georgia's culture can be seen and heard in its literature, music, sports, film, television and art. Georgia is known for such authors as Alice Walker and Margaret Mitchell; for musicians and bands such as R.E.M. and Ray Charles; for interest in football, hunting and fishing; for the films and television shows filmed in the state and the actors and actresses from Georgia; and for the art created by Georgians and inspired by the state of Georgia.
Georgia's culture originated with its settlement by
It is the amalgamation of these disparate ethnicities, along with the influx of African slaves and their descendants, which has created the modern culture of the state and the modern Georgian.Stereotypical Georgian traits include manners known as "Southern hospitality", a strong sense of community and shared culture, and a distinctive Southern dialect.[2] Georgia's Southern heritage makes turkey and dressing a traditional holiday dish during both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Movies like Gone with the Wind and the book If I Ever Get Back to Georgia, I'm Gonna Nail My Feet to the Ground by Lewis Grizzard lampoon (and celebrate) Georgia culture, speech and mannerisms.
Religion
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/ATL%2C_Methodist_Church.jpg/220px-ATL%2C_Methodist_Church.jpg)
As with the rest of
The state is also the home of four prominent
Southern dialect in Georgia
The Southern
Forestry
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Timber_DonnellyMills2005_SeanMcClean.jpg/220px-Timber_DonnellyMills2005_SeanMcClean.jpg)
Georgia leads the United States in timber production, and timber is its highest valued agricultural product. Georgia is second in the nation with more than 3,800 certified Tree Farms that total nearly eight million acres. Moreover, Georgia was the first state in the nation to license foresters and today the state has about 1,200 licensed foresters. The timber industry generates 177,000 jobs and 66% of a total land area of 36,800,000 acres (149,000 km2) is forested.[14]
Georgia's forests benefit the state and its people greatly by providing habitats for diverse wildlife. Such diversity allows for much outdoor recreation, including hunting, fishing, birdwatching and hiking. Each year, more than two million people enjoy wildlife-related activities in Georgia, directly contributing more than $1.6 billion to the state's economy.[15]
It was "pitch" pine trees that were plentiful in Georgia, but settlers from the early 19th century pronounced the word as "peach", thus giving the state their nickname.
Cuisine
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Pfirsiche.jpg/220px-Pfirsiche.jpg)
Georgia's cuisine includes a variety of different foods ranging from seafood, corn on the cob and chicken and dumplings to Brunswick stew, fried chicken and cornbread. Other well known and loved foods in the state include pecans, peaches, and peanuts.[16] The state prepared food is grits.[17]
Literature
Georgia literature is distinct among the literature of other places in the world in its historical and geographical context and the values it imparts to people who enjoy the state's literature. Dramas such as the play-turned-movie Driving Miss Daisy are one example of Georgia's literary culture while better known fiction novels such as Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind and The Color Purple by Alice Walker (The Color Purple's stage adaptation is by Georgia Author and Agnes Scott Alumna Marsha Norman) are other examples. Among the most interesting of Southern literature's genres is Southern Gothic, with such notable Georgia writers as Flannery O'Connor and Erskine Caldwell. Georgia's poets, such as Sidney Lanier, nonfiction writers like humorist Lewis Grizzard also have a place in the state's literary background.[19]
Many writers in Georgia have looked to their past to better understand their present and the challenges Georgians face today. Some of those authors are Raymond Andrews, Olive Ann Burns, Flannery O'Connor, Marion Montgomery, James Dickey, Mary Hood and Alice Walker. Each of these writers have drawn upon the history of the state and the social and political changes in Georgia to create stories about faith, redemption, race, and other important issues.[19]
Music
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Ray_Charles_FIJM_2003.jpg/220px-Ray_Charles_FIJM_2003.jpg)
Music in Georgia ranges from folk music to rhythm and blues, rock and roll, country music, sludge metal and hip hop.
Georgia's folk musical traditions include important contributions to the
The Sacred Harp, compiled and produced by Georgians Benjamin Franklin White and Elisha J. King, was published in 1844. The Sacred Harp system use notes represented by different shapes according to scale degree, intended to make it easy for people to learn to sight-read music and perform complex pieces without a lot of training.[21] Established in 1933,[22] the Sacred Harp Publishing Company, located in Carrollton, Georgia, publishes the most widely used 1991 edition of The Sacred Harp.[23]
Rock legends The Allman Brothers Band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, but moved to Macon, Georgia in 1969 and continued to call Macon home until 1979.[24][25] The Allman's make numerous musical references to Georgia, in such songs as Hot 'Lanta, their cover of Blind Willie McTell's Statesboro Blues, and Ramblin' Man. Duane Allman famously mentioned Georgia in an interview with Ellen Mandel of Good Times Magazine, when in response to the question "How are you helping the revolution?" Allman replied "I'm hitting a lick for peace. And every time I'm in Georgia, I eat a peach for peace."[26]
The
Rhythm and Blues is another important musical genre in Georgia. Ray Charles was one of popular music's most influential performers, fusing R&B, jazz, and country into many popular songs. Augusta native James Brown and Macon native Little Richard, two important figures in R&B history, started performing in Georgia clubs on the Chitlin' Circuit, fused gospel with blues and boogie-woogie to lay the foundations for R&B and Soul music, and rank among the most iconic musicians of the 20th century. In the 1960s, Atlanta native Gladys Knight proved one of the most popular Motown recording artists, while Otis Redding, born in the small town of Dawson but raised in Macon, defined the grittier Southern soul sound of Memphis-based Stax Records.[28] Atlanta-based
Several
Opera singer
Sports and recreation
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Hiker_signing_register_at_Springer_Mountain.jpg/220px-Hiker_signing_register_at_Springer_Mountain.jpg)
Sports in Georgia include professional teams in all major sports, Olympic Games contenders and medalists, collegiate teams in major and small-school conferences and associations, and active amateur teams and individual sports. The State of Georgia has a team in three of the four major professional leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA).
Georgia has an abundance of outdoor recreational activities. Outdoor activities include, but are not limited to, hiking along the
Film
Hundreds of feature films have been located in Georgia. In 2016 alone, more than $7 billion had been generated for the state's economy by the film and television industry.[40] Some of these films include Deliverance; Smokey and the Bandit; Driving Miss Daisy and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.[41] Due to the success of Deliverance, Jimmy Carter established a state film commission, now known as the Georgia Film, Video and Music Office, in 1973 to market Georgia as a shooting location for future projects. In 2016, 245 filming projects including: commercials, feature films, television shows and music videos.[40]
Many other films other than the ones listed above have been set in or have used Georgia as a background for their settings. One such film was
Year Filmed | Project Title | Project Type | Location |
---|---|---|---|
1972 | Deliverance | Film | Tallulah Gorge, Clayton and Rabun County |
1976 | Smokey and the Bandit | Film | McDonough, Jonesboro and Lithonia |
1980 | Escape from New York City | Film | Atlanta |
1982 | The Big Chill | Film | Atlanta |
1986 | Mosquito Coast | Film | Cartersville and Rome |
1986 | Friday 13th: Jason Lives | Film | Covington |
1987 | School Daze | Film | Atlanta |
1989 | Driving Miss Daisy | Film | Atlanta |
1989 | Glory | Film | Savannah and Jekyll Island |
2010 | The Last Song | Film | Tybee Island |
Television
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/GaPublicBroadcasting_Logo.svg/220px-GaPublicBroadcasting_Logo.svg.png)
Georgia is home to
Like movies, several television shows have been filmed or set in Georgia. The Dukes of Hazzard began filming in Georgia, though it moved to California in later years. In the Heat of the Night was also filmed in Georgia as was the television series I'll Fly Away and its miniseries sequel I'll Fly Away: Then and Now.[41]
Art
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/71/Jameshabersham.png/220px-Jameshabersham.png)
The arts and artists have found a home in Georgia since its beginnings as a British Colony. Many artists, from
The
Though very few examples exist either in Georgia or in the United States the history of painting in the eighteen and nineteenth centuries in Georgia mirrors the history of painting in the United States. Some early examples of works done in Georgia are the
Notable Georgia residents
Many notable individuals come from Georgia. Comedian Jeff Foxworthy is an Atlanta native.[46] Actress Julia Roberts is a native of Smyrna, Georgia, a suburb just west of Atlanta.[47] Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was born in Plains, Georgia. Civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta. Ryan Seacrest from Marietta, and baseball legend Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia.[48][49] Other notable people from Georgia include Otis Redding, Little Richard, Travis Tritt and Alice Walker.[50][51][52]
See also
- Outline of culture
- Outline of Georgia (U.S. state)
- History of Georgia (U.S. state)
- Culture of Atlanta, Georgia
- African-American culture
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