Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

capital of the

Province of Georgia A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outs ...

and later the first state capital of Georgia. A strategic port city in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

and during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, Savannah is today an industrial center and an important Atlantic seaport. It is Georgia's fifth-largest city, with a

2020 U.S. Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

population of 147,780. The

Savannah metropolitan area The Savannah metropolitan area is centered on the principal city of Savannah, Georgia. The official name given by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the Savannah, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is used for statistical pur ...

, Georgia's third-largest, had a 2020 population of 404,798. Each year, Savannah attracts millions of visitors to its cobblestone streets, parks, and notable historic buildings. These buildings include the birthplace of

Juliette Gordon Low Juliette Gordon Low (October 31, 1860 – January 17, 1927) was the American founder of Girl Scouts of the USA. Inspired by the work of Lord Baden-Powell, founder of Boy Scouts, she joined the Girl Guide movement in England, forming her own g ...

(founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA), the

Georgia Historical Society The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is a statewide historical society in Georgia. Headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, GHS is one of the oldest historical organizations in the United States. Since 1839, the society has collected, examined, and tau ...

(the oldest continually operating historical society in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

), the

Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences The Telfair Academy is a historic mansion at 121 Barnard Street in Savannah, Georgia. It was designed by William Jay and built in 1818, and is one of a small number of Jay's surviving works. It is one of three sites owned by Telfair Museums. Or ...

(one of the South's first public museums), the First African Baptist Church (one of the oldest African-American Baptist congregations in the United States), Temple Mickve Israel (the third-oldest synagogue in the U.S.), and the Central of Georgia Railway roundhouse complex (the oldest standing antebellum rail facility in the U.S. and now a museum and visitor center). Savannah's downtown area, which includes the

Savannah Historic District Savannah Historic District may refer to: *Savannah Historic District (Savannah, Georgia), a National Historic Landmark district in Georgia * Central of Georgia Railroad: Savannah Shops and Terminal Facilities, Savannah, Georgia, a historic district ...

, its 22 parklike squares, and the

Savannah Victorian Historic District The Savannah Victorian Historic District is a historic district in Savannah, Georgia. It is mostly residential in character and features Late Victorian, Queen Anne, and other architectural styles. The district, which is not part of the Savan ...

, is one of the largest

National Historic Landmark Districts A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in the United States (designated by the federal government in 1966). Downtown Savannah largely retains the founder

James Oglethorpe James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British soldier, Member of Parliament, and philanthropist, as well as the founder of the colony of Georgia in what was then British America. As a social reformer, he hoped to r ...

's original town plan, a design now known as the

Oglethorpe Plan The Oglethorpe Plan is an urban planning idea that was most notably used in Savannah, Georgia, one of the Thirteen Colonies, in the 18th century. The plan uses a distinctive street network with repeating squares of residential blocks, commercial ...

. During the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

hosted by

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Savannah held sailing competitions in the nearby

Wassaw Sound Wassaw Sound is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of Georgia, United States near Savannah at the mouth of the Wilmington River. American Civil War naval battle It was the location of an American Civil War naval battle between the CSS Atlan ...

History

On February 12, 1733, General James Oglethorpe and settlers from the ship ''Anne'' landed at Yamacraw Bluff and were greeted by

Tomochichi Tomochichi (to-mo-chi-chi') (c. 1644 – October 5, 1741) was the head chief of a Yamacraw town on the site of present-day Savannah, Georgia, in the 18th century. He gave his land to James Oglethorpe to build the city of Savannah. He remains a p ...

, the

Yamacraw The Yamacraw were a Native American band that emerged in the early 18th century, occupying parts of what became Georgia, specifically along the bluffs near the mouth of the Savannah River where it enters the Atlantic Ocean. They were made up of ...

s, and Indian traders John and

Mary Musgrove Mary Musgrove (Muscogee name, Coosaponakeesa, c. 1700–1765) was a leading figure in early Georgia history. Mary was the daughter of Edward Griffin, a trader from Charles Town in the Province of Carolina, of English heritage, and a Muscogee Cre ...

. Mary Musgrove often served as an interpreter. The city of Savannah was founded on that date, along with the colony of Georgia. In 1751, Savannah and the rest of Georgia became a

Royal Colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Counci ...

and Savannah was made the colonial capital of Georgia. By the outbreak of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, Savannah had become the southernmost commercial port in the

Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of Kingdom of Great Britain, British Colony, colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Fo ...

. British troops took the city in 1778, and the following year a combined force of American and French soldiers, including Haitians, failed to rout the British at the

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutena ...

. The British did not leave the city until July 1782. In December 1804 the state legislature declared Milledgeville the new capital of Georgia. Savannah, a prosperous seaport throughout the nineteenth century, was the Confederacy's sixth most populous city and the prime objective of General

William T. Sherman William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

's March to the Sea. Early on December 21, 1864, local authorities negotiated a peaceful surrender to save Savannah from destruction, and Union troops marched into the city at dawn. Savannah was named for the Savannah River, which probably derives from variant names for the

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

, a Native American people who migrated to the river in the 1680s. The Shawnee destroyed another Native people, the

Westo The Westo were an Iroquoian Native American tribe encountered in the Southeastern U.S. by Europeans in the 17th century. They probably spoke an Iroquoian language. The Spanish called these people Chichimeco (not to be confused with Chichimeca i ...

, and occupied their lands at the head of the Savannah River's navigation on the

fall line A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is typically prominent where rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the coa ...

, near present-day Augusta. These Shawnee, whose Native name was ''Ša·wano·ki'' (literally, "southerners"), were known by several local variants, including Shawano, Savano, Savana and Savannah. Another theory is that the name Savannah refers to the extensive marshlands surrounding the river for miles inland, and is derived from the English term "

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

," a kind of tropical grassland, which was borrowed by the English from Spanish ''sabana'' and used in the Southern Colonies. (The Spanish word comes from the Taino word ''zabana''.) Still other theories suggest that the name Savannah originates from Algonquian terms meaning not only "southerners" but perhaps "salt."

Geography

Savannah lies on the Savannah River, approximately upriver from the Atlantic Ocean. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

(2011), the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water (5.15%). Savannah is the primary port on the Savannah River and the largest port in the state of Georgia. It is also located near the U.S. Intracoastal Waterway. Georgia's

Ogeechee River The Ogeechee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 26, 2011 blackwater river in the U.S. state of Georgia. It heads at the confluence of its North and Sout ...

flows toward the Atlantic Ocean some south of downtown Savannah, and forms the southern city limit. Savannah is prone to flooding, due to abundant rainfall, an elevation at just above sea level, and the shape of the coastline, which poses a greater surge risk during hurricanes. The city currently uses five canals. In addition, several pumping stations have been built to help reduce the effects of flash flooding.

Climate

Savannah's climate is classified as

humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Cfa''). In the Deep South, this is characterized by long and almost tropical summers and short, mild winters. Savannah records few days of freezing temperatures each year (and has rare snowfall). Due to its proximity to the Atlantic coast, Savannah rarely experiences temperatures as extreme as those in Georgia's interior. Nevertheless, the extreme temperatures have officially ranged from , on July 20, 1986 and July 12, 1879, down to during the

January 1985 Arctic outbreak The 1985 North America cold wave was a meteorological event which occurred in January, 1985, as a result of the shifting of the polar vortex farther south than is normally seen. Blocked from its normal movement, polar air from the north pushed ...

. Seasonally, Savannah tends to have hot and humid summers with frequent (but brief) thunderstorms that develop in the warm and tropical air masses, which are common. Although summers in Savannah are frequently sunny, half of Savannah's annual precipitation falls during the months of June through September. Average dewpoints in summer range from . Winters in Savannah are mild and sunny with average daily high temperatures of in January. November and December are the driest months recorded at Savannah–Hilton Head International Airport. Each year Savannah reports 21 days on average with low temperatures below freezing, though in some years fewer than 10 nights will fall below freezing, and the city has even gone an entire winter season (that of 1879-80) without recording a freeze. Although decades might pass between snowfall events, Savannah has experienced snow on rare occasions, most notably in December 1989, when up to was recorded in one day in parts of the city. Savannah is at risk for

hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

, particularly of the

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

type of storms that take place during the peak of the season. Because of its location in the Georgia

Bight The word is derived from Old English ''byht'' (“bend, angle, corner; bay, bight”). In modern English, bight may refer to: * Bight (geography), recess of a coast, bay, or other curved feature * Bight (knot), a curved section, slack part, or loo ...

(the arc of the Atlantic coastline in Georgia and northern Florida) as well as the tendency for hurricanes to re-curve up the coast, Savannah has a lower risk of hurricanes than some other coastal cities such as

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. Savannah was seldom affected by hurricanes during the 20th century, with one exception of being hit by

Hurricane David Hurricane David was an extremely deadly hurricane which caused massive loss of life in the Dominican Republic in August 1979, and was the most intense hurricane to make landfall in the country in recorded history. A Cape Verde hurricane that rea ...

in 1979. However, the historical record shows that the city was frequently affected during the second half of the 19th century. The most prominent of these storms was the 1893 Sea Islands hurricane, which killed at least 2,000 people. (This estimate may be low, as deaths among the many impoverished rural

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

living on Georgia's barrier islands may not have been reported.) Savannah was most recently affected by an active 2016 hurricane season, including

Hurricane Matthew Hurricane Matthew was an extremely powerful Atlantic hurricane which caused catastrophic damage and a humanitarian crisis in Haiti, as well as widespread devastation in the southeastern United States. The deadliest Atlantic hurricane since ...

(which made a partial eyewall landfall), and was brushed by

Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread destruction across its path in September 2017. Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Maria two ...

in 2017.

The first meteorological observations in Savannah probably occurred at

Oglethorpe Barracks Oglethorpe Barracks usually refers to a 19th-century United States Army post in the historic district of Savannah, Georgia. Some sources use the title to refer to Fort James Jackson (also known as Fort Oglethorpe) or Fort Wayne, both near Savannah. ...

circa 1827, continuing intermittently until 1850 and resuming in 1866. The Signal Service began observations in 1874, and the

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...

has kept records of most data continually since then; since 1948,

Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is a commercial and military-use airport in Savannah, Georgia, Savannah, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Savannah/Hilton Head International provides travelers with access to Savannah, G ...

has served as Savannah's official meteorological station. Annual records (dating back to 1950) from the airport's weather station are available on the web.

Urban

Neighborhoods

Savannah is a city of diverse neighborhoods. More than 100 distinct neighborhoods can be identified in six principal areas of the city: Downtown (Landmark Historic District and Victorian District), Midtown, Southside, Eastside, Westside, and Southwest/West Chatham (recently annexed suburban neighborhoods).

Historic districts

Besides the

, one of the nation's largest, five other historic districts have been formally demarcated: *

* Cuyler–Brownsville District * Thomas Square Historic District * Pin Point Historic District * Ardsley Park–Chatham Crescent Historic District

Demographics

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Savannah's official 2020 population was 147,780, up from the official 2010 count of 136,286 residents. The Census Bureau's official 2020 population of the

—defined by the Census Bureau as Bryan, Chatham, and Effingham counties—was 404,798, up 16.45% from the 2010 Census population of 347,611. Savannah is also the largest principal city of the Savannah–Hinesville–Statesboro–Jesup Combined Statistical Area, a larger trading area that includes the

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

and

Hinesville Hinesville is a city in Liberty County, Georgia, United States, located on the Atlantic coastal plain. The population was 33,437 at the 2010 census and an estimated 33,273 in 2019. The city is the county seat of Liberty County. It is the princ ...

Metropolitan Statistical Areas as well as the Statesboro and Jesup Micropolitan Statistical Areas. The official 2020 population of this area was 597,465, up from 525,844 at the 2010 Census. Race and ethnicity 2010- Savannah (5559843151)

Race and ethnicity 2010- Savannah (5559843151)

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 147,780 people, 53,371 households, and 29,496 families residing in the city.

2010 census

In the official 2010

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of Savannah, there were 136,286 people, 52,615 households, and 31,390 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 57,437 dwelling units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 55.04%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

, 38.03%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 2.00%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.03% Native American, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.93% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.01% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 4.07% of the population.

Non-Hispanic Whites Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Ame ...

were 32.6% of the population in 2010, compared to 46.2% in 1990. There were 51,375 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.13. In the city, the age distribution was as follows: 25.6% were 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,038, and the median income for a family was $36,410. Males had a median income of $28,545 versus $22,309 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $16,921. About 17.7% of families and 21.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 31.4% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

City Hall, Savannah GA, South view 20160705 1

Savannah adopted a council-manager form of government in 1954. The city council consists of the mayor and eight aldermen, six of whom are elected from one of six aldermanic districts, with each district electing one member. The other two members and the mayor are elected at-large. The council levies taxes, enacts ordinances, adopts the annual budget, and appoints the City Manager. The City Manager enacts the policies and programs established by council, recommends an annual budget and work programs, appoints bureau and department heads, and exercises general supervision and control over all employees of the city.

Police and fire departments

In 2003 Savannah and Chatham County voted to merge their city and county police departments. The Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department was established on January 1, 2005, after the Savannah Police Department and Chatham County Police Department merged. In February 2018, the city and county governments ended the police department merger. This reestablished both the Savannah Police Department and the Chatham County Police Department, and they now operate as two separate agencies. The departments have a number of specialty units, including K-9, SWAT, Bomb Squad, Marine Patrol, Dive, Air Support and Mounted Patrol. The 9-1-1 Communications Dispatch Center handles all 9-1-1 calls for service within the county and city, including fire and EMS. The Savannah Fire Department serves the City of Savannah, and there are separate municipal firefighting organizations elsewhere in Chatham County.

State representation

Lester Jackson Lester George Jackson III (born July 26, 1959) is an American politician, educator, and dentist. He is a former state senator from Chatham County, Georgia.

(D) and Ben Watson (R) represent the Savannah area in the Georgia State Senate.

Derek Mallow Derek Mallow (born June 12, 1989) is an American politician from Georgia. Mallow is a Democratic member of the Georgia State Senate for the 2nd District. Prior to becoming a State Senator, Mallow was a member of the Georgia House of Representat ...

(D), Ron Stephens (R), Edna Jackson (D) and

Jesse Petrea Jesse Petrea (born June 24, 1966) is an American politician who has served in the Georgia House of Representatives from the 166th district since 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parti ...

(R) represent the area in the Georgia House of Representatives.

Prisons

The

Georgia Department of Corrections The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) is an agency of the U.S. state of Georgia operating state prisons. The agency is headquartered in Forsyth, on the former campus of Tift College. Headquarters The GDC has its offices in Gibson Hall, ...

operates the

Coastal State Prison Coastal State Prison is a Georgia Department of Corrections medium-security state prison located in Savannah, near Garden City. The facility houses adult male felons and has a capacity of 1836. It was constructed and opened in 1981 and later ren ...

in Savannah.

Economy

Agriculture was essential to Savannah's economy during its first two centuries.

Silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...

and

indigo Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...

production, both in demand in England, were early export commodities. By 1767, almost a ton of silk per year was exported to England. Georgia's mild

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...

offered perfect conditions for growing

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

, which became the dominant commodity after the

. Its production under the

plantation system A plantation economy is an economy based on agricultural mass production, usually of a few commodity crops, grown on large farms worked by laborers or slaves. The properties are called plantations. Plantation economies rely on the export of cash ...

and shipment through the

Port of Savannah The Port of Savannah is a major U.S. seaport located at Savannah, Georgia. As of 2021, the port was the third busiest seaport in the United States. Its facilities for oceangoing vessels line both sides of the Savannah River and are approximate ...

helped the city's European immigrants to achieve wealth and prosperity. In the nineteenth century, the Port of Savannah became one of the most active in the United States, and Savannahians had the opportunity to consume some of the world's finest goods, imported by foreign merchants. Savannah's port has always been a mainstay of the city's economy. In the early years of the United States, goods produced in the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

had to pass through Atlantic ports such as Savannah's before they could be shipped to England. Savannah's first hotel, City Hotel, was completed in 1821. It also housed the city's first

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...

branch.Malcolm Bell, Jr., "Ease and Elegance, Madeira and Murder: The Social Life of Savannah's City Hotel," ''The Georgia Historical Quarterly,'' vol. 76, no. 3 (Fall 1992), p. 552. Between 1912 and 1968, the Savannah Machine & Foundry Company was a shipbuilder in Savannah. The Port of Savannah, manufacturing, the military, and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

have become Savannah's four major economic drivers in the twenty-first century. In 2006, the Savannah Area Convention & Visitors Bureau reported over 6.85 million tourists to the city during the year. By 2011, the Bureau reported that the number of tourists the city attracted increased to 12.1 million. Lodging, dining, entertainment, and tourist-related transportation account for over $2 billion in tourist spending per year and employ over 17,000. 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 The International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 56,000 employees, and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. History The company was incorporated January 31 ...

, and it remains one of Savannah's largest employers. Savannah is also home to the

Gulfstream Aerospace Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation is an American aircraft company and a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics. Gulfstream designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and services business jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced more than 2,000 ...

company, maker of private jets, as well as various other large industrial interests.

TitleMax TitleMax, Inc. is an American privately owned title lending business with corporate offices in Dallas, Texas and Savannah, Georgia. The company has more than 1,100 stores in sixteen states. TitleMax serves individuals who generally have limited ...

is headquartered in Savannah.

Morris Multimedia Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

, a newspaper and television company, is also based in Savannah. In 2000, JCB, the third-largest producer of construction equipment in the world and the leading manufacturer of backhoes and telescopic handlers, built its North American headquarters in Chatham County near Savannah in Pooler on I-95 near

. Between 2009 and 2017, Savannah was North America's fourth-largest port for shipping container traffic. In 2019, the port continues to see record growth with a reported 4.5 million, 20-foot equivalent container units being moved in the fiscal year.

Arts and culture

Beyond its architectural significance as being the nation's largest, historically restored urban area, the city of Savannah has a rich and growing performing arts scene, offering cultural events throughout the year.

Books and literature

*The Savannah Book Festival – an annual book fair held on Presidents' Day weekend in the vicinity of historic Telfair and

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright i ...

squares, includes free presentations by more than 35 contemporary authors. Special events with featured writers are offered at nominal cost throughout the year. *

Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home The Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home is a historic house museum in Savannah, Georgia where American author Flannery O'Connor lived during her childhood. The home, built in 1856,Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. She was a Southern literature, Southe ...

, who was born in Savannah and lived in the city until the age of fifteen. In addition to its museum, the house offers literary programming, including the annual Ursrey Lecture honoring American fiction writers. *Other notable authors with ties to Savannah include

Conrad Aiken Conrad Potter Aiken (August 5, 1889 – August 17, 1973) was an American writer and poet, honored with a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award, and was United States Poet Laureate from 1950 to 1952. His published works include poetry, short ...

and

James Alan McPherson James Alan McPherson (September 16, 1943 – July 27, 2016) was an American essayist and short-story writer. He was the first African-American writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and was included among the first group of artists who re ...

. The songwriter Johnny Mercer was a native Savannahian.

Dance

* Savannah Ballet Theatre – established in 1998 as a nonprofit organization, it has grown to become the city's largest dance company.

Music

*The Coastal Jazz Association – presents a variety of jazz performances throughout the year in addition to hosting the annual Savannah Jazz Festival. *Savannah Children's Choir – non-profit, auditioned choir for children in 2nd through 8th grades that performs throughout the community and in annual holiday and spring concerts. *Savannah Concert Association – presents a variety of guest artists for chamber music performances each season. Performances are generally held in the Lucas Theatre for the Arts. *

Savannah Music Festival The Savannah Music Festival (SMF) is dedicated to presenting a world-class celebration of the musical arts by creating timeless and adventurous productions that stimulate arts education, foster economic growth, and unite artists and audiences in Sa ...

– an annual music festival of diverse artists which is Georgia's largest musical arts festival and is nationally recognized as one of the best music festivals in the world. * The Savannah Orchestra – Savannah's professional orchestra, which presents an annual season of classical and popular concert performances. *The Savannah Philharmonic – professional orchestral and choral organization presenting year round concerts (classical, pops, education). *The Savannah Winds – amateur concert band hosted by the music department of Georgia Southern University. *The Armstrong Youth Orchestra – Savannah's professional orchestra for elementary, middle school, high school and some college students. *Annual Haitian Flag Day – an annual festival of diverse artists, music, and various festivities.

Theater and performance

*The American Traditions Vocal Competition – an annual vocal competition that desires to foster and preserve traditions of musical expression significant in the culture of the United States in the past and present. The Competition includes the Johnny Mercer Award. *Savannah Children's Theatre – a nonprofit, year-round drama theater company geared toward offering elementary through high school students (and adults) opportunities for participation in dramatic and musical productions. *Savannah Community Theatre – a full theater season with a diverse programming schedule, featuring some of Savannah's finest actors in an intimate, three-quarter-round space. *Little Theatre of Savannah – founded in 1950, The Little Theatre of Savannah, Inc., is a nonprofit, volunteer-based community organization dedicated to the celebration of the theater arts. Recognizing the unique social value, expressive fulfillment and opportunity for personal growth that theater provides its participants, the Little Theatre of Savannah invites all members of the community to participate both on- and off-stage. *

The Savannah Theatre The Savannah Theatre, first opened in 1818 and located on Chippewa Square (Savannah, Georgia), Chippewa Square in Savannah, Georgia, is one of the United States' oldest continually-operating theatres. The structure has been both a live performanc ...

– Savannah's only fully professional resident theater, producing music revues with live singers, dancers and the most rockin' band in town. Performances happen year-round, with several different titles and a holiday show. *The Savannah Repertory Theatre – part of the cultural fabric of Savannah since 2016 and the city's only nonprofit professional theater. *Lucas Theatre for the Arts – founded in December 1921, the Lucas Theatre is one of several theaters owned by the

Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Uni ...

. It hosts the annual Savannah Film Festival. *Trustees Theater – once known as the Weis Theater, which opened February 14, 1946, this theater reopened as the Trustees Theater on May 9, 1998, and hosts a variety of performances and concerts sponsored by the Savannah College of Art and Design. SCAD also owns the building. *Odd Lot Improv – founded in 2010, a family-friendly improv comedy troupe performing weekly shows on Mondays and Fridays. *House of Gunt – alternative drag collective founded in 2013 with monthly shows at Club One on top of other performances around the city throughout the year.

Visual and community arts

*Art Rise Savannah, Inc. – a local community nonprofit devoted to increasing access to the arts and improving opportunities for artists in the city.

Points of interest

German Memorial Fountain, Orleans Square

Historic carriage tour, Savannah, GA IMG 4726

Savannah's architecture, history, and reputation for Southern charm and hospitality are internationally known. The city's former promotional name was "Hostess City of the South," a phrase still used by the city government. An earlier nickname was "the Forest City", in reference to the large population of

live oak Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are not more closely related to each other than they are to other oaks. ...

trees that flourish in the Savannah area. These trees were especially valuable in shipbuilding during the 19th century. In 2019, Savannah attracted 14.8 million visitors from across the country and around the world. Savannah's downtown area is one of the largest

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

Districts in the United States. The city's location offers visitors access to the coastal islands and the Savannah Riverfront, both popular tourist destinations.

Tybee Island Tybee Island is a city and a barrier island located in Chatham County, Georgia, 18 miles (29 km) east of Savannah, United States. Though the name "Tybee Island" is used for both the island and the city, geographically they are not identica ...

, formerly known as "Savannah Beach", is the site of the

Tybee Island Light Station Tybee Island Light is a lighthouse next to the Savannah River Entrance, on the northeast end of Tybee Island, Georgia. It is one of seven surviving colonial era lighthouse towers, though highly modified in the mid 1800s. History The current ...

, the first

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

on the southern

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

coast. Other picturesque towns adjacent to Savannah include the shrimping village of

Thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hel ...

and three residential areas that began as summer resort communities for Savannahians: Beaulieu, Vernonburg, and the

Isle of Hope An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * I ...

. The Savannah International Trade & Convention Center is located on Hutchinson Island, across from downtown Savannah and surrounded by the Savannah River. The Belles Ferry connects the island with the mainland, as does the

Eugene Talmadge Eugene Talmadge (September 23, 1884 – December 21, 1946) was an attorney and American politician who served three terms as the 67th governor of Georgia, from 1933 to 1937, and then again from 1941 to 1943. Elected to a fourth term in November ...

Memorial Bridge. The

, an independent educational and research institution, has a research center in Savannah. The research center's library and archives hold the oldest collection of materials related to Georgia history. The

Savannah Civic Center The Savannah Civic Center is a multi-purpose facility located in Savannah, Georgia, in Savannah Historic District. Built-in 1974, the facility consists of an arena, theatre, ballroom, and exhibit halls. Throughout the years, the center hosts var ...

on Montgomery Street is host to more than nine hundred events each year. Savannah has consistently been named one of "America's Favorite Cities" by '' ''Travel + Leisure''.'' In 2012, the magazine rated Savannah highest in "Quality of Life and Visitor Experience." Savannah was also ranked first for "Public Parks and Outdoor Access," visiting in the Fall, and as a romantic escape. Savannah was also named as America's second-best city for "Cool Buildings and Architecture," behind only

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. The mile-long Jones Street has been described as one of the most charming streets in America.

Squares

Savannah is noted for its 22 squares, small parks arranged along five historic streets running north to south. Each street has from three to five squares. The squares vary in size and character, from the formal fountain and monuments of the largest,

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

, to the playgrounds of the smallest,

Crawford Crawford may refer to: Places Canada * Crawford Bay Airport, British Columbia * Crawford Lake Conservation Area, Ontario United Kingdom * Crawford, Lancashire, a small village near Rainford, Merseyside, England * Crawford, South Lanarkshire, a ...

. Elbert,

Ellis Ellis is a surname of Welsh and English origin. Retrieved 21 January 2014 An independent French origin of the surname is said to derive from the phrase fleur-de-lis. Surname A * Abe Ellis (Stargate), a fictional character in the TV series ' ...

, and Liberty Squares are classified as the three "lost squares," destroyed in the course of urban development during the 1950s. Elbert and Liberty Squares were paved over to make way for a realignment of U.S. highway 17, while Ellis Square was demolished to build the City Market parking garage. The city restored Ellis Square after razing the parking garage. The garage has been rebuilt as an underground facility, the Whitaker Street Parking Garage, and it opened in January 2009. The restored Ellis Square opened in March 2010. Separate efforts are now under way to revive Elbert and Liberty Squares. Franklin Square is the site of Savannah's Haitian Monument, which commemorates the heroic efforts of the

Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue was a Dominican Creole regiment that was founded on 12 March 1779. Though the regiment was for non-whites, the officers were white, with the exception of Laurent François Lenoir, Marquis de Rouvray, who c ...

in the 1779 Siege of Savannah and for an independent America. One of the few black regiments to fight for the American side in the Revolutionary War, the soldiers were recruited from present-day

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

, until 1804 the French colony of Saint-Domingue.

Chippewa Square Chippewa Square is one of the Squares of Savannah, Georgia, 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the middle row of the city's five rows of squares, on Bull Street and McDonough Street, and was laid out in 1815. It is s ...

honors the Battle of Chippawa during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. It features a large statue of James Oglethorpe, the city's founder. In popular culture, the square is the location of the park bench seen in the 1994 film '' Forrest Gump'' from which the title character dispenses wisdom to others waiting for a bus. Because both Calhoun Square (the official name until 2022) and

Whitefield Square Whitefield Square is one of the Squares of Savannah, Georgia, 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the southernmost row of the city's five rows of squares, on Habersham Street (Savannah, Georgia), Habersham Street and ...

were named for prominent slaveholders, a movement was begun in 2021 to rename them Sankofa Square and Jubilee Square, respectively.

Historic churches and synagogues

Savannah has numerous historic houses of worship. Founded in 1733, with the establishment of the Georgia colony, Christ Church (Episcopal) is the longest continuous Christian congregation in Georgia. Early rectors include the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

evangelists

John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...

and

George Whitefield George Whitefield (; 30 September 1770), also known as George Whitfield, was an Anglican cleric and evangelist who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement. Born in Gloucester, he matriculated at Pembroke College at th ...

. Located on the original site on Johnson Square, Christ Church continues as an active congregation. The Independent Presbyterian Church, which was founded in 1755, is located near Chippewa Square. The church's current sanctuary (its third) dates from the early 1890s. The

First Bryan Baptist Church Historic First Bryan Baptist Church is an African-American church that was organized in Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Sa ...

is an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

church that was organized by Andrew Bryan in 1788. The site was purchased in 1793 by Bryan, a former slave who had also purchased his freedom. The first structure was erected there in 1794. By 1800, the congregation was large enough to split: those at Bryan Street took the name of First African Baptist Church, and Second and Third African Baptist churches were also established. The current sanctuary of First Bryan Baptist Church was constructed in 1873. In 1832, a controversy over doctrine caused the First African Baptist congregation at Bryan Street to split. Some members left, taking with them the name of First African Baptist Church. In 1859, the members of this new congregation (most of whom were slaves) built their current church building on Franklin Square. In 1874, the St.

Benedict the Moor Benedict the Moor ( it, Benedetto da San Fratello; 1526 – 4 April 1589) was a Sicilian Franciscan friar who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic church. Born of enslaved Africans in San Fratello, he was freed at birth and became known for ...

Church was founded in Savannah, the first African-American Catholic church in Georgia, and one of the oldest in the Southeast. The oldest standing house of worship is First Baptist Church (1833), located on Chippewa Square. Other historic houses of worship in Savannah include: Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (Roman Catholic), Temple Mickve Israel (the third oldest synagogue in the U.S.), and

St. John's Church St. John's Church, Church of St. John, or variants, thereof, (Saint John or St. John usually refers to John the Baptist, but also, sometimes, to John the Apostle or John the Evangelist) may refer to the following churches, former churches or other ...

(Episcopal).

Historic homes

Among the historic homes that have been preserved are:

the Olde Pink House The Olde Pink House (also known as The Pink House and, formerly, Habersham House) is a restaurant and tavern in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located on Abercorn Street, in the northwestern trust lot of Reynolds Square, the building dates fr ...

, the Sorrel–Weed House,

's birthplace, the Davenport House Museum, the Green–Meldrim House, the

Owens–Thomas House The Owens–Thomas House & Slave Quarters is a historic home in Savannah, Georgia, that is operated as a historic house museum by Telfair Museums. It is located at 124 Abercorn Street, on the northeast corner of Oglethorpe Square. The Owens–Th ...

, the

William Scarbrough House William Scarbrough House is a historic house in Savannah, Georgia. Built in 1819, and subjected to a number later alterations, it is nationally significant as an early example of Greek Revival architecture, and is one of the few surviving Americ ...

, and the Wormsloe plantation of Noble Jones. Mercer Williams House, the former home of Jim Williams in

Monterey Square Monterey Square is one of the Squares of Savannah, Georgia, 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the southernmost row of the city's five rows of squares, on Bull Street and Wayne Street, and was laid out in 1847. It is ...

, is the main location of ''

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' is a non-fiction novel by John Berendt. The book, Berendt's first, was published in 1994 and follows the story of an antiques dealer on trial for the murder of a male prostitute. Subtitled ''A Savannah S ...

''. Opulent buildings that succumbed to fire include the mansions at

Bonaventure Plantation Bonaventure Plantation was a plantation founded in colonial Savannah, Province of Georgia, on land now occupied by Greenwich and Bonaventure cemeteries. The site was , including a plantation house and private cemetery, located on the Wilmington ...

and

Greenwich Plantation Greenwich Plantation (also known as Greenwich Place) was a plantation founded in colonial Savannah, Province of Georgia, in 1765, on land now occupied by Greenwich Cemetery. The site was , including a plantation house (completed in 1900) and priv ...

Historic cemeteries

Colonial Park Cemetery Colonial Park Cemetery (locally and informally, Colonial Cemetery) is a historic cemetery located in downtown Savannah, Georgia. It became a city park in 1896,Laurel Grove Cemetery Laurel Grove Cemetery is a cemetery located in midtown Savannah, Georgia. It includes the original cemetery for whites (now known as Laurel Grove North) and a companion burial ground (called Laurel Grove South) that was reserved for slaves and fr ...

, with the graves of many Confederate soldiers and African American slaves, was Savannah's chief municipal cemetery during the nineteenth century.

Bonaventure Cemetery Bonaventure Cemetery is a rural cemetery located on a scenic bluff of the Wilmington River, east of Savannah, Georgia. The cemetery became famous when it was featured in the 1994 novel ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' by John Berendt, ...

is a former plantation and the final resting place for some illustrious Savannahians. Also located in Savannah are the

Mordecai Sheftall Cemetery The Mordecai Sheftall Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. It is one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in America. Located at the end of Coyle Street (a small turnoff of Cohen Street) in the Kayton/Frazier area of West Savannah, i ...

and the Levi Sheftall Family Cemetery, which both date back to the second half of the eighteenth century.

Historic forts

Fort Jackson (named for the Georgia politician James Jackson, not

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

) lies on the Savannah River, one mile east of Savannah's Historic District. Built between 1808 and 1812 to protect the city from attack by sea, it was one of several

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

forts defending Savannah from Union forces during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Fort Pulaski National Monument Fort Pulaski National Monument is located on Cockspur Island between Savannah and Tybee Island, Georgia. It preserves Fort Pulaski; during the American Civil War, the Union Army successfully tested rifled cannon in combat in 1862 there, the suc ...

, located on Cockspur Island, east of Savannah, preserves the largest fort protecting the city during the war. The

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

bombarded

Fort Pulaski A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

in April 1862 with the aid of a new rifled

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

. Confederate troops soon surrendered, and the cannon effectively rendered all brick fortifications obsolete.

Other registered historic sites

*Savannah Historic District ( buildings) and the Savannah Victorian Historic District *

Forsyth Park Forsyth Park (formerly known as the Military Parade Ground)''Charles Seton Henry Hardee's Recollections of old Savannah'', Martha Gallaudet Waring, ''The Georgia Historical Quarterly'', JSTOR (1929), p. 34 is a large city park that occupies i ...

Juliette Gordon Low Historic District Juliette Gordon Low Historic District consists of three buildings—the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace (also known as Wayne-Gordon House, First Girl Scout Headquarters, which was the carriage house for the Andrew Low House, converted for use by ...

* Central of Georgia Railroad: Savannah Shops and Terminal Facilities and

Central of Georgia Depot and Trainshed Central of Georgia Depot and Trainshed is a former passenger depot and trainshed constructed in 1860 by the Central of Georgia Railway (CofG) before the outbreak of the American Civil War. This pair of buildings was declared a National Historic La ...

– a historic district that was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1978. (includes 7 pages of drawings) and * John P. Rousakis Riverfront Plaza and

Factors Walk Factors Walk, also commonly spelled Factor's Walk or Factors' Walk, is a historic street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It runs for about along the upper levels of the southern frontages of the buildings of Factors Row, which is located ...

– River Street's pedestrian promenade, restored nineteenth-century cotton warehouses and passageways include shops, bars and restaurants. *City Market – Savannah's restored central market and popular nightlife destination features antiques, souvenirs, small eateries, as well as two large outdoor plazas. *

Savannah State University ) , established = , closed = , type = Public historically black university , parent = University System of Georgia , academic_affiliation = Space-grant , endowment ...

campus and Walter Bernard Hill Hall – The Georgia Historical Commission and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources have recognized both the

Savannah State ) , established = , closed = , type = Public historically black university , parent = University System of Georgia , academic_affiliation = Space-grant , endowment ...

campus and Hill Hall as a part of the Georgia Historical Marker Program. Hill Hall, which was built in 1901, was added to the

in 1981. *

Telfair Museum of Art Telfair Museums, in the historic district of Savannah, Georgia, was the first public art museum in the Southern United States. Founded through the bequest of Mary Telfair (1791–1875), a prominent local citizen, and operated by the Georgia Histo ...

and Telfair Academy of Arts of Sciences – the South's first public art museum. * Wormsloe Plantation – the partially restored house and grounds of an 18th-century Georgia plantation.

Shopping

Various centers for shopping exist about the city including Abercorn Common, Savannah Historic District,

Oglethorpe Mall Oglethorpe Mall is a super-regional shopping mall on the Southside of Savannah, Georgia. Named after General James Oglethorpe, the founder of Savannah, the mall has expanded since its opening in 1969 to nearly one million square feet. Among its ...

Savannah Mall Savannah Mall is a two-level enclosed regional shopping mall on the southside of Savannah, Georgia, that opened August 29, 1990. The mall is anchored by Target, Bass Pro Shops, and Dillard's. The lower level of the anchor pad that is occupied by T ...

and Abercorn Walk.

Other attractions

* American Prohibition Museum – Located in Savannah's City Market, this unique museum displays the history of

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

in America from 1907 to 1933. It also traces the roots of

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

, which developed from the era's bootlegging operations. *

Clary's Cafe Clary's Cafe is a restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Established at 404 Abercorn Street in 1903, originally as a drug store, its popularity increased markedly after its appearance in both John Berendt's ''Midnight in the Garden of ...

– featured in both the 1994 book and 1997 film ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil''. * Club One – former home of

The Lady Chablis The Lady Chablis (March 11, 1957 – September 8, 2016), also known as The Grand Empress and The Doll, was an American actress, author, and transgender club performer. Through exposure in the bestselling nonfiction book ''Midnight in the Garden ...

and also featured in ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil''. *

Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens is a former USDA plant-introduction station that has developed into a 51-acre botanical garden. It is located is Chatham County, Georgia, south of Savannah. History The garden's collection began in the late 18 ...

– a developing botanical garden located at Bamboo Farm, a former USDA plant-introduction station south of Savannah that began operations in 1919. *

Crystal Beer Parlor Crystal Beer Parlor is a restaurant and bar in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located on West Jones Street, the building dates to around 1900, replacing a previous structure that burned in a fire. It is Savannah's oldest restaurant, and was on ...

, the city's oldest restaurant.""As a city, it would be a tremendous loss": Crystal Beer Parlor faces possible closure"
– FOX 28 Savannah, January 2, 2021 * Oatland Island Wildlife Center – located east of Savannah, a facility owned and operated by the Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education and featuring wildlife from surrounding coastal Georgia and South Carolina. *

Leopold's Ice Cream Leopold's Ice Cream is an ice cream parlor located in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1919 by two Greek-immigrant brothers,ice cream parlor Ice cream parlors (American English) or ice cream parlours (British English) are places that sell ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and/or frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is typically sold as regular ice cream (also called hard-packed or hard s ...

. *

Ossabaw Island Ossabaw Island is one of the Sea Islands located on the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia approximately twenty miles by water south from the historic downtown of the city of Savannah. One of the largest of Georgia's barrie ...

– an environmentally protected and commercially undeveloped barrier island south of Savannah. * Pinkie Masters Bar – a popular Savannah watering hole and the site of presidential visits and political campaigns. Pinkie Masters was a local political figure and a friend of President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

, who made several visits to the bar and the city. *

Pirates' House Pirates' House is a historic restaurant and tavern established in 1794 located in downtown Savannah, Georgia, United States. A portion of the structure, known as the Herb House, was built in 1853.Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum – a museum dedicated to African-American history in Savannah. * Skidaway Island – an affluent suburban community south of Savannah that hosts

Skidaway Island State Park Skidaway Island State Park is a state park near Savannah, Georgia. The park borders Skidaway narrows, a part of Georgia’s intracoastal waterway. Trails wind through maritime forest and past salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known a ...

, the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Aquarium and the

Skidaway Institute of Oceanography The University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) is a marine science research and education institute located on Skidaway Island near Savannah, Georgia, USA. UGA Skidaway Institute faculty conduct oceanographic research acros ...

. *

– popular Atlantic resort town east of Savannah, with public beaches, a lighthouse, and other attractions. * ''Waving Girl'' statue, honoring Florence Martus.

Sports and recreation

Portions of the

East Coast Greenway The East Coast Greenway is a pedestrian and bicycle route between Maine and Florida along the East Coast of the United States. In 2020, the Greenway received over 50 million visits. The nonprofit East Coast Greenway Alliance was created in 1991. ...

, a 3,000-mile-long (5,000 kilometer) system of trails from Maine to Florida, run through Savannah.

Professional sport teams

College teams

Education

Savannah-Chatham County Public School System building

Savannah hosts four colleges and universities offering bachelor's, master's, and professional or doctoral degree programs: Georgia Southern University-Armstrong Campus, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD),

Savannah State University ) , established = , closed = , type = Public historically black university , parent = University System of Georgia , academic_affiliation = Space-grant , endowment ...

, and

South University South University is a private university with its main campus and online operations in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1899, South University consists of its School of Pharmacy, College of Nursing and Public Health, College of Healt ...

. In addition,

Georgia Tech Savannah Georgia Tech Savannah is a satellite campus of the Atlanta-based Georgia Institute of Technology. It is located in Savannah, Georgia, near Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. The campus is the institute's hub for professional and contin ...

offers certificate programs, and

Georgia Southern University Georgia Southern University (GS or Georgia Southern) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia. The flagship campus is in Statesboro, and other locations include the Armstrong Campus in Savannah and the Liberty Campus in Hi ...

has a satellite campus in the downtown area.

Savannah Technical College Savannah Technical College (Savannah Tech) is a public community college in Savannah, Georgia, with additional satellite campuses in the Savannah-Hinesville-Statesboro Combined Statistical Area. Academics Savannah Technical College is accredite ...

, a two-year technical institution and the

, a marine science research institute of the

located on the northern end of Skidaway Island, offer educational programs as well. Savannah is also the location of

Ralston College Ralston College is an institution of higher education that offers in-person degree programs as well as online programs. It began its first in-person offering, an MA in the Humanities, in autumn of 2022 with the authority to grant degrees. Its first ...

, a liberal arts college founded in 2010.

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...

began a four-year

doctor of medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

program in August 2008 at Memorial University Medical Center. Mercer, with its main campus in Macon, received additional state funding in 2007 to expand its existing partnership with Memorial by establishing a four-year medical school in Savannah (the first in southern Georgia). Third- and fourth-year Mercer students have completed two-year clinical rotations at Memorial since 1996; approximately 100 residents are trained each year in a number of medical practices. The expanded program opened in August 2008 with 30 first-year students. In 2012,

Savannah Law School Savannah Law School was a private, for-profit law school in Savannah, Georgia. It was associated with Atlanta's John Marshall Law School. The school ceased all operations by 2021 and is no longer accepting applications. Campus Savannah Law S ...

opened in the historic Candler building on Forsyth Park. The school is fully ABA-accredited and offers full-time as well as part-time programs leading to the

juris doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree. In early 2018, however, the administration announced that the school would close at the end of the spring semester. Savannah is also home to most of the schools in the Chatham County school district, the Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools. Notable secondary schools in Savannah-Chatham County include the following. (Public schools are indicated with an asterisk.) * Beach High School* * Benedictine Military School * Calvary Day School * Groves High School* * Islands High School* *

Jenkins High School Herschel V. Jenkins High School, known as Jenkins High School, is a public high school located in Savannah, Georgia, United States. A part of the Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and ...

* * Johnson High School* *

New Hampstead High School New Hampstead High School is a public secondary school in Bloomingdale, Georgia Bloomingdale is a city in Chatham County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 2,790. It is part of the Savannah Metropolit ...

* * Saint Andrew's School * St. Vincent's Academy *

Savannah Arts Academy Savannah Arts Academy (SAA) is the first dedicated performing and visual arts school in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools. Savannah Arts Academy was granted charter school status and the for ...

* *

Savannah Christian Preparatory School Savannah Christian Preparatory School (SCPS) is a private school, private, college preparatory, non-denominational Christian school located in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Campuses Chatham Parkway The Chatham Parkway campus hosts over 1 ...

Savannah Country Day School The Savannah Country Day School (SCDS, Country Day) is an independent college preparatory school founded in 1955 in Savannah, Georgia, United States. The co-educational school serves students from pre-kindergarten through to twelfth grade, and h ...

* Savannah High School* *

Windsor Forest High School Windsor Forest High School is a public high school in the Windsor Forest section of Savannah, Georgia, United States. Managed by the Savannah-Chatham County School Board of Education, its attendance area includes the southside Savannah neighborhood ...

* Oatland Island Wildlife Center of Savannah is also a part of Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools. An environmental education center, it serves thousands of students from schools throughout the Southeastern United States. Located east of Savannah on a marsh island, it features a Native Animal Nature Trail that winds through maritime forest, salt marsh, and freshwater wetlands. Along the trail, visitors can observe native animals, such as Florida panthers, Eastern timber wolves, and alligators in their natural habitat.

Media

Savannah's major television stations are

WSAV-TV WSAV-TV (channel 3) is a television station in Savannah, Georgia, United States, affiliated with NBC, The CW Plus, and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains studios on East Victory Drive/US 80/ SR 26 in Savannah's Live ...

, channel 3 (

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

);

WTOC-TV WTOC-TV (channel 11) is a television station in Savannah, Georgia, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Gray Television. The station's studios are located off Chatham Center Drive in Savannah's Chatham Parkway section, and its transmit ...

, channel 11 (

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

); WJCL, channel 22 (

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

); and WTGS, channel 28 (

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

). Two

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

member stations serve the city:

WVAN Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) is a state network of PBS member television stations and NPR member radio stations serving the U.S. state of Georgia. It is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission, an agency of the Geo ...

(channel 9), part of

Georgia Public Broadcasting Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) is a state network of PBS member television stations and NPR member radio stations serving the U.S. state of Georgia. It is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission, an agency of the ...

; and WJWJ-TV (channel 16), part of

SCETV South Carolina Educational Television (branded as South Carolina ETV, SCETV or simply ETV) is a state network of Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) member television stations serving the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is owned and operated b ...

. Other stations include channel 3.2 (

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

). ''The Georgia Gazette'' was the Georgia colony's first newspaper and was published in Savannah beginning April 7, 1763. Today the ''

Savannah Morning News The ''Savannah Morning News'' is a daily newspaper in Savannah, Georgia. It is published by Gannett. The motto of the paper is "Light of the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry". The paper serves Savannah, its metropolitan area, and parts of South ...

'' is Savannah's only remaining daily newspaper. It first appeared on January 15, 1850 as the ''Daily Morning News''. Both the ''

Savannah Tribune The ''Savannah Tribune'' is a weekly African-American newspaper published in Savannah, Georgia. History The ''Savannah Tribune'' was founded in 1875 and went through two hiatuses (from 1878 to 1886 and from 1960 to 1973). Originally named the ''Co ...

'' and the ''Savannah Herald'' are weekly newspapers with a focus on the city's African-American community. ''Connect Savannah'' is a free weekly newspaper focused on local news, culture and music. ''The Coastal Buzz'' is the metro area's only media company dedicated to "positive news." It is owned by Positive Life Media.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is a commercial and military-use airport in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Savannah/Hilton Head International provides travelers with access to Savannah, Georgia, and Hilton Head Island, South Ca ...

is located off

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

west of Savannah. The airlines serving this airport year-round are

Allegiant Air Allegiant Air (usually shortened to Allegiant) is an ultra low-cost U.S. carrier that operates scheduled and charter flights. It is a major air carrier, the fourteenth-largest commercial airline in North America. Allegiant was founded in 1 ...

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

American Eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...

Delta Connection Delta Connection is a regional airline brand name for Delta Air Lines, under which a number of individually owned regional airlines primarily operate short- and medium-haul routes. Mainline major air carriers often use regional airlines to ope ...

JetBlue JetBlue Airways Corporation (stylized as jetBlue) is a major American low cost airline, and the seventh largest airline in North America by passengers carried. The airline is headquartered in the Long Island City neighborhood of the New York C ...

Silver Airways Silver Airways LLC. is a United States regional airline with its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale. It was founded in 2011 with assets from the former Gulfstream ...

, Southwest Airlines and

United Express United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which six individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights. On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged t ...

. Air Canada Express, Frontier Airlines, Sun County Airlines and

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

offer seasonal services only.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

operates a passenger terminal at Savannah for its '' Palmetto'' and ''

Silver Service Silver service (in British English) is a method of foodservice at the table, with waiter transferring food from a serving dish to the guest's plate, always from the left. It is performed by a waiter by using service forks and spoons from the din ...

'' trains, which run between New York City and

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. (Three southbound and three northbound trains make daily stops at the Savannah terminal). Public transit throughout the region is assured by Chatham Area Transit (CAT). There are 17 fixed routes, plus the CAT's dot (downtown transportation) system, which provides fare-free bus service on the Forsyth Loop and Downtown Loop, as well as free passage to and from Hutchinson Island via the Savannah Belles Ferry.

Interstates and major highways

— Runs north–south just west of the city; provides access to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport and intersects with Interstate 16, which leads into the city's center. * I-16

Interstate 16 Interstate 16 (I-16), also known as Jim Gillis Historic Savannah Parkway, is an east–west Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Georgia. It carries the hidden designation of State Route 404 (SR 404) for its ...

— Terminates in downtown Savannah at Liberty and Montgomery streets, and intersects with Interstate 95 and Interstate 516. * I-516

Interstate 516 Interstate 516 (I-516, also known as the W.F. Lynes Parkway) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway mostly in the coastal city of Savannah, located in the east-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the only auxiliary route of I-16 ...

— An urban perimeter highway connecting southside Savannah, at DeRenne Avenue, with the industrialized port area of the city to the north; intersects with the Veterans Parkway and Interstate 16 as well. Also known as Lynes Parkway. * US 80

U.S. Route 80 (Victory Drive) — Runs east–west through midtown Savannah and connects the city with the town of

and the islands of Whitemarsh, Talahi, Wilmington and Tybee. Merges with the Islands Expressway and serves as the only means of reaching the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

by automobile. * US 17

U.S. Route 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length, wit ...

(Ocean Highway) — Runs north–south from Richmond Hill, through southside Savannah, into Garden City, back into west Savannah with a spur onto

I-516 Interstate 516 (I-516, also known as the W.F. Lynes Parkway) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway mostly in the coastal city of Savannah, located in the east-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the only auxiliary route of I- ...

, then I-16, and finally continuing over the

Talmadge Memorial Bridge The Talmadge Memorial Bridge is a bridge in the United States spanning the Savannah River between downtown Savannah, Georgia, and Hutchinson Island. It carries US 17/ SR 404 Spur. The original bridge was built in 1953; a replaceme ...

into South Carolina. * Harry S. Truman Parkway — Runs through eastside Savannah, connecting the east end of downtown with southside neighborhoods. Construction began in 1990 and opened in phases (the last phase, connecting with Abercorn Street, was completed in 2014). * Veterans Parkway — Links Interstate 516 and southside/midtown Savannah with southside Savannah, and is intended to move traffic quicker from north–south by avoiding high-volume Abercorn Street. Also known as the Southwest Bypass. * Islands Expressway — An extension of President Street to facilitate traffic moving between downtown Savannah, the barrier islands and the beaches of Tybee Island.

Crime

The total number of violent crimes in the Savannah-Chatham County reporting area ran just above 1,000 per year from 2003 through 2006. In 2007, however, the total number of violent crimes jumped to 1,163. Savannah-Chatham has recorded between 20 and 25 homicides each year since 2005. In 2007, Savannah-Chatham recorded a sharp increase in home burglaries but a sharp decrease in larcenies from parked automobiles. During the same year, statistics show a 29 percent increase in arrests for Part 1 crimes. An additional increase in burglaries occurred in 2008 with 2,429 residential burglaries reported to Savannah-Chatham police that year. That reflects an increase of 668 incidents from 2007. In 2007, there were 1,761 burglaries, according to metro police data. Savannah-Chatham police report that crimes reported in 2009 came in down 6 percent from 2008. In 2009, 11,782 crimes were reported to metro police — 753 fewer than in 2008. Within that 2009 number is a 12.2 percent decrease in violent crimes when compared with 2008. Property crimes saw a 5.3 percent decline, which included a 5.2 percent reduction in residential burglary. In 2008, residential burglary was up by almost 40 percent. While some violent crimes increased in 2009, crimes like street robbery went down significantly. In 2009, 30 homicides were reported, four more than the year before. Also, 46 rapes were reported, nine more than the year before. In the meantime, street robbery decreased by 23 percent. In 2008, metro police achieved a 90 percent clearance rate for homicide cases, which was described as exceptional by violent crimes unit supervisors. In 2009, the department had a clearance rate of 53 percent, which police attributed to outstanding warrants and grand jury presentations. The SCMPD provide the public with up-to-date crime report information through an online mapping service. This information can be found here. 2015 saw a dramatic increase in the number of violent crimes, including at least 54 deaths due to gun violence, a number not seen since the early 1990s. The first quarter of 2018 saw crime trending downward, compared to 2017.

Sister cities

Savannah's

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

are: *

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the second largest city of Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's southwest. It is situated in a subtropical zone at the foot of th ...

, Georgia * Halle, Germany *

Jiujiang Jiujiang (), formerly transliterated Kiukiang or Kew Keang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level city ...

, China *

Kaya Kaya may refer to: People *Kaya (given name) *Kaya (surname) Places *Kaya, Burkina Faso, a town in Burkina Faso, capital of the department *Kaya Airport, serving the town * Kaya Department, a department or commune of Sanmatenga Province in centr ...

, Burkina Faso * Patras, Greece

Unincorporated suburbs of Savannah

Savannah's unincorporated suburbs within Chatham County include several located on urbanized

barrier islands Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a f ...

east of the city. * Dutch Island * Georgetown *

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * H ...

* Montgomery * Skidaway Island * Talahi Island *

Whitemarsh Island White Marsh or Whitemarsh can refer to: * White Marsh, Maryland, United States * White Marsh, the location of Sacred Heart Church (Bowie, Maryland) *Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania, United States ** Battle of White Marsh, a Revolutionary War battl ...

* Wilmington Island

Notable people

Notes

References

External links

Official website

www.visitsavannah.com
— Official Site of the Savannah Convention & Visitors Bureau
www.seda.org
— Savannah Economic Development Authority
Savannah Historic Newspapers Archive
— Digital Library of Georgia
Virtual Historic Savannah Project
* *
Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library
Emory University
Savannah (Ga.). District and Port records, 1861
{{Authority control Cities in Chatham County, Georgia Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)

Populated coastal places in Georgia (U.S. state) Populated places established in 1733 Port cities and towns in Georgia (U.S. state) Savannah metropolitan area

History

Geography

Climate

Urban

Neighborhoods

Historic districts

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

Government

Police and fire departments

State representation

Prisons

Economy

Arts and culture

Books and literature

Dance

Music

Theater and performance

Visual and community arts

Points of interest

Squares

Historic churches and synagogues

Historic homes

Historic cemeteries

Historic forts

Other registered historic sites

Shopping

Other attractions

Sports and recreation

Professional sport teams

College teams

Education

Media

Infrastructure

Transportation

Interstates and major highways

Crime

Sister cities

Unincorporated suburbs of Savannah

Notable people

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links