Stock library images of Savannah, Georgia.
Savannah is the oldest city in the
U.S. state of
Georgia and the
county seat of
Chatham County. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah became the
British colonial capital of the
Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. A strategic port city in the
American Revolution and during the
American Civil War, Savannah is today an industrial centre and an important Atlantic seaport. It is Georgia's
fifth-largest city and
third-largest metropolitan area. Each year Savannah attracts millions of visitors, who enjoy the city's architecture and historic buildings: the birthplace of
Juliette Gordon Low (founder of the
Girl Scouts of the United States of America), the
Georgia Historical Society (the oldest continually operating historical society in the South), the
Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences (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 America), and the
Central of Georgia Railway roundhouse complex (the oldest standing antebellum rail facility in America).Savannah's downtown area, which includes the
Savannah Historic District, the
Savannah Victorian Historic District and
22 parklike squares, is one of the largest
National Historic Landmark Districts in the United States (designated by the U.S. government in 1966). Downtown Savannah largely retains the original town plan prescribed by founder
James Oglethorpe (a design now known as the
Oglethorpe Plan). Savannah was the host city for the
sailing competitions during the
1996 Summer Olympics held in
Atlanta. Savannah lies on the
Savannah River, approximately 20 mi (32 km) upriver from the Atlantic Ocean. According to the
United States Census Bureau (2011), the city has a total area of 108.7 square miles (281.5 km2), of which 103.1 square miles (267.0 km2) is land and 5.6 square miles (15 km2) 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 flows toward the Atlantic Ocean some 16 miles (26 km) south of downtown Savannah. Savannah is prone to flooding. Five canals and several pumping stations have been built to help reduce the effects: Fell Street Canal, Pipemaker's Canal, Kayton Canal, Springfield Canal and the Casey Canal, with the first four draining north into the Savannah River
