Life in Georgia

Below-average housing costs, low taxes and a cost of living that’s lower than what you’ll find in many other U.S. cities all combine to make Georgia an affordable place to live.

Georgia offers a wide variety of activities to suit people of all ages and interests.

•  Arts: A thriving arts scene features some of the nation’s finest interactive museums, unique galleries and award-winning music venues. The renowned Woodruff Arts Center offers the world-class Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, High Museum of Art and Alliance Theatre in a single enterprise. Opportunities to experience folk art, sacred art, outdoor art and more exist all across the state.
• Music:  Georgia also gave rise to some of the nation’s most significant musical performers — Otis Redding, R.E.M., James Brown, Ray Charles, Zac Brown Band and Ludacris to name just a few. Across the state, you can experience a vast array of musical genres — bluegrass, country, classical, hip hop, rock, soul and gospel.
• Attractions: Families love Georgia because there’s so much for people of all ages to enjoy. Enjoy the rides of Six Flags Over Georgia. Wonder while you wander through the Coca-Cola Space Science Center. Take in the butterfly center at Callaway Resort & Gardens. Or visit the Center for Puppetry Arts or thrill in the Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park. No matter what you do, you’ll find that Georgia is family-friendly. 
• Outdoors: Reconnect with nature while exploring a multitude of state and national parks and dozens of waterfalls, canyons and beaches. Both casual and experienced outdoor enthusiasts will appreciate the variety of challenges presented by the state's hiking trails, walking paths and cycling courses. There are hundreds of acres for permitted hunting, fishing in beautiful rivers and streams, paddling the Okefenokee Swamp or whitewater rafting on the world's longest urban whitewater course.  
• Film Tours: See where your favorite movie or television show is filmed. Georgia is a top production center in the U.S. for top-grossing feature films released at the U.S. box office. On any given day, you'll run into a production crew or two somewhere in the state.
• History: You can’t experience Georgia without encountering history. It’s everywhere — Native American sites, historic mansions, coastal forts, the Center for Civil and Human Rights and many more places offer an opportunity to take a step back in time. Speaking of steps, there are more than 30 historic sites on Georgia’s Footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Trail. Whatever your area of interest, Georgia’s got a lot to share.

Across many playing fields youth, amateur and professional athletes compete all year round in hundreds of games, contests, races and tournaments. In 1996, Atlanta was proud to host the Summer Olympic Games, and a few former Olympic venues are still in use today. In 2018, Lake Lanier was the first destination in the Americas to host the ICF Dragon Boat World Championship and in 2019 Atlanta once again welcomed the Super Bowl. Annually, the state hosts a variety of national prominent competitions, including:

• The Masters Tournament
• SEC Football Championship
• Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
• The Peachtree Road Race

A pro team visits Atlanta once every three days (on average) to take on the Braves, Falcons, Hawks, Dream, Blaze, Swarm or Atlanta United FC. Several professional teams have affiliated minor league teams throughout the state.

Find out more about our teams, events and recreational offerings at exploregeorgia.org.

The Georgia climate is a major reason so many people continue to move to the state. While Georgia's climate varies among the state’s six regions, all areas are colored by four well-defined seasons:

• Summer brings an average temperature of 80 degrees and the added benefit of warm days and cool evenings well into October.
• Autumn is brisk, with brilliant fall foliage throughout the state, particularly in the mountains.
• Winters are brief, with average temperatures in the upper 40s and light snowfall several times a year in the north.
• Springtime is glorious, and Georgia is famous for its dogwoods, azaleas and other flora.