Railroads

Georgia has a long history with the railroad industry. Georgia created railroad tracks to link cities such as
Athens, Augusta, and Savannah in the 1830's. Eventually, Georgia had more rail lines than any other state in the Deep South. In turn, many of Georgia’s towns and cities, including Atlanta, were created due to the railroad. Railroads are still important to the state’s economy today. Georgia has over 5000 miles of railroad track bringing goods into and away from the state. For the most part Georgia’s railroad freight industry is dominated by two companies, CSX and Norfolk Southern, while Amtrak provides passenger service to New York, Washington D.C., and New Orleans.

Deepwater Ports

Most products that are imported and exported arrive by shipping on boats. Georgia’s deepwater ports in Brunswick and Savannah are important in America’s international trade.Today, the port of Brunswick has three terminals to import and export cargo, cars, and seafood. From 2001 - 2005, the port of Savannah  was the nation’s fastest growing port and, as of 2007, it became the fourth busiest port in the United States. It handles automobile and container cargo. In addition, national and international businesses such as Target and IKEA have built distribution centers at the port.

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, an average month may have over 80,000 flights, 7 million passengers, and 53,700 metric tons of cargo that come into or out of Atlanta. As the interstate highways connect Georgia to the rest of the United States, the airport connects the state to the rest of the world. Flights from Atlanta go to five continents and are able to make it to these locations. The airport is one of the largest employers in the state. This does not include the thousands of other jobs such as M.A.R.T.A. employees, taxi-cab drivers, and rental car employees.

Interstate Highway System

In the 1930s, the United States government began planning to create an interstate highway system that would connect the major cities of the nation. It hoped that these highways would encourage economic growth and development. General Clay, who was from Marietta, made sure that three of the interstates went through Atlanta. Interstate 95 connects Georgia to 16 states and important cities such as Miami, Richmond, Washington D.C., New York City, and Boston. Interstate 75 connects Georgia to the cities of Chattanooga, Cincinnati, and Detroit. Both of these interstates make it easy to transport goods to and from these major manufacturing centers. The interstates can also be credited for bringing major national and international corporations to the city. Suburbs were able to develop outside of Atlanta which has resulted in major road and housing construction throughout the area resulting in countless number of jobs throughout the area.