26. Georgia
On paper, Georgia may not be all that different from Alabama, which you may remember I ranked at 46th. However I think what brings Georgia so much further ahead is that nearly every aspect outshines its neighboring state.
Sunset view from Georgia’s highest point
Alabama is not an ugly state by any means. It shares a lot with Mississippi, which I’ve praised, and I would say for the most part it’s even prettier. But Georgia takes it one step further by having such a huge contrast between the Appalachians in the north and the tropical environments of the south and the east coast. My drive through northern Georgia was absolutely gorgeous and it is so incredible to see where the Appalachian mountain range begins. And it extends pretty far into the state reaching the outskirts of Atlanta. It may not be well known, but Atlanta has one of the highest elevations of any major city east of the Mississippi River having one of the highest elevations of most major American metropolitan areas. And as I said about my new appreciation of the northern Florida environment, the same extends to Georgia.
But where Georgia really outshines Alabama is in its cities. Some of these cities are old, and they really feel like it. Georgia was the farthest south of the 13 colonies, and cities like Savannah played a major role in the growth of the new country. This is the South though and many of these settlements were so fundamentally tied with slavery, so we must not forget that. Still each of Georgia’s major cities have a lot to offer, and I would really like to visit again to spend time in Atlanta, Augusta, and Savannah. Atlanta I would argue is the cultural hub of the South and its most important city, and I can’t stress that enough. However, Atlanta does definitely suffer from the major sprawl issues that bring down cities in Texas and Florida.
Savannah, Georgia
I hate to be a broken record, but Georgia does have the same problems with racism every other Southern state has. Once again though this makes up only one segment of the population while there are also many majority black cities in the state. It is a bummer though how you can see the contrast of a city like Atlanta and go only an hour away and values completely change. It’s an eye opening experience to see how differently you feel being with a black family member in a rural town in Georgia with Confederate flags in any direction you look.
Ultimately though, I hope you start to see a pattern here. As we get higher on the list, we have more states that I wish to prioritize visiting again soon. And we have finally reached the part of that list where if given the opportunity, I would drop anything to get to experience more of what a state like Georgia has to offer
