Culture of Georgia (U.S. state)

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The culture of Georgia is a subculture of the Southern United States that has come from blending heavy amounts of English and rural Scots-Irish culture with the culture of African Americans and Native Americans. Since the late 20th century areas of Northern, Central, and the Atlanta metropolitan area of Georgia have experienced much growth from people moving from the mid-west and northeastern parts of the U.S. and along with many immigrants from Latin America. Southern culture remains prominent in the rural Southern and the Appalachian areas of the state. Georgians share a history with the other Southern states that includes the institution of slavery, the American Civil War, Reconstruction, the Great Depression, segregation, and the civil rights movement.

The people of Georgia are stereotyped both by their manners and for being highly religious. Language in Georgia is a combination of several different sub-dialects of Southern American English found in different areas of the state. The state's culture is also influenced by its economy, most notably from forestry and its many benefits to the state and its people. Finally, Georgia's cuisine is integral to its culture with such foods as seafood, cornbread, peaches and grits being part of the people of Georgia's diet and economy.

On a more abstract level, Georgia's culture can be seen and heard in its literature, music, sports, film, television and art. Georgia is known for such authors as Alice Walker and Margaret Mitchell; for musicians and bands such as R.E.M. and Ray Charles; for interest in football, hunting and fishing; for the films and television shows filmed in the state and the actors and actresses from Georgia; and for the art created by Georgians and inspired by the state of Georgia.

Georgia's culture originated with its settlement by British colonists after the founding of the colony by James Edward Oglethorpe in 1732. The early colonists were mostly English though there were also significant amounts of Scots-Irish, Salzburgers, Italians, Sephardic Jews, Moravians and Swiss, among others.^[1] It is the amalgamation of these disparate ethnicities, along with the influx of African slaves and their descendants, which has created the modern culture of the state and the modern Georgian.

Stereotypical Georgian traits include manners known as "Southern hospitality", a strong sense of community and shared culture, and a distinctive Southern dialect.^[2] Georgia's Southern heritage makes turkey and dressing a traditional holiday dish during both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Movies like Gone with the Wind and the book If I Ever Get Back to Georgia, I'm Gonna Nail My Feet to the Ground by Lewis Grizzard lampoon (and celebrate) Georgia culture, speech and mannerisms.