James May-June 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 11
ourism is big business
in Georgia. How big? In
2023 (the most recent
numbers) the state
broke its own tourism
records for the second
straight year, welcoming a new high
of 171 million domestic and international visitors. Those travelers spent
more than $43 billion within the state,
generating a $79.7 billion economic
impact, $5 billion in direct state and
local tax revenue and supporting
some 460,000 jobs. To wrap your
head around those figures, they’re
the equivalent of hosting the largest
sporting event in the world. That
would be the 2026 FIFA World Cup—
some of which will in fact take place
in Atlanta— 160 times in one year.
That’s big business! And while Atlanta and its bustling airport may steal
headlines and host the very largest of
events, the tourism industry touches
every corner of the state, from historic
seaport cities to cozy mountain towns
and every river, lake, museum and
winery in between.
Speaking of Georgia Lakes
Georgia is home to more than
20,000 miles of rivers and streams,
many of which have played key roles
in the state’s history. While Atlanta,
notably, is one of few major cities
in the U.S. not built near any major
bodies of water, (our apologies to the
Chattahoochee) cities like Augusta,
Columbus and Savannah are all built
along rivers, leaning on them for
trade, manufacturing and recreation.
But until the early 20th century there
were precisely zero lakes in the state,
owing to their geology and lack of
glacial activity that feed into “lake
country” in many northern states.
In 1910 Central Georgia Power
Company built Lloyd Shoals Dam at
the confluence of the Yellow, Alcovy
and South rivers. Upon its completion
Jackson Lake became the first reservoir in the state, with its dam providing hydroelectric power for the city
of Macon. Meanwhile Georgia Power, taking advantage of the Tallulah
River’s verticality, built a series
of staircase dams in northeast Georgia’s Rabun County, creating six lakes
and harnessing the power of the river
to become— at the time— the largest
producers of electricity in the state.
Today Georgia has 33 major reservoirs, every one man-made, many
by Georgia Power. Four out of every
five Georgians live within 40 miles of
a major freshwater lake, and while
hydroelectricity has fallen out of style,
the state’s lakes remain a huge driver
of tourism and recreation, from Lake
Chatuge on the Tennessee border
to Lake Seminole in deep southwest
Georgia nearly 350 miles away. The
Georgia Power-created Oconee and
Sinclair lakes— half way between Atlanta and Augusta— are also becoming
increasingly popular with visitors.
Georgia’s largest and most visited lake is also one of its youngest.
The 59 square mile Lake Lanier
was created in 1956 when the
Buford Dam was built over the
Chattahoochee River to provide
M AY/J UNE 2025
11
