List of Georgia state symbols explained

The state of Georgia has numerous symbols, as defined in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated or by joint resolutions of the Georgia General Assembly.

TypeSymbolYear and
references
Image
AmphibianAmerican green tree frog
Hyla cinerea
2005
Art museumGeorgia Museum of Art1982
AtlasThe Atlas of Georgia1985
Ballet companyAtlanta Ballet1973
Beef barbecue championship Cook-offThe Hawkinsville Civitan Club's "Shoot the Bull" barbecue championship1997
BirdBrown thrasher
Toxostoma rufum
1935 (1970)[1]
Botanical gardenState Botanical Garden of Georgia1984[2]
ButterflyEastern tiger swallowtail
Papilio glaucus
1988
Center for character educationNational Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force2005
Cold water game fishSouthern Appalachian brook trout
Salvelinus fontinalis
2006
CreedGeorgian's Creed1939
CropPeanut1995
Dog"Adoptable Dog"2016
FishLargemouth bass1970
FlagGeorgia flag2003
FlowerCherokee rose
Rosa laevigata
1916
Folk danceSquare dance1996
Folk festivalGeorgia Folk Festival1992
Folk life playSwamp Gravy1994
FossilShark tooth1976
Frontier and southeastern Indian interpretive centerFunk Heritage Center2003
FruitPeach1995
Game birdBobwhite quail1970
GemQuartz1976
Historic dramaThe Reach of Song, a play about mountain writer Byron Herbert Reece1990
Historical civil rights museumRalph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum2008
InsectHoneybee1975
Marine mammalNorth Atlantic right whale
Eubalaena glacialis
1985
MineralStaurolite1976
Motto"Wisdom, Justice, Moderation"1799[3]
Musical theaterJekyll Island Musical Theatre Festival1993
NutPecan2021[4]
Peanut monumentTurner County
on the west side of Interstate Highway 75 within the limits of the city of Ashburn
1998
Poet LaureatePoet Laureate of Georgia1925
Pork cook-offThe Dooly County Chamber of Commerce's "Slosheye Trail Big Pig Jig"1997
'PossumPogo 'Possum
1992<-- violation: -->
Prepared foodGrits2002
Railroad museumThe Central of Georgia Railroad Shops Complex
Savannah
1996
ReptileGopher tortoise
Gopherus polyphemus
1989
Salt-water fishRed drum
Sciaenops ocellatus
2006
SchoolPlains High School, now part of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site1997
SealGreat Seal of Georgia1798 (1914)[5]
SeashellKnobbed whelk
Busycon carica
1987
Song"Georgia on My Mind"
lyrics by Stuart Gorrell and music by Hoagy Carmichael with words by Robert Loveman.[6] [7] [8]
1979
TartanGeorgia Tartan1997
TheaterSpringer Opera House
Columbus
1971–2, (1992)[9]
TreeSouthern live oak
Quercus virginiana
1937
Transportation history museumSoutheastern Railway Museum2000
VegetableVidalia sweet onion1990
Waltz"Our Georgia"1951
WildflowerAzalea
Rhododendron sp.
1979

External links

Notes and References

  1. The inititial designation was by gubernatorial proclamation.
  2. Book: Thomas, Frances Taliaferro. A Portrait of Historic Athens & Clarke County. 2009. University of Georgia Press. 978-0-8203-3044-0. 242. 2019-06-27. 2023-02-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20230206010406/https://books.google.com/books?id=o-8jFTZDrIwC&pg=PA242. live.
  3. The three words, "Wisdom", "Justice", and "Moderation", were in the definition of the state seal, but were never formally adopted independent of the seal.
  4. Web site: Georgia reclaims top US pecan producer; Kemp declares pecans official state nut . Poitevint . Bobby . 10 April 2021 . . 29 April 2021 . 29 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210429154119/https://www.walb.com/2021/04/10/georgia-reclaims-top-us-pecan-producer-kemp-declares-pecans-official-state-nut/ . live .
  5. The state seal was defined by the Georgia Constitution of 1798 and bore the date 1799. In 1914, the date was changed to 1776.
  6. The previous state song "Georgia" was composed by Lollie Belle Wylie.
  7. News: Smith . Kelundra . Preview: Oakland Cemetery will come to life Saturday with sound art of "Cryptophonic Tour" . 2019-06-23 . Arts Atl . April 28, 2015 . Atlanta, Georgia . 2019-06-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190623202029/https://www.artsatl.org/preview-oakland-cemetery-life-saturday-sound-art-the-cryptotonic-tour/ . live .
  8. Crouch. Kenneth E.. The State Song of Georgia. The Georgia Historical Quarterly. March 1950. 34. 1. 8–9. 40577207. Georgia Historical Society. Savannah, Georgia. 0016-8297.
  9. As governor, Jimmy Carter made it the state theater for the 1971–1972 season. In 1992, the legislature made the designation formal and ongoing.