The 5 States That Border Georgia

Georgia is a state that is known for being called The Peach State. The reason why it’s called that is because Georgia was the primary state that grew peaches way back when. Now, of course, California and South Carolina are the biggest producers of the fruit. But the nickname stuck. One of the original thirteen colonies, Georgia is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was admitted to the union as the fourth state on January 2, 1788.

Geographically, the state is breathtaking and quite diverse. It is home to the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are covered in lush forests. But the state is also home to the city of Atlanta, which has a vibrant culture and rich history. Climatically, Georgia is subtropical and humid. Summers are hot and humid, but winters can be more mild than cold.

Georgia borders the Atlantic Ocean, which is to the east of the state. The state also borders several other Southern states. Georgia currently shares a border with Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Let’s take a look at the five states that border Georgia.

Alabama

Bordering Georgia to the west, Alabama and Georgia are separated by the Chattahoochee River, except for a sliver in the northeastern part of Alabama. This part of the border is separated by West Point Lake in Georgia, as well as Nickajack Lake in Tennessee. Known as the Heart of Dixie, Alabama is in the Deep South. Alabama is a biodiverse state with coyotes, armadillos, and alligators found living here. Geographically, the state has mountains and valleys in the north, but also plains and a coastline in the south.

Tennessee

Bordering Georgia to the north, Tennessee, and Georgia have a land border. However, there has been an ongoing border dispute between the states because of errors in the lack of land surveying in the early days of Tennessee’s statehood. Georgia claims its border should have been further north to touch the Tennessee River. The dispute is still ongoing after 200 years. Tennessee is a geographically diverse state with mountainous regions, fertile swampland, plains, valleys, and gorges. Tennessee’s capital is Nashville, one of the most popular cities in the state and the hometown of country music.

North Carolina

Bordering Georgia to the north, North Carolina has two different borders that both states acknowledge and accept. An 1819 survey made the boundary at the 35th parallel, but the 1821 land survey made it a bit south of it. North Carolina is in the Southeastern region of the United States, between the Appalachian Mountains to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The Tarheel State, as it is nicknamed, has a mountainous region in the west and coastal plains in the east.

South Carolina

Bordering Georgia to the northeast, the Savannah River forms a perfect, natural border with Georgia in the western part of South Carolina. As for the northern part of the border between the two states, both the Chattooga and Tugaloo rivers form that border. South Carolina is known as the Palmetto State because of the state’s abundance of Sabal Palmetto trees. Geographically, the state is diverse with a mountainous region in the west and coastal plains in the east by the Atlantic Ocean.

Florida

Bordering Georgia to the south, the border between the two states follows McNeil’s line (named after the man who surveyed the border). Florida is the southeasternmost state in the United States. It is also the third-most populous state in the country with 21 million people. Most of Florida is on a peninsula, which is almost surrounded by water — the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Fast Facts About Georgia

• Capital: Atlanta
• Population: 10.7 million
• Governor: Brian Kemp
• Lieutenant Governor: Burt Jones
• State tree: Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginiana)
• State bird: Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)
• State flower: Cherokee rose (Rosa laevigata)

Conclusion

And there you have it, those are the five states that border Georgia. Georgia is truly a gorgeous state. Nestled between the Blue Ridge Mountains in the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, the entire state is beautiful throughout. However, controversy did not escape Georgia, when President Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the US, Georgia seceded from the union and became part of the Confederacy. It wasn’t until after the Civil War ended, that Georgia became the last state to be admitted back.

Throughout the rest of the 19th and 20th centuries, Georgia was the center of the fight against racism and ensuring there were equal rights for all. Dr. Martin Luther King lived in Georgia and was important to the civil rights movement in the South and throughout the US. As we think about Georgia, we are reminded of how its history has shaped the rest of the country and how it will continue to be an influential state.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Alexander Lukatskiy/Shutterstock.com